Is eBay the Sustainability Hero of Black Friday?

In case this sounds far-fetched we should remember that eBay began life as the online equivalent of a glorified car-boot sale.
 
We all spent time selecting our target products, planning our bid strategies, and we passed some enjoyable and exciting times counting down the auction clock and firing in our last-minute offers.
 
Before sustainable retailing became a significant movement, and re-sell was still largely restricted to charity shops, eBay was at the forefront of second-hand, an alternative to buying and producing new products.
 
And then with the advent of a growing marketplace of first-hand retailers, eBay diluted its purpose proposition, and lost its status as a significant if somewhat secret sustainable brand.
 
But this year eBay has dusted itself down and declared that it will only be promoting deals for refurbished and preloved products for Black Friday, in a bid to encourage people to choose more sustainable options and help reduce the environmental impact of the day.
 
Commendable and as it happens commercially savvy.
 
Research carried out by the Waste Resource and Action Programme, revealed that more than half (52%) of people will be choosing second-hand or refurbished products this Black Friday – with the majority citing saving money as their biggest incentive for doing so. And also, disclosed that on Black Friday last year, eight out of the 10 bestselling deals were for refurbished goods.
 
Despite the obvious financial incentives, eBays declaration is decisive.
 
So, let eBay be celebrated quite rightly as a sustainability champion. And let us also celebrate that a very sizeable retailer is actually seeing the commercial sense of focusing on second hand.
 
According to the research, if everyone were to shop preloved or refurbished this Black Friday, the nation would save 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 in carbon emissions and 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.
 
Now that’s a deal worth bidding for.