Tesco is trialling a service on eBay offering shoppers non-food items at bargain basement prices.
The Tesco Outlet site, which features refurbished electrical lines including TVs, digital cameras, vacuum cleaners and iPods from brands such as Sony, Philips and Samsung, went live this week.
Although some items can be bid for, most are on offer at a 'Buy It Now' price, including an iPod Shuffle at £19.97 and a Sony 32-inch flatscreen television at £343.97, excluding postage.
The products are returns that have been checked, inspected, repaired, graded and re-boxed with accessories and come with a 12-month warranty. However, shoppers cannot use their Clubcard points on the site.
"We have launched it to offer customers the opportunity to purchase refurbished products that are not available in our stores," said a spokeswoman.
The service would never become a significant part of Tesco's business, but was likely to be well received, an analyst said.
"It's an interesting development and is a good way to monetise stock," he added.
"I can see other retailers following suit, but it is up to individual consumers whether they want to trade under the eBay banner."
Other food and drink companies that use eBay to sell goods include American Foods, which imports sodas, sweets and groceries from the US for consumers in the UK, bakery supplier Tastes of Torrisholme and BizWin Korea, which offers popular Korean groceries.
The Tesco Outlet site, which features refurbished electrical lines including TVs, digital cameras, vacuum cleaners and iPods from brands such as Sony, Philips and Samsung, went live this week.
Although some items can be bid for, most are on offer at a 'Buy It Now' price, including an iPod Shuffle at £19.97 and a Sony 32-inch flatscreen television at £343.97, excluding postage.
The products are returns that have been checked, inspected, repaired, graded and re-boxed with accessories and come with a 12-month warranty. However, shoppers cannot use their Clubcard points on the site.
"We have launched it to offer customers the opportunity to purchase refurbished products that are not available in our stores," said a spokeswoman.
The service would never become a significant part of Tesco's business, but was likely to be well received, an analyst said.
"It's an interesting development and is a good way to monetise stock," he added.
"I can see other retailers following suit, but it is up to individual consumers whether they want to trade under the eBay banner."
Other food and drink companies that use eBay to sell goods include American Foods, which imports sodas, sweets and groceries from the US for consumers in the UK, bakery supplier Tastes of Torrisholme and BizWin Korea, which offers popular Korean groceries.
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