eBay hails reverse auctions success

US feature may go international

eBay is likely to extend its “Want it Now” feature because it has been so successful in the US.

The feature was introduced stateside before Christmas and allows registered eBay users to put up the equivalent of a wanted ad for objects they want to buy. So punters are free to post a request for their very own likeness of Virgin Mary in a toasted cheese sandwich or a Volkswagen Golf once owned by the Supreme Pontiff.

Bill Cobb, eBay’s president of North American operations, told Reuters the service had been so successful there was interest from international markets. Although it only represents a small fraction of eBay’s total business it has attracted quarter of a million postings since its launch last December.

“Want it Now” has already launched on eBay.co.uk and offers some 68,000 adverts for items. These range from eyepieces for a Swift polarising microscope to a blue Marks and Spencers double-breasted blazer. ®

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