EBay Inc plans to launch a new shipping service, eBay plus, in Germany in the second half of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

An eBay spokeswoman declined to disclose the price and said the company will share further details once the service is introduced, the Journal said.

Reuters reported in November last year that eBay is exploring other delivery options for the United States, Germany and other markets.

EBay plus, which is similar to Amazon.com Inc's Prime service, will offer fast and free shipping and returns to customers, the newspaper reported.

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EBay promises discounts on selling fees and a subsidy to help cut the cost of shipping and returns, the company spokeswoman told the Journal.

Sellers will have to dispatch goods on the day they are purchased and offer free returns within one month, it said.

It is not yet clear if eBay plans to take this shipping service in countries outside Germany, the report said.

Reuters reported a week earlier that Wal-Mart Stores Inc is also testing a new unlimited online shipping service this summer for $50 per year, about half the cost of Amazon's Prime service.

EBay confirmed in April that it has agreed to spin off its PayPal payments division in the second half of this year.

EBay could not be reached for comments outside regular business hours.