eBay found a brilliant way to profit from the holiday gifts you don't want
AP Images Bennett Raglin
eBay is trying to capitalize on people who will be inevitably be disappointed by their holiday gifts this year.
On December 26 and 27, the company is inviting Americans to profit off of all the presents they received and didn’t want. Instead of returning the items, eBay is asking people to sell them online.
For the two days after Christmas, eBay is offering its professional reselling service, Valet, free of charge.
Users can print a prepaid shipping label on the Valet website on December 26 or 27, then pack and ship in their unwanted gifts by January. When an accomplished eBay seller who has partnered with Valet completes the sale on his or her own website, the user receives 100% of the money.
Usually, users make 60 to 80% of sale price when using Valet, which eBay launched in 2014.
The website has good reason to remove barriers to entry for new users. As eBay reported in October, most Valet customers progress to buying and selling their own items on eBay, cutting out Valet as the middleman.
AP Images Bennett Raglin
The service only accepts items that sell for $40 or more on eBay, and does not accept items in poor condition, things like vases or china that may break in transit, or high-value items like jewelry or art that need to be authenticated.
In addition to providing free Valet, the company is trying to encourage a Boxing Day boost with pop-up drop boxes for Valet at eight Westfield shopping centers across the US to encourage people to utilize the service.
Historically, eBay shines on Boxing Day in a way that many Americans retailers do not, as the website attracts people trying to resell presents. The sales spike is necessary — while the days leading up to Christmas are a boon for many retailers, people are less likely to turn to eBay for gifts due to concerns regarding shipping time.