eBay have announced a totally new concept which will be coming to the US later this year. The eBay Vault will be a place to store valuable collectibles purchased on eBay enabling instant resale in the future with no need to ship items. It’s tied to eBay Authentication services to give added reassurance that your valuables are safe, secure and authentic.
The eBay Vault is a 31 thousand square foot, secure storage facility and digital marketplace for trading cards and collectibles, and eBay also plans to expand into luxury goods.
While many customers will keep their items in the vault for years, once it is in the Vault then ownership can transfer from seller to buyer in a matter of seconds – without the need to re-authenticate, re-package or ship the item anywhere. This unlocks a new way to engage with eBay: imagine instantly buying and selling cards and sports memorabilia as a great new rookie lands a play in the final minutes of a tight game.
– eBay
Within a few years, eBay expect the Vault will hold up to $3 billion in assets, which would make it one of the largest stores of non-governmental assets in the world. Keeping high-value inventory within the eBay ecosystem is great for everyone, and the Vault will make other planned features possible, like fractionalisation.
Fractionalisation is the ability to sell ‘shares’ in your item. You can realise some of the value without selling the entire item. This is a totally new concept in selling on eBay and could unlock further value both for eBay in terms of transactional GMV and for buyers and sellers who can invest in items which they expect to increase significantly in value in future years without having to be able to afford a full purchase of the item today.
