Ebay wants to make buying and selling in the neighborhood and in your own city more attractive. In addition, the online marketplace increases the visibility and findability of nearby items, as the company reports.
There is a new central page (“Ebay local”) for targeted research for goods that are offered in your own postal code area and a self-defined radius.
Such offers should be displayed on the homepage and suggested during the search. Search results can now also be filtered according to the pickup feature. As a test, a map will be added in a few weeks on which searched items in the area are visualized.
Collection option preset for private sales
In preparation for “Ebay local”, at the end of August the online marketplace made the pickup option the standard setting for private sales in addition to shipping. However, this can also be deselected again. Since March, private sales have generally been free of charge. “Ebay local” is also open to commercial providers with or without a store. However, like with eBay shipping, they have to pay fees for their sales.
The company no longer allows cash payment upon collection, which was previously possible. The price is bindingly agreed on the eBay site when the purchase is completed and paid directly online, so that buyer and seller protection can also apply. In doing so, Ebay wants to differentiate itself from the classic classifieds business, which often involves on-site price negotiations as well as uncertainty about the actual collection or availability of an item.
Handover is documented via QR code scan
The successful handover of an item is documented on “Ebay local” via a QR code. The buyer receives this code from eBay and the seller must scan it when picking up the item. According to the information, the scanned pickup code is the basis for private sellers to receive the money for the item and for buyers to be protected by eBay buyer protection.
The company sold its own classifieds division (“Ebay-Kleinanzeigen.de”) to the Norwegian portal operator Adevinta in the summer of 2020. It wasn’t until mid-May that the Ebay part of the name was finally deleted and has since appeared with a new logo as “Kleinanzeigen” or “Kleinanzeigen.de”. (dpa)