eBay Aims High with WorldOfGood.com
September 03, 2008 | by Geoff Duncan
eBay is looking to promote social and environmental awareness with WorldOfGood.com, offering fixed-priced goods based on "ethical supply chains."
Online auction site eBay might be best known as a source for obscure collectibles, the occasional useful item, and headline-catching oddities (like Seattle's automated public toilets, or a man's soul). However, now the auction site is setting itself up as a way to offer fixed-priced goods based on "ethical supply chains," and often with a larger social and environmental objective.
eBay has announced it is partnering with startup World of Good to launch WorldOfGood.com, which will offer products made from recycled and natural materials, encourage users to buy organically-produced goods, and items crafted by artisans (often women) in developing nations. WorldOfGood.com aims to be a single source where consumers can buy these goods, knowing that the goods and the conditions under which they have been produced are certified by groups like TransFair USA, Co-op America, and Aid to Artisans as meeting a core set of ethical and environmental standards.
"WorldofGood.com by eBay gives shoppers who care about making a difference access to great products that help people and the planet," said eBay Marketplaces president Lorrie Norrington, in a statement. "Socially responsible shopping just got bigger and better."
Items currently offered on the WorldOfGood.com site span the range from toys and sports equipment to musical instruments, jewelry, clothes, arts, and home items. Shoppes will be able to search for products using social or environmental categories, and see details about products such as a picture of an artisan who crafted a particular item, details of its production, and whether any of the proceeds from sales support charitable or non-profit organizations.
Although most of these products are already available through other channels, eBay potentially brings tens of millions of new customers to the table: current estimates put eBay's active user pool over 80 million.
As with eBay's main site, WorldOfGood.com sellers pay eBay to list items for sale, and eBay takes a cut of the proceeds. All transactions are being handled by eBay's online payment service PayPal.
Post Your Comment...Comments
Phlago on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 AM:
Too little too late for FEEbay. Their corporate greed has gotten in the way for to long, its alienated those of us who actually made them. (Who they forgot about).
I myself use www.alsoshop.com - And other auction alternatives, and have never looked back at the fee beast!
Stephanie on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 7:52 PM:
After reading this article and a few others about worldofgood.com I still can't help but feel that this movement is much more about world-of-good-for-ebay's-profits.com and less about becoming a leader when it comes to social and environmental responsibility.
The last two sentances of the article are what really gives this away:
"As with eBay's main site, WorldOfGood.com sellers pay eBay to list items for sale, and eBay takes a cut of the proceeds. All transactions are being handled by eBay's online payment service PayPal. "
Ebay still gets their triple and sometimes quadruple dip into the profits of its sellers. A listing fee, a final value fee, and up to three different pay pal fee illuminate the fact that all ebay is concerned about is a profit.
However it is a step in the right direction and perhaps this paves the way for another company to pick up the reigns where ebay has left them and create a real socially responsible shopping environment.
Stephanie
P.S. Phlago I've seen your comments on at least two of the sites I've seen this article and I can't help but feel your pushing your own website. How does this make you any better then the original?
Stephanie on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 7:52 PM:
After reading this article and a few others about worldofgood.com I still can't help but feel that this movement is much more about world-of-good-for-ebay's-profits.com and less about becoming a leader when it comes to social and environmental responsibility.
The last two sentences of the article are what really gives this away:
"As with eBay's main site, WorldOfGood.com sellers pay eBay to list items for sale, and eBay takes a cut of the proceeds. All transactions are being handled by eBay's online payment service PayPal. "
Ebay still gets their triple and sometimes quadruple dip into the profits of its sellers. A listing fee, a final value fee, and up to three different pay pal fee illuminate the fact that all ebay is concerned about is a profit.
However it is a step in the right direction and perhaps this paves the way for another company to pick up the reigns where ebay has left them and create a real socially responsible shopping environment.
Stephanie
P.S. Phlago I've seen your comments on at least two of the sites I've seen this article and I can't help but feel your pushing your own website. How does this make you any better then the original?
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Phlago on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 AM:
Too little too late for FEEbay. Their corporate greed has gotten in the way for to long, its alienated those of us who actually made them. (Who they forgot about).
I myself use www.alsoshop.com - And other auction alternatives, and have never looked back at the fee beast!