eBay said shoppers in the UK have been searching for more refurbished goods during the pandemic in a press release that aligns with its initiative to promote refurbs that are certified by brands.
While sellers are still allowed to sell refurbished goods, they are not allowed to describe them as “certified” unless they have a relationship with the manufacturer or brand and are specifically approved by eBay.
In October, eBay launched the Certified Refurbished program in the US “to ensure that buyers are able to find and purchase like-new refurbished inventory in select categories with confidence on eBay, and reduce “item not as described” returns for qualified sellers.”
eBay launched the Certified Refurbished Hub in the UK this week.
“These items are in a pristine, like-new condition and are inspected, cleaned and refurbished by either the manufacturer itself, or a manufacturer-approved seller,” eBay explained. “For added peace of mind, Certified Refurbished items also come with a 12 month guarantee and are protected by eBay’s Money Back Guarantee which means consumers can shop with confidence and save money.”
eBay has been heavily promoting the certified goods that are part of its refurbished-products program.
In its press announcement, eBay said one refurbished item sells on its UK marketplace every 14 seconds. “Shoppers are looking for ‘like-new for less’ items and the quest to create the ultimate work from home or homeschooling setup caused refurbished laptops to click up 75% more searches, whilst refurbished coffee machines brewed up over a third (35%) more searches and refurbished chairs seated 48% more searches.”
It made the bold statement, “eBay UK reveals nation could save at least £1.56bn by shopping refurb this year.”
Its a game to keep regular sellers OUT/OFF of eBay.
As usual – Im the guinea pig for stuff – I like to test eBays boundaries – since the ALWAYS lie about everything.
I wanted to sell “certified” refurbs from Amazon. Like them or hate them – they dont lie and have an actual refurb program.
eBay told me that since I wasnt a brand that registered with them aka GIVE THEM MONEY – I cant sell them since they arent “CERTIFIED” – even with paper work from Amazon and stickers on the boxes (from Amazon).
Im not paying up to eBay to let me sell stuff there – Ill go elsewhere – this isnt the Sopranos – Im not paying up, they arent going to take a VIG from me, and I wont give them “their cut”.
These people (who participate in the program) also get front place placement – that regular sellers dont ever get.
Its another eBay scam.
I dare anyone to prove me wrong !
There certainly isn’t any point in shopping for certified refurbished products on eBay when a buyer can simply cut the middle-man out and purchase said items directly from many of the major manufacturers for less than or the same price as those that are seen on the venue.
Furthermore, eBay and some of its sellers appear to lack the credibility and trustworthiness that most major brands enjoy.
My past experience with venue marketed refurbs is that they typically do not compare to the Grade A products that I purchase directly from manufacturer refurbished and/or off-lease product sites.