eBay has begun a trial of a subscription-only same-day delivery service for selected customers in America.

The service works by means of a dedicated smartphone app, which costs $5 (£3.22) to download. eBay Now, as the service is dubbed, offers same-day shipping of goods from a selection of major retailers, including Best Buy, Target and Macy's.

Applicable for orders costing more than $25 (a little more than £16), the service is being advertised as being available seven days a week, with deliveries possible between 9am and 9pm Mondays to Saturdays and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.

The main proviso from a store's perspective for qualifying orders is that it must be open for at least half an hour after an order has been made.

As an incentive for the select audience for the trial to test the service, they are being given $15 (£9.65) off their first order.

According to the Metro newspaper, there is no news of when, or even if, the service will reach the UK.