One of Africa’s largest e-commerce platforms MallforAfrica has announced a partnership with eBay.
The eBay-MallforAfrica partnership aims to boost the sale of African products to customers in the United States.
This means that Americans can now buy African products on eBay.
In addition, it will diversify the reach of African traders and thus give them a platform to compete on a global scale.
This partnership comes barely four months after the online shopping platform entered the Kenyan market after successfully establishing operations in West Africa.
During the launch in May, MallforAfrica Country Manager Konditi-Kivuvani said that the decision to launch was advised by the increased number of Kenyans who use online platforms to import products from giant international retailers such as eBay.
The platform offers its African customers, in select countries, products from U.S. and U.K. stores. The partnership with eBay will support the sale of African products to the American customer base.
Once the sale goes live, Kenyan traders in addition to those in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Burundi will be able to sell their products to its customers in North America.
The new arrangement will also see more African countries added to the program although eBay has yet to provide a timeline.
The range of products will include clothing, jewelry, fashion, and art.
On its part, MallforAfrica will handle payments for sellers. Shipping will be handled by DHL, the German logistics company that provides international courier, parcel, and express mail services.
The new partnership expands an already existing relationship. In 2016, an eBay Powered by MallforAfrica was launched and this allowed U.S. vendors to sell products in Africa.
eBay’s General Manager of Latin America and U.S. export was quoted saying that since the company’s goal is to connect buyers and sellers, it makes sense to open up the American market to sellers in Africa. The company’s commitment to empowerment has been evident especially considering the recent basic universal test launched by Pierre Omidyar, the eBay founder.
MallforAfrica CEO Chris Folayan confirmed that the most important criteria for selecting a vendor are the quality of the product and establishing whether the product is made in Africa.
To affirm its commitment to quality checks, MallforAfrica created African Made Product Standards (AMPs), an association that will be tasked with verifying the standards of the merchandise and confirming whether they are made in Africa.
He added that the partnership will encourage more African traders to get on the e-commerce roadmap and increase the visibility of the amazing products coming from Africa.
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Both eBay and MallforAfrica describe the partnership as an opportunity to showcase African products, thus, expanding reach, and allowing African vendors to earn more and compete on a global scale.
About MallforAfrica
MallforAfrica was founded in 2011 with the aim of connecting U.S. and U.K. retailers to African customers. Since then, the company has upheld its mission of allowing customers to shop global and collect the products locally.
Plans are underway to expand operations to new countries in the future.
About eBay Inc.
eBay Inc., or eBay, is a global e-commerce platform founded in 1995. The platform connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world. Its mission is to empower people and create opportunities for all.
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