Ebay and Woolworths have teamed up to provide online shoppers with convenient collection points at supermarkets and Big W outlets in Sydney and Tasmania.

From today, more than 40,000 products for sale from selected merchants on Ebay can be delivered to customers’ local Woolworths or Big W stores. Initial sellers include Your Home Depot, No Frills, Surf Stitch, Mytopia, Futu Online and Golfbox. This list is planned to expand to 250 sellers within two months.

As the ‘Click & Collect’ service expands over the next three years, Ebay and Woolworths expect up to 12,000 sellers will get involved.

Customers select their participating Woolworths outlet when making their purchase on Ebay. They then receive a unique code to show at pickup.

The partnership follows success in the UK with a delivery deal between Ebay UK and online retailer Argos.

The service has been designed to solve delivery problems for online shoppers unable to receive personal deliveries at work – since 91% of Australians live within 10km of a Woolworths store.

New research reveals that one in five online shoppers in Australia buys online at least once a week, but almost half (47%) are not permitted to receive personal deliveries at work.

23% of online shoppers told the study they had taken a holiday or worked from home in order to receive an online delivery, while 49% re-direct personal online deliveries because they are at work.

Ebay predicts the new service will expand opportunities for online retailers, predicting purchase frequency to surge. Last year, Australians spent $16.4 billion in online retail.

“As it continues to expand, the traditional retail model is evolving and the lines between online and offline blurring,” says Hamish Moline, Ebay merchant development director.

“The new service creates a brand new avenue for our sellers, driving traffic and encouraging a rise in sales. It’s a service we hope will revolutionise the way Australians shop, enabling a new and convenient way to get the things they need and want every day.”

Woolworths Marketplace general manager Emily Amos says the partnership will change the face of retailing for busy Australians.

“This new service will help them make best use of their time by removing the need to wait at home for a parcel to arrive.”

James Harvey, operations manager at participating seller Your Home Depot, says the deal opens up a new retail channel for his business.

“Having the opportunity to take advantage of a ready-made national network of physical stores means it is an exciting time to be a retailer in Australia.”