eBay is creating a "Want It Now" format to allow buyers to post items they are looking for and allowing sellers to respond to buyers with eBay listings. Buyers can create a 30-day listing describing the item or items they wish to purchase. User IDs are not revealed in the Want It Now listings, but feedback scores and the date users joined eBay are displayed.
Sellers can browse the Want It Now listings by category, and can use the eBay system to send an email to the buyer that includes a link to the seller's eBay listing. Emails are sent through eBay to avoid users from making off-eBay transactions.
The service is free for buyers and sellers, although sellers must pay fees to create a listing if their item is not already listed on eBay. The Want It Now post is not a legally binding contract. There is no guarantee the buyer will purchase items sellers send them.
Once buyers find the item they are looking for, they can delete their "wanted" listing.
The new feature brings eBay closer to an online classifieds format. eBay's interest in classifieds became apparent in August, when it acquired a 25 percent stake in Craigslist.org, an online community featuring classifieds and forums in 45 cities around the world. eBay also acquired the leading classifeds website in the Netherlands last month, and acquired Mobile.de, a car classifieds site in Germany, last Spring.
