Credit: Vicki Thompson/Silicon Valley Business Journal
Manufacturers have a new means to offer refurbished products.
Back in the long, long ago, the two warring factions of ecommerce were Amazon and eBay. Amazon was where you got your new, fancy stuff, while eBay was where you’d hunt for some guy’s action figure collection and enter a fierce bidding war over it. These days, sadly, eBay and Amazon are rarely uttered in the same sentence, as not only has Amazon’s ubiquity completely cornered the market, it has also become a viable portal for user-created listings on its own. Still, though it may be down, eBay is not out, as evidenced by their newest pursuit: officially refurbished electronics.
eBay announced today that it is launching a new portal for the sale of refurbished electronics and appliances. This portal, titled “Certified Refurbished,” is similar to Amazon’s Amazon Warehouse portal which sells used products at a discount. Unlike Amazon Warehouse, though, refurbished sales through eBay’s portal come not only with discounts, but with a variety of bonuses that would normally be reserved for brand new products, including warranties, new accessories, return periods, and factory-sealed packaging.
The Certified Refurbished portal breaks products up into five primary categories: laptops, portable audio, power tools, small kitchen appliances, and vacuums. While the selection isn’t as vast as Amazon, all products come directly from their associated manufacturers.
Credit: eBay
In fact, to even get a listing on Certified Refurbished, manufacturers need to offer products that are, in eBay’s own words, in a “pristine, like-new condition that has been professionally inspected, cleaned, and refurbished by the manufacturer, or a manufacturer-approved vendor.” It’s also gotta have it’s original or fresh packaging and any required accessories included.
eBay already has some exclusive deals with a few households brands for the portal, including Dirt Devil, Phillips, Makita, Skullcandy, and more. All products are deeply discounted, with many also offering free shipping. Certified Refurbished is already up and running for US users, and eBay is currently courting partnerships with companies based in Australia.
