So eBay has decided to end seller fees on men’s and women’s athletic sneakers worth $100 or more. I never saw this coming but this is not surprising at all. I wrote a post a couple of years ago stating that StockX was soon going to bury most third party marketplaces , see link below
In several of my posts that I wrote I also stated that the gap in the sale’s ratio between eBay and StockX on hyped sneakers is laughable. For example,
The stunning fact to notice here is the sale’s ratio between eBay and StockX. I’ve mentioned it in previous posts that I wrote, but I feel the need to reiterate it again. For every 13 pairs of the Jordan 1 First class flight sold on eBay, about 532 are sold on stockX ( 2.44% in other words for every 2 pairs sold on eBay 100 pairs are sold on stockX). And the reason for this is very simple, eBay is polluted with fakes and is no longer a safe marketplace for buyers ( although there are still several legitimate sellers on eBay). One other reason why this is also happening is because Stockx is basically a buyer’s market where the buyer imposes his will on the seller. Click Here to Read the post
This cancellation of selling fees for athletic sneakers $100 or more was definitely implemented to combat StockX and Goat, Stockx more precisely. Stockx has completely overshadowed eBay on hyped/limited sneakers. And the main reason behind this is that eBay never really wanted to address the problem with fakes. I wrote several posts in which I exposed how the platform was polluted with counterfeit sneakers, see link below
Stockx created the perfect platform to eliminate the” bootleg” problem while eBay was too complacent. eBay should’ve put into effect a practical counter- counterfeit team to monitor its marketplace. Finding replicas on eBay could be an easy task for the individual that knows the keywords to look for. For example, there are already several pairs of fake Travis Scott Air Force 1 low’s being sold on eBay now, see listings below ( and I wonder why these listings are still active)
As great as this cancellation of selling fee is, it only solves one aspect of the problem, a good one though. The fact is, StockX created the perfect platform since the buyer is able to impose his/her will/price and actually deposit the funds at the same time. So it creates an enticing environment for sellers who battle to be the first to accept the offers given. And what that has engendered is the death of resale and retail as well on General Release sneakers, be sure to read the post below, it goes into detail about this topic.
eBay is in the perfect position to disrupt StockX as well by creating an authentication warehouse and becoming another middle man (especially if the selling fees are being canceled ) and eBay’s traffic is still higher than StockX ( I haven’t verified it but I’m confident it is true). And eBay’s inventory includes more than just hyped sneakers. StockX does have more regular/average sneakers now but there are still tons of sneakers ( style #’s)that aren’t available on their platform. Moreover StockX doesn’t accept used sneakers or shoes without box; eBay could literally take advantage of that as well with an authentication warehouse in place. The one thing that will always attract buyers or sellers is this – the best offer. In this case it pertains to sellers. so don’t be surprised to see a migration of sellers from Goat, stockX to eBay again , simply because the best offer in this case ( Zero selling fees on sneakers $100 and above) will always win. But buyers are always looking for the cheapest prices so I’m hoping that ebay sellers will revise their prices on eBay which consequently will offer a more competitive platform against other third party marketplaces. I will definitely monitor the next hyped sneakers and their resale value on various third party platforms.There are a lot more implications to these changes but this is very good news and I hope this reignites resale as well. I shall be writing more on this topic by the grace of God.
Have a blessed day.
My Name is Tayib Salami and I'm the founder of Housakicks. The platform is part of a Network made up of 2 websites ( Housakicks.com and Tayibs.com) operated by Tayib Salami who creates content that delivers Eternal Value to the sneaker community and mankind in general . I have spent a lot of time writing projections on sneakers as far as the retail market is concerned. I also educate my audience on ways to identify fake/ replica sneakers. Thenetwork covers a variety of sneaker related topics
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