eBay 'Express' to Offer Instant Buying

In a letter to eBay members, eBay North America President Bill Cobb said the company plans to launch a specialty site where items would be available for immediate purchase. He says eBay hopes that the new site would attract customers who prefer a more conventional e-shopping experience.

It was not immediately clear how much eBay Express would differ from the company's current "Buy it Now" feature other than providing a central location for such listings. However, instead of purchasing items separately from each seller, the site would offer a shopping cart allowing for purchase from multiple sellers.

Listing that would qualify for the new site, such as Store and Fixed Price items, would be cross promoted on both eBay and eBay Express. To be included on the new site, a seller would need to have 98 percent positive feedback or better, as well as a feedback score of 100 or better. Also, the seller would be required to accept Paypal.

"We’re consciously making the buying experience on eBay Express different," Cobb wrote. "And to deliver that experience, we’ll be opening eBay Express to sellers who have a positive track record on the site and who list items that are available for immediate purchase."

Cobb said the new site was a "complicated undertaking," and that planning and development work is now being finalized. At launch, only U.S. sellers would be able to offer their products on the site. Plans do eventually include the addition of international sellers, he added.

As well as announcing the new site, Cobb also detailed changes to eBay's fee structure. Core insertion fees for items with starting bids of $0.01 to
$0.99 would be lowered a nickel to 20 cents. Final value fees would also change for the middle level from 2.75 to 3 percent. Fees for eBay stores would remain the same.