Saturday, October 5, 2024

eBay scraps fees for sale of second-hand clothing

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eBay has dropped fees for the sale of second-hand clothing.

The online marketplace has scrapped any charges for the sale of pre-owned clothes as of today, in what it says is an effort to keep garments out of landfill.

This means it is now free to sell second-hand clothing through the site, even if it has never been worn and has tags on.

Analysts say the move is being driven by eBay desire to compete with popular second-hand clothing apps such as Vinted and Depop. These apps tend to attract a younger market – which eBay is eager to infiltrate.

However, trainers, watches, handbags and jewellery are not covered by the new policy and seller fees still apply.

eBay has said that encouraging more people to buy and sell pre-owned clothing is key in reducing waste from fashion, and moving towards a circular economy.

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Kirsty Keoghan, general manager of global fashion for eBay, said: “Free fashion selling has come at the right time for a nation sitting on billions of pounds worth of unwanted clothes.

“We know selling clothes can sometimes feel like a chore, so free selling and new updates like new AI-powered listings will help more of us to sell clothes easily, putting more cash in pockets.

“By encouraging more people to buy and sell pre-loved clothing, we’ll keep more clothes out of landfill as we collectively enable a circular economy for fashion.”


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The e-commerce company also claimed that over 1,600,000kg of waste was saved from going into landfill last year through the sale of second-hand clothing on their platform.

The fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of annual global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

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