An interesting development from eBay as they announce that new and slightly defective goods will be spotlighted with more than 100 high-street and high-end fashion brands including North Face, Off White, Puma, Fila, and Timberland taking part in their new Imperfects initiative launched earlier this month.

The sustainable move is a first for the e-commerce giant, and it’s one that could have a major impact on the way fashion brands approach returns and waste.

In a bid to create fashion’s equivalent to supermarkets’ wonky veg initiative, eBay UK’s Imperfects will offer clothes, shoes and accessories which are considered new, but with defects with pricing at up to 60% off.

The move is a recognition of the growing sustainable fashion movement, and the role that logistics and waste management play in making fashion more sustainable.

Returns are a major issue for the fashion industry, with an estimated £140 million worth of clothing going back to retailers each year in the UK alone. This return rate is often due to clothes not fitting properly, or because customers have changed their mind about a purchase.

Many of our customers at Green Fulfilment are small sustainable fashion brands or vintage clothing and accessories sellers via various shopping platforms.

We welcome this move from eBay and it will be interesting to see whether major fashion retailers such as ASOS, Amazon, Boohoo, Very, Pretty Little Thing, Shein, Zara and Mango go down this route.

What do you think? Is this a sustainable way to shop for fashion? Or is it just another way for fast fashion brands to sell us more clothes? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo by Tom Radetzki on Unsplash