eBay Inserts Refurbished Call To Action On New & Used Electronics Listings
eBay is looking to draw buyer attention away from new and used electronics in favor of eBay Refurbished items with call to action inserted in prominent placement on listing pages.
Sellers are accustomed to hundreds of competing ads being inserted both above and below their descriptions on the item page, but now eBay is going even further, specifically trying to capture buyer attention by promoting Refurbished alternatives as either an inexpensive upgrade or opportunity to save more.
For example, if a buyer is looking at an item in new condition, eBay's call to action finds the same or similar item (in this case the only difference is color) in the eBay Refurbished program and tells the buyer how much money they could save, while also getting a 2 year warranty.
And for used items, eBay frames it as an upgrade - for only $X more, you can buy eBay Refurbished and get a 1 year warranty.
Since launching Certified Refurbished in 2021, eBay has expanded the program to various categories mostly in electronics and home goods with some sellers pushing back on the exclusionary nature of the program which "gates" those categories and only allows approved sellers to use the Refurbished condition setting for those items.
Somewhat ironically, eBay touted the program early on as a "win" for right to repair advocates, but some sellers say that's not exactly true.
Liz Morton
For example, computer and electronics refurbisher John Bumstead has been raising concerns about the eBay refurbished program for years - particularly alarmed by the fact that both sellers and consumers may not be getting the full story about the program because eBay locks participants into strict Non-Disclosure Agreements in order to participate.
Since authorized refurbished sellers often enjoy a special and even sometimes exclusive relationship with eBay, unfortunately that also creates incentives for bending the rules to allow these sellers to do things most others would not be able to do - like when Samsung was allowed to offer only a 14 day return window instead of the 30 day timeframe required by policies.
Liz Morton
And as with other programs like eBay Consignment, any time eBay gives an exclusive partnership to just one or a small handful of sellers, it naturally restricts competition and creates unfair advantage, making it difficult for eBay to maintain their oft repeated (and now completely debunked) marketing slogan that they don't compete against their sellers.
Liz Morton
eBay going even further by inserting highly visible call to action modules on listings meant to direct potential buyers away from new or used to Certified Refurbished instead is just one more example of the company putting a heavy thumb on the scale to determine winners and losers on the platform.
