eBay India begins nine-hour delivery service, starting with Mumbai

Leading e-commerce marketplace eBay India has unveiled its novel nine-hour delivery service in Mumbai for online customers placing orders for technology products, the company said Wednesday.

"The '9 Hour Delivery' concept gives consumers a faster and improved shopping experience. Though we are catering to Mumbai customers in the first phase, the service will be introduced in other cities across the country in a few months," eBay's business head Vidmay Naini said in a statement here.

The company has set up a microsite - www.ebay.in/Mumbai - to feature products available under the service.

The service is available for popular models of mobiles, laptops, digital cameras and tablets.

Under the scheme, Mumbai customers will receive before 9PM products purchased online before 12 noon the same day.

Purchases made after 12 noon will be delivered the next day. There are no additional shipping charges or fees levied on this service.

As a leading online shopping destination, the company's website showcases a wide range of products in electronics, lifestyle, collectibles and media categories.

"The service is a good option for convenience-oriented savvy shoppers who are keen on getting hands on their favourite gadgets," Naini said.

The trend for faster delivery turnaround times seems to be making its way to India, with almost all the major retailers starting similar initiatives. The trend appears to have begun with Amazon India, which offered guaranteed one-day shipping for select cities in early December. The move was quickly followed by Flipkart, a week later, with its own guaranteed one-day shipping. Snapdeal in January introduced same-day shipping for Delhi/NCR.