eBay, Australia’s most-visited shopping site¹, is expanding its Authenticity Guarantee service by opening its first authentication centre, meaning high-end sneakers sold on ebay.com.au will be verified by third-party experts Sneaker Con. The Sydney-based warehouse will see locally hired authenticators checking sneakers from top brands such as Jordan and Yeezy at no additional cost to buyers or sellers.
Since May, Aussie sneakerheads have been able to access over 100,000 sneaker listings direct from the US that feature an Authenticity Guarantee badge. Now, the opening of the program to Australian sellers adds nearly 80,000 additional sneaker listings covered by the Authenticity Guarantee reflecting the large growth in the billion-dollar local sneaker market.
The local authenticators have been trained by Sneaker Con to use a strict data-driven process where various aspects of the shoe are checked including logo placement, stitching, leather quality and even smell. Once confirmed as authentic, the sneakers are express shipped to the buyer from the authentication centre with a unique NFC tag that shows a digital authenticity certificate when scanned by a phone featuring the product’s details and date of authentication.
eBay Australia’s Head of Luxury and Consumer Selling, Brooke Eichhorn says, “It’s incredibly exciting to announce the opening of our first authentication centre in Australia. We’ve already seen a 51 per cent increase in sneaker sales since we gave local buyers access to US inventory and now we’re offering the same opportunity right here at home for the nearly 12-million Australians that visit eBay every month.
For buyers, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee they’ll be getting the real deal when shopping from tens of thousands of sneakers in Australia thanks to our secure NFC tags, while sneaker flippers will benefit from added seller protections and verified returns - all at no extra cost.”
Sneaker Con’s Lead Authenticator, Jasmine Habbouchi says, “Sneakers are so much more than what’s on your feet - they’re a statement; a piece of art. They’ve also become a legitimate business venture and investment. I know how seriously people take their sneaker collection and authenticity is key, so I’m really proud to be playing such a major role in eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee.”
Any Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Converse or Vans sneaker sold for over $150 on ebay.com.au² will be eligible for the program with other well known brands to be added in the future. The service will first be available to sneakers in new condition, with pre-owned sneakers to be introduced to the program in coming months - a first for Australia. All sneakers will be eligible for Afterpay in both new and pre-owned condition.
A pair of sneakers is sold on ebay.com.au every two minutes. eBay plans to expand its Authenticity Guarantee to luxury sneakers including brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton in the future.
For more information on eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, see here.
Neither eBay nor the Authenticity Guarantee service are endorsed by any of the brands sold on eBay. The authentication services are provided independent of the brands sold on eBay.
About eBay
We Empower People and Create Economic Opportunity
eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) is a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers in 190 markets around the world. We exist to enable economic opportunity for individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses and organisations of all sizes. The ebay.com marketplace and its localised counterparts, as well as the eBay mobile apps, are among the world’s largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. For more information, visit ebayinc.com.
¹ similarweb, 2021
² sold in the Mens and Women’s Athletic Shoes category and Mens Casual Shoes and Women’s Comfort Shoes category