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[audreyy-fournier]

Retail VS Resale

Image via: @cookiesnkicks on Instagram

Even though something is out of stock on the official website, that doesn’t mean it isn't available somewhere else. You didn’t get those new Dunks (Nike basketball shoe, very popular) on release date? No need to worry- resellers can save you!

In the last post we explored vocabulary and shoe worth, which falls into the purchase, trade, sale and resale of footwear. Now, it would be ideal to understand the difference between buying resale and buying retail and why the pricing is different between the two. To begin, retail is the sale of goods designed, manufactured and produced for the general public (Oxford Languages). Retail pricing is generalized by style, age group and gender. This means that one style of shoe will usually have one set value, consistent throughout most of its variants. Whereas in resale, pricing is influenced by many factors and can fluctuate between different sizes and conditions of the exact same shoe! This can be proven with almost any shoe on the market. Frequently, shoes in resale are a lot more expensive than they would be retail.

Shopping the secondary market can be intimidating, especially for someone new to it. The right pair of shoes can easily make between $200-$1000 if you know how and when to sell them. Knowing what places are reliable for buying and selling ensures you are dealing with 100% authentic footwear. Reliable and user-friendly places to deal shoes online are GOAT and StockX, according to many collectors (Bestandvs.com). They are secondary markets backed by authentication processes which allow them to execute authentic sales and trades between buyers and sellers effectively. Teams of trained authenticators ensure the item purchased is 100% authentic, thanks to StockX’s two-step verification process. The item purchased leaves the second party seller and makes its first stop with the StockX team, where it undergoes two processes of authentication (verification, authentication) done by trained individuals. Once approved, the item is shipped to the buyer (Kosanovich, StockX.com/news). GOAT uses a similar process, which means that you can't go wrong purchasing from these resale giants.

Once comfortable with resale platforms, reselling your own shoes can be a new world to discover. Understanding what shoes are worth investing in and what shoes aren’t is your first step in the right direction. StockX offers live archives of passed sales, bids and other rates to follow based on price point fluctuations a sneaker can endure which is great when it comes to this kind of business. To make the most profit, paying attention to sneaker release dates and pricing is everything. It’s ideal to buy shoes at retail value, which is usually the cheapest for popularized shoes. Retail values can double within minutes once available on the resale market. Nike SNKRS launch calendar is essential for release date tracking. Joining mailing lists and following social media updates can also help guarantee a front-row seat at retail pricing.

The resale market is a tough business which involves great knowledge on your sneakers along with predictability on your own behalf. Using resources like GOAT, StockX, Nike SNKRS can determine your success in this business.

The hottest sneakers/Celebrity collabs:

- Nike Dunk SB Low Paris (2002)

-Nike SB Dunk Low x Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Dunky 

- Lil Nas X x MSCHF “Satan Shoes”  

- Jordan 1 Retro High Dior  

- Jordan 1 Retro High University Blue 

- Travis Scott x Nike collabs:

o Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott 

o Air Force 1 Low Travis Scott Cactus Jack 

o Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott 

Update:  Air Jordan 6 Retro Travis Scott British Khaki  (April 2021)

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Works Cited

“Best Place To Buy Sneakers: StockX VS GOAT.” Best and VS, bestandvs.com/best-place-to-buy-sneakers-stockx-vs-goat. 

Jones, Riley. “The Best Sneaker Resale Sites Right Now.” Complex, 10 June 2020, www.complex.com/sneakers/best-sneaker-reseller-sites. 

Kosanovich, Kevin. “StockX: Always Authentic, Never...” StockX News, 10 July 2018, stockx.com/news/always-authentic-never-fake/#:%7E:text=StockX%20Kiboshes%20the%20Fakes&text=Step%202%20is%20Authentication%3A%20A,the%20authentic%20product%2C%20never%20fake.&text=We%20verify%20and%20perform%20a%20detailed%20review%20of%20all%20product,%2C%20no%20pleather%2C%20never%20fake. 

“Nike SNKRS. Release Dates and Launch Calendar CA.” NIKE, www.nike.com/ca/launch.  

“StockX: Sneakers, Streetwear, Trading Cards, Handbags, Watches.” StockX, stockx.com. 

[audreyy-fournier]

Starting your sneaker collection...

image via: Complex “Lil Yachty Returns to Show Off One Of The World’s Best Sneaker Collections On Complex Closets Part 1” - https://youtu.be/QqLy3SFwo6M

Kylie Jenner, Lil Yachty, Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, Mark Wahlberg... Did you know that most of your favorite celebrities are most likely sneakerheads? MarkyMark alone has a collection valued at over $100 000 (Sawyer, Highnsnobiety.com)! You may be asking yourself the following: how do I do that?

As mentioned in my previous post, building a collection can take time, considering it is a costly collection to have. Starting one can be as simple as stocking up on shoes you like. Some devoted collectors shoot for the stars and invest in shoes that are rarer, limited or are doing well on the market, with the end goal of owning a high-valued collection. Brands are something to consider when starting a collection; high end brands are usually the goal; Nike, Adidas, Yeezy, YSL, Gucci... Anything designer or with a trending label is bound to gain value (fashionbeans.com).

