eBay drop-off locations coming to 1,600 FedEx Office stores - CNET

Also, the eBay-FedEx agreement, while small compared to the size of both companies, offers a potential hint of a tighter relationship between the two as they both struggle with Amazon's aggressive growth. Amazon, the biggest e-commerce company in the world, has been able to rapidly increase its revenue, thanks in part by taking business away from eBay. Meanwhile, Amazon is also ramping up its own shipping and logistics network, as a possible way to reduce its dependence on FedEx and UPS. If eBay and FedEx end up working closer together, it may help them keep Amazon in check.

eBay and FedEx started piloting the Valet drop-off concept in Atlanta and Los Angeles, finding that the majority of customers using the program were new to selling on eBay. Bringing in those new sellers is vital to helping eBay expand its main marketplace business, which has posted weaker sales over the past year.

At the drop-off locations, FedEx employees can offer estimates on how much an item will sell for, and they will package and ship items to eBay Valet processing centers. eBay Valet only accepts certain kinds of items, and the company mentions that the best-selling products include electronics, antiques and collectibles, high-end clothing and shoes,and small appliances. Once an item sells, the seller receives up to 80 percent of the sales price.