eBay Looks To Reward Shoppers with eBay Bucks

Online auction site eBay is looking to encourage customer loyalty - and cash flow - with a beta rebate program that kicks back 2 percent on particular items.

Auction site eBay might be the kind of the online auction business, but the global economic downturn means fewer people are spending money online—even when trying to snap up good deals via auctions. So, in a move to increase both customer loyalty and encourage folks to conduct transactions via the site, eBay has started quietly testing a beta version of eBay Bucks, a rewards program that gives participants a 2 percent reward when purchasing certain items using eBay’s online payment service PayPal The rewards comes in the form of gift certificates that can be used to purchase other items through eBay within 30 days.

eBay Bucks is designed to encourage customers to shop through eBay, reward customer loyalty, and help eBay retail customers as consumers increasingly search the Web farther and wider for the best deals.

Currently, eBay Bucks is only available by invitation: eBay is randomly inviting a small number of users to take part. Participants can earn up to $200 eBay Bucks for items purchased on ebay and up to $500 per calendar quarter. (Yes: to qualify for that level of rebate, shoppers would need to spend $25,000 on eBay during a quarter.) Most items available on eBay will be eligible for eBay Bucks, except for real estate and vehicles available through eBay Motors.

This is the second time eBay has tried a rewards program; if the test goes well, the company expects to expand it out to all eBay users over the next several months.