Editor’s Note
eBay Japan is expanding its free authentication service for high-value items, aiming to build greater trust in cross-border e-commerce by ensuring buyers receive only verified genuine products.
The Japanese subsidiary of U.S. e-commerce giant eBay, eBay Japan (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), is strengthening its “Authenticity Guarantee” service, which verifies whether items are genuine or counterfeit. The aim is to promote the realization of reliable cross-border e-commerce.
The service being expanded is the “eBay Authenticity Guarantee,” which provides free authentication for high-value items and delivers only certified products to buyers. The service, previously limited to a select group of sellers, has now been extended to all sellers in Japan. The eligible categories have also been expanded beyond handbags to newly include jewelry and watches.
When a buyer purchases an item covered by the guarantee service, the seller ships it to an authentication center in Japan. There, professional authenticators conduct verification and condition checks. Ultimately, only certified items are delivered to the buyer.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s e-commerce market survey, the market size, which was about $785 billion in 2021, is projected to expand to $7.938 trillion by 2030. The expansion of the guarantee service aims to realize a cross-border e-commerce environment where high-value items like handbags and jewelry can be traded with confidence.
According to eBay Japan, despite uncertainties from the Trump administration’s tariff policies, popular trading cards are expected to see significant growth. Looking at sales trends of items listed by Japanese sellers from January to March, collectible items such as “Pokémon cards,” which will celebrate their 30th anniversary next year, grew nearly twofold compared to the same period last year.
Furthermore, a resurgence is anticipated for high-end items like watches, which had shown signs of slowing. A quality assurance program for all domestic sellers also began in March, which is expected to provide a tailwind for the used camera market.
eBay is a marketplace supporting sellers and buyers in over 190 markets, achieving approximately $75 billion (about ¥11 trillion) in gross merchandise volume in 2024. Sales originating from Japan are recording the top growth rate.
