In association with
This year, eBay has hit a new benchmark: ten million items sold globally through its Authenticity Guarantee programme.
Just a couple of years ago, that figure was two million. It’s mightily impressive growth, reflects the rise of the pre-loved luxury market.
We caught up with Keith Metcalfe, eBay’s Director of Luxury for Europe, to find out more about the programme’s specifics, and how it can help you buy and sell your own pre-loved items with increased confidence.
Square mile: When and how did eBay UK’s Authenticity Guarantee programme first come about?
Keith Metcalfe: We launched our Authenticity Guarantee Programme in July 2021, first introducing it as an offering for sneakers. Since then, we’ve expanded the service to luxury watches in September the same year, handbags in May 2022 and Jewellery in October 2023. And our most recent expansion has been to pearl jewellery [previously not eligible] this August.
What it means, is that any eligible pair of sneakers, any watch, handbag or jewellery which you purchase that has a blue tick next to it, is vetted and verified, and delivered securely to you, at no extra cost to ensure our customers have full confidence and trust in their purchases.
The satisfaction of buying a new luxury item that’s been sitting at the top of your wishlist is undeniable. It can be a big investment which is why building trust and combating counterfeits was – and remains – a top priority for us.
SM: Were you involved in its genesis?
KM: The UK Authenticity Guarantee (AG) launches I mentioned before were our first outside of the US – and I was involved in all of those, yes.
SM: Do you know what the first item ever sold on it was? It must have felt like a significant moment at the time.
KM: In the UK, I think it would have been the Nike Air Max Schematics that I bought when we were beta testing the programme. It was a big day for us all!
SM: Why has AG been such a success – with both buyers and with sellers?
KM: Firstly, the attention to detail of our authenticators, their experience and their eye for even the slightest inconsistency gives enormous confidence that we’re providing a market-leading service for our sellers and buyers.
The fact that our sellers get additional peace of mind if their item is returned by the buyer has also proven to be a big hit for the eBay community. The verification process takes place again to the same meticulous standards to ensure that the item is returned in exactly the same condition in which it was sold.
That has built on the foundations which always made eBay such a strong marketplace; the amazing community of buyers and sellers, especially when there is such a strong passion for the products across all of the categories we authenticate.
SM: What is the authentication process?
KM: After the item has arrived at our Authentication Centre, the expert authenticator confirms the product is consistent with the listing title, description, and images, and then performs a multi-point physical authentication inspection.
This encompasses the general quality of materials and serialisation, as well as inspecting the item’s individual details. For sneakers, that may be the soles and the box; for watches it includes the collateral, bezel and dial; and with handbags it may be the stitching, lining, logo and zippers.
For Jewellery, GIA gemologists and experts verify the condition and quality of the piece, checking dozens of inspection points to verify it’s authentic at no extra cost to the buyer or seller. GIA also ensures its condition and quality are as described in the listing.
When any product undergoes this process, tell-tale signs can be discovered – and we say it’s best to leave it to the experts!
SM: How has NFC chip technology been integrated into the process? And what benefits does it bring?
KM: An eBay tag or card embedded with NFC chip technology, officially marks a successful authentication and gives a product its digital pedigree. This not only provides peace of mind for buyers, but also preempts a luxury item’s (potential) extended lifecycle for resellers.
SM: How does the returns process work?
KM: In the event of a return, every item is inspected by the authentication experts before it’s sent back to the seller. For added reassurance, returns are posted back directly to the authentication collaborators to verify their authenticity.
SM: Pre-loved luxury is booming – are there any areas of growth of particular note? Anything that’s surprised you?
KM: There is a very strong appetite for Authenticity Guarantee pre-loved sneakers which I, for one, wasn’t really anticipating prior to the launch.
If I’m honest, I had expected it to be more about collectors trading deadstock and flippers selling on their raffle wins, but I have been really pleasantly surprised by the demand for pre-loved sneakers that have been well looked after and therefore can be enjoyed by multiple different wearers in their lifecycle.
SM: Do you see a noticeable spike during campaigns like Secondhand September?
KM: These days, the demand for pre-loved luxury and fashion is evergreen and less reliant on specific moments in the calendar. But I wouldn’t want to underestimate the key role that the Secondhand September campaign has played in removing stigma from buying pre-loved items.
It is also timed perfectly to highlight buying pre-loved to consumers in the lead up to the peak gifting time of year and the consideration for gifting and receiving pre-loved grows and we know that more than half of consumers (52%) are likely to buy luxury items online if discounts are available.
SM: The luxury watch market suffered its first real ‘bubble’ moment over the last couple of years post-Pandemic. How have you seen that played out on eBay?
KM: The short answer is that we haven’t! On eBay, the category was going from strength to strength since launching the Authenticity Guarantee for watches in 2021. So eBay sellers of all sizes, from individual watch sellers to professional dealers and retailers, were benefitting from the increasing awareness of the service.
Thanks to the incredible sellers we have on the platform, we offer a super-competitive trading environment that offers our buyers an unrivalled selection, along with the security that eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee provides.
We’ve seen significant seller and listing growth at all price points, but by far the biggest growth in seller and listing numbers has been on watches priced at over £5,000. This is all down to our increased buyer protections that have improved the conversion rate on higher value watches.
Whether it’s a grail watch, an eternity ring, a vintage clutch, or the perfect pair of sneakers, you’ll want to be certain that it’s the genuine article, and that’s where eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee comes in – it ticks every box.
For more information on buying and selling: ebay.co.uk/authenticity-guarantee
