eBay is bringing attention to its latest attempt at consignment services by taking it on tour to Los Angeles and Las Vegas in a “Luxe Line” bus this week.
eBay consignment is limited to luxury handbags – “eBay consignment is a service designed to help you sell your luxury handbags with ease. We take the hard work out of selling your items,” eBay explains on its website.
eBay explained the concept of its publicity stunt in a press release on Tuesday:
“eBay is rolling out a mobile consignment concierge, mirroring the convenient and seamless selling experience offered on the marketplace. The Luxe Line – a branded bus offering people a physical place to sell their luxury accessories, as well as shop for new ones – demonstrates the simplicity of the platform’s recently launched eBay consignment service. Visitors in Los Angeles and Las Vegas will have direct access to expert sellers who list and sell their luxury items on their behalf.
“Luxe Line visitors can bring their designer handbags – eligible brands include Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and more – to have them appraised, photographed, and consigned, all handled by eBay’s team of selling experts. Visitors are also invited to shop a curated selection of handbags, watches, and jewelry from top eBay luxury sellers. Luxe Line inventory includes items from Jenna Lyons, Founder and CEO of LoveSeen, designer and longtime eBay shopper. Jenna is consigning a curated collection from her closet – including a Celine Red Leather Luggage Handbag, a Louis Vuitton Black Epi Leather Keepall, and a Miu Miu 2-way Boston Bag – all available to browse and buy.”
Tirath Kamdar, Global GM of Luxury at eBay, said in the press release: “Our consignment service is designed to help to remove the typical barriers to selling pre-owned items. The Luxe Line gives sellers and shoppers a way to test out our new service in real life with the same trusted experts that eBay works with for the online experience.”
eBay has included luxury goods in its Focus category strategy which is designed to bring enthusiast buyers to the site in hopes they’ll also spend in other categories as the number of active buyers on eBay has been in decline.
eBay estimates that $1 trillion of luxury goods are sitting in people’s closets, “yet high commission fees and complicated listing processes make selling these items more trouble than it’s worth.”
As we reported in September when eBay launched its latest iteration, it has tried to capitalize on consignment sales throughout its history, including its eBay Trading Assistants program and eBay Valet.
