EBay Launches ‘Brand-Certified’ Luxury Platform

E-commerce giant eBay has unveiled a “Certified by Brand” program, allowing companies that offer luxury items to partner directly with the online marketplace.

Through this program, top brands can offer new, certified pre-owned, limited-edition or exclusive “only on eBay” inventory, the company said Thursday. Certified by Brand includes watches, handbags and fine-jewelry products. It is currently limited to labels and buyers in the US, with plans for expansion to other regional markets.

The site will list items as either “Direct from Brand” or “Brand Authorized Seller,” including consistent badging and information for each category, it added.

Luxury companies that partner with eBay will also gain access to consumer insights from the selling platform’s global network of buyers and will be able to influence pricing of their brand inventory within the secondary market, eBay said. In addition, these brands and brand-authorized sellers will be able to control their brand equity and image with access to eBay platform channels to amplify their own messaging.

Labels already signed up include 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.

All watches come with a minimum one-year warranty, and jewelry and handbags include a certificate of authenticity with purchase. The initiative is separate from eBay’s “Authenticity Guarantee” launched in the US in 2020.

As the secondary market for luxury continues to attract buyers, high-end brands are being pushed into the resale space. To compete, some have partnered with other companies, eBay said. This program provides these luxury sellers access to eBay’s 133 million active buyers.

Citing its own numbers, eBay says that sales of watches, handbags, jewelry and sneakers have seen annual double-digit rises since the fourth quarter of 2019.

Image: A collection of some of the jewelry and watches that are part of the Certified Brand program. (eBay)