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eBay launches an interactive 3D sneaker viewer to compete with StockX
Shoes can be scanned and viewed using a smartphone app.
If you're interested in sneakers listed on eBay and want a better look, the platform has launched a new feature called eBay 3D True View. The new app, created in partnership with game engine developer Unity, lets you rotate around the image at all angles and zoom in. It looks like an improvement over rival StockX's 3D viewer, which lets you rotate shoes in 3D, but only on one plane.
Sellers can scan in sneakers with a mobile device by taking video from multiple angles. That data is then processed "using AI methodology" to create "photorealistic" 3D image of the item, eBay explains. Viewers can view the items from any angle, but only using eBay's mobile app on iOS and Android devices.
StockX has become a formidable eBay rival in the sneaker arena, thanks to its simplified, stock market-like buying and selling system, along with an authentication service. However, eBay has fought back with its own authentication system. StockX and eBay aren't the only resellers with 3D sneaker views, as GOAT offers AR sneaker previews, available before models even launch.
Only select sneaker sellers will get access to the new feature starting this month, but eBay plans to roll it out more widely in 2022 — if you're an interested seller, you can sign up to get on a waiting list.
