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The online auctioneer adds conscious commerce to its venerable brand
eBay is arguably one of the very first social networks…the first social marketplace, in fact. We have a long history as an eBay user that dates back to ’99. We can remember the day when a friend (a social connection) told us about it and opened our eyes to the global phenomenon. It provided tremendous social good in its own right, spurring an entirely new career segment and inspiring the largest recycling effort the world has ever known. On Tuesday, the company announced plans for a new breed of online marketplace based on the principles of fair trade and sustainability.
In a partnership with World of Good, the company has already built a community site with relevant content and blogging. It came as no surprise to see that Care2 is already involved. Some of the discussion topics included Empowering Producers, Ethical Sourcing, Shopping Responsibly, Social Innovators, and Ways to Make a Difference. According to CNET:
The two organizations plan to open a shopping site that will cater to these “social change consumers,” said Robert Chatwani, eBay’s general manager of the project. That segment of shopper spends as much as $45 billion on green products annually, he estimated.
“Those people aren’t on eBay. We believe only between 7 and 12 percent of these social change consumers are eBay users now … so this could be accretive to the business,” Chatwani said on a panel at the two-day conference.
Chatwani helped conceive of the idea for the WorldofGood.com marketplace three years ago while traveling to India with fellow eBay employees. There, they found some sustainably made artisan products they believed would sell online, and could give some money back to the creator. They tested the idea and it worked. Bay teamed up with World of Good, a group designed to alleviate poverty in third worlds by helping sell local artists’ goods globally.
Chatwani said WorldofGood.com is only one project inside eBay that’s focused on social change. Historically, eBay has been what he called a low-carbon company, built with more efficient online practices and an emphasis on technologies that are good for the world. But eBay also operates explicitly more charitable projects.
The new marketplace is expected to launch this summer.
1 response so far ↓
1 Susan Martin // Sep 4, 2008 at 7:16 am
Okay, actually read their seller page. Shame on you FEEbay. . . charging poor artists in third world countries fees and making them join paypal at the business level. You made $600 Million profit last year, do you really need a starving woman’s 20 cent listing fee to help her sell a her art?
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