By RYAN CHRISTNER

rchristner@dailynews.net

The Internet auction site eBay provides a simple way to gain a little extra money by selling all of those Christmas gifts you never really wanted, but it also is a great tool for starting an online business or giving back to charities.

Enter the Kansas Jubilee, a convention coming to town next month that will teach about eBay and Internet business.

The convention is being organized by Joyce Banbury, a Russell resident who also is a certified education specialist trained by eBay. Banbury has secured the services of experts and executives of eBay and PayPal, a subsidiary of eBay that allows the transfer of money through the Internet.

Taking place Oct. 3 to 4 on the second floor of the Fort Hays State University Memorial Union, the convention is available to any registered eBayer.

Pre-registration is mandatory, as space is limited, and costs $49 per person, giving attendants access to more than a dozen seminars and a dinner Saturday night.

Banbury, who has been using eBay for 10 years, said she got the idea for the convention after attending eBay Live!, an official eBay convention put on nearly every year.

At eBay Live!, Banbury had access to many of the speakers who are coming in October, so it was easy to contact them and get them on board with the project, she said.

Banbury said she is excited about all the speakers, who she said are well-known throughout the eBay community and are "top of the market in what they do."

One person who Banbury said she is proud to have is Jim "Griff" Griffith, an eBay author, radio personality and executive who was the first customer support representative for the auction site.

"He's probably the most knowledgeable person about eBay in the company," Banbury said.

Griffith, who has worked for eBay since 1996, serves as the dean of eBay education for eBay University, which offers free online courses, live training and informational videos.

As an eBay education specialist, Banbury is certified to teach others how to use the site and is given access to student materials and curriculum for classes.

She said she has taught people all across Kansas and found "they'd like the opportunity to have more learning experience than what I was able to offer."

So, three years ago, Banbury approached people at eBay about the idea for a convention in Kansas. The timing, she said, did not prove to be right until this year.

Rural areas can use eBay and online marketing to their advantage, Banbury said.

"It's probably the most cost-effective way to enter Internet marketing," she said.

Registration can be done online at kansasjubilee.com.