By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Some start with their children's toy box. Others go to garage sales.

Whatever the method, sellers on eBay have found a productive way to become entrepreneurs.

The first Kansas Jubilee, an eBayers convention, took place Friday and Saturday at Fort Hays State University.

First-time eBay users learned how to get started while those already addicted to the site learned how to improve their listings and search results for their products.

About 40 people turned out for the convention, which featured guest speakers from eBay and PayPal.

"I've been to a couple recent events and I think attendance is down. I don't think this one is unusual in that. I think it's just the economy," said Sarah Brubacher, a member of eBay's Global Trust and Safety Policy Team.

However, an economy in turmoil actually has created opportunities on eBay for people who might not have used it in the past.

"People believe they can get items for great values so folks are saying (they) should be a seller on that market," Brubacher said. "Nobody wants the economy to be down, but it's a boon for eBay."

Danna Crawford, eBay education specialist, said the number of people taking classes, webinars and consultations from her has grown substantially over the last couple of weeks.

Crawford, known as the Power Selling Mom, said she can't make anybody rich by telling them about the useful tools on the Web site.

"I'm not going to make you millions, but I am going to help you get your bills paid," Crawford said. "If you just jump in, you may not sell that first item, but that 35 cents is part of your education and that's pretty cheap to start your career."

Crawford also is involved with eBay's Giving Works program, which is sponsoring two regional fundraisers.

The Giving Works program allows individuals to sell an item on eBay and donate the proceeds to a participating charity.

During the conference, lab coats, similar to those worn by eBay customer service representatives, were put up for auction on eBay.

One coat's proceeds will benefit schools in Chapman, damaged by a tornado in June. The other coat will benefit schools in Greensburg, which were destroyed by a tornado in May 2007.

The buyers of those coats, then, are asked to re-sell the coats and continue donating the proceeds to the charities of their choice. A previous lab coat raised more than $3,000 for various charities.