Today eBay delivers a Christmas sneaker surprise – a virtual holiday drop, launching in partnership with NBA champion and sneakerhead Anthony Davis. eBay’s “Santa Sneaker Drop” kicks off with a digital short featuring Santa himself asking Davis for an assist delivering this season’s hottest collectible kicks. As the story goes, Davis ran into some trouble handling the sleigh, and when he swerved mid-flight, more than 500 pairs of the most coveted sneakers fell off the sleigh and scattered across the country. Santa was not happy.
To make things right, Davis is partnering with eBay to turn the dropped sneakers into a holiday sneaker drop – all in AR (augmented reality) for sneakerheads to post up and play. Through December 24th, this virtual event will allow people to score one of 500 pairs of must-have kicks – including the Air Jordan 1 Travis Scott, the Nike Air Max 97 Sean Wotherspoon, and even the Jordan 1 Off-White Chicago.
“I never imagined having a chance to team up with the greatest big man of all time, and I’m grateful that eBay has given me this once in a lifetime opportunity to work with Santa this holiday,” said NBA star Anthony Davis. “Sneakers are at the top of millions of wish lists this year, and we’re hoping to make holiday dreams come true for sneakerheads across the country.”
How to Score
Using augmented reality, people can participate in the drop from absolutely anywhere. Activate the experience with your camera and open a virtual sneaker box that comes down the chimney to see if you’ve snagged a pair. Everyone gets five chances per day for three days, so if you don’t score right away, keep trying to win. Visit the Santa Sneaker Drop site from an iOS or Android mobile device starting at 12 pm ET on December 22nd and follow the step-by-step instructions. The virtual event ends at 11:59 pm ET on December 24th.
Spreading Cheer
eBay also teamed up with Soles4Souls to get 40,000 pairs of new athletic sneakers to kids experiencing homelessness in the US. Soles4Souls distributes new shoes to those in need across the country, and research shows that sneakers positively impact how children see themselves. Nearly all the kids in this program said they feel happier and more confident after receiving their new shoes – and they are more likely to play sports.
“For most kids, having the right sneakers to wear for a game of pickup basketball is a given,” said Buddy Teaster, President and CEO, Soles4Souls. “But that’s not the case when families are struggling with homelessness. We believe every kid deserves to have their basic needs met – including a pair of shoes on their feet. This donation couldn’t come at a better time, and a superstar like Anthony Davis brings a whole new level of awareness to our program.”
Many of the shoes donated by eBay will be given to kids in Davis’ hometown of Chicago and his current town, Los Angeles.
The Real Deal
The Santa Sneaker Drop is happening on the heels of eBay’s expansion of Authenticity Guarantee for sneakers. With this service, all new and pre-owned collectible sneakers sold on eBay for over $100 in the U.S. will be fully vetted and verified by an independent team of industry experts.
Check out eBay.com/SantaSneakerDrop for Official Rules and more information. Must be 18+. For news and to shop eBay’s incredible selection of sneakers, check out eBay.com/sneakers and follow @eBay on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.
eBay Sneakers By the Numbers
- On average, there are more than half a million sneaker listings on eBay each day.
- eBay sells a sneaker every 1.5 seconds.
- Sneakers are surging in popularity around the world and are a top enthusiast category on the marketplace.
- In 2019, eBay sold nearly six million sneakers in North America.
- eBay sells millions of sneakers a year, making the marketplace one of the largest channels to buy and sell sneakers.
