Almost nine in 10 (88%) Australians say they still carry a physical wallet, according to a new survey from eBay Australia, despite the rising popularity of contactless payments.

More than one-third of those surveyed (37%) prefer luxury brands when shopping for wallets and of the 58% who would consider buying a pre-loved luxury wallet, one in two (51%) reported affordability as being the key reason for shopping pre-loved3.

Consumers can now shop for wallets with confidence as eBay Australia expands its Authenticity Guarantee offering to eligible luxury wallets over $350 from renowned designer brandsincluding Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

In fact, data from eBay Australia has shown that Australians are willing to drop some serious dough on luxury wallets, with the most expensive wallet sold on ebay.com.au in 2022 being a Louis Vuitton Soft Trunk Wallet Clouds sold for over $3,500.

On eBay, Louis Vuitton is searched every minute and Gucci is searched every two minutes. Some of the most watched wallets on eBay.com.au in 2022 and the first three months of 2023 include the Gucci Horsebit 1955 Card Case wallet, Louis Vuitton Mens Pocket Organiser and Saint Laurent Cassandre Matelasse Wallet.

With eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, eligible items are identified by a blue tick on eBay and once bought, are expertly verified at eBay’s Sydney authentication facility at no extra cost to the buyer or seller.

eBay Australia head of fashion, Brooke Eichhorn said, “Giving fashion lovers peace of mind is our top priority. By introducing Authenticity Guarantee for luxury wallets, we’re driving fashion forward and democratising sustainable luxury for one and all. 

“With this expansion of our authentication service, customers shopping on eBay.com.au can make fashion go further by buying and selling pre-loved items with confidence – knowing that each item has been thoroughly inspected and verified by our team of experts.”

The research also found the top five postcodes for purchasing the most wallets in 2022 were 3125 (Burwood, VIC), 2166 (Cabramatta, NSW), 2800 (Orange, NSW), 3223 (Portalington and Saint Leonards, VIC) and 3677 (Wangaratta and Yarrunga, VIC).

In addition, eBay is extending the list of eligible luxury brands under its Authenticity Guarantee service for handbags. Now, over 10 new luxury brands will be added to the designer list eligible for eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee service, including Dolce & Gabbana, Loewe, MCM, Mulberry and Versace.