Shopping “green” is the latest big trend in retail, and online auction giant eBay didn’t want to miss out on it. To attract the new breed of “green”shopper, eBay has just launched a brand-new marketplace called “World of Good.” On this new site, shoppers will find environmentally friendly and fair trade goods as well as other products that will appeal to the socially conscious.
The site, built in partnership with fair-trade company World of Good, appeals to those looking for more environmentally friendly fare, like toxin-free, chemical-free products, for example. It also appeals to the socially conscious shopper who doesn’t want to support the potentially unsavory practices of today’s large, international corporations and the sweatshop labor they use to create the consumer products we buy for discounted rates.
Says Robert Chatwani, eBay’s general manager of the project, “What’s different about WorldofGood compared with eBay is that shoppers will have more information about products–where they come from, how they’re made, and how they affect the environment.”
The World of Good Homepage
Another big difference between WorldofGood and eBay is that WorldofGood products will be sold at fixed prices. At launch time, the listings on the site feature products from over 70 countries and all of them have either environmental or fair-trade certifications – a prerequisite for any item that’s sold on the site. Shoppers can even choose what kind of product they want to buy from a menu on the left side of the WorldofGood homepage – “people positive,” “eco positive,” “animal friendly,” or “supports a cause.”
Will WorldofGood have an impact? It’s possible. But what it does have is the potential to make some serious money – the selling of fair-trade/green products is a $206 billion business here in the U.S. Shopping at WorldofGood may not be as worthy a cause as just giving money directly to a charitable organization, but it certainly will make you feel better about your online shopping sprees.
