eBay Offering Authenticity Guarantee for Trading Cards Over $750

eBay is launching an Authenticity Guarantee program for most types of trading cards sold in the United States for more than $750.

The guarantee covers sports cards, entertainment trading cards and trading card games like Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering. Autographs, memorabilia cards, and graded cards are not part of the program yet, but there are plans to add them in the months ahead.

The program is similar to the ones that eBay already has for sneakers, handbags and watches.

“As hobbies turn into investments, authentication services in categories of high value have become a priority for collectors,” said Dawn Block, eBay’s Vice President Collectibles, Electronics and Home. “With the introduction of Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards, we’re giving enthusiasts exactly what they want, while continuing to improve confidence in the marketplace.”

How eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee Program Works for Trading Cards

Rather than sending eligible cards directly to the buyers, sellers will now send them to a third-party authentication service first. There, cards will be inspected to make sure they’re real. Cards will also be inspected to ensure that the condition matches up with what was in the description.

An e-tag with a unique QR code are part of the card’s tamper-proof packaging. When scanned, the QR code will give information on the card. This ensures that any potential returns are the original cards and not ones that were swapped out.

When browsing eBay, eligible cards have a blue checkmark as a part of the listing. This is visible from a search.

There is no extra cost.

eBay plans to expand the Authenticity Guarantee program further later in 2022 to include all trading cards that sell for over $250. Once fully operational, autographs and memorabilia cards will be part of the program. So will professionally graded cards.

More on eBay’s trading card Authenticity Guarantee program and how it works is available on their website.