E-commerce giant eBay is set to launch a new service that will be able to authenticate new sneakers that are sold on their platform.
The sneakers will need to match the seller’s listing in order to be successfully authenticated.
The service launches this week and will embrace most of the popular sneakers on the market.
By the beginning of 2021, the service will envelop any sneakers sold for more than $100 on eBay in the United States.
This comes for a reason, as collectible sneakers has become a huge booming business for many.
The reason for this is because many shoes are limited in quantity released to only a few thousand or fewer pairs, which means some of the most coveted items can be sold for thousands of dollars on eBay and other platforms.
Because of this, there are many counterfeit items that have hit the market.
Recently, the US Customs and Border Protection took more than 14,000 counterfeit Nikes into custody that were shipped from China to Los Angeles.
Some companies have already tried to use solutions based on technology to remedy this problem, though there is nothing more reliable than a physical inspection to verify the authenticity of these coveted sneakers.
It might even come down to having the correct number of stitches on the sneakers.
Of course, there are several marketplaces that cater to the booming sneaker business like StockX and GOAT who offer similar services to what eBay will be using.
eBay had previously announced it would do something similar to authenticate watches, and now it will partner with another third-party company called Sneaker Con to make sure the sneakers its selling are legitimate.
What will now happen is the seller of the sneakers will ship what they have sold to an “authentication facility” where the sneakers are then inspected to ensure they match all of the descriptions from the listing. This includes the images too.
If the inspection is passed, there will be an eBay tag attached to the item and they are then sent to the buyer. There will be a similar process if there is a return from the buyer to the seller.
Up until now, the shoes have become a hot item on eBay as it has sold almost 6 million pairs of sneakers just last year.
This new authenticity program is something the e-comm leader hopes will bring even more revenue to the company.
In addition, any sneakers sold above $100 will not include any seller fees, positioning eBay in a much better place to gain market share on this huge trending industry.
