
eBay got a lot closer to looking like Amazon as it rolls out a "Buy Box" on Product pages. We
blogged last month they would be coming, and now we've spotted them on Product pages for Nutribullet kitchen appliances. It appears eBay is still testing the feature, as we encountered different formats.
eBay didn't officially notify sellers that it would add a Buy It Now box showcasing a single seller on Product pages, but at last months' eBay Open seller conference, an executive told the 1,500 attendees, "We're making product pages a place where customers can buy directly from."
Here's how we found the Nutribullet Product page containing the Buy Box:
A search on eBay.com this evening for "nutribullet" brought us to a regular search results page with a banner at the top that read: "Find deals and best selling products for NutriBullet Countertop Blenders," showing a picture of three models.
Clicking on the first model in the banner - "NutriBullet NB9-0901 1-Speed" - brought us to a
Product page with an Amazon-style Buy Box that read "Buy It Now." The page emphasized the Buy It Now button, and the seller's User ID was somewhat buried.
Interestingly the Product page title was "NutriBullet NB9-0901 1-Speed Blender," but if you clicked on "See details" you would realize the seller's title on their actual listing page was different: "NutriBullet 9 Piece Pro 900 Hi-Speed Blender Mixer Set NB9-0901."
As a reminder, eBay introduced Product pages some time ago (without the Buy Box), and it uses Item Specifics from seller listings to match them to the right Product pages.
How did eBay decide which seller/listing to give the Buy Box to? The Nutribullet Product page with the Buy Box stated: "Brand New - The lowest priced fixed-price listing for this product in New condition."
Scrolling further down the Product page revealed a section called "All listings for this product." In between the two sections were other options (they looked like ads, we almost missed their importance):
- New (Other): Lowest Price - clicking on that box changed the top area so that a visitor would be purchasing that item if they then clicked the Buy It Now box.
- Pre-Owned: Lowest Price - clicking on that box changed the top area so that a visitor would be purchasing that pre-owned item if they then clicked the Buy It Now box.
- Auction: Ending Soon - clicking on that box also changed the top area - and the Buy It Now box was replaced with a "Place Bid" box.
We tried doing the same search in a different browser and found the Nutribullet Product Page had *two* Buy Boxes: one for Brand New: lowest price, and one for Pre-Owned: best pick.
One of the biggest differences between the Buy Box on Amazon versus eBay is that sellers on eBay offer such varying terms, while sellers on Amazon are forced to offer standard terms. That could prove frustrating for shoppers.
As for sellers, you tell us what you think of having to compete for the Buy Box.