eBay is reconsidering its same-day shipping service. eBay Now, the mobile app that facilitated the service, was pulled from the App Store over the weekend according to multiple reports on the matter.
The online auction giant launched eBay Now in August 2012 as a beta in San Francisco and eventually expanded to more than half a dozen major markets. The app allowed users to place an order from select nearby stores and have it delivered the same day - often within an hour or so of ordering - for a flat rate fee of $5.
A wealth of major retailers joined the movement including Best Buy, Office Depot, Auto Zone and Target, among others. Most of eBay Now's partners operate their own online sites but the continued threat of Amazon's same-day delivery service was often reason enough to join.
The standalone app is now gone but that doesn't mean eBay is giving up on the concept completely. Instead, the service is being rolled into the company's main website and mobile app as a "core" feature. Customers in participating regions will be able to select same-day delivery during checkout.
The move isn't really a surprise for anyone that has been following eBay as of late. The service was originally expected to expand to well over two dozen cities by the end of this year but this past June, eBay said it was scaling back and would only offer same-day delivery in five cities.