Coming from an upcoming sneakerhead (myself), a great shoe with tons of possibilities to start with would have to be the Nike Air Force 1. It’s an essential and a great base to build from. Most opt for minimal colorways involving neutral tones or anything limited edition, Complex magazine agrees. These can range from $120-$200 retail and often double in value the same day they sell out. By no means does this mean that you have to start your collection with Air Forces. The shoes a sneakerhead collects usually reflect personal taste, or overall worth. Your collection can reflect anything that appeals to you, considering it is yours to build and keep. Some sneakerheads lean towards buying shoes to resell, to later buy newer ones that have a higher value. This is where having knowledge on the topic comes in. Being part of a competitive business like the shoe game, you must know what you are getting into and what you are investing your precious time and money into. The knowledge behind building a collection involves some mathematics and vocabulary. The vocabulary can be overwhelming, but trust me, it’s not that bad. Knowing your vocabulary can save you from being finessed (scammed) which is something nobody should experience.

Some important words and abbreviations:

- Unauthorized authentic (UA): UA shoes are made with the same materials and in the same factory as an authentic pair but are sold by a second-party seller.

- Deadstock/ Very Near Deadstock (DS/VNDS): Means the shoe has never been out of its box, never worn. “fresh off the press” if you would. VNDS means the same, but the shoe has been out of the box, tried on but never worn/walked in.

- NIB: New, in box. Not to confuse with deadstock. These could have been worn outside (decreases value).

- Mids/Lows/Highs: Different fits. A Mid comes midway up the ankle, Lows cut below the ankle and Highs are simply high-tops.

- Volatility: The fluctuation of the price of a shoe in resale. Very unpredictable, something to keep note of when shopping.

- Colorway: The colors a shoe has. Colorways can determine the popularity of a shoe all on how desirable it is, rarity... Colorway is a huge factor in pricing when shopping resale (compare the Jordan 1 Retro High in White/Black/Volt/University Gold to the Jordan 1 Retro High Obsidian UNC with StockX).

Understanding the world of sneakerheads and the lingo they use is key to success in this business. The complex, competitive and compelling world of sneakers is truly one to admire, it is a secondary system of sale, trade and resale outside of regular retail, giving sneaker-fanatics a second chance at creating their dream collection, or winning great profit.

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Works Cited

Engvall, Nick. “A Beginner’s Guide to Sneaker Terminology.” Complex, 17 Apr. 2020, www.complex.com/sneakers/2012/09/a-beginners-guide-to-sneaker-terminology/vnds. 

Palmer, Bobby. “Fashionbeans.Com.” Fashionbeans, www.fashionbeans.com/article/sneaker-reselling-guide. 

Sawyer, Jonathan. “10 of the Biggest Celebrity Sneakerheads.” Highsnobiety, 16 July 2020, www.highsnobiety.com/p/biggest-celebrity-sneakerheads. 

“StockX: Sneakers, Streetwear, Trading Cards, Handbags, Watches.” StockX, stockx.com. 

[audreyy-fournier]

Welcome to the World of Sneakerheads!

Image via: https://vsco.co/audreyyfournier

Have you ever seen that one pair of shoes that you’ve never forgotten? You could have seen them online, or window shopping one day... The importance is that this shoe has always stuck, whether you got it or not. This is how sneakerheads are born.

Sneakerheads are people who collect shoes as a hobby. Not just any kind of shoes, though. These shoes have value, sometimes very shocking value, depending on rarity, condition, size, colorways and much more. The factors involved are illimited and can all influence worth and resale values of a shoe. However, not all sneakerheads have to be resellers. Some build their collections out of pride, for the sake of fashion, to stay on trend or just to keep at home. I, myself, am a slight sneakerhead and I have been for about three years now. I don’t have the biggest collection, but I sure do have a passion for footwear. I follow the trends, release dates, stats, popularity... All the works. The shoe game is timeless and is constantly evolving, a complete system outside of retail, involving buying, selling, and trading the world’s hottest sneakers and footwear.

Back to that one pair of shoes, that one pair you have never forgotten. In my case, it was a pair of Nike Air Force 1 Lows. To be specific, the Air Force 1 ‘07 SE Red Velvet with terrycloth accents and tongue along with a shiny red satin body and the varsity NSW logos. I had gone back twice to the mall before finally buying them only a few days after Christmas, 2018. I had originally purchased them for $112.00 on sale, and today their resale value varies from $138-$340 CAD. As mentioned, the gap in resale values do depend on size, condition, and whatnot. Becoming a sneakerhead is as simple as purchasing a shoe and informing yourself on it. From there, the rest is history. My interest slowly increased when it came to shoe game as I began to educate myself on the matter and follow sneaker culture. Which anyone can do with anything that inspires them. To be a sneakerhead, you don't even have to really commit to buying a shoe right away. Staying in-the-know and staying involved is a great start to seeing if you truly are interested and passionate about sneakers.

Before getting ahead of myself, I figured I'd take a step back and explain what “The Shoe Game” really is. To begin, it is not at all a game- its serious business. It involves the purchasing, trading, collecting and reselling of authentic designer shoes. From buying a pair at retail prices and reselling for profit, to purchasing from resellers at the lowest price possible, it is an extremely competitive business. It involves patience, knowledge and competitiveness, although money might help too.

Collecting sneakers is a great hobby to have, keeping you on your toes with every aspect of it, being resale values, to release dates, to purchasing shoes of your own! The wonderful world of sneakerheads sure is a big one to unpack, but it is definitely worth getting into.

Take care, my fellow sneakerheads in the making.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-40875026 - a peek inside the lucrative world of sneakerheads by BBC News. (1 min 02 seconds)

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Works Cited

Bengtson, Russ. “The 10 Sneakers You Must Have in Your Collection.” Complex, 22 Oct. 2020, www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/01/sneakers-you-must-have-in-your-collection.