eBay on Friday (Nov. 5) debuted The Sleigh Drop sneaker sales promotion that gives buyers access to “some of the world’s coolest collections” from sneaker enthusiasts La La Anthony, DJ Skee and Jacques Slade during the holiday season.
The initiative starts with sneaker seller SoleStage listing more than 700 pairs of shoes from DJ Skee’s closet, including the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White and the Nike Air Yeezy 2 NRG Pure Platinum. There will be new items from DJ Skee’s collection added to eBay every Friday in November.
“This holiday looks really different, and these drops give sneakerheads access to highly coveted pairs that you can’t get anywhere else,” Garry Thaniel, general manager of sneakers at eBay, said in the company announcement.
“Supply chain challenges have reshaped the season, and shoppers are craving the rare, the unique and the hard-to-find, especially when it comes to enthusiast categories like sneakers,” he added.
eBay will debut the personal collections of Slade on Dec. 3 and Anthony on Dec. 17 through The Sleigh Drop.
Related: eBay Downplays Continued Decline of Active Buyers
The Sleigh Drop is another step for eBay in the direction of focusing on what the company calls “high-value” buyers, those who make at least six purchases on the platform every year for more than $800. Chief Financial Officer Steve Priest recently said eBay has been naturally shedding so-called “low-value” buyers, who represent about 80% of the company’s buyers but generate about 25% of its gross merchandise value (GMV).
CEO Jamie Iannone said that high-value buyers on eBay are up 6% compared to 2019 and low-value buyers are down 7%. He added that eBay has not seen a decrease in auction bidding volume with the loss of low-value buyers.
eBay is focusing on sneakers, luxury watches, authenticated handbags and trading cards, with motor parts and accessories to be added soon, in its push for more high-value buyers, Iannone said.
The marketplace has removed seller fees in the sneaker category for listings starting at more than $100 and recently expanded its Authenticity Guarantee service to fully vet and verify all new and pre-owned sneakers sold for more $100 in the U.S. by an independent team of industry experts.
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