As Norm MacDonald pointed out several times from the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update desk, Germans love David Hasselhoff. eBay is also hoping Germans also love free shipping.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that eBay is set to introduce a speedy shipping membership in Germany it is calling eBay Plus. The 19.90 euro ($22) membership promises free delivery within two days on many items, as well as free returns within 30 days of a purchase.
eBay Plus would rival Amazon Prime, but not come with Amazon’s bells and whistles such as audio and video streaming. eBay does not have its own fulfillment centers in Germany, and would have to rely on its sellers to fulfill items such as David Hasselhoff signed photos and David Hasselhoff CDs in a timely fashion.
eBay has been testing the program since at least May and, according to Vice President of Shipping Carl Gish, has thousands of sellers signed up already. Gish said the membership fees help pay for shipping and returns, which are often covered by customers.