eBay Doubles Down on Luxury Business With New Certified by Brand Program

eBay has launched its latest initiative to capture more of the luxury market, calling it the Certified by Brand program. This program aims at collaborating with various luxury brands to enhance their presence in the secondary market while enabling shoppers to access a wider range of desirable and rare luxury goods.

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Top-notch brands such as Zodiac Watches, Le Vian, and Konstantin Chaykin will offer new, certified pre-owned, limited-edition, or exclusive “only on eBay” products through the program. This program will supplement eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, resulting in a more reliable and secure marketplace for users.

The secondary market for premium and luxury goods grew significantly in 2022, propelled by consumer enthusiasm for collecting and passion investments.

Luxury brands are being edged further into the resale space, and many have fortified a presence by seeking partners to help compete in the secondary market.

eBay’s Certified by Brand program provides brands and brand-authorized sellers access to both the platform’s 130+ million active buyers, and consumer insights from eBay’s global network of buyers.

“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,” said Tirath Kamdar, Global GM of Luxury at eBay.

“eBay’s Certified by Brand program broadens access to both buyers and brands to shop and sell luxury goods with confidence and certainty.”

The Certified by Brand program will cover an expanding list of luxury’s leading brands, offering watches, fine jewelry, and handbags.

Each product listing in the program will display either “Direct from Brand” or “Brand Authorized Seller” badges and information about Certified by Brand, simplifying the buying process for customers.

This is akin to eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee check mark that identifies inventory and distinguishes it from other listings.

“As a long-time customer of eBay, I have always valued discovering remarkable pieces among the platform’s breadth of inventory,” said Vianney Halter. “I am pleased to be partnering with eBay to bring a selection of extraordinary watches to their customer base.”

With almost three decades of experience in building its global marketplace, eBay is steadfast in building trust in its unparalleled assortment of luxury goods on a global level.

Since its inception, programs like Authenticity Guarantee, which presently comprises sneakers, handbags, watches, jewelry, and trading cards, have made a significant impact.

The luxury focus categories have seen a growth rate of nearly double digits since Q4 2019. Certified by Brand is a testament to eBay’s unwavering commitment to enhance buyer, retailer, and brand confidence in its shopping experience for high-value and high-interest products.

Through Certified by Brand, eBay’s brand partners will benefit from access to consumer insights from eBay’s extensive network of buyers. Furthermore, they will have the ability to influence the pricing of their brand inventory in the secondary market.

Brands and brand-authorized sellers will also be empowered to maintain control over their brand equity and image. They will be granted access to a range of eBay platform channels to boost their messaging and stimulate growth and move inventory.

Curiously, eBay doubles down on the luxury market, just days after British-based and eBay-backed Cudoni shuts down due “rising cost of living and economic crisis.” However, Cudoni was very local to the UK, while eBay’s newest expansion into luxury is meant for a much wider audience.

Two Channels To Shop Authentic Luxury Products on eBay

Certified by Brand: To instill continued confidence in every transaction, all items listed in Certified by Brand will be backed by the brand, and all watch brands will also come with a minimum one-year warranty. Additionally, purchases of jewelry and handbag items will include a certificate of authenticity.

The program will be represented by two badge categories to distinguish its listings:

• Direct From Brand: Listings will be either new or pre-owned inventory, and will either be directly from the brand’s manufacturer or have been previously authenticated by the brand.
• Brand-Authorized Seller: Listings will be either new or pre-owned inventory from a seller who has been authorized and supplied inventory by the brand.

At lauch, participating brands in Certified by Brand are: ADPT (All Day, Purpose, Terrain), Alberto Milani, ALOR, Badgley Mischka, Diana M., Ernst Benz, I.Reiss, Judith Ripka, Konstantin Chaykin, Le Vian, Lika Behar Collection, Perrelet, RPaige, Roman+Jules, Vianney Halter and Zodiac Watches.

Authenticity Guarantee: In 2020, eBay introduced its Authenticity Guarantee service in the U.S. market for watches. The authentication service is free of charge for both buyers and sellers (seller pays final value fees), and the program verifies eligible watches, handbags, jewelry, sneakers, and trading cards.

It has since expanded to include five categories across five countries for select products. However, inventory listed under Certified by Brand will not be eligible for eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee service. Read more about Authenticity Guarantee.

Availability

Currently, Certified by Brand is only available for brands and buyers located in the United States.

The program will continue to roll out for brands and authorized sellers in the coming weeks, and more are expected to join over the next year. There are also plans for expansion to other markets, but eBay did not provide any specifics yet.