If you’re a luxury-handbag hound on the hunt for one of the big guns (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, et al) at a sweet secondhand price, you may have found yourself scrolling through the
Authenticate section of the vast resale marketplace that is
eBay. Instantly recognizable
marques like
Chanel and Prada abound on this humble landing page. If any of the luxe totes appear enticing enough to warrant further clickage, you may land on the product page to behold a bold-red proclamation: “Authenticity Verified.” It’s a new-ish claim — launched officially in October of 2017 — that’s the product of a painstaking campaign on eBay’s part to provide airtight verification of the secondhand luxury goods for sale through the online marketplace.