What is Authenticity Guarantee?
eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee is designed to help buyers shop with confidence and protect sellers with verified returns. Authenticators physically inspect all eligible items before they are posted to the buyer and inspect all returns prior to sending them back to the seller.
How does Authenticity Guarantee work?
It’s easy! Browse and shop eBay’s listings with the blue “Authenticity Guarantee” badge. When an eligible item is purchased, the seller is required to post the item to the authentication facility, where the item goes through a multi-point inspection process. Once verified, the authenticator posts the item directly to the buyer via fast, tracked delivery.
Please note, there is no grading or re-grading in this process. Our authenticators verify the raw card or sealed plastic holder as part of the inspection process.
What items are eligible for Authenticity Guarantee?
Authenticity Guarantee is available for selected graded and ungraded cards and grading brands (see below), listed under Collectable Card Games, Sports Trading Cards, and Non-Sports Trading Cards categories and priced for £350 or more via Fixed Price or Auction listings (exclusive of postage). You can identify eligible listings by looking for the blue Authenticity Guarantee tick in the search results or the top right of the item’s page.
Card type: Single cards only
Grading brands: Only cards graded by the following graders will be accepted: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA); Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC); Certified Collectables Group's affiliates, CGC Trading Cards, Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG); and Beckett Grading Services (BGS).
The following items are not eligible for Authenticity Guarantee:
- Items not bearing the blue Authenticity Guarantee badge
- Sets, lots, kits, decks, boxes and packs of two or more cards
- Miscategorised items, e.g. other types of cards listed in eligible categories
- Trading cards listed in categories not named above
- Art cards
- Redemption cards
- 1980s Star Company Basketball Cards
- Additional cards that are gifted to buyers as a bonus and free of charge
Only items purchased on eBay.co.uk are eligible for Authenticity Guarantee. Items that post to a buyer address outside the UK are not eligible for the service at this time. Listings that offer only local pickup or where the buyer selects local pickup at checkout or items posted to P.O. Boxes will not be eligible for Authenticity Guarantee. Any item purchased using an offline payment method will not be eligible for Authenticity Guarantee.
Items in breach of the prohibited item policy are not eligible for Authenticity Guarantee. For further details, you can learn more about Authenticity Guarantee Terms and Conditions here.
Will I be charged a fee for Authenticity Guarantee?
For eligible items priced at £350 or more, eBay covers the cost of authentication and secure postage shipping from the authentication facility to the buyer.
What happens at the authentication facility?
After the authentication facility receives the card, the authenticator will first perform a multi-point inspection.
- For ungraded cards, this involves checking the corners, edges, surface and overall condition of the card to confirm that it is consistent with the listing title, images and listing description. Then, they will perform a physical authentication inspection.
- For graded cards, this involves inspecting the sealed plastic holder for signs of tampering and verifying that the case and label are authentic to the grader.
Finally, the card will be packaged in custom packaging with a tamper-proof sticker seal. The card also receives a QR code sticker detailing the process. You can scan it with your mobile device to learn more about your card’s authentication details.
Who is providing the authentication services?
Our partners at Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) are our official authenticators. For ungraded cards, PSA experts verify authenticity through a multi-point inspection, and then carefully review listing details for consistency. For graded cards, PSA experts authenticate each case and label. No re-grading is performed.
How long will the Authenticity Guarantee process take? How long until I receive my item?
The estimated delivery date appears on listings and this will show the minimum and maximum dates in which your item could be delivered. For Authenticity Guarantee items, this includes the estimated time authenticators take to inspect the item once receiving it. However, please bear in mind that delivery times are an estimate only and may vary, especially during seasonal peaks.
After you purchase an eligible item, the seller is required to send the item to the authentication facility, where authenticators typically inspect the item. Once authenticity is verified, as well as listing description accuracy, the item will be posted to you via tracked, next day delivery.
How can I track the progress of my purchase?
Tracking information is available on the “Purchase History” page on My eBay (or “Purchases” on My eBay in the eBay app), where you’ll be able to track the postage status of your order and see exactly where it is in the authentication process. As part of the Authenticity Guarantee service, you will also receive an order update email once your item goes through inspection. Please contact eBay directly for questions about your order.
Why do I need to provide a PIN to receive my item?
For security reasons, items £750 and above will require you to provide a unique PIN to the DPD driver on delivery. The driver will not be able to deliver without the PIN code. Please ensure a valid email address or mobile number is registered on your eBay account in order to receive the PIN code.
How does PIN delivery work?
For UK buyers (not including the excluded postcodes as set out further below), when you receive your DPD delivery updates, you will be advised of a 4-digit PIN code that you will need to provide to the driver. The PIN code will be clearly displayed in your updates via email and SMS sent by DPD, or in the DPD app. Once the PIN code is provided to the driver, they’ll input it into their handheld device and if correct, the item will then be handed over to you.
