This move aims at boosting consumer trust and increase the prices sellers can charge as shoppers will be able to see that the items will be authenticated when viewing listings. According to Tech Crunch, Vice President of eBay Consumer Selling, admits that “We know that many shoppers may be hesitant to purchase high-end products online”, but “This service is designed to help quell some of those concerns – and in turn – enhance the opportunity for our sellers to get top dollar for their items”.
In order to use the program, sellers can opt in for a fee when listing their products. Products are first sent to a professional authenticator to pass inspection before being forwarded to the buyer. If the item fails inspection, eBay will refund the buyer double the cost of the item price, as an added bonus.
Furthermore, the company plans to use “a network of professional authenticators,” which means authentication is not be done in-house, but rather through partners.
Still, eBay already utilizes a number of anti-counterfeit measures, including detection tools, enforcement mechanisms, plus relationships with brands, retailers, and law enforcement, among other things. It has been running its Verified Rights Owner program since 1998, which allows over 40,000 rights owners a means of reporting possible counterfeit goods.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now