After a long-anticipated wait, Sneaker Con is finally returning to Toronto. The event draws sneakerheads from near and far who will once again be gathering for the “greatest sneaker show on earth.” Sneaker Con has been a leader in the sneaker event space and sneaker authentication for years. In 2021, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee program for sneakers expanded to Canada, which offers full vetting and verification of select sneakers bought on the marketplace by a team of Sneaker Con’s industry experts. And as the OG marketplace for sneakerheads, it should come as no surprise that eBay Canada will be the title sponsor of TorontoSneaker Con, with a large presence throughout the day-long event. We chatted with eBay Canada’s Head of Sneakers, Shireen Edross, to learn more! —Noa Nichol
Tell us a bit about the event, and what you’re personally most excited about.
Sneaker Con is returning to Toronto on September 17 and 18. The event brings sneakerheads from near and far for the “greatest sneaker show on earth.” I am personally most excited to have Sneaker Con return to Toronto after a two-year hiatus—it’s such a great opportunity to bring the community together and I’m just really excited to be surrounded by sneakers and the people who love them all weekend.
Who do you expect will be attend … and who SHOULD attend?! What can we expect to see/experience?
So many people have become new sneaker enthusiasts with the onset of the pandemic. The event draws everyone from sneakerheads and sneaker enthusiasts to your everyday consumer. If you’re looking to buy, sell or swap sneakers, this is the place to be. At the eBay booth, guests will be also able to experience on-site sneaker authentication, fun swag giveaways and more.
Why is eBay title sponsor of this year’s Sneaker Con Toronto ? How is it a perfect fit (pardon the pun)?!
The partnership between eBay and Sneaker Con extends across the globe and as the OG marketplace for sneakerheads, it’s only natural that eBay is the title sponsor of Sneaker Con Toronto. As part of that, we will have a large presence throughout the event, including a booth for on-site authentication.
What’s the current state of the sneaker market in Canada?
The Canadian sneakerhead community is growing; Canadians purchase, on average, one pair of sneakers every four minutes on eBay.ca from the more than 1 million sneaker listings, with eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, available to Canadians each day.
What can Canadians expect this coming year with trends in the pre-owned sneaker category?
eBay is seeing strong double-digit YOY growth in pre-owned sneaker listings and sales on our site. Canadian sneakerheads aren’t shying away from the world of pre-owned, with nearly half of the top 20 most expensive sneakers bought in 2021 being pre-owned. We expect this to continue into this coming year
What does the world of sneaker collectibles look like? Is there a community around it? How do people get started on building their own collection?
There is definitely a large community around sneaker collectibles. This really depends on what you want from your sneakers. I collect to wear but I know there are those collectors out there whose sneakers haven’t seen the light of day. So first, you need to find where you lie on that spectrum. From there, it’s all about personal preference—I like the classics, the ones that take me back to MJ’s buzzer beaters, but someone else might like some of the crazy new colourways out there. The key, really, is to just make sure you’re playing your own sneaker game; collecting sneakers can be a very personal passion, so there are no hard and fast rules to follow aside from staying authentic to yourself. And that’s why shopping eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee is so great because select sneakers sold on eBay are fully vetted and verified by a team of industry experts—so, you know the collection you are starting is 100 per cent legit.
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