The online marketplace has announced a new feature for in-person pickups using quick response codes.
Sellers and buyers have a new feature to look forward to in the near future in the form of the eBay Local Pickup QR Code. It provides the opportunity for delivery confirmation when pickups have been made in person.
The quick response barcode is already being rolled out for the first time in the United States.
The eBay Local Pickup QR Code is meant to provide a method of offering proof of delivery of items collected or picked up in person. Until the quick response barcode was rolled out, buyers paid for their items using PayPal upon collecting their purchases. However, at that point, there was nothing stopping a buyer from doing a chargeback.
In every case, the seller would lose because there was no way to prove that the item was indeed delivered. The only way seller protection was effective was in the case of online tracking through shipping. When the product was picked up in person, the lack of tracking code and delivery confirmation meant that buyer chargebacks were always effective.
The new eBay Local Pickup QR Code is given to a buyer with a six-digit number to confirm collection.
According to Maggie Donnels, an eBay Engineer, buyers are provided with the quick response code and a unique six-digit number. When the item is collected, the buyer presents the barcode and/or number to the seller. The seller uses the eBay app on his or her own phone to scan the buyer’s barcode (or enter the unique number). This automatically generates a tracking number in the app and marks the item as having been successfully delivered.
It is important to note that this feature is made available online when the item’s listing offered local pickup as one of the available options. It isn’t yet known whether the feature will be rolled out if an in-person collection is arranged after the fact in place of shipping.
The eBay Local Pickup QR Code is automatically triggered when the buyer selects the local collection 
option when completing their checkout process. The barcode can be printed out for scanning upon collection or it can simply be displayed on the buyer’s own phone screen.
