eBay extends guarantee program to new product category

eBay’s latest effort to boost customer confidence applies to the purchase and sale of heavy equipment.

The e-commerce giant is launching Verified Condition, a new suite of offerings and protections for heavy equipment transactions on its marketplace. A Verified Condition checkmark will now appear on eligible listings from Bidadoo, eBay’s strategic partner in the heavy equipment sector.

That checkmark indicates the equipment has been inspected in person by a Bidadoo professional or authorized representative, and that the listing comes with a detailed, multi-point condition report and five-star rating system.

If the item arrives not as described, damaged or malfunctioning, the purchase is backed by eBay’s existing business equipment purchase protections, which have now been doubled to cover items up to $200,000 that are up to 20 years old. 

How Verified Condition works

• Sourcing inventory: Bidadoo curates heavy equipment listings from dealers, manufacturers and rental companies across the country. 
• Inspecting the product: A trained member of the Bidadoo team or a Bidadoo authorized representative goes to the equipment’s location to verify its condition, features and specifications.
• Verifying condition: A Verified Condition report outlines multiple points of inspection, including body, frame, sprockets and paint. The report is then made accessible within the listing, along with detailed images and video.  
• Discovering eligible items: Buyers can look for the Verified Condition checkmark on listings to confirm the equipment has been inspected and that their purchase is backed by eBay.

Bay seeks to inspire trust

The launch of Verified Condition is the latest offering from eBay designed to make shoppers feel confident in their purchases. For example, in February 2023, the e-tailer introduced eBay Guaranteed Fit, which provides a green “Fits” compatibility checkmark on select auto parts and accessories listings to help customers determine whether the part will fit their specific vehicle.

eBay also recently purchased 3PM Shield LLC, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-based marketplace compliance solutions. In January 2022, the company introduced an authenticity guarantee service for trading cards, which it has since built upon through a new strategic partnership with PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), a trading card authentication and grading company.

In addition, eBay has opened the eBay vault, a secured, temperature-controlled facility and digital marketplace for collectors. Once an item is in the eBay vault, ownership transfers from seller to buyer in a matter of seconds, without the need to re-authenticate or ship the item anywhere. Within a few years, the retailer expects the vault to hold up to $3 billion in assets.

In the realm of digital collectibles, eBay purchased NFT marketplace KnownOrigin in June 2022. KnownOrigin's technology and platform is designed to provide artists with a place to create unique, authentic, digital collectibles in the form of NFTs. Other recent NFT ventures launched by eBay include a May 2022 partnership with NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.

“Whether users are looking for an industrial excavator or a transmission for a classic car, trust is a critical part of the online buying experience – especially when it comes to high-valued items,” said Luci Yang, senior director, business & industrial at eBay. “Verified Condition marks an important step for eBay’s business and industrial customers as we enable them to more quickly find expertly-vetted inventory they can trust.” 

Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. enabled over $87 billion of gross merchandise volume in 2021.