eBay Lures High-End Bag Sellers With Big Payouts

Aiming to take on other high-end, luxury websites, eBay announced Monday (Oct. 16) the launch of eBay Authenticate, a service that helps buyers confidently shop online for luxury handbags and wallets that aren’t fakes.

In a news release, eBay said sellers can use the service to list luxury handbags and wallets that have a value of more than $500 and receive 80 percent of the final selling price when the bags are from 12 high-end brands, including Balenciaga, Burberry, Céline, Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi, Goyard, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Valentino.

For a limited time, the service will accept luxury handbags valued at more than $250, and sellers will receive 90 percent of the final retail price, eBay said in the press release. The eCommerce company believes eBay Authenticate will give buyers an added level of confidence that they are shopping for real handbags, since the goods will be marked with an “Authenticity Verified” label and are backed by a 200 percent money back guarantee.

The company noted that the 80 percent payout is nearly twice as much as the payout of other websites. Fake luxury brands are a problem online — and not only in China. Complaints have surfaced about other eTailers and online shopping marketplaces all over the web.

“We’re making it even easier for our buyers to shop quickly and confidently for luxury handbags,” said Laura Chambers, vice president of Consumer Selling at eBay, in the press release. “With tens of thousands of high-end handbags currently available, eBay is primed to boost customer confidence in selling and shopping for an amazing selection of designer merchandise. We also believe our sellers will love this service, as it provides them with a white glove service when selling luxury handbags. We’re looking forward to expanding this program to other brands and categories next year.”

The eCommerce company noted that for close to ten years now, it has offered a Verified Rights Owner program that lets more than 40,000 rights owners to report possible counterfeit retail goods.