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Ebay Will Help You Sell Your Unwanted Christmas Gifts

By
Kif Leswing
Kif Leswing
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By
Kif Leswing
Kif Leswing
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 11, 2015, 11:41 AM ET
The eBay Inc. Campus Ahead Of Earnings Figures
Flags fly in front of eBay Inc. headquarters in San Jose, California, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. EBay is expected to release earnings figures on Oct. 21. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images

When it comes to giving gifts, it’s the thought that counts. But thoughts can be misguided, and many people will receive pricey presents this year that they simply don’t want.

Ebay (EBAY) would love it if people sold those unwanted gifts on its online auction service, so it’s offering its Ebay Valet service for free on December 26 and 27, hoping to entice people who would’ve rather received cash on Christmas.

Valet is a service that simplifies selling items on Ebay. Instead of a user needing to individually list, price, and ship their goods, Ebay Valet handles the entire process. Usually, Valet takes a 20%-40% commission on sales for its service, but on what Ebay is calling “Boxing Weekend,” users will not have to pay any commission to Ebay and will receive 100% of the sale.

To take advantage of Ebay’s deal, users print out a label from Valet and ship their item directly to Ebay. The company is also setting up pop-up selling stations in nine malls run by Westfield, which will allow people to simply drop off any items they want to sell.

There are a few catches to Ebay’s promotion. Valet really doesn’t want your junk, so it will only accept items that typically sell for $40 or more on Ebay, such as electronics. It also won’t accept fragile items or jewelry. Ebay is waiving Valet fees for items shipped through January 3, but you have to print your label on the two days after Christmas.

If the product doesn’t sell, it gets shipped back to the user for free.

Ebay needs to attract first-time sellers as it refocuses on its core marketplace business after it spun-off PayPal (PYPL) in July. Consumers who sell on Ebay—as opposed to companies that use the auction site as an e-commerce storefront—make up one third of the sales on Ebay, according to The Street. Individuals who sell on Ebay are also more likely to use the proceeds from their sale to buy other goods on Ebay. Ebay has offered its Valet service for free in the past after certain big gift-giving occasions, like Father’s Day.

Ebay continues to try to streamline the selling process and make it as easy as possible. Earlier this month, it announced a partnership with shipping startup Shyp. If sellers connect their Ebay account to their Shyp app, then they can pay a fee and have a Shyp worker come to their home or office and take care of packaging and shipping. The Shyp service is free until January 31.

The period after Christmas has historically been an important time for Ebay, so it’s doubling down this year: If Santa brought you the wrong thing, Ebay is trying to make it as easy as possible to sell it online.

For more on the history of Ebay, watch this Fortune video:

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About the Author
By Kif Leswing
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