Per TechCrunch, eBay is rolling out an app update designed to make it easier to list items for sale in its online marketplace.
Instead of filling out detailed forms on a small smartphone screen, sellers can now scan the barcode on an item or type a description. After scanning or entering the description, eBay’s app will do a one-to-one match to its catalog to help to fill in the necessary information for that product. It will also offer sellers a pre-populated stock photo, eBay’s price recommendation and its shipping recommendations. Sellers then choose the item’s condition and click “List your Item” to make the listing go live on the site.
The change is meant to reduce the number of steps it takes to list items, thus making the whole process faster. If it works, presumably more people will choose to sell on eBay as opposed to the growing number of resale apps – because things like OfferUp or LetGo are currently ranking higher than eBay on Apple’s App Store.
But this leads me the question: Who even uses eBay?
Probably not many people in the adult industry, I’m guessing. To wit, traveling model Becky LeSabre explained how she currently sells adult-oriented items online.
According to LeSabre, Reddit has a huge verified seller/buyer section, which is the platform of choice for many models. Also, sites like ebanned.net, an adult products and content-specific marketplace, are useful – though with one stipulation.
“I sell most of my things on Twitter because sites like ebanned have ‘set’ prices,” LeSabre explained.
“I use social media to sell things that already have customers at a certain price point. Like, I sell a pair panties for $300 where most people sell them for $50. So, if I went on sites where models are selling their panties for $50 and I’m selling mine for $300, I’m never going to sell anything — but I sell my panties for $300 on Twitter all the time,” she added.
This underscores the importance of social media for sex workers. As SESTA/FOSTA continues to have a significant, yet amorphous impact on sex media-specific and sex media-friendly and/or -tolerant spaces throughout the internet, these spaces become tenuous and fraught.
LeSabre shared another frustrating dimension related to eBay: “I recently had a fan buy things for me at a fan price, which he then listed on eBay. If I had known he was going to resell them on eBay, I would’ve asked for a lot more money. I did tell him to take the listing down because he was using my photos and I did not give permission, but that’s besides the point.”
One wonders how eBay would react to LeSabre selling her own items, versus unauthorized sales by “fans.” Regardless, this dude is going to have a much easier time listing LeSabre’s panties — or, whatever else — in light of this new app update. Score?
Image via Shauqee Pauzi.
