eBay Acquires Sneaker Con’s Authentication Business

eBay is acquiring Sneaker Con’s authentication business, a leading sneaker authenticator with operations in the U.S, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany.

The acquisition is an extension of the ongoing partnership between eBay and Sneaker Con, which has been crucial to growing eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee.

The online marketplace launched its sneaker authentication service in October 2020, which offers full vetting and verification of select sneakers bought on eBay by a team of Sneaker Con’s industry experts.

The Authenticity Guarantee has significantly changed the way people buy and sell sneakers on eBay, as evidenced by quarter-over-quarter category growth. In just over one year, more than 1.55 million sneakers were authenticated on eBay globally.

“eBay has always been a vibrant community of enthusiasts, with deeply knowledgeable buyers, sellers and employees. 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.”

Jordan Sweetnam, SVP and General Manager of eBay North America

eBay Authenticity Guarantee

Since launching Authenticity Guarantee, the variety of products eBay authenticates has grown to meet the types of items and inventory collectors are seeking. The company continues to evaluate other categories where its Authentication Guarantee would make offer a better user experience.

“We respect eBay’s commitment to the sneaker culture and are honored that Sneaker Con’s authentication business will be incorporated into their platform,” said Brad Fried, the company’s Co-Founder.

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.

“While Sneaker Con’s events business is not part of this transaction, these events will continue to represent the global sneaker community. eBay is the industry pioneer and the marketplace was my first exposure to the sneaker community. We at Sneaker Con remain committed to providing premier global events for our community to come together and share their passion for sneakers.”

Alan Vinogradov, CEO and co-Founder of Sneaker Con

With over 1.9 million sneaker pairs on its marketplace every day, eBay believes this acquisition will further empower its community to buy and sell footwear with total confidence.

eBay is acquiring Sneaker Con Digital, Sneaker Con’s authentication business, and the companies have signed and closed the deal as of November 24, 2021. Further details were not disclosed.