Combine traditional Ebay used clothes shopping, add a touch of Amazon.com-ness, and a feature similar to Gilt, and that’s what Ebay claims they launched on Monday with their fancy new fashion.ebay.com.
Too bad that’s not really what it turns out to be.
Fashion.ebay.com went live early this week and here’s what it does do. It does offer users a streamlined look, search options ad nauseum, and access to the world’s largest online marketplace.
Here’s what it doesn’t do: Anything new that’s really worthwhile.
There are some slight improvements. Ebay has updated the site with a “More like This” feature, so if you’re looking at an item that’s not quite right, you’re supposed to be shown other options that are in the same ballpark. But when I first used the site, I couldn’t find the feature. Strange.
Now there’s also the “Fashion Vault” which offers a different Gilt-Group type flash sale every day, with new products direct from retailers at deep discounts. But they only seem to do one brand a day, and it all appears to be geared towards women.
Once you get past the press release, fashion.ebay.com seems to be the same old stuff. Sure it’s huge, but it’s still the world’s largest, well… flea market. Even with the fancy new layout, fashion.ebay.com continues to be a mix of people trying to make a quick buck on a piece of apparel they didn’t like, online shops based in the far east with bad translations in their item descriptions, and far too few good-deal-needles in one much too large haystack.
A search for a Size 40, two button suit that’s located in North America gets you 2,200 results. Try narrowing it down further by brand and your choices evaporate (there was only one Kenneth Cole Available…) Browse the rest and you’ll soon realize that it’s still just a bunch of untrustworthy sounding online stores that are probably run by guys who worked their way up from selling Rolex fakes on the street.
Call me a pessimist, but I just don’t think it’s a great idea to purchase a $140 no-name suit from an online Ebay store called: “SuitZilla.” Even if “Customer Satisfaction is number 1 importance” to them.
Everyone seems to have found one or two great items on Ebay. However, when it comes to buying or selling fashion.ebay.com as a regular stop for style-conscious guys on the web,
I’m not even placing a bid.
(give fashion.ebay.com a spin, and leave your comments below)
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During the process they expect to "conduct business as usual."