US' eBay extends authenticity guarantee to streetwear

All eligible streetwear items purchased and sold within the US will be scrutinised and certified by eBay’s team of expert authenticators. These specialists utilise a detailed physical inspection process and advanced technical equipment at eBay’s cutting-edge facility in New Jersey, the company said in a press release.

Interested customers can visit eBay’s website to explore and purchase from a diverse selection of both new and pre-owned streetwear items from top brands, each marked with an Authenticity Guarantee badge. The service will broaden its reach by the end of September to include streetwear from popular brands like adidas and Nike, as well as luxury labels such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and others.

eBay’s luxury categories have experienced roughly double-digit annualised growth from the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 to Q4 2022. Initiatives like the Authenticity Guarantee have boosted customer confidence, and new schemes like Certified by Brand are offering an even broader range of sought-after luxury items. The recent acquisition of Certilogo, a platform that uses AI-powered IDs and authentication to aid brands and designers in managing the lifecycle of their garments, underscores eBay’s commitment to becoming a trusted destination for pre-loved men’s and women’s, added the release.

The process works as follows—upon a streetwear purchase, the item is shipped by the seller directly to eBay’s trained authenticators for a comprehensive multi-point physical inspection to verify the item’s consistency with its listing details. After the rigorous assessment, the item is sent to the buyer via expedited shipping, at no cost to the seller or buyer.

Brands eligible at launch include Aime Leon Dore, BAPE, Fear of God, KITH, Off-White, Palace, Stone Island, Supreme, and Vetements. By the end of September, this will extend to include brands like adidas, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Burberry, and others.

Worldwide searches for ‘streetwear’ on eBay have surged approximately 100 per cent YoY (April 2023 compared to April 2022). In 2022, top selling global streetwear brands included BAPE, Fear of God, Off-White, Stone Island, and Supreme, with users searching for Supreme over 30 times per minute. Other brands, such as A Bathing Ape and KITH, also saw substantial search increases, indicating a sustained global interest in streetwear.

“eBay has pieces from nearly every notable streetwear drop that’s ever happened—whether in 1993 or 2023,” said Garry Thaniel, Global GM of sneakers and streetwear at eBay. “We’ve heard loud and clear from our enthusiast community that they want to be able to come to eBay to buy and sell apparel in the same seamless way that they can sneakers. With the launch of Authenticity Guarantee for streetwear, we’re delivering on that ask.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)