Ebay to authenticate sneakers over $100 in the U.S.

By

Robin Driver

Published
Oct 13, 2020

Online marketplace Ebay has announced the expansion of its Authenticity Guarantee service in the U.S. to cover all new and pre-owned sneakers sold on the platform for over $100.

 
The e-commerce site, which sells a sneaker every 1.5 seconds, will begin offering the service for the most popular sneaker styles and brands on the marketplace in October, before extending it to include all sneaker sales made for over $100 in the U.S. by early 2021.
 
Under the program, once purchased, eligible sneakers will be shipped directly to Ebay’s independent third-party authentication facility, set up in collaboration with Sneaker Con. Here they will be subjected to a rigorous multi-point physical authentication inspection, before receiving an eBay tag guaranteeing their authenticity.

As part of the program, Ebay is also offering a verified returns service, which ensures that the exact item that was initially sold is returned to the seller.
 
“Authentication has become an expectation for today's consumers in categories of high passion and high value,” said Jordan Sweetnam, SVP and general manager of Ebay North America, in a release.

“Ebay operates the world's most diverse sneaker marketplace – with the widest selection and best prices – and by removing any uncertainty with the buying process, our community can buy and sell with total confidence.”
 
Ebay first launched its Authenticity Guarantee program for every watch sold on the platform for over $2,000 in the U.S. in September. The expansion of the program to include sneaker sales is part of wider efforts being made by the platform to become a leading online destination for sneakerheads.
 
This strategy has also involved the marketplace’s decision to cancel selling fees on any sneaker purchases over $100, a move which aimed to attract more high-profile sellers to the platform.
 
Ebay’s efforts to increase the presence of the lucrative sneakerhead community on its platform appear to have been largely successful. According to the company, it sold almost 6 million sneakers in North America in 2019, while there are an average of more than half a million sneaker listings on the platform each day.