InPost, the leading out-of-home and eCommerce delivery company, has today announced a new partnership with global marketplace eBay. The partnership signals InPost’s continued expansion in the UK and marks its commitment to providing flexible solutions for a growing C2C e-commerce market.
eBay marketplace sellers will now have access to InPost’s 2,500 parcel lockers for the first time, enabling them to drop off parcels at lockers for onward delivery to buyers’ homes. The partnership expands the delivery options available to sellers at a time when many may be looking to capitalise on the increased appetite from consumers to complete their holiday shopping early due to supply chain shortages.
InPost Lockers offer a hassle-free solution, saving sellers’ time by avoiding long queues in physical stores. All sellers have to do is scan their bar code and drop the parcel off – with the whole process taking a matter of seconds.
Available 24/7, and positioned at convenient locations such as, train stations, petrol forecourts, and supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl, lockers ensure maximum flexibility, catering towards the growing number of casual and ‘side hustle’ sellers that require postal solutions that work around their day jobs and everyday routines. 250 InPost Lockers across the UK will be co-branded with eBay, to celebrate the partnership.
This is an important benefit given that eBay has seen significant growth in casual or “C2C” sellers as a result of the pandemic, in particular the rise of the ‘recommerce’ market. Research published by eBay in March 2021 highlighted that two thirds (67%) of UK sellers started to sell pre-owned goods during the pandemic to earn extra cash.
Jason Tavaria, CEO at InPost UK said: “We’re thrilled to have partnered with eBay to ensure that marketplace sellers have access to a convenient, flexible and time-saving delivery option that genuinely works in tandem with their normal routines. We see this as just the first step as InPost are continually delivering new and exciting products that companies like eBay can use to improve the lives of their buyers and sellers.
“We know online marketplaces such as eBay offer an important revenue stream for many entrepreneurs and casual sellers – particularly in the run up to Christmas, and today’s partnership ensures that those sellers have access to quick and easy ways to get their products to buyers.”
Murray Lambell, GM of eBay UK: “At eBay, we’re committed to providing the right tools and levers to streamline the selling experience and to help our sellers make more money and boost sales. Our partnership with InPost ensures that sellers have greater choice in the delivery options available to them, presenting a convenient method of postage which can save both time and money – which is all the more crucial during this busy trading period.”
The partnership with InPost will be accessible to marketplace sellers through eBay delivery, powered by Packlink.
InPost now has approximately 2,500 lockers in the UK – and aims to have the largest automated parcel machine networks in the UK, with ambitions for around 3,000 APMs by the end of 2021 and over 10,000 by 2024.