Buyers based in the following excluded postcodes for DPD PIN delivery will receive their item via tracked, next day delivery:
Scottish Highlands
- FK17-21, IV1-39, IV52-54, IV63, KW1-14, PA21-40 (excluding PA38), PH19-26, PH30-41, PH49-50
Scottish Islands
- HS1-9, IV40-51, IV55-56, KA27-28, KW15-17, PA20, PA38, PA41-49, PA60-78, PH42-44, ZE1-3
Channel Islands
JE (Jersey) JE1 – JE5
GY (Guernsey) GY1 – GY10
Northern Ireland
BT1 – BT94
Isle of Man / Scilly Isles
IM (Isle of Man) IM1 – IM9, IM86, IM99
TR21-25 (Scilly Isles) TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25
What if I don't have a PIN?
If you don't have your PIN code, the driver can resend it to your email and mobile number registered on your eBay account whilst at your doorstep, which you can then give to the driver, so the item can be handed over to you.
If you don't have your PIN from your email confirmation, SMS or DPD App and you don't have your phone handy to receive the PIN Code, the driver will be unable to hand over the item.
The item will be re-attempted the following day or you can reschedule your delivery to a day that’s more convenient to you. If unsuccessful again, the item will be returned to us.
Buyers based in excluded postcodes for the DPD PIN Solution (please see above), or where a mobile number wasn’t provided at the point of purchase, will receive their item via tracked, next day delivery.
What if the item does not pass inspection?
If the item's authenticity cannot be verified or the item is not consistent with its listing, you will be notified and will be issued a full refund to your original payment method. For PSA-graded cards specifically, if a plastic sealed holder is found to be fake or exhibit signs of tampering, PSA will deactivate its certificate and issue a notice to the seller.
Should I contact the authenticator directly if I have a question about my order?
Please reach out to eBay customer service regarding all questions about your order.
What should I do if I want to change or cancel my order?
You can request to cancel your order through the Purchase History page within an hour of purchase if the seller has not yet posted the item. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate address changes at this time. Learn more about canceling your order here.
Where is my item posted to, and why is it not my address?
Your item will first be posted to the authentication facility. Once verified, the authenticator will send your item to the address entered at checkout.
What do I do if my item doesn’t arrive?
You can report to eBay that your item hasn’t arrived. If your item isn’t delivered to the address in order details, you are covered under eBay Money Back Guarantee when all other eligibility requirements are met. Learn more about eBay Money Back Guarantee.
What do I do if my item arrives damaged?
You are covered under eBay Money Back Guarantee and have 30 days to open a return request for “item damaged.” Learn more about eBay Money Back Guarantee.
Does the eBay Money Back Guarantee protect authenticated items?
Authenticity Guarantee purchases are covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee when all other eligibility requirements are met. Learn more about eBay Money Back Guarantee.
Can I return items purchased with Authenticity Guarantee?
You can return an item if the seller accepts returns, as stated in the listing, and the return takes place within the seller's return window. In the unlikely event that you receive an item that is not consistent with the listing, the item will be eligible for a return. In order for a refund to be processed, all returns must be sent to the authentication facility for verification (to check that the item is still in the same condition, or that the item is not consistent with the listing) and re-authentication before the item is returned to the seller.
Learn more about eBay's policy on condition of returned items here.
How does the return process work?
If returns are offered on the listing of the item you purchased, or the item isn't as described, the item will first be sent to the authentication facility. Once the item is received, the authenticator will inspect to confirm that the item returned matches the item originally sent to you by verifying the authenticity and condition including the sealed plastic holder. Once verified by the authenticator, it will be posted to the Seller and a refund will be processed. The Seller or Buyer (as defined by the listing) is responsible for postage costs to the authenticator, and eBay covers the postage cost to the Seller.
Why is the item sent back to me by the authenticator after I open a return?
If the authenticator determines the returned item is not the same item, is not in the same condition, or that the Authenticity Guarantee sticker has been tampered with or removed, the item will be sent back to you and the return will be closed.
Can I choose not to have my item authenticated?
For eligible items priced at £350 or more, you cannot choose to bypass the authentication service. eBay's Authenticity Guarantee is a service designed to protect buyers and sellers.
Can I get my card graded during the Authenticity Guarantee process?
No, PSA does not offer card grading or re-grading as part of the Authenticity Guarantee service.
Can I choose which authenticator my card goes to?
No. PSA is our official authenticator for both ungraded and graded cards.
Is Authenticity Guarantee associated with any brands sold on eBay?
No, the Authenticity Guarantee service is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the brands sold on eBay.