Buy it again, Sam – at eBay

A new eBay app feature enables repurchases at the touch of a button. 

The Buy Again button streamlines the process of repeating a purchase on the eBay app on iOS and Android mobile devices. Customers can scroll through a list of their purchases and see the Buy Again button, which they can click to quickly purchase the same product from the same seller.

If the same item is not available from the same seller, buyers can use the Buy Similar button. eBay’s search algorithms will then surface similar inventory, using the purchase title. Buyers will see the same product sold by a different seller; the same product in a different variant (such as color); or a similar product (like a different running sneaker from the same brand). 

eBay is launching this new app feature in response to customers frequently repurchasing the same listings across all categories on the site. However, with 1.4 billion product listings and millions of sellers, there was previously not an easy way for customers to land on the same item page to make a repurchase. 

“For buyers, our goal is to provide a seamless experience to help discover relevant items to repurchase,” said Asheem Sinha, senior product manager, eBay, in a corporate blog post announcing the Buy Again button. “For sellers, this is another feature that brings return buyers back to your eBay listings.”

The Buy Again button will be available on desktop in 2020. eBay also plans to test a dedicated repurchase experience via a Buy Again page, which will make it easier for buyers to find the items that they’d like to purchase again in one place.