With vintage sneakers becoming a major online trend, and a major trading opportunity for collectors, TikTok has announced that TikTok Shop merchants will now be able to sell pre-owned footwear, authenticated by vetted third parties, within the app.
So now, you’ll be able to go direct from a video about classic kicks (or somebody trying to sell a counterfeit pair to a reseller), to a purchase page for those same shoes, all within the app.
As per TikTok:
“Whether you’re looking for something classic, like Adidas Sambas, or something rare, like the mid-top Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force 1’s, you can round out your collection of authentic kicks with TikTok Shop.”
Though there are some provisions in place to ensure that shoe buyers don’t get ripped off in the app.
First off, TikTok says that it’s only approving “a select group of highly vetted sellers” to trade classic shoes in the app.
“With market-leading sellers like Dappz Kicks and Keevado Kicks onboard, our lineup is top of the line.”
All pre-owned sneaker and footwear sellers in the app will also be required to upload a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) from an industry-trusted, third-party authenticator, while shoppers will also have a process of recourse if their purchase arrives damaged, defective, or otherwise not as described.
So there are safeguards in place to protect shoe buyers, and stop scammers from selling you rip-off versions in the app, and it does seem like a reasonably safe approach, based on this overview at least.
It could also be a valuable one, as TikTok looks to expand its commerce listings, and get more people buying products in the app. Given the popularity of classic shoe-related content (#sneakerhead has 2 million uses in the app, while #sneakers has 9.4 million), there’s clearly an interest there, and TikTok’s hoping to tap into this to branch further into commerce elements.
It’s an interesting addition either way, and it could also help to ramp up more in-app activity around sneakers and streetwear trends, which may be of note for related brands.
