eBay and Argos join forces for advanced click and collect service

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 - 09:32 by Mike Price

Although online auction site, eBay, does not have a significant bricks and mortar presence in the UK, the Telegraph reports this week that it is partnering with Argos, to offer customers a click and collect-style delivery option called click and drop.

To achieve this, it will allow sellers to drop off goods at a number of Argos stores, from which buyers can then collect them rather than getting items delivered direct to their doors.

The idea is not only to improve convenience for people who want to buy products online, but also to eliminate the delivery costs which might otherwise be associated with making a purchase.

In the short term, the trial will involve only a small number of Argos outlets, but will, hopefully, be made available at 700 of its high street stores across the UK if it proves to be a success.

eBay spokesperson, Tanya Lawler, said that this was the first time the company had experimented with click and drop, pointing out that other auction sites could not yet offer this kind of service to customers.

The benefit for Argos is, of course, that more people will be visiting its stores to pick up items they have purchased on eBay, which could lead to more items being snapped up while they are at one of its high street locations.

Meanwhile, it could mean that some sellers are able to offer same day collection, simply by taking their items to Argos, where a buyer will later be able to acquire them in person.

Since eBay launched its initial click and collect service last autumn, it has sold over one million items in this manner, with the click and drop expansion likely to further boost sales made via safe shopping online.