Doing a "World of Good" Online

I’m a regular fixture on eBay. Over 80 million of you are, admit it. I look for hard to find scrapbook supplies, bargain prices on sports jerseys, and browse prices to see how much my Barbie and Star Wars items are worth. You know you do it, don’t roll your eyes.

Recently, however, I was searching for more eco-friendly and sustainable gift alternatives. To my delight, I stumbled into WorldOfGood.com by eBay. This recent collaboration between World of Good, Inc. and eBay allows consumers to find ethically-produced goods at the click of a button.

Perhaps the most exciting news about WorldofGood.com is that every item listed in the virtual marketplace is pre-screened, so there's a kind of firewall against would-be greenwashers, scammers, forgers and other unscrupulous opportunists. An eBay spokesperson explains that the screening is done by third-party trust partners (examples include the well established TransFair USA, Co-op America and Aid to Artisans). Items are listed with their Trustology stats, which list the organizations that have verified the seller and/or the producer or both. With so many new retailers, peddling allegedly-sustainable wares, it’s nice to have the stamp of approval from the organizations that know best.

My favorite feature of the site is the "goodprints," which include "people positive," "eco positive," "animal friendly," and "supports a cause." These stamps can be found on item description for every product, and let you know how your purchase makes a difference. How great is that? WorldOfGood.com's general manager, Robert Chatwani, explained that the goal was to empower eBay's 84.5 million users to "not only shop for great products, but for the story behind them, and to benefit people and the planet."

So as you are looking for last-minute gifts, consider WorldOfGood.com. Perhaps you can choose some fair trade, handmade earrings for your sister-in-law, or an organic cotton stuffed animal for your cousin's toddler. You'll feel so righteous about your purchase that you might even throw in some gourmet chocolates for yourself...after all you've been very good this year.

If you can get all your holiday shopping done, while at the same time empowering craftspeople around the world AND saving the planet, why wouldn't you? Oh, and did I mention that the prices are incredibly reasonable? With WorldOfGood.com, eco-sensitive, sustainable-savvy shoppers have found a place where they don't have to spend more to spend better. That sounds good to me.