eBay Enters the Luxury Market

eBay Germany has teamed up with six German fashion design students from around the country to help promote their collections.

eBay, most commonly known for it’s multi-day bidding wars, is branching out to a more stabilized shopping experience, creating online stores for each of the young desingers.

The platform “Exklusiv auf eBay: Junge Designer,” offers the designers a chance to sell their lines without the investment of renting a retail space and gives eBay the opportunity to test out the luxury market online.

Each student has selected key pieces from their collections to sell in their online store. Styles focus mainly on evening wear and cover a broad spectrum of pricing, some exceeding the €2000 mark. As with all other eBay purchases, there is a delivery fee on top of the listed price.

Already standing out as a favorite is Berlin-based Tulpen Design. With six elegant pieces in the collection, the range consists of items such as a delicate ivory silk halter-top, €470 to more formal dresses such as the lilac silk chiffon gown with low cut back, €1290.

The other five designers include Majaco, Marcusmattes, Anja Gockel, Ella Deck Hamburg and Peter Krell Modeddesign.

Critics wonder if there will be a market for luxury goods on eBay. Consumers often value the hands-on shopping experience when buying high-end clothing as it allows them to touch the fabrics and ensure quality before they make an investment. While well established luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton sell quickly on eBay auctions, the new designers lack the brand loyalty that big brands have already secured.

No matter how successful the stores turn out to be, the designer’s have received a huge amount of media attention from the experience, giving them a great entrance into the market place.

The stores launched on eBay Germany during Berlin Fashion Week in mid July and are now up and running on the site.

Blognation: Ebay Starts Exculsive Shops for Six Young Fashion Designers

-Contributed by Roseanna Roberts