eBay vault submissions

Background

The eBay vault allows people to store high-value trading cards in a tax-free facility that makes buying and selling instantaneous, while removing all security risk.

Initially, only cards purchased on eBay could be submitted to the vault. There was no infrastructure to allow for drop offs or shipments of cards that customers already had in their collections.

Goal

The eBay vault launched in early 2022. A year later, we needed to build an entirely new submission pipeline to grow adoption of the vault program. This new service would allow customers to submit their high-value cards via mail, high-security courier, or in-person at an event.

Timeline

To tackle this large of a project, we used a phased approach, and validated our progress with user research before each phase.

• Research - Validate approach

• MVP - VIP seller launch: desktop only

• Research - Validate full design

• 1.0 - Full launch: event drop off, native support

• Research - Validate image scan

• 1.5 - Feature updates: image scan, adding features, shipping labels

What users told us

First, we discussed possible approaches with customers:

1. Users put whatever cards they want in a box and send it in. We receive the items, document them, and send back anything that doesn’t qualify.

2. Users document each card before sending them in (pictures, titles, values). We verify the shipment matches the invoice when it arrives.

Customers favored the second option, as it gave them control over the initial documentation and valuation of items and established greater trust in the process.

Experience overview

The submission hub lets you save progress and review status at a glance.

Each submission starts with introductory content and then the selection of delivery methods, dates, and addresses. Breaking the work into separate chunks and providing a progress stepper gives clarity and context.

You add cards within a dashboard of powerful upload and review tools. Before checkout, there’s an additional review step to check the submission for errors.

During transit and review, a tracking hub shows status and actions for maximum transparency and peace of mind. Once cards enter the vault, additional value tracking and selling features activate.

Design challenges

Because the core of the experience is data entry, optimizing its speed and accuracy were the primary design challenges. We needed to help users quickly enter data for hundreds of cards without introducing the risk of errors. I made sure speed-of-use was a top measurement when making design decisions.

Another highlight of the design is its flexible simplicity. The foundational flows and patterns were sturdy enough to easily handle updates as we added new tools and features after launch.

Building trust

Another key design challenge was keeping customers informed after they hand off their valuables (by mail or in person). We knew this phase was critical and created a robust tracking hub where you can see exactly where your submission is, what steps are left, and any contextual actions.

This net-new pattern provides peace of mind for each transaction and builds trust in eBay overall. Many submissions are well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, so getting this right was critical.

Integrating AI

I worked with the core AI team to design a powerful card scanning feature to speed up the data entry process.

After creating a couple potential models, we tested them with users and landed on a flexible flow that accommodated multiple entry styles. Users can scan several cards, verifying the information afterward, or scan and verify each card as they go.

I’m proud of how fast and simple this feature is. Reducing the number of clicks and mitigating uncertainty kept our performance times faster than manual data entry.

This, along with several other data entry options, allows users to choose what methods work best for them. You can even import a .csv file to auto-populate your submission.

Partnerships

Cross-domain collaboration was essential to this project. Here are some of the partnerships that enabled a successful launch:

• Payments: pricing, checkout, and success support

• Shipping: submission program and eBay shipping labels

• Collection: integration within the Collection platform

• Core AI: development of image scan features

• Customer care: tracking of progress and support options

Scope and roles

This project was a huge team effort. My teammate Nic Kawasaki initially led the design from Dec 2022 - March 2023. I took over mid-flight, quickly got up to speed and guided the project to launch in Jul 2023 with additional feature launches through Dec 2023.

Our team consisted of myself and Nic, a product manager, a content designer, a researcher, and multiple engineering teams. Reviews included design systems, design leadership, core AI, and accessibility. I partnered closely with engineering to ensure a high degree of quality as they built for iOS, android, and web.

Results

We successfully hit our launch date of the year’s biggest trading card convention and the service worked flawlessly at the event.

After vault submissions launched we had overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers.

Cards came pouring in at the launch event in Chicago, including a million-dollar Jackie Robinson.

eBay’s press release for the launch can be found here.

Only three months after launch, vault submissions had made a huge impact, doubling the card population in the vault — a huge win for the year-old product. Adding this new growth pipeline came through at a critical time for the business.

Our CEO Jamie was personally involved in this project and very excited with our success. Vault submissions was his first shoutout in the all-hands meeting after launch.