eBay to Begin Offering Guaranteed, Free Delivery

This week, eBay announced that it will begin offering guaranteed three-day delivery in the U.S. on more than 20 million items this summer. Millions of those eligible items will also come with free shipping, and shoppers will be able to filter items by one- and two-day delivery. eBay said it hopes the summer launch of "guaranteed delivery" will bring more sales, more control for sellers and happier customers.

Total Retail’s Take: eBay is latest retailer to offer better shipping options to its customers. Wal-Mart announced earlier this year that it will offer free two-day shipping on more than 2 million items when shoppers spend $35 or more. Target also rolled out free shipping for the holidays, and now has a threshold of $25 for orders to receive free shipping — down from a minimum of $50. All of these retailers are trying to compete with Amazon.com, which continues to gain market share as it beefs up its fulfillment capabilities.