Aussie retailers and distributors are reportedly flocking to sell their merchandise on once feared US online auction giant eBay, claims the Company’s CEO.
Australian MD at eBay Deborah Sharkey said eBay was a conduit for the retailers who now account for 82 percent of eBay sales in Australia.
“EBay has evolved – we’re no longer ‘that auction site for used stuff’ – most of what Australians are buying on eBay is brand-new products from retailers,” she told Australian IT.
“We’re a mainstream shopping destination. We’ve got the largest selection of products online in Australia.”
Retailers including fashion chain Dotti, fashion brands Supre and Ksubi, Super Retail’s Super Cheap Auto and fashion designer Lisa Ho are among the 70 mainstream retailers now selling via eBay. Some, including Lisa Ho, feature on eBay.com.au’s Fashion Gallery: a set-up where consumers can deal direct from a variety of top fashion names at a discount from recommended retail prices.
Online retailing still only accounts for about 6 per cent of Australian retail spending, compared with more than 10 per cent in the US and British markets – a gap Sharkey predicts will rapidly narrow. “The entire pie is growing dramatically, and we’re still not satisfying consumer demand – we want to enable Australian businesses to offer as much as possible to the Australian consumer,” she said.
