Yahoo Finance Sneakerheads rejoice: eBay to authenticate shoe listings
Aussie sneakerheads will be given full confidence that their online purchase is authentic with eBay announcing a free authentication process.
Nearly 90,000 sneaker listings will be authorised by a third party as eBay extends its Authenticity Guarantee program from the US.
From today, Aussies will be able to access sneaker listings directly from the US from highly sought-after sneaker brands.
Those that have been authorised by third party Sneaker Con will carry an “Authenticity Guarantee” badge.
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eBay currently covers all the authentication costs, including the costs of international shipping from the authentication centre.
For sneakerheads, this means that most of the badged listings will have free delivery to Australia.
“eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee for sneakers is in partnership with expert third-party authenticator Sneaker Con allowing buyers to shop with confidence,” eBay said in a statement.
How will eBay’s authentication program work?
Once purchased, the sneakers will be sent to a dedicated authentication centre in New York or Las Vegas to be physically inspected.
If the shoes are genuine, they will be shipped straight to your door with an authenticity guarantee tag attached to the sneaker.
The buyer will be able to scan the tag with their phone and gain access to an encrypted digital certificate showing the products details, size, stock keeping unit (SKU) and authentication date.
“As each certificate is unique, the tags cannot be reused or replicated,” eBay said.
The service will be made available first for brand new sneakers sold for more than $US150 (AU$194.50), and pre-owned sneakers sold over $USD300 (AU$389).
Eligible brands include Jordan, Yeezy, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Vans, Asics, Reebok, Converse and Puma.
eBay Australia’s senior director David Ramadge said the rollout comes amid the ever growing army of sneakerheads in Australia.
“We know that fakes are a real concern for buyers and this launch is part of a broader bid to tackle misconceptions about trust on our platform,” Ramadge said.
“The launch of our Authenticity Guarantee means the 12-million Australians visiting eBay each month will be able to access eBay’s huge US sneaker range while feeling confident in the item’s authenticity.”
In the coming months, eBay said it plans to bring the service to local sellers by setting up a team of third-party authenticators located in Australia.
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