Ebay has scrapped fees for private sellers across almost all of its categories after introducing free fashion selling earlier in the year.
The move comes amid increasing competition from rival sites such as Depop and Vinted, and means sellers no longer have to pay final value or regulatory operating fees on items except for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles.
Ebay said the removal of sellers fees for fashion in April had already led to a double-digit increase in listings for popular items such as jeans, shirts, and dresses, while keeping items out of landfill.
A survey for the site suggested an estimated 294 million unused items across the UK could generate £9 billion in resale income, with half of households (50%) valuing their unused items at between £50 and £300.
Nearly a quarter of UK households (24%) are sitting on items worth over £500, with the most commonly unused items including adult clothing (44%), DVDs and CDs (33%) and technology items (27%), the poll found.
The majority of people (56%) sell items they no longer use to make money, with almost half (47%) finding it more sustainable than throwing them away, 55% wanting to clear space in their home and 23% selling items to fund new items.
The site said the further dropping of fees was an effort to provide users with a “more streamlined and safe” platform.
Ebay UK general manager Kirsty Keoghan said: “eBay is constantly improving the marketplace experience in order to deliver on what our customers want.
“Removing selling fees across categories is designed to give buyers access to greater breadth and depth of inventory, while creating a simplified and streamlined experience for sellers.”
Ebay’s Germany site dropped selling fees last year, leading to the company attracting twice as many new sellers as before while also luring back inactive sellers, it said.
Growth occurred in almost all categories, but especially in electronics and collectibles.
Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults in August.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here