eBay Cracks Down on Certified Refurbs

eBay is cracking down on certified refurbs, requiring sellers gain approval before being allowed to list an item as certified refurbished.

“Starting October 9, 2020, items listed as certified refurbished will need to meet our updated item condition requirements and be approved by our certified refurbished team,” eBay wrote.

eBay will only approve manufacturers or manufacturer-approved vendors – and it will require the latter to provide evidence they are authorized to resell the manufacturer’s products.

Sellers who are unable to get approval to sell items classified as certified refurbished can sell them as a “seller refurbished” item, which means it has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party. “This means the item was inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition. This item may or may not be in original packaging. “

The following categories will be eligible for certified refurbished condition item listings: Laptops; Portable Audio; Small Kitchen Appliances; Vacuums; and Power Tools. eBay said it would add more categories over time.

You can find details on the eBay Announcement board.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.