Dive Brief:

• Deepening its efforts to authenticate luxury items, eBay has introduced its Certified by Brand program, which allows brands to authenticate the sale of their secondhand luxury products, according to a Thursday press release. As part of the program, eBay will offer new, certified pre-owned, limited-edition “only on eBay” items such as handbags, jewelry and timepieces. 
• The products will be categorized as either Direct from Brand, meaning it's new or pre-owned inventory and comes from the brand’s manufacturer or has been previously authenticated by the brand, or Brand-Authorized Seller, indicating that the item is from an authorized reseller.
• Certified by Brand partners will have access to insights to inform pricing of inventory on the secondary market and will be able to control their brand image and messaging. Among the participating brands are Alberto Milani, Ernst Benz, Konstantin Chaykin and Zodiac Watches.

Dive Insight:

Over the past five years, eBay has introduced new initiatives to bolster authentication. In 2018, the e-commerce veteran expanded its authentication services to include jewelry including rings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry on its platform. That same year, it also added luxury watches to the products it would verify.

Recognizing the need for authenticating other products, the company in 2021 bought Sneaker Con Digital's sneaker authentication division for an undisclosed sum to strengthen its shoe authentication capabilities. Earlier that year, the company also kicked off in-person authentication events to enable customers to verify high-end watches, shoes, trading cards and other highly-desired merchandise.

"Certified inventory in the resale market is an undeniable opportunity for brands and authorized retailers, and eBay is the ideal partner for those looking to scale," Tirath Kamdar, global general manager of luxury at eBay, said in a statement. "EBay's Certified by Brand program broadens access to both buyers and brands to shop and sell luxury goods with confidence and certainty."

Meanwhile, other retailers have been expanding their offline resale footprint. Last June, Fashionphile opened a 60,000-square-foot showroom and authentication center in New York City's West Chelsea neighborhood, where the retailer highlights its luxury handbags, accessories and overall authentication procedures.

As eBay works directly with brands to authenticate used goods on its platform, other resale companies have faced skepticism and criticism over their verification practices. In a lawsuit last year that StockX called “baseless” and lacking merit, Nike accused the reseller of selling fake sneakers from its marketplace that were supposed to be guaranteed "100% Authentic." In 2021, The RealReal settled a lawsuit for $11 million regarding the company's authentication claims.

EBay has 133 million active buyers. Last year sellers listed more than 170,000 watches, 100,000 handbags and 1 million jewelry items daily, according to the company.