eBay launched a new consignment service for luxury handbags on Tuesday, after it shuttered a previous version called eBay Valet five years ago. eBay is working with a single seller called Linda’s Stuff (run by Linda Lightman) with whom eBay has had a long relationship.
The previous version, eBay Valet, launched in late 2014, initially giving owners of items 70% of the proceeds of the sales for items that sell. By the time it closed in 2018, it offered 50% of the proceeds for sales between $50 and $99.99 and 80% of the proceeds for the highest tier – items that sold for over $500.
With the newly launched eBay Consignment, owners of the items get between 60% (for items selling for under $1,000) and 80% (for items selling for $5,000 and above).
eBay described the new program as follows:
“If you are considering selling a luxury handbag, let eBay consignment do all the heavy lifting for you. Simply fill out a brief intake form, ship your items with a pre-paid, insured shipping label, and let the professionals handle the researching, photographing, pricing, and listing of your items. Once the items sell, simply sit back, relax, and get paid via PayPal or check.”
eBay promises that most items consigned with its partner sell in 90 days or less. But beware if the item is slow to sell – eBay explained: “If you have items that remain unsold after 365 days, it is your (the consignor’s) responsibility to contact our partner to arrange their return. Return shipping costs $25 per box. If we do not hear from you after 365 days, the items will become the property of our consignment partner.”
At one point, eBay supported the many sellers who offered independent consignment services, including through an official program called eBay Trading Assistants, launched in 2002. Sellers were devastated when eBay abruptly closed the program on September 20, 2013.
More information and FAQs about the new program are available on the eBay Consignment landing page.
