Arlene Brenner was Writer and Senior Editor at eBay from 1998 - 2008 and is now Senior Writer for online marketplace Bonanzle. We caught up with Arlene just as she was preparing to host a Valentine Chat on Bonanzle, continuing an 8-year tradition that began on eBay. We thought it was a good time to catch up with her and learn more about this veteran collector, seller and marketplace employee.

What did you do before eBay?

Arlene Brenner: I worked as a writer/editor for various Silicon Valley companies, including Ford Aerospace, Link Flight Simulation, and Network General. In 1997, I brought a bunch of antique buttons into Network General to show to my co-workers (I had just gotten them at a yard sale). A co-worker told me about a little website called eBay that had collectibles, so I started using eBay to buy more vintage buttons. When Network General was bought by McAfee in 1998 and our entire writing department was let go, I applied at eBay and became their first writer.

What brought you to Bonanzle?

Arlene Brenner: I was in a Yahoo! chat room and somebody mentioned what a great place Bonanzle was to buy and sell, so I thought I would check it out. I fell in love with the site, signed up, and started selling a few things. When the founder said he was looking for a newsletter editor, I thought, "That's me!"

What do you do at Bonanzle?

Arlene Brenner: I am the editor of the Bonanzle Bargaineer, Bonanzle's newsletter, plus I occasionally work on other special projects.

What's the difference between eBay in 1998 and Bonanzle in 2010?

Arlene Brenner: It's been very exciting to be able to contribute to the growth of both companies during their early development. Bonanzle is actually growing much faster. In 1996 (one year after launch), eBay had 41,000 global registered users, and last September (one year after launch) Bonanzle had almost 100,000 users.

What is most appealing about working for online marketplaces?

Arlene Brenner: For me, it's all about combining my passion for creative writing with my desire to help community members buy and sell easier. Plus, because I am a long-time online buyer and seller (I collect vintage clothing buttons, early 20th century English teacups, 1950's paper napkin dolls - the napkins form a skirt, heart optic art glass, and an array of unique and quirky items), I understand the needs of the community and have a vested interest in making things better for all of us.

What kind of quirky or unique items do you have?

Arlene Brenner: Madeline (my mannequin) sits in my living room, dressed appropriately for the season! A 1950's bubble gum pink bicycle horn sits on top of my computer, and then there's my larger-than-life Papier-mâché teapot in the backyard that used to be a parade float.

What's appealing about Bonanzle?

Arlene Brenner: Its simplicity (two of my least techy friends signed up quickly without asking me any questions).

Honesty (Bill REALLY listens to his customers and REALLY implements their suggestions, then he tells everyone what's been updated on the What's New page).

The site's quirky sense of humor (what other ecommerce site has 1) The status of Abe Vigoda's health (on each My Bonanzle page), 2) A resident Ghost and 3) for sale: a belt buckle that is responsible for holding up the britches of the founder as he programmed away? It's pretty hard to browse around the site without cracking a smile.

There's also the speed at which Co-Founder and Chief Raconteur Mark (that's really his title) and Customer Support Guru Tom quickly resolve customer support questions.

Tell us 3 things about Bonanzle and its founder Bill Harding that we didn't know.

Arlene Brenner:Only 3? He's quite the basketball player, he's tall (6'3"ish), and he loves Pumpkin Ale! Plus, he "hearts programming" (his words). He's honest, smart, has an amazing sense of humor that's reflected on the site, and he would probably get embarrassed by my saying this, but he's very kind-hearted.

Tell me about the Valentine's event you are hosting.

Arlene Brenner: Shortly after I became eBay's first writer in 1998, I started a newsletter on the site called eBay Life. I met Nancy Rosin (who was then the vice president of the National Valentine Collectors Association) when I wrote an article on Valentines for the newsletter. I asked her if she would be interested in doing a community chat with me about Valentines on eBay's Holiday board. It became eBay's longest running holiday feature, (we did it for 8 years), and Nancy and I became good friends. Nancy is now the president of the association.

This year's event on Bonanzle is called "Heart to Heart: Secrets of the Valentine (and other mushy stuff)." It will be held on Thursday, February 4. Nancy will give a little history about the holiday, show vintage Valentines she's collected for more than 40 years (some are from the 1700s and 1800s) , and answer questions from the community. Anyone can watch the event, but people need to register on the site (it's free) to participate in the discussion. Details are in Bill's blog here. Note from the Editor: the event took place on February 4th, you can visit the board here.

How do people sign up for the Bonanzle newsletter?

Arlene Brenner: To receive the newsletter, people simply need to register on the site and opt in on the Email Preferences page under Account Settings (don't worry, it's free to register, and there's no spam). They can also sign up from a link under the "Want to Participate" heading on their My Bonanzle page.