eBay today invited some San Francisco users to a new same-day shipping service called eBay Now. An iOS app, eBay Now’s beta will let SF residents get $5 same-day shipping on products from local stores. It’s now signing up users for an “exclusive beta”. It seems that anyone can currently register, though those admitted can’t download the app yet.
Startups like TaskRabbit, Postmates, and Uber have given consumers a taste of instant gratification, and now it seems eBay wants to deliver the same satisfaction. We are witnessing the rise of convenience tech.
Rakesh Agrawal tweeted about being invited to eBay Now this morning. It only works for purchases over $25, but beta testers get $15 off their first eBay Now order plus free shipping on their first three orders before a $5 delivery fee kicks in.
Here’s the email those invited to the beta received, though you can signup here to get eBay Now when it’s ready:
Hi [Name],
We know you love shopping on eBay. But sometimes you just can’t wait for shipping. Sound familiar?
If so, we’ve created an exciting new way to shop. Starting today, for purchases of $25 or more, San Francisco shoppers can order products from local stores and have them delivered to their door — at home, at work, or anywhere else in San Francisco. The new service is called eBay Now, and you can download it here for your iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod® touch.
Since eBay Now is in beta, we’re taking $15 off your first order and offering FREE delivery for your first three! After that, each delivery during the beta period is only $5. Your orders arrive fast — usually within an hour! Pretty convenient, huh?
Download the app now and try it out. If you like it, share it!
You have three invites for friends and family.
Happy shopping!
The eBay Now Team
eBay Now could go head-to-head with Amazon, which is said to be planning warehouses in major cities to offer its own same-day shipping. However, Amazon’s CTO said ”we don’t see a way to do same-day delivery on a broad scale economically” during the company’s Q2 earnings call. That still leaves the possibility of same-day service in metropolitan areas, which is what eBay is now testing.
Makes sense. If I’m in a big city surrounded by brick-and-mortar stores and want something immediately, why wait days by going with ecommerce unless there’s a super-speedy shipping option? Yes, so you never have to leave your cave. But eBay Now could turn your briefest impulse into products at your door just hours later.
- EBAY
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, CA, eBay connects millions of buyers and sellers globally in the world’s largest online marketplace, utilizing PayPal to ensure secure transactions. The company also operates specialized marketplaces such as StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, and eBay Classifieds sites, which together have a presence in more than 1,000 cities around the world.
eBay items can be sold either via a silent auction, in which users input the maximum price they are willing to…
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