From today, eBay consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sellers in the UK will no longer have to pay. for any domestic purchases. The company first tested free sales for used clothes earlier this year. Using the data from this test, eBay decided to open the floodgates.
In addition to the initial test in the UK, so is eBay For domestic sales in Germany. In today’s announcement from eBay, CEO and President Jamie Iannone said it can “strengthen our marketplace by lowering barriers to C2C selling, improving the breadth and depth of inventory on eBay.” However, Iannone also mentioned that the company will start implementing a “buyer-related fee” early next year.
Among the reasons given for removing seller’s fees were the fact that there were hundreds of millions of unused items in the UK. Iannone believes sellers would be more inclined to set up shop on eBay if they didn’t have to spend money just to list items and didn’t have to worry about the company getting a percentage of the proceeds after the sale. The breadth of products from consumers, not just professional sellers, can make the market “more vibrant”.
eBay also faces competition from Vinted and Depop, two new e-commerce platforms that don’t charge sellers. Vinted, in particular, is primarily a second-hand marketplace for clothing, and eBay’s removal of seller fees for clothing is a direct response to a rival company. Etsy-owned Depop is also growing. So it’s no surprise that eBay is following in the footsteps of its competitor.
The announcement also mentioned more changes and improvements, such as a “streamlined listing process,” an improved local pickup process, and a better wallet experience through eBay Balance. eBay plans to share more details about its future plans at the next Global All Hands event.
