In a sense, eBay was founded on the principle of letting someone sell the trash in their closet as treasure to someone else. It’s fair to say that the closet in this hypothetical situation didn’t belong to Oprah, though.
That’s the plan for eBay and O, The Oprah Magazine as the two announced plans for a charity action of more than 200 pieces of clothing, footwear and other accessories straight from “The Oprah Winfrey Show’s” spring cleaning closet special. The sale will begin March 1 and wrap up 10 days later, with all proceeds going to benefit The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation. Vincent Payen, head of consumer selling at eBay, explained that the partnership will help highlight eBay’s use as a secondhand resale site — not just for rare collectors or bootleggers.
“We are partnering with O, The Oprah Magazine to raise money for a good cause and show that eBay is the best way to sell the things you no longer need,” Payen said in a statement. “You can list directly on eBay.com, use our mobile app or take advantage of eBay Valet — our professional selling service where everything is done for you.”
While many of the products up for auction are designed by a collection of Oprah’s on-air guests over the years, others, like the 10-gallon hat worn by the Renaissance woman in a 2009 episode where she visited the State Fair of Texas with occasional co-host Gayle.
“This is a chance to buy a piece of television/media history, while helping change young women’s lives,” Adam Glassman, creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine, said. “Most of the items in the sale are timeless and classic, and the best part: They are all like new.”
The charity auction will keep adding new items until March 4, at which point bidders will have close to a week to decide which piece of the Oprah Empire they’d like to own.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More