eBay illuminates holiday goods from small retailers on Pinterest

eBay is bidding for Pinterest users to make holiday purchases from a selection of nine small, independent sellers.

The e-commerce platform is unveiling The Holiday Marketplace, a dedicated section of its Pinterest page featuring a curated assortment of items from nine small businesses. Products include collectible sneakers, luxury accessories, vintage toys, hand-drawn cards, and more. Sellers also offer advice on gifting.

eBay has been increasing its focus on small, independent sellers during 2020. The retailer just introduced a new service called BULQ which enables small sellers to purchase and resell excess inventory from large retailers. In August, eBay partnered with a personal loan platform LendingPoint to provide small U.S. sellers with quick access to funding. And in April, the company rolled out Up & Running, an accelerator program specifically designed to help independent retailers without an e-commerce presence transition to selling online.

In addition, through December, Holiday Marketplace sellers will conduct weekly takeovers of the eBay Instagram page to share expert gift picks for a range of budgets and personas, as well as a behind-the-scenes look into their holiday business.

"Many of our sellers rely on in-person events for an extra sales boost this time of year, and buyers look forward to holiday markets for gift inspiration," said Jordan Sweetnam, senior VP and GM for eBay's North America market. "In a year where many holiday shopping traditions will look very different, eBay helps to give our sellers new ways to connect with buyers who want to find one-of-a-kind gifts and support small businesses." 

"The closure of holiday markets severely affects my small business – 70% of my holiday sales stems from them," said Danielle Capotosto, owner of Holiday Marketplace participant Dippity and Snark, an independent design studio for stationery, greeting cards and novelties. "The holiday marketplace from eBay is a great opportunity to reach new customers. I'm leaning heavily on online sales and my eBay store this season."