Ebay expands Authenticity Guarantee to streetwear

Online marketplace Ebay is expanding its Authenticity Guarantee service to include streetwear for new and pre-owned items from brands such as Supreme, Off-White, and Vetements.

From June 1, Ebay’s authentication service will add streetwear as its sixth category, joining sneakers, watches, jewellery, handbags, and trading cards, as it continues to target the luxury market.

Ebay will offer verification on all eligible streetwear bought and sold in the US for items over 200 US dollars. Each piece will be vetted and verified by Ebay's team of professionally trained authenticators using detailed physical inspection and advanced technical equipment in its new state-of-the-art facility in New Jersey.

Garry Thaniel, global general manager of sneakers and streetwear at Ebay, said in a statement: “Ebay has pieces from nearly every notable streetwear drop that’s ever happened – whether in 1993 or 2023.

“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.”

Ebay’s Authenticity Guarantee now includes streetwear

Eligible brands at launch will include Aimé Leon Dore, Bape, Fear of God, Kith, Off-White, Palace, Stone Island, Supreme, and Vetements. By the end of September, Ebay will add Adidas, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Burberry, Cactus Plant Flea Market, Chrome Hearts, Comme des Garçons, Dior, Eric Emanuel, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Jordan, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Ovo, Palm Angels, Prada, Rhude, Versace, and Visvim.

The authentication will include a multi-point inspection by Ebay’s in-house experts, looking at the garment’s structure, materials, tags, and logos, as well as the packaging and accessories. When verified, Ebay will add a unique authentication tag with a QR code, so the buyer can access the item's documentation. The service also includes verified returns.

The move comes as Ebay reports that from Q4 2019 to Q4 2022, its luxury categories had “roughly” double-digit annualised growth, and its Authenticity Guarantee service drives increased confidence in its offering, alongside its new Certified by Brand programme.

Ebay adds that there is an appetite for luxury streetwear on the marketplace as searches for “streetwear” are up approximately 100 percent year-over-year (April 2023 compared to April 2022), with global users searching for Supreme more than 30 times per minute. Its top-selling streetwear brands globally in 2022 included Bape, Fear of God, Off-White, Stone Island, and Supreme.