eBay has brought its sneaker Authenticity Guarantee service to Australian shores, partnering with local Sneaker Con authenticators to verify rare and collectible kicks.
The extension of the service comes as eBay opens its first authentication centre, allowing high-end sneakers to be verified by local third-party experts, Sneaker Con.
The service, which was made available to Australian consumers in May this year, was previously using authenticators in New York and Las Vegas, but has now engaged local experts to carry out the verification.
Since May, Aussie sneakerheads have been able to access over 100,000 sneaker listings from the US that featured an Authenticity Guarantee badge.
Now, the opening of the program to Australian sellers adds nearly 80,000 additional sneaker listings that are covered by the Authenticity Guarantee.
eBay Australia’s head of luxury and consumer selling Brooke Eichhorn said that Australian consumers have responded well to the service.
"It’s incredibly exciting to announce the opening of our first authentication centre in Australia.
"We’ve already seen a 51% increase in sneaker sales since we gave local buyers access to US inventory and now we’re offering the same opportunity right here at home for the nearly 12-million Australians that visit eBay every month.
"For buyers, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee they’ll be getting the real deal when shopping from tens of thousands of sneakers in Australia thanks to our secure NFC tags, while sneaker flippers will benefit from added seller protections and verified returns - all at no extra cost," she said.
Any Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Converse or Vans sneaker sold for over $150 on the site will be eligible for the program with other well-known brands to be added in the future.
The service will first be available to sneakers in new condition, with pre-owned sneakers to be introduced to the program in coming months - a first for Australia.
eBay is set to expand its Authenticity Guarantee to luxury sneakers including brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton in the coming months.
According to eBay Australia, it sells a pair of sneakers ever two minutes.