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A Click Away

Imagine a 70 per cent off sale, but without the mobs of sales hungry fashionistas and poorly lit dressing rooms. Forget headache-inducing music and clingy salesmen, and welcome to shopping at its best. Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking, how could such a utopia ever exist, and what is the point of me listing off impossible criteria?

Actually, believe it or not, there may be such a thing after all. EBay has just launched a virtual fashion outlet mall and is introducing new ways of selling in this profitable industry. Instead of the individual auctions that EBay usually offers, many fashion brands like French Connection have been asked to be the sellers. So various stores will have virtual outlets on EBay – meaning we won’t have to drive for miles to the nearest outlet mall to make those fashion finds.

So I decide I have to take a look for myself, and I cautiously enter the site and I brace myself for the good, bad, or ugly. Turns out it’s a simple, eye-pleasing page, and I skim through all the familiar brand names and designers, mentally giving a nod of approval. It has some good variety, from BCBG to Abercrombie, and so I proceed to check out the terrain, by clicking on Nike. It’s very much like the usual EBay, with a mix of auctions to bid on and many “Buy It Now” options. People will definitely either love or hate the idea of virtual outlet shopping.

Overall it’s a neat idea, and the site is probably just bursting with good bargains. However, I’ve always preferred going to the actual mall over online shopping – the experience is much more enjoyable (and tiring, I guess, at the same time!) and I can try on the clothing right then and there. But now, shoppers have the opportunity to go to the “mall” one afternoon with a simple click of the mouse. What's next, virtual salespeople?