eBay is extending its collaboration with Sneaker Con by acquiring its authentication business with operations in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany, to continue powering eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee.
The service, which eBay launched in October 2020, offers full vetting and verification of select sneakers bought on the marketplace by a team of Sneaker Con’s industry experts. In just over one year, more than 1.55 million sneakers have been authenticated globally on eBay.
“eBay has always been a vibrant community of enthusiasts, with deeply knowledgeable buyers, sellers and employees,” eBay North America senior vice president and general manager, Jordan Sweetnam said.
“We partnered with Sneaker Con to launch sneaker authentication on eBay last year because the team shared our passion for the category – with best-in-class capabilities to deliver what our customers want most. The response to our authentication offering has been overwhelming, and this acquisition allows us to continue to transform eBay and bring a higher level of trust and confidence to every transaction.”
Since launching Authenticity Guarantee, the variety of products eBay authenticates has kept pace with the types of items and inventory collectors are seeking. eBay will continue to build upon its offerings to accommodate resale market trends.
“We respect eBay’s commitment to the sneaker culture and are honored that Sneaker Con’s authentication business will be incorporated into their platform,” the company’s co-founder, Brad Fried said.
Conceived in 2009, Sneaker Con has cultivated a global community of sneaker enthusiasts through its industry-leading events, where people gather to buy, sell and trade sought-after footwear. Sneaker Con launched its authentication business in 2018 to complement the events business and provide industry-leading authentication services to further support the sneaker community.