eBay has announced the first step in their mission to tackle ‘fast furniture’ and change the country’s attitude towards homeware. eBay are encouraging buyers to buy pre-loved furniture from their new ‘Better Than New Homeware Hub’, a curated collection designed to help shoppers embrace vintage, refurbished and repaired interior pieces. A move that is not only better for the planet, but also for our wallets.
New research from eBay UK has shown that on average the public look to refresh their home around three times a year. Data from eBay also shows that pre-loved Home & Garden purchases on eBay over the past year resulted in 6.5M kg of avoided waste – the equivalent of 520 double decker buses. Around 14% more are buying second-hand furniture than two years ago and the new Hub aims to increase this even more by making it easier for buyers to purchase items that are friendlier to the earth.
By opting for pre-loved, everyone can make savings on stylish pieces and take steps to reduce the impact of fast furniture, lessening the 22 million pieces of furniture ending up in landfill each year.
In a similar vein to the way we’ve celebrated pre-loved fashion through our partnership with Love Island, we’re now turning our attention to help ‘slow down’ fast furniture by demonstrating the style, value and environmental benefits of secondhand furniture and home accessories available on eBay.
This new Better Than New Homeware Hub places a much needed spotlight on the impact fast-furniture is having on our planet and showing shoppers there’s a better way to refresh the home without creating more waste. Customers will be able to find a wonderful assortment of items from sofas to lighting with lots of character that support the fight against fast-furniture and correct existing perceptions around affordability.
– Rachel Miles, Head of Home & Garden, eBay UK
By teaming up with interiors expert and author of Resourceful Living, Lisa Dawson, eBay hopes to inspire even more to embrace pre-loved and continue to combat furniture waste.
The move to ‘slow’ homewares is something I’m really passionate about – we need to be more considerate with what we’re buying, reusing and repurposing vintage pieces as much as possible. I always head to eBay when I’m planning a new addition to my home and have found some really amazing and stylish pre-loved pieces – from vintage sideboards right through to flokati rugs and pearl handled cutlery. Using eBay as a first stop when adding to your space is a more sustainable move – the recycling of interiors, buying less and buying carefully is an all round winner, limiting landfill and being kinder to both the environment and, ultimately, to our pockets.
– Lisa Dawson, author, Resourceful Living
eBay’s research showed that nearly half of those surveyed stated saving money as the main reason they buy second hand furniture, followed by 37% who do so for environmental reasons and 35% who believe pre-loved furniture is more unique.
Alongside exploring the Better Than New Homeware hub, Lisa has shared some top tips for when it comes to finding the best pre-loved pieces on eBay:
- Go in with a plan – It’s really helpful to have an idea of what it is you’re after before you start searching. Creating an online moodboard is a good way of planning out your space and narrowing down exactly what you’re looking for, saving time and avoiding the rabbit hole that it’s easy to fall down when searching! It’s also sensible to research what’s out there in advance so that you know immediately if you spot a vintage gem with your name on it.
- Make use of the suggested items tool – If you’ve been browsing for a while, this tool is amazing as it’ll show you items based on what you’re likely to love. It will show you similar brands and related items that you might not have thought to search for – and sometimes at even better prices. Plus it will help give you an idea of what keywords people use when listing their items, handy for future searching.
- Narrow your search with filters – eBay is full of amazing vintage and preloved listings and the filters are there to help you navigate. You can narrow your search by navigating by groupings such as brand, location, price or even colour, all of which makes sourcing your perfect find even easier.
- Be the better bidder – Many bidders bid in rounded numbers so to make it more likely that you’ll win, try adding a couple of pence or pounds to your maximum bid. Set your alarm to make sure that you don’t miss the finish and be super alert right until the end to ensure that you are in with a good chance of winning.
- Get friendly with the seller – One of the best things about eBay is that it enables you to communicate with the seller prior to bidding with any questions or offers. Remember that you’re buying preloved from someone who is probably as passionate about vintage as you are, so it’s worth building that relationship. You can discuss things such as price or delivery options to see if you are able to land on a deal that everyone is happy with.
