EBay's pop-up store sold collectible kicks at a big discount—with one catch
Customers who bought rare shoes at atypically low prices had to wear them out of the store
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This past weekend, eBay hit the real world with its first-ever sneaker store. The pop-up shop, located on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, gave kicks fans something special to line up for—it featured exclusive, much-coveted sneaker styles for up to 70% off market price. There was one catch, however: Buyers had to wear them out the door.
Ebay recently conducted a survey of more than 1000 sneaker fans, with the majority saying that they wear less than half of their collections. The new “Wear ‘Em Out Store” encourages them to live in the moment and enjoy their purchases— on their feet—this summer.
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To curate the goods sold at the store, eBay worked with musician, entrepreneur and fashion icon Offset, known for his own sneaker collection and discerning kicks taste. Among the wares for sale were the Jordan 1 Retro High OG Patenrt Bred and the Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runner, as well as new releases that would normally only be available at deadstock prices.
The campaign was designed to highlight eBay as “the original sneaker resale marketplace” as the market has become increasingly crowded with other players such as StockX and GOAT. EBay sells 14 pairs of sneakers every minute. It offers services such as Authenticity Guarantee, which since its launch for sneakers in 2020 has authenticated 2 million pairs around the globe.
The campaign saw sneakerheads lining up around the block on Memorial Day Weekend. It was conceived with Edelman and also included a preview at SneakerCon in Anaheim, Calif. earlier in May.
