eBay UK Launches ‘Better Than New Homeware’ Hub
eBay UK aims to combat the issue of fast furniture and shift people’s perspectives on homewares, as British households dispose of approximately 500,000 tonnes of furniture annually.
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The company has introduced the ‘Better Than New Homeware’ Hub, which encourages people to adopt a more deliberate approach to home decor by prioritizing pre-loved items.
eBay UK’s curated hub is a hand-picked collection of vintage, restored, or repaired pieces that are environmentally friendly and more affordable, aimed at assisting consumers in making more sustainable choices for their home interiors.
New research conducted by eBay UK has shown that the average person seeks to update their home approximately three times per year.
Despite 14% of people indicating that they purchase more second-hand furniture now than they did two years ago, there is still a significant amount of fast furniture that ends up in landfills.
The ‘Better Than New Homeware’ Hub is intended to assist individuals in being more environmentally conscious, while also allowing them to be creative with their homes.
According to eBay UK data, purchasing pre-loved Home & Garden items on their platform in the past year resulted in 6.5 million kilograms (14.3 million lbs) of waste avoidance, equivalent to 520 double-decker buses.
Choosing pre-loved items allows everyone to save money on fashionable furniture and contribute to the reduction of fast furniture’s impact, lessening the 22 million pieces of furniture ending up in landfills annually.
“In a similar vein to the way we’ve celebrated pre-loved fashion through our partnership with Love Island, we’re now turning our attention to help ‘slow down’ fast furniture by demonstrating the style, value and environmental benefits of secondhand furniture and home accessories available on eBay,” said Rachel Miles, Head of Home & Garden at eBay UK.
“This new hub places a much needed spotlight on the impact fast-furniture is having on our planet and showing shoppers there’s a better way to refresh the home without creating more waste.
“Customers will be able to find a wonderful assortment of items from sofas to lighting with lots of character that support the fight against fast-furniture and correct existing perceptions around affordability.”
eBay UK has also partnered with Lisa Dawson, an interiors specialist and author of Resourceful Living, to inspire and encourage more individuals to adopt pre-loved items and join the fight against furniture waste.
“The move to ‘slow’ homewares is something I’m really passionate about – we need to be more considerate with what we’re buying, reusing and repurposing vintage pieces as much as possible,” added Lisa.
“I always head to eBay when I’m planning a new addition to my home and have found some really amazing and stylish pre-loved pieces – from vintage sideboards right through to flokati rugs and pearl handled cutlery.
“Using eBay as a first stop when adding to your space is a more sustainable move – the recycling of interiors, buying less and buying carefully is an all round winner, limiting landfill and being kinder to both the environment and, ultimately, to our pockets.”
Why Choose Pre-Loved Homewares from eBay UK?
According to eBay’s research, almost 50% of those who have started embracing pre-loved furniture stated that their primary reason for doing so is to save money.
Additionally, 37% of those surveyed mentioned environmental reasons as a motivation, while 35% believed that pre-loved furniture is more unique.
Opting for pre-loved furniture not only saves money and benefits the environment, it also provides an opportunity for decor enthusiasts to showcase their creativity through upcycling.
eBay UK found that 35% of individuals who have engaged in a DIY/upcycling project in the past year did so because they relish the opportunity to get imaginative and produce something genuinely distinctive.
Lisa also provided some useful pointers for discovering the finest pre-loved furniture on eBay UK, in addition to perusing the ‘Better Than New Homeware’ Hub.
- Go in with a plan: “It’s really helpful to have an idea of what it is you’re after before you start searching. Creating an online moodboard is a good way of planning out your space and narrowing down exactly what you’re looking for, saving time and avoiding the rabbit hole that it’s easy to fall down when searching! It’s also sensible to research what’s out there in advance so that you know immediately if you spot a vintage gem with your name on it.”
- Make use of the suggested items tool: “If you’ve been browsing for a while, this tool is amazing as it’ll show you items based on what you’re likely to love. It will show you similar brands and related items that you might not have thought to search for – and sometimes at even better prices. Plus it will help give you an idea of what keywords people use when listing their items, handy for future searching.”
- Narrow your search with filters: “eBay is full of amazing vintage and pre-loved listings and the filters are there to help you navigate. You can narrow your search by navigating by groupings such as brand, location, price or even color, all of which makes sourcing your perfect find even easier.”
- Be the better bidder: “Many bidders bid in rounded numbers so to make it more likely that you’ll win, try adding a couple of pence or pounds to your maximum bid. Set your alarm to make sure that you don’t miss the finish and be super alert right until the end to ensure that you are in with a good chance of winning.”
- Get friendly with the seller: “One of the best things about eBay is that it enables you to communicate with the seller prior to bidding with any questions or offers. Remember that you’re buying pre-loved from someone who is probably as passionate about vintage as you are, so it’s worth building that relationship. You can discuss things such as price or delivery options to see if you are able to land on a deal that everyone is happy with.”
eBay’s Home & Garden category ranks among the top three primary categories across all of its global marketplaces, making it an excellent avenue for sellers to broaden their business.
The ‘Better Than New Homeware’ Hub is now live on eBay UK.
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EBay Today is promoting one seller over all others – clearcycle – leaving long-established sellers with over 20 years experience on eBay with only one option to get seen: pay over ever more of their shrinking margin for promoted listings. Buyers are being sold damaged, “recycled” furniture at the same price as ex display and other new clearance stock, and they cannot even see the alternatives that are available because eBay has limited the visibility of listings from other sellers in the same category. EBay UK is promoted as a safe, friendly place to do business, but as any seller can tell you they repeatedly act against the best interests of both buyers and sellers on their site. The furniture category manager at eBay recently did a deal directly with clearcycle, including all these press releases promoting their company and collaborating to give a talk at a well known furniture trade show, talking directly to the exhibitors in an effort to cut out other furniture sellers. The fees eBay are charging clearcycle via promoted listings are so high other sellers cannot compete on sales or visibility, average promoted listing fees in those categories now top 12% and are still rising. Those of us without eBay’s dedicated support, who focus on serving our customers high quality goods at low prices, are left with no visibility and no sales. Some of eBay’s staff are ruthless, and will go to any length to get that promotion. There is nothing wrong with preloved furniture, it has always had a home on eBay and other marketplaces, but the above article looks like it was written by a robot.