eBay is now offering customers a price match guarantee against a number of big-name retailers. And with that, the company, which made its name hosting online auctions, is taking another step towards being a legitimate online shopping site. Which can only be good news for consumers.

Online retailers are in a constant battle for your custom. If you're shopping elsewhere, you're not shopping with them. And, as a consequence, they're not making any money. While this mostly applies to retailers such as Amazon and Walmart, even eBay now wants a piece of the action.

The eBay Price Match Guarantee

eBay has launched what it calls its Price Match Guarantee. This does exactly what it says on the tin, with eBay promising to match prices with other retailers. In a nutshell, the company will match the price of eligible items if you can find them cheaper at another online retailer.

There are some serious caveats, however. For starters this is only available in the United States, and it only applies to "new, unopened items on the eBay Deals page". Furthermore, the item has to be available on either Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Walmart.com, HomeDepot.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Wayfair.com, or Jet.com, and be in stock at the time the prices are matched.

Assuming you can tick all of those boxes you then need to "contact eBay Customer Service to request a price match" and let them "know where you found the lower price". eBay will verify the price match, and (if it all checks out) issues you with an eBay coupon for the difference in price.

eBay Is More Than Bidding on a Bargain

For anyone who has been online for more than a few years the eBay name is synonymous with a particular activity. And that involves bidding, Buy It Nows, and bargain hunters. Which means eBay faces an uphill battle to shake off its reputation as an online auction site. Not an impossible one, but an uphill one. This price match guarantee should help the company transition.

Do you regularly buy items from eBay? Do you generally stick to buying used items in auctions? Or have you also bought new items from eBay Deals? Can you see yourself making use of eBay's new price match guarantee? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Brian Cantoni via Flickr