E-commerce giant EBay is aiming to boost local buying and selling in Germany by “greatly” increasing the visibility and findability of items available in users’ neighborhoods. The new “EBay Lokal” (EBay local) function on its starter page allows targeted searches for goods on offer in the user’s vicinity, according to a self-defined radius.
Search results can now be filtered according to the “pick-up” feature, and a map will be added in a few weeks on a test basis to let users visualize the items searched for in the vicinity. As with the regular EBay platform, item prices are bindingly agreed on in the local trade option before purchase.
In addition, various processes have been overhauled and product changes introduced to make selling, buying and collecting locally via EBay.de easier, a press release states. EBay says its new local option offers buyers the same items as the regular platform, meaning used, new or refurbished goods from private and commercial sellers. As of now, there are more than 20 million items available for “pick-up” in Germany.
Only days ago, EBay Germany decided to go cashless, allowing payments to be made solely through “existing standard payment processing” for commercial users. The axing of the popular cash-on-delivery option came as a shock to many, leaving users forced to pay online prior to picking up an item. EBay attributed the move to making order payment “even more secure”.
Oliver Klinck, managing director of EBay in Germany, said that EBay continued to invest in its Germany-based business, referring to the removal of fees for private selling in March. With EBay Lokal, the German-based branch aims to support local merchants and communities, Klinck added.
When purchasing a product online, customers receive a QR code with which they can pick up the item from the seller.
EBay Germany’s move to go local marks its return to this market after selling its own local classifieds marketplace (then EBay Kleinanzeigen) to Norway-based marketplace operator Adevinta in 2021. EBay Kleinanzeigen only dropped the “EBay” in May this year, cementing the separation from its previous owner.