eBay Now for iOS offers same-day product delivery in San Francisco

Just when you thought eBay was slowly fading away into obscurity as the online equivalent of a garage sale, the company has rolled out something new called eBay Now. eBay provides users in a beta program (signup form here) with an iOS app with which they can browse and purchase merchandise from a number of local stores and then have the swag delivered to them the same day.

The eBay Now program is only available in the San Francisco area at this time, but the company has managed to partner with a number of retailers including Bloomingdales, Macy's, Target, and Best Buy.

After selecting your item for purchase from the app, you're contacted by a "Shopping Assistant" who facilitates the entire transaction by verifying the request, physically purchasing the product for you, and then dropping it off into your hands.

At this time, there's a $5 delivery fee for each purchase over $25, although beta users get a $15 discount on their first purchase and free delivery on the first three orders. There's no word on whether eBay will expand this program to other cities, but if it does it will revolutionize shopping by giving everyone their own personal shopper.