eBay Debuts reCommerce Marketplace

The reCommerce trend continues to gain momentum. eBay announced on Wednesday (Oct. 21) that it is launching a new destination for electronics products to feature Certified Refurbished products, not from its sellers but from brands like De’Longhi, Dirt Devil, Hoover, Makita, Philips and Razer, which will sell exclusively on the eBay platform. The program is operable immediately.

“Demand for refurbished products has surged, and by securing exclusive rights to inventory sold directly from the most popular manufacturers, eBay is changing the way people shop this category,” said Jordan Sweetnam, senior vice president and general manager for eBay’s North America market. “eBay shoppers tend to focus on value, which has helped make these products so popular. With this new Certified Refurbished destination, we’re doing a better job of helping customers discover inventory sold direct from the brands they love.”

Only brands that meet eBay’s Certified Refurbished criteria qualify for the program. Items must be in like-new condition and must have been professionally refurbished by the manufacturer – or a manufacturer-approved vendor – to meet eBay’s specifications. Items must also be in new packaging with original or new accessories.

The new site focuses on electronics in five categories: laptops, portable audio, power tools, small kitchen appliances and vacuums. In addition to the brands mentioned earlier, several appliance brands have signed on, including Bissell, Black+Decker and KitchenAid. The consumer electronics side excludes some key brands, such as Apple, Samsung, Dell, Google and Sony. It does include Acer, Lenovo, Microsoft and Sennheiser.

The effort is loaded up with product guarantees. All purchases will come with a two-year warranty,  access to item repairs and 24/7 customer support with Allstate. All items can be returned to eBay within 30 days.

The announcement comes after eBay has conducted research that it says supports the refurbished effort. According to eBay’s data, only 32 percent have given a refurbished gift, but this year, 60 percent would consider gifting refurbished electronics. The research is also in sync with PYMNTS’ work that shows holiday spend to be flat or even reduced. According to eBay, while 66 percent of Americans plan to buy gifts for family and friends this holiday, even more (73 percent) say their gift-giving budgets have not increased, and 37 percent say their budgets have gone down.

IKEA, Levi’s and REI have been among the recent high-profile reCommerce announcements. To expand gently used gear to more members across the country, REI launched its online reCommerce business in 2018, supplementing its members-only Garage Sale events in its stores. Last week, the company reported that its online business is up nearly 100 percent compared to last year, in part due to demand from millennials who prioritize renting or buying used products over purchasing new gear. Beginning this month, REI members can trade in their own used gear through the co-op’s online, member-only trade-in program to receive REI gift card credit.

“Our reCommerce business continues to exceed our expectations,” said Ken Voeller, REI manager of new business development and reCommerce. “We see many benefits to expanding this business. First, as an opportunity to introduce our members to more outdoor activities through lower-priced products. Also, having a robust used gear business helps reduce the co-op’s overall impact on the environment as we work to achieve our climate and zero-waste objectives.”