‘Authenticity Guarantee’ service expands to include graded collectible card games and sports trading cards sold on eBay for $2,000+
eBay, a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world, announced the expansion of its ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ for trading cards through a strategic partnership with PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), the world’s preeminent trading card authentication and grading company. Beginning today, when a graded card is sold for $2,000+ in the U.S., the seller will send that graded card to PSA, the largest and most trusted third-party authentication and grading company in the world, where a newly established team of experts – independent from the core team focused on the existing backlog – will utilize years of expertise to verify that the card matches the listing description and that the sealed plastic holder and label are authentic and have not been tampered with or counterfeited. Over time, this service will expand to any graded card sold for $250+. This expansion comes only four months after eBay introduced Authenticity Guarantee for raw trading cards, and with PSA’s expertise having graded more than 54 million trading cards, eBay continues to deliver a seamless experience that allows collectors to buy and sell with confidence.
“As casual buyers become collectors and collectors become investors, authentication services have never been more important,” said Dawn Block, VP Collectibles, Electronics and Home at eBay. “eBay is the top destination for buying and selling high value cards and collectibles, and PSA has been a leader in the authentication and grading of trading cards for more than three decades. With this latest partnership, collectors can feel even more confident in their purchases of graded cards, and eBay continues to set the standard for this category.”
Read More:Â Â ResultsCX Announces Rajesh Subramaniam As Its New CEO
The surge in the trading cards market has created an opportunity for eBay and PSA to leverage their respective strengths, combining eBay’s global reach and unmatched selection with the market-leading capabilities, trust, and expertise of PSA. Together, eBay and PSA are committed to ensuring accuracy as well as providing a trusted buying and selling experience for collectors.
“Our trading card expertise is the perfect complement to eBay’s breadth and depth of inventory,” said Kevin Lenane, PSA President. “For more than 30 years, we have played a vital role in the card community. This partnership allows us to help eBay create a trusted and confident experience for collectors, adding further integrity to the hobby.”
In addition to trading cards, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee service includes sneakers sold for $100+, watches sold for $2,000+, and handbags sold for $500+. Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) will continue authenticating single, ungraded trading cards sold for $250+. This partnership with PSA to bolster trust in the marketplace is yet another enhancement by eBay to improve the experience for collectors. In 2021, eBay introduced industry-leading tools including Price Guide and Collection and Image Scan and, later this year, eBay will launch the eBay vault: a secure storage facility and digital marketplace for trading cards that will foster fractionalization and allow users to transfer ownership from seller to buyer in a matter of seconds, with no need to re-authenticate, or ship the item anywhere.
Read More:Â Â SalesTechStar Interview With Matt Ferry, Chief Revenue Officer At Gramener
eBay Trading Cards By The Numbers
- eBay’s Trading Cards category is growing significantly faster than the total marketplace.
- Trading Cards in the first half of 2021 hit $2 billion in transactions – equal to ALL of 2020.
- An average of 2 trading cards are sold every second on eBay – one of which is a sports card.
- To date, over 9M cards purchased on and off eBay have been added to customer Collections.
- More than 1.3M buyers have used the Price Guide tool in search to visualize trends for their favorite trading cards.
- Top Trading Cards GMV Growth by Categories (H1 2021):
- Tennis –1797%
- Soccer – 852%
- Pokémon – 536%
- Marvel – 437%
- Golf – 436%
- Football – 200%
- Basketball – 148%
