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EBay will now offer secondhand luxury apparel sellers the option to list products on their behalf, moving further into the consignment fashion resale space dominated by The RealReal.
Already the largest peer-to-peer marketplace for pre-owned goods, eBay launched its consignment offering last year, starting with handbags. Users can send in their Chanel or Prada bags, and Linda’s Stuff, the well-established shop on eBay operated by Linda Lightman, will process, photograph and list them on behalf of the seller.
Linda’s Stuff will also power eBay’s expansion into fashion consignment, starting Monday, March 18. The platform will accept new and used apparel from brands like Dior, Fendi, Prada and Aimé Leon Dore.
The consignment commission rate will be highly competitive: the minimum payout rate is 60 percent for sellers, and that applies for anything priced under $300. At The RealReal, by comparison, pieces sold for under $100 will fetch sellers 20 percent commission. A regular peer-to-peer listing on eBay for apparel will guarantee sellers at least 86 percent of its sale price, according to its selling fees guide.
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Consignment is one way to reach customers who may have reservations about selling their pre-owned clothes, according to Kirsty Keoghan, global head of pre-owned apparel at eBay.
“The consignment programme is looking to tap into the consumer who’s looking to make that leap,” said Keoghan. “This is an opportunity to be fully protected and someone [else] does all the heavy lifting. It’s a low barrier way to test resale.”
EBay has made moves to expand its fashion resale segment overall in recent years, growing its “Authenticity Guarantee” programme to now include sneakers, handbags, jewellery and watches.
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Vestiaire Collective will now block 30 brands including Gap, H&M and Zara from its platform, adding to an earlier ban on Boohoo and other low-priced online retailers. It’s an eco-conscious spin on a broader push upmarket by secondhand companies.
