For the past 30 years, people looking for rare collectibles have relied on eBay to help locate their holy grails.
While the collectible market has plenty of retail options aimed at specific collectors, such as baseball card enthusiasts, eBay continues to be a source both for popular collectibles and unusual items that fall outside those categories.
One area of collectibles that has long been lucrative for eBay, however, is the collectible sneaker market. Collectors are known for sparing no expense to snag the right pair of Jordans or Yeezys — one Sotheby’s auction for a pair of the Air Jordan 13 “The Last Dance” edition went for $2.2 billion.
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Another reason people go to eBay for high-demand collectible sneakers is its authenticity guarantee. EBay not only offers a rigorous authentication process, but also does so at no cost to the seller or the buyer. Simply put, it’s a way to make sure that in a market crowded with fakes, you get your hands on the real thing.
Related: Analyst reworks eBay stock price target on economic uncertainty
It’s easy to see why this market has been highly profitable for eBay, helping it stay in the green (eBay reported revenue of $2.6 billion in 2024, up 1% from the prior year). But now a new challenger is about to enter the space — and it’s a powerful opponent indeed.
Image source: Focus on Sport via Getty
TikTok enters the sneaker game
Social media giant TikTok has been making aggressive headway in the e-commerce space since launching its own platform, TikTok Shop. Within the TikTok app, the Shop allows users to click products in videos and shop directly.
TikTok announced that it made $100 million in single-day sales on Black Friday exclusively from the Shop platform. It seems the social media company is onto something in encouraging its billions of users to view the app as more than just a way to catch up on the latest dance videos.
Related: Having TikTok installed on your phone may make you up to $50,000
Now TikTok has announced it will enter the preowned sneaker game, but it’s taking a different approach than eBay does. TikTok will vet certain sellers to list the footwear in its U.S. shop, including Adidas Sambas and mid-top Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force 1. All sellers must also provide and upload a certificate of authenticity from a third-party authentication service.
Along with the sneakers, TikTok Shop will also offer a variety of other luxury items, including handbags, boots, sandals, and more.
The one big problem with TikTok
While TikTok’s entrance into the space could be concerning for eBay, one might wonder how long the social media app will even be able to implement its plan.
On April 4, President Donald Trump chose to grant TikTok a second 75-day extension to comply with a law instructing the social media company to sell its U.S. arm or face a ban in the states.
“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal.”
That said, a TikTok ban in the U.S. would mean no more high-end sneaker shopping on the platform. So it may be premature for eBay to be worried about a market on which it’s had a strong foothold for years.
Related: Shocking company makes last-minute bid to buy TikTok
