eBay predicts that on Christmas morning the nation will wake up to pre-loved and refurbished presents, as shoppers turn away from new products this Black Friday in a bid to save money.
New research from eBay UK finds 52 per cent of people will be shopping for second-hand or refurbished products this festive season, with saving money as the top incentive (56 per cent) for changing their shopping preferences.
Black Friday traditionally represents the start of the festive retail rush*, and this year consumers intend to spend over £100 less on average than last year, as inflation bites and anxiety about the cost of living soars.
In fact, if everyone shops for only pre-loved or refurbished items, new data reveals that the nation could save a huge £8 billion per year, equating to as much as £280 per household.
The nation’s appetite is ripe for this shift, in 2021, 8 out of 10 best-selling Black Friday deals purchased on the online marketplace were refurbished.
The data, compiled in partnership with WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), also suggests that these efforts could save 300,000 tonnes from landfill per year, which would fill the Royal Albert Hall six times over, and reduce carbon emissions by at least 1.5 million tonnes, an equivalent of taking 323,000 cars off the road for 1 year.
Following its pre-loved fashion sponsorship of Love Island earlier this summer, eBay is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to driving better shopping habits with a new approach to Black Friday.
Helping shoppers make purchases which are better for their wallet and the planet, the marketplace will only promote refurbished and pre-loved deals for Black Friday this year across all its marketing content.
Customers can expect refurbished items like laptops, phones, vacuum cleaners and furniture up for grabs, alongside deals on pre-loved fashion from top brands.
Murray Lambell, General Manager of eBay UK said: “In its current form Black Friday is broken, but it’s not too late to make it relevant for today’s consumer.
While it was first introduced to offer consumers big savings ahead of the festive period, it no longer delivers on that same promise of value. For shoppers, it creates a frenzy, with a ‘buying for buying sake’ mentality.
The cost of living and climate crisis presents new parameters as consumer shopping habits continue to change, as we’ve seen a sharp increase in purchases for pre-loved and refurbished.
We know there’s a better way that we can do Black Friday together. Our hope is to inspire the nation to think differently when they’re doing their Christmas or Black Friday shopping this year – if they buy one or two pre-loved or refurbished items to start with, it’s a positive step that allows products to take on a new life by keeping them out of landfill.”
‘Refurbished’ items on eBay have been expertly restored and vetted to work like new, allowing shoppers to save on popular products including recent releases and previously discounted models. Buying refurbished is not only better value, but it significantly expands the lifespan of the item, preventing it from going to landfill and reducing its overall environmental impact.
eBay by Numbers
- 8 out of the top 10 Black Friday deals sold on eBay UK last year were refurbished – refurbished Dyson products, Simba mattresses and iPhones topped the list.
- Pre-Loved Fashion Savings: In 2021, through pre-loved fashion buys, eBay UK avoided 2M kg of fashion waste (the same as 1 million suitcases) and 73,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) which is the equivalent of avoiding 6.8M new t-shirts from being made.
- Refurbished Tech Savings: In 2021, 675,000 kg of waste was avoided with the amount of refurbished tech sold on eBay, the equivalent of 4.35 million smartphones spared from the graveyard and 42,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions have been saved (an equivalent of 690,000 new smartphones being made)
- One refurbished tech item is sold every 10 seconds on eBay.
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