Just weeks after rumors surfaced that Walmart was working on its own Amazon Prime-esque service, eBay is jumping into the game — except its subscription service is only available across that big Atlantic pond – for now.
The Wall Street Journal reports that eBay is currently testing a Prime-like service called eBay+ in certain areas of Germany.
EBay+ reportedly encompasses much of the same things Amazon Prime offers such as free shipping and returns and fast delivery. The biggest difference – for now – appears to be in price.
Local German news organizations put the annual cost of eBay+ around $17 to $22 (or €15 to €20).
An eBay spokesperson tells the WSJ that the program promises better product placement for sellers’ merchandise, discounts on selling fees and a subsidy to help offset the cost of shipping and returns.
To be included on the eBay+ merchandising side of things, sellers are required to ship orders on the day the transaction is made and offer free returns within one month.
A spokesperson said that more information would be available about the service later this year, when the company is expected to roll it out to more areas of Germany. There’s no word on when or if the service will launch in the U.S.
EBay’s new service comes less than two weeks after it was reported that Walmart was preparing to launch its own subscription quick-ship service, currently code-named “Tahoe.”
eBay Preps Amazon Prime Competitor [The Wall Street Journal]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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