What is eBay’s Certified by Brand, now referred to as Luxury by eBay

 

Fake products pose serious problems for virtually any industry. However, we can safely say that some industries are more plagued by the phenomenon than others.

 

For example, luxury brands have a lot at stake: their products are usually heavily priced and seriously depend on their quality and reputation. With counterfeits becoming increasingly convincing in appearance, buyers may be tempted or fooled into possessing a "luxury" product for a fraction of the regular price. Like a Rolex watch for $300 - anyone?

 

But when things go south, and the product eventually fails, it’s the original brand that gets the blame, even if they had nothing to do with the product. In addition, a brand building on its exclusivity suffers a huge loss of reputation if suddenly every Tom, Dick, and Harry starts parading around with a supposedly luxury product.

 

globaleyez has been at the forefront of the fight against counterfeits for decades. Luckily, we’re not alone: an increasing number of marketplaces introduce measures to combat fake products. eBay, for example, has already taken a lot of steps in the right direction. And now they’ve taken one more.

 

Read all about eBay’s fight against fake sneakers!

 

 

Brands certify, eBay sells

Introduced in 2023, Certified by Brand is a section on eBay, selling luxury handbags, watches, and jewellery. Each listing is offered directly by a brand or by their authorized sellers, and in the case of second-hand goods, is authenticated by the brand.

 

 

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+++ Update August 2026 +++

 

On eBay’s US page, the Certified by Brand link now leads to a page called Luxury on eBay. It’s currently unclear whether the program was rebranded, renamed, or even completely replaced by a new program. However, the Certified by Brand subpage still remains available on the UK site.

 

 

Timestamped screenshot created with our Google extension tool screenseal of ebay.com displaying the landing page of Luxury on eBay

 

 

Timestamped screenshot of ebay.co.uk displaying the landing page of Certified by Brand

 

Discover our free screenshotting tool screenseal, conveniently available as a Google extension!

  

  

The UK program offers new and pre-owned luxury watches as well as jewellery from a select few brands, including Clogau, Backes & Strauss, Santa Lomas and Rotary Watches.

As no official news is available about the fate of the program, we are reluctant to come to any conclusions by ourselves. However, based on luxury product listings available now and back in 2023, it certainly seems that at least some parts of the program have been altered. For example, sampled product listings featured on Luxury on eBay lack the “Authorized seller” or “Direct from brand” distinction that was still available in 2023.

Similarly, nothing indicates that products available via Luxury on eBay possess any kind of authenticity certificate, as opposed to those that used to be listed under Certified by Brand.

 

 

Timestamped screenshot of a random product listing on ebay.com displaying the new features of Luxury on eBay

 

 

A separate program introduced in late 2020, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, is still readily available. This program includes luxury and other high-value products like watches, handbags, sneakers, jewellery and trading cards. Product listings of such products are automatically enrolled in the program. 

When a purchase is made, the product is first shipped to the authenticator. If they give the green light, the product is sent on to the buyer. However, if the product fails the process, it has to be removed from the marketplace, and the buyer receives their money back.

 

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Certified by eBay as it was in 2023

Each listing on Certified by eBay bears a tag displaying the origins of the products. They can either be "Direct from Brand", meaning the seller is actually the brand or the manufacturer creating the products, or "Brand-authorized seller", indicating that a contracted reseller is behind the sale.

 

 

Screenshot of a random product listing on ebay.com displaying "Authorized Seller"

 

 

Screenshot of a random product listing on ebay.com displaying "Direct from Brand"

 

 

In either case, customers can rest assured that they're purchasing an original product designed and created by an esteemed luxury brand.

 

Certified by Brand, items can be bought instantly or bid on in an auction. Some listings even offer both buying options at the same time to shoppers.

 

 

Screenshot of a random product listing on ebay.com offering both a fixed price and an auction

 

 

Certified by Brand works with luxury brands like Alberto Milani, Judith Ripka, Zodiac, and Le Vian. According to eBay, they’re in negotiations with more brands to join the initiative in the near future.

 

 

Pre-owned luxury watches Certified by Brand

Luxury watches are among the three product categories offered on Certified by Brand. The market for high-quality watches is booming: the global market for luxury watches is estimated to be worth over $53 billion in 2024. And it is expected to grow to over $134 billion by 2032. Used watches contributed around $29 billion to this market in 2024, and this market segment is also expected to grow to around $69 billion by 2032.

 

No wonder the market looks appealing to counterfeiters as well. Unfortunately, there are several vulnerabilities they can exploit to get to unsuspecting customers.

 

For example, tracing a pre-owned watch’s journey from factory to owner(s) to second-hand marketplace is not easy, especially for a consumer not trained to look for fakes. It may be tempting for fraudsters to insert themselves into the process and claim their lookalike product comes from an earlier collection of a luxury watchmaker.

 

This is why an authentication stamp like Certified by Brand is essential to exclude fraudulent sellers and fake products from this lucrative market.

 

Luxury brands like Ernst Benz, Spinnaker, Avi-8, and Laco have recognised the value of certification and joined the initiative. Customers shopping for watches like the pre-owned Ernst Benz timepiece on the screenshot below can rest safe in the knowledge that they’re buying an original product and won’t contribute to the harmful activities of counterfeiters.

 

 

Screenshot of a random pre-owned luxury product listing on ebay.com

 

 

Related topics

eBay sniffs out fake sneakers

 

The end of illegal offers on eBay?

 

 

Online brand protection and Certified by Brand

We at globaleyez welcome eBay’s newest effort to ensure a counterfeit-free selling environment for brands. Thanks to Certified by Brand and its authentication process, fraudsters don’t have a chance to pass off their fake products as original luxury goods. This is a giant step forward for both the protection of your brands’ IP rights as well as general consumer protection against harmful counterfeits.

 

We hope the program will continue and widen its reach to include more brands as well as product categories.

 

This platform has an added benefit for luxury brands that have so far refrained from using eBay. With Certified by Brand, eBay becomes a very viable outlet for luxury brands that have stayed away from the platform due to the presence of dubious fakes, lookalikes, and grey market products.

 

For marketplaces not certified by the brand (or any other credible authenticating party), we recommend you set up a comprehensive online brand protection program to protect your brand’s IP rights, revenue, and reputation.