eBay is testing a new online service called eBay Now that promises same-day delivery from participating retailers, starting in San Francisco, with the potential to roll out to additional cities.

The test by eBay comes after an Amazon.com executive recently doused speculation that the company has been positioning itself to make same-day deliveries on a broad scale.

Retailers participating in eBay Now include Nordstrom, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, Macy’s and Bloomingdales, according to TechCrunch, which reported on the news over the weekend. The national scope of those retailers gives the program the potential for a national rollout.

The service is good on purchases of $25 or more. It’s available to San Francisco residents from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. eBay is offering free delivery for the first three orders placed by each person in the beta, with $5 deliveries after that.

Amazon has dabbled in same-day delivery for years now. A Financial Times series on the company recently fueled speculation that Amazon’s decision to drop its sales tax fights in many states and open new distribution centers was part of a broader plan to enable same-day delivery.

The Seattle company’s CFO Thomas Szutak recently told analysts, “We don’t really see a way to do same-day delivery on a broad-scale economically. But, again, we will continue to work on behalf of customers to figure out a way to serve them by getting them product faster.”

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.