instant sale
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Instant Sale was eBay's trade-in program for consumer electronics. It gave users an immediate cash offer for their used phones, laptops, tablets, cameras and other gadgets in three steps: look up the device, describe its condition, and receive an offer. Users who accepted were sent a free shipping label and, after inspection by eBay's partner AllTechWholesale, cash was deposited to their PayPal account within five business days. The program launched in October 2010, rolled out commercially in the United States in 2011 with a companion iPhone app, and generated more than 4 million trade-in offers.
02 / instant sale FAILURE REASONS
Failure factors
Instant Sale was discontinued in North America based on results of recent eBay selling pilots and a shift to more simplified/personalized selling experiences; partner AllTechWholesale said the last Instant Sale day was 28 Feb 2013.
eBay discontinued Instant Sale after selling-pilot results and to focus on simplified/personalized selling experiences.
Partner AllTechWholesale confirmed eBay ended the Instant Sale page effective 2013-02-28.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Program launches
eBay launches the Instant Sale trade-in program for consumer electronics; it rolls out commercially in the US in 2011 with an iPhone app.
- Program discontinued
eBay discontinues Instant Sale in North America on February 28, 2013, shifting focus to more simplified and personalized selling experiences; the service's landing pages redirect to eBay's homepage.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
Instant Sale generated more than 4 million trade-in offers over its roughly two-year run; it was a free program funded by eBay with resale handled through partner AllTechWholesale.
- 02
eBay ended the program on February 28, 2013 in North America. eBay said it would continue working with its partner to explore other selling options; no wind-down financial terms were disclosed.