Client + Project

The Many + eBay Vault Trials

Sr. Project Manager

eBay is the original online marketplace for trading card collectors, with 134 million hobbyists actively looking to eBay first when buying cards. This community is all about the details — some trading cards are worth millions, and even the tiniest bit of damage can wipe out their value. In 2023 the eBay vault was unveiled: an ultra-secure, end-to-end service, enabling collectors to discover, buy, store, and sell high-value cards without having to physically hold them. However, we found that despite the risk of physical damage in shoe boxes and binders buried in closets, collectors were wary of storing their cards in any service they ‘didn’t trust and could inhibit their ease of collecting.’  We needed to increase awareness of the vault and its next-generation features to drive in-hand submission of collector’s high-value cards directly into the vault.

With few people aware of the eBay vault and its features, we knew a ‘how to’ film or a ‘30s sponsored post’ wouldn’t be enough to get collectors to trust this game-changing service. Enter the Vault Trials -  - an immersive, Virtual Reality manifestation of the eBay vault, transporting players into the future of the hobby and epicenter  of high-value card trading. 

Spanning three interactive VR mini games, collectors were able to hold the most coveted cards listed on eBay in the palm of their hands: all while gamifying education around the security, grading criteria, and valuation each card experiences before being safely secured inside the vault. 

• Game 1 - Within ‘Pin the Price,’ players used their market analysis skills and knowledge to determine the current value of a card from the Vault with help from the eBay Price Guide.
• Game 2 - During ‘Snap-Back’, players determined which microscopic details of a card were authentic, allowing them to experience the scrutiny each card is put through inside the vault
• Game 3 - For ‘Prized Possessions’, players had the opportunity to to build the highest-value collection by expertly choosing the rarest grails currently living inside the Vault

Each game featured rare and high-value cards coveted by collectors, allowing them to hold exclusive grails sold on eBay  in the palm of their hands for the first time through immersive VR. When it comes to high-value cards - specular patterns, holographic reflections, and the card’s condition play a vital role in determining its real-world value. 

• To ensure these pivotal details translated into our experience, we developed a photogrammetry pipeline, taking upwards of 30+ photos from every angle to successfully translate over $1.5 million worth of cards into the game.

We activated this VR experience at two of the largest collectibles events of the year to reach industry whales & grassroot collectors alike at MINT Collective & The National. 

• At both events, fans were able to participate in multiple Meta Quest Pro’s, see a  dynamic leaderboard displaying scores in real-time, and buy/sell/submit their high-value cards in person directly into the eBay vault. 
• The biggest names in collecting joined us on the ground and shared on social:  Cassius Marsh, Joy Taylor, Dappz Sports amplified the VR experience to their 3 million+ combined social followers, all in tandem with over 50 unique campaign social assets reinforcing awareness of the vault’s features & how to buy/sell/submit cards into the vault.

Bridging the gap between physical and digital, the VR experience was an effective showstopper on site—reinforcing awareness of the vault, its core features, and the high-valued cards collectors could buy, sell, and trade within.