Male eBay sellers earn higher bids for products than females

Friday, February 26, 2016 - 10:39 by Sarah Collinson

A study into the differences that exist between people who run eBay accounts which sell items  online has revealed a gender divide, in terms of how much money can be made through the site.

Specifically, it was revealed that men can generate up to 20 per cent more from the sale of a brand new item than women who are selling exactly the same product in the same, new condition, according to the Independent.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University analysed over a million auctions held on eBay over the course of three years to come to this conclusion. However, it was also found that there is less of a pronounced gap when used items are taken into account.

Academics believe that people trust women to provide product descriptions which are more accurate than men, which is why they are preferred for second hand sales. But when it comes to new products, there is a clear bias in favour of male sellers.

Interestingly, the report also notes that only a little over 50 per cent of eBay sellers can be readily identified by their gender. And eBay itself does not provide an obvious way for customers to work out whether the person who is auctioning an item via safe shopping online is a man or a woman.

This suggests that women who are thinking about starting an eBay account to sell new items would be better off making sure that their username is either gender neutral or explicitly male in nature, if they want to earn more for each product.

Another report published earlier this month found a similar bias in the world of computer coding, with women less likely to receive recognition for their work, in spite of the fact that analysts found they are more consistent.