eBay used to encourage consumers to use professional sellers to get rid of their unwanted goods on its marketplace – remember eBay drop-off stores? Now eBay is pushing consumers to sell their items in new ways that don’t include consignment sellers.
The latest example – the expansion of eBay’s partnership with Shyp. In a press release on Tuesday, eBay said it was expanding the partnership into new territory, and it’s running a promotion to encourage people to use it.
“Building on the success from initial pilots in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, the expansion (to Los Angeles) will help equip consumers with an easy, optimized selling and shipping experience,” eBay said. “Shyp will pick up the items you sold within 20 minutes, professionally pack them, and mail them straight to buyer on your behalf.”
eBay also said Shyp’s pickup and packaging fees will be waived for eBay sellers through June 30, “so they can enjoy at-home item pickups and expert packaging free of charge.”
The attraction for eBay: it says during the pilot program it found that nearly half of the eBay sellers who used Shyp had never sold on eBay previously – and it cited a repeat usage rate of 53% among those who tried the service.
eBay’s head of Consumer Selling Vincent Payen was quoted in Tuesday’s announcement, “We’re excited to expand our partnership with Shyp to make selling on eBay even easier. Coupled with the eBay Valet mail-in and drop-off programs, we’re continuing to provide our sellers with tailored experiences that make the selling and shipping process on eBay seamless. With access to eBay’s large online shopping audience, customers have the best chance to get top dollar for their items along with a simple way to both declutter their space and earn extra money this spring.”
You can find the announcement on the eBay corporate blog.
eBay also set up a landing page with more information.
