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Although eBay has featured the 'Buy It Now' button on its lists of items for sale for some years now, eBay Express puts all of the fixed price non-auction items in one place to make it easier for customers to shop immediately rather than wait to see if their bid has been successful.

Because eBay is now putting all of its merchants in one place, the site can, for the first time provide a shopping

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trolley for customers to browse around and purchase altogether at the check out.

Ebay says that access to eBay Express is by invitation only. The company says that only reliable sellers who have a good track record of selling on eBay with a score of 98 per cent or greater, and total accumulated feedback of 100 points or more, are eligible for a position on eBay Express.

Amongst the categories on offer on eBay Express are Books, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Jewellery and Watches and Sports Memorabilia.

The move will be seen as a way for eBay to bolster its defences and retain customer loyalty in the face of competition from Google Base which also provides space for retailers to sell products at fixed prices.

At the moment eBay Express is limited to US customers only. A spokesperson for eBay UK told us that they are unable to say when and if the service will be crossing the Atlantic.