As I was reading this article I found myself questioning the whole concept of ‘collections’. Back in my days of toy collecting and playing Pokemon, a collection meant a pool of things you truly valued and would not part with for any amount of money. Fast forward to today’s world and the word is just a compartmentalized word for the latest celebrity’s favorite clothes; a marketing device.

Devaluing my childhood pursuits aside, I thought about the actual impact of using a collection and just how much more attractive things get when a name is attached to it. Unfortunately, I can’t exactly perform a controlled experiment to test this problem but I can definitely speak my mind about the issue (this is the internet after all).

All in all, I think this is a fairly smart move. What Ebay is essentially doing is allowing users to compile lists, similar to Pinterest and its boards, to better categorize shopping lists.

In strictly organizational terms, this just makes shopping more efficient from both buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. Buyers see grouped up items of a similar nature without reliance on Ebay’s recommendation algorithms (accompanied by associated flaws). While sellers on the other hand, can easily suggest similar products and influence further purchases, again without relying on non-perfect algorithms.

In less strict terms, the power of influential people in persuading consumers to purchase is definitely a proven factor. Collections with high profile names like singers and actors carry far higher price tags than other similar items. Pairing up with popular bloggers and giving them another avenue to monetize is also an interesting point in this campaign. People flock to dress, act, and live like their idols and Ebay is doing nothing wrong by capitalizing on that. The pursuit of likeness is always there, Ebay is just sweetening the deal for everyone.