eBay rings in SMS alert service

eBay UK has launched an SMS alert service to tell users when they've been outbid on an item.

The UK service costs 12p plus VAT per message and, once signed up, users receive alerts if they are outbid on a product or if the auction on a product is about to come to a close.

Ian Jordan, head of product development, operations and innovation at eBay UK, told silicon.com: "The service is faster and more direct than accessing eBay via the mobile internet, as updates are sent automatically without the customer having to proactively monitor their bid."

He added: "The service does not allow users to start new bids or fully access their account, so the text received doesn't provide an 'in' for someone else to hijack the account."

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

eBay users are given the option online to receive text message updates on their item bid when they initially put in an offer for purchasing the product.

They can also subscribe to receive texts in their account preferences in My eBay and can choose whether they want to receive alerts for each item they watch or bid on.

The UK service - also available on eBay in Belgium, France and Spain - is available over the mBlox network with application service provider Dynetic.