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In the midst of an ongoing legal battle with Nike, StockX has removed claims from their product page that identifies sneakers as “Authentic.” The resale giant was called out by Nike earlier this year for their unreliable authentication process. Nike alleged that StockX’s “99.95% authentication accuracy rate” is a baseless claim and the Swoosh even purchased four fake pairs from the consignment platform to prove it.
Since the company’s inception, StockX has claimed 100% authentic sneakers, an enticing customer service policy that allowed the marketplace to grow in popularity. The authenticity claim changes can already be seen on coveted releases like the upcoming Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG “Lost & Found.” Earlier this year the sneaker was listed at “Verified Authentic” and “Condition: New.” Now, the sneaker has removed all authentication claims and is only identified as “Condition: New”.
Changes on Product Page
Changes to StockX Help Section
The changes have also carried over to StockX’s page that describes how their process works, with StockX stating that “We verify” and “When your item is verified, it is shipped to you” — rather than claiming authentication. However, the verification process for buyers page still claims that StockX has an authentication center. The page also states that “the exact nature of the verification process varies by item,” which slyly tip-toes around the marketplace’s previous authentication promise.
While this might seem like a minor adjustment, these small changes could offer big benefits to StockX as the Nike litigation alleges they can’t prove authenticity. By changing their claims from “Authentic” to “Verified,” StockX’s legal team may be able to create a semantic loophole that creates a gray area for StockX to not be liable for their inaccurate authentication process.
Nice Kicks will continue to update as the case develops. For more sneaker news and release dates, follow @NiceKicks on Instagram.
StockX has responded with an official statement:
“Our comprehensive approach remains unchanged. While product authenticity remains core to our analysis, our verification process is a better reflection of our broader value proposition that we provide customers by reviewing all products sold on StockX.
We look at a range of indicators before sending a product onto a buyer and there are a number of reasons why a product may fail to meet our elevated standard of excellence, including incorrect size, missing accessories, a damaged box, a manufacturer defect, or if it shows signs of previous wear. Since our inception, StockX authenticators have reviewed more than 35 million products and we continue to invest in new technologies to use alongside human inspection and refine our policies to best serve the customer.”
