Auction website eBay is hoping to tap into the growing number of online shoppers with the UK launch of eBay Express yesterday. Goods on the online store have a fixed price, and are brand new. All sellers are professionals vetted by eBay, and all offer a returns policy and guaranteed delivery date.

Just in time for the start of Christmas shopping, it is the first new service eBay has launched in Britain since the main UK auction site started seven years ago, and follows similar moves this year by big retailers, such as Tesco with its Tesco Direct, to sell more goods online. Matthew Hardcastle, director for eBay Express, said it offers the widest range of new products on any site. British cyber-spending jumped 40% in the first half of 2006 compared with the same period in 2005, according to IMRG, the online retail industry body

Posted: 10|14|06 at 10:00 am. Filed under: UK News.