Individual sellers on eBay can now sell pre-owned fashion items fee free, the online marketplace announced today (8 April).
The move, which excludes trainers, watches, handbags and jewellery, now means both buying and selling pre-owned fashion will not incur a fee on eBay UK.
As part of the new initiative, eBay UK has transformed its website with updates including the ability to upload products using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated item descriptions, as well as customised feeds and fashion visual searches to help shoppers find their favourite items more quickly.
In addition, livestream shopping experience eBay Live is set be piloted in the UK with select sellers in the coming weeks, allowing eBay users to attend live auctions, shop exclusive deals and buy in real time. The marketplace said the feature has been successful in the US since launching in 2022, with hundreds of live events hosted every week.
According to eBay, existing individual fashion listings will benefit from the free selling, meaning even if people listed items before 8 April they will not incur a fee when their products are purchased.
The refresh of eBay’s pre-owned fashion offering comes as the company released new research showing that 70% of the UK wears 50% or less of their wardrobe. According to the study, 92% said they have more than one item of clothing they haven’t worn in the last 12 months.
The average consumer is apparently holding onto over £400 worth of clothing that they don’t wear – and eBay is encouraging them to start moving on these garments to keep them in use and in circulation.
Kirsty Keoghan, general manager of global fashion at eBay, remarked: “Free fashion selling has come at the right time for a nation sitting on billions of pounds worth of unwanted clothes.
“We know selling clothes can sometimes feel like a chore, so free selling and new updates like new AI-powered listings, will help more of us to sell clothes easily – putting more cash in pockets. By encouraging more people to buy and sell pre-loved clothing, we’ll keep more clothes out of landfill as we collectively enable a circular economy for fashion.”
Read more about eBay’s work in supporting greener retailing on Green Retail World
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
