Today, online auction marketplace eBay launched a new product called “My Gadgets” that it says will let users catalog the tech devices they have and appraise them should they wish to sell any later. It will take all your iOS, Android, PC, game consoles, stereos, mobile phones, televisions, and more and curate them in a single place so should you decide to take the plunge and purge your home of your electronic possessions, you’ll know what you could expect to receive.
Creating your own collection is simple. Go to the “My Gadgets” URL and authenticate using your eBay credentials. After that, simply enter in the item you wish to add. As you begin typing, the service will show you a list of products that you might be talking about. We ran a query for “iPhone 4S” and received multiple listings back that best fit our item.
You can go through the results screen and mark off which products you own. Since we’re looking at the iPhone 4S, there are different variations, including whether it’s the white or black one, unlocked or locked (and on which carrier), and the storage capacity. Clicking on “I own this” will add the device to your collection.
Now in your collection, eBay’s “My Gadgets” will show you the item and the expected selling price, both if it’s new or used. From here, you can either add more items to your catalog or start selling it. But how is the average selling price determined? eBay puts it this way:
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The average selling price is based on a 14-day rolling average for the same or similar products listed on eBay in the same condition (new or used). You may see this average price change weekly, or even daily, depending on how many are bought and sold on eBay at a given time.
When you click on “Sell this gadget”, you will be able to input a more thorough description, such as adding a title, description, condition of the item, photos, and a price you want to get for it.
That’s pretty much the gist of “My Gadgets”.
eBay touts that this new product will be an efficient way to help people track the type of devices they have. After all, it’s estimated by the Consumer Electronics Association that Americans own approximately 24 electronic products in their household. And with more and more technology coming out in stores at a faster pace, people just don’t want to keep them lying around. However, one problem sellers might have is to find that magic number at which to price their device at.
Imagine if you had an iPad and you were thinking about selling it. Almost like gauging the weather, eBay’s “My Gadgets” could inform you of the tolerance that interested consumers might want to pay. Sellers could use this product to maximize the return they would get through this product.
Of course My Gadgets is all clearly just a way to ensure eBay becomes your destination of choice when you decide to sell. A smart way at that. But eBay is touting it as a an efficient way to help people track the type of devices they have. After all, in a way, eBay’s new offering looks to take all the guesswork out of selling, especially looking to further one-up it against Craigslist. For some people, selling on Craigslist is better than eBay, but finding ways to price something can be incredibly difficult. With “My Gadgets”, you can easily get a ballpark number to start with and adjust accordingly.
No word on whether this product will expand and launch spin-offs for clothing, furniture, or any other item that users wish to sell and/or have appraised (virtually speaking).
It appears that “My Gadgets” can only be done through the Web browser, but it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to believe it to be coming to eBay’s mobile apps in the future.
Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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