A free program that allows eBay shoppers to earn 2 percent back on their purchases is now available to all buyers on the U.S. site, eBay announced Tuesday.
After testing the eBay Bucks program for about a year, the company decided to expand it to all U.S. users who pay for items using PayPal and buy qualifying goods. Users will receive their earned eBay Bucks every calendar quarter and have 30 days to use them, says Marc Steffens, senior manager of eBay Bucks Rewards Program.
He says the program will benefit both buyers and sellers.
"We see our job as a marketplace in bringing demand to our sellers and we could do that one of two ways: One, just by traffic, and that's great for sellers; or we can reward our customers for their activity and give them a reason to come back, and that's also good for our sellers," Steffens says in a video interview about the program.
During the testing phase, one common concern of sellers was where the money was coming from, and if they would have to pay for the 2 percent back with higher selling fees. Steffens says they won't.
"No, we aren't increasing fees for the sellers," he says. "What we did was re-allocate marketing [funds] from customer acquisition to rewarding existing customers."
Buyers who use their eBay Bucks on a purchase within the 30-day window can earn additional Bucks on the same purchase. But participants can only earn bucks on one eBay account, according to the program's FAQs. Buyers are also limited to earning $200 on a single eBay purchase and up to $500 for all qualifying purchases made in a quarter.
For more information on the eBay Bucks Program, or to sign up for the program, review the program's FAQs.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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