Dive Brief:
- Following its longtime investment in authentication efforts, eBay opened a “Canal Street Wear” pop-up store in New York City selling authenticated products, the e-commerce giant announced on Thursday. The store is open Friday and Saturday.
- The company curated the retail shop’s product selection from top-rated eBay sellers, including NYMilan, RIF and Soled Out Jersey City. The store will feature items from brands like Nike, New Balance, Louis Vuitton, Bape and Chrome Hearts, the company said.
- Shoppers can also bring their streetwear items to be authenticated by eBay’s streetwear team, per the press release. EBay in June said it would begin authenticating streetwear brands, including Vetements, Off-White and Supreme.
Dive Insight:
EBay has unveiled its pop-up store amid a sharp rise of consumer interest in streetwear. The company saw worldwide searches for streetwear rise more than 150% since the beginning of 2023, according to the press release.
“Enthusiasts go to eBay to find every drop from the past few decades, from late 90’s Supreme and Virgil era Louis Vuitton, to younger brands like Palace and Aimé Leon Dore,” Charis Marquez, global vice president of fashion at eBay, said in a statement. “Expanding Authenticity Guarantee to streetwear brings peace of mind that every item is the real deal and furthers our efforts to make eBay the most trusted destination for streetwear. Canal Street Wear highlights eBay’s incredible selection and commitment to authenticity.”
EBay opened its store on Canal Street — a New York City destination infamous for its abundance of counterfeit goods — and the company has been working to combat fakes on its own platform in recent years by expanding its verification services to sneakers, sports memorabilia, high-end watches, jewelry and other luxury goods. In May, the company announced that it purchased Certilogo, a digital identification and authentication firm, for an undisclosed amount.
With its new New York City location, eBay continues to vie for customers offline. In May 2022, the company opened a pop-up shop for sneakers in Los Angeles and offered consumers discounted prices for wearing their merchandise out of the store. It also hosted a series of authentication pop-up events in Seattle, Las Vegas and other major cities in 2021 where shoppers could learn the value of their items and sell them on eBay.
