Online marketplace eBay UK has today launched a Certified Refurbished Hub, following growing demand among its customers for ‘nearly new’ items.
The hub hosts refurbished items from over 70 household brands including Dyson, Go Pro and Panasonic, and includes tech, home & garden and hair and beauty appliances.
According to eBay, these items are in a “pristine, like-new condition” and are inspected, cleaned and refurbished by either the manufacturer itself, or a manufacturer-approved seller. Certified refurbished items also come with a 12-month guarantee and are protected by eBay’s Money Back Guarantee.
Data from the retailer shows that one refurbished items sold every 14 seconds on its platform in 2020, with laptops, coffee machines, and chairs experiencing a particularly large spike in searches as people spent more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a nod to the environmental benefit of purchasing items that may have otherwise ended up in landfill, eBay said it sold 438 double decker buses in weight worth of refurbished products over the last year.
Matt Potter, head of certified refurbished at eBay UK, remarked: “The demand for refurbished items has soared in the last year as it is a more affordable way to shop ‘like-new’ items from top brands without the heavy price tag.
“When people think of refurb they tend to think of tech items first but there is so much more. We have everything from Dyson hair dryers, Simba mattresses and top of the range vacuums from the likes of Shark. Why pay more if you can get the same item, approved from the manufacturer for less?”
The typical journey of a certified refurbished item on eBay:
- Customer buys a brand new product
- Product is returned with little or no damage
- Product is expertly restored and vetted to work like-new
- Product is packaged in original or new packaging with accessories and new manuals
- Product is sold as ‘certified refurbished’ on eBay’s Certified Refurbished Hub with a 12-month warranty and protected by eBay Money Back Guarantee
Online retailers and marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, could soon be required to collect e-waste from consumers, as part of government plans to clamp down on electrical items entering landfill. Read the full story on Green Retail World.
[Image credit: eBay]
