Sony 84-inch 4K TV is Grand Prize in eBay Sweepstakes Giveaway
EBay flipped the switch on the My Gadgets section of its e-commerce marketplace Thursday, offering users a personalized section on the website to help them manage gadget sales from one location.
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At a launch event in New York Wednesday night, eBay staffers showed a wall of sample electronics users might own that could bring them income in the online used electronics marketplace. Products on display included a pair of Technics over-the-ear headphones with an eBay price of $139.95, a Polaroid 10-megapixel camera ($186.85) and a limited-edition Nintendo 64 game player ($253.33). Prices were based on eBay data from “the last couple of weeks,” eBay spokesman Todd Witkemper told us.
At the event, eBay quoted CEA research saying Americans own on average 24 electronics products per home and spend roughly $746 annually on tech products. Narrowing the field, eBay quoted more CEA figures saying adults between 25-34 spend $1,171 per year on electronics. The My Gadgets selling space enables consumers to trade in their current electronics to ease the pain of new product purchases, eBay staffers said.
The My Gadgets section is designed to spur selling on eBay, spokesman Todd Witkemper told us. “There are a lot of casual buyers who don’t sell,” he said, adding that selling on the whole hasn’t slowed down on eBay. Witkemper underscored eBay’s commitment to the environment, saying, “The greenest products have already been manufactured” and that consumers can recycle usable electronics through the marketplace.
On the website, eBay is facilitating the selling process by prompting users with questions as they post an item, Witkemper said. When a customer enters information about a product, eBay pre-populates information including title, stock product photo and product description. Users add condition of the product and the pricing they want to set, along with shipping options. The entire process was designed to last no more than 2 minutes, he said. By simplifying the process, eBay hopes more buyers will become sellers and discover that their gadgets -- especially when displayed together in a personal section -- can add up to more than they expect. “We show them what, say, a Nintendo 64 is worth,” he said, using eBay’s vast amount of buying and selling information. Witkemper said many consumers don’t realize that their old electronics have value to other people. “They don’t know that they can get $50” for an old Nintendo game player, he said, citing current pricing for the N64. Suggested pricing is set by the eBay marketplace, he said.
EBay is promoting the My Gadgets section through a sweepstakes running through Aug. 18, according to the website. Participants get one entry for each gadget they add to their profile, up to 10 entries, the company said. The first listing brings in another 10 bonus entries, it said. Grand prize is an “Ultimate Gadget Collection,” including a Sony 84-inch XBR 4K Ultra HD TV, Onkyo TX-NR609 AV receiver, Polk Audio LSi25 tower loudspeakers, Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player, Toshiba Kirabook i5, Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light, Sony Alpha NEX-5R digital camera, Sony PS3 game player, 16 GB iPad and an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, eBay said.