In 1985, basketball star Michael Jordan partnered with Nike to make the Jordan 1 sneaker, and that started the wildfire which spread to many now - sneaker reselling. It’s still a very popular topic today with a billion dollar market of sneakerheads buying and reselling shoes for profit. Based on my experience, I can safely say it’s not easy, but when you put in the work it’s very rewarding and a lucrative side hustle. So, why don’t we dive into the realm of sneaker reselling?

The Backstory

If you get started in sneakers, you should probably also learn a bit about how the sneaker craze all started. It really all began in the mid 80’s with Michael Jordan. In 1985, the Air Jordan 1 was released by Nike, which created a lot of hype/excitement around the shoe. It was a collaboration between a major brand and a basketball star, creating lots of consumer demand. As a result, people would camp out at stores and wait for hours just to get a shot at buying the shoes. From there, Jordans rose in popularity as time went on, and more hype collaborations were introduced. The market grew and developed until it reached the stage it's now at with many sneakerheads looking to get their hands on the newest pairs. Back in the day, it was all in person with stores packed to get a pair of shoes for retail. Then, the internet entered the equation and really started the rise of the multi-billion dollar industry we know today. Forums, blog posts, and conventions such as Sneaker Con which started in 2009 were created, and that helped spread the word about this new trend. After that, it really just took off like a rocket to Mars. There have been a lot of new organizations, people, and shoes that have entered the culture since then, and that only widened the popularity, profitability, and possibilities with sneaker reselling. In terms of organizations, Nike has widened its range with collaborations, and companies for buying and selling shoes like Adidas, StockX, and Footlocker have also helped with growth. As for people, there are a lot of different resellers, both well-known and everyday, that are part of the culture. Some well-known sneakerheads are Benjamin Kapelushnik, also known as Ben Kickz, youtubers, and celebrities or athletes who collect sneakers, resell, and collaborate with big companies like Nike and Adidas. Two main quotes from the internet that sum up the sneaker craze pretty well are “Sneakers are a reflection of who you wanna be, who you believe you are and where you come from.” and “Shoes speak louder than words.” When you first look at someone you generally look at their shoes rather than their face because you don’t want them to think you’re staring at them, and a person’s shoes can really tell what kind of person they are based on the colorways, outfit, and type of sneakers they wear. That’s one added benefit for sneaker reselling - you don’t just have to sell shoes, because you can enjoy what you’re doing and express yourself with the kicks you buy! 

What's all the craze about?

You may be wondering what’s the excitement behind a pair of shoes that you just wear on your feet, but there’s a lot more to that. What even is Sneaker Reselling? To put it simply, a reseller is someone who purchases deadstock, or unworn and new shoes for retail price, and sells them for higher to those willing to pay the price, because of the hype and/or limited availability of it. Over the past few years, sneaker reselling has definitely grown in popularity. Reselling shoes is a fun and simple hobby that really doesn’t take much to get started. All you need is at least $100 in cash, a platform to buy and sell sneakers, and a very persistent mindset with a determination to succeed. Once you have all that, you can start reselling shoes. Trust me, it’s very fun with all the excitement of getting up right on time for releases, the rush of adrenaline trying to check out before others, or secure a pair of shoes in store, and the satisfaction of selling the shoes and making decent chunks of profit. 

Speaking of which, reselling sneakers is a fantastic way to make some money, because it’s highly profitable. According to an article on sidehustlenation.com, a reseller named JV Ortiz took his hobby and passion and made it into a career, as he now resells full time, and making around $10,000 a month doing so! This really proves how if this is done well, reselling shoes can easily be made a full time career with a 6-figure income and a comfortable living! Even so, you don't have to take it to that extent depending on your interest, time, and other factors. There is a wide range of sizes this business can be run at for everyone, whether you need extra cash or are looking for a full-time, scalable business. Finally, if you’re just really bored, reselling sneakers is a nice way to spice up your life. You can do research on which shoes to buy, sell, and pass in your free time, and that can make your day a little more eventful, and of course, participating in online draws, raffles, and releases will also help your boring day be a little more exciting. The constant excitement around a variety of unique shoes makes it all the more fun. So, to sum it up, sneaker reselling is a fun and simple hobby that can be very profitable, and a great way to keep you busy.

Benefits of Sneaker Reselling

What exactly is the point of doing this other than the money, and will it really help in the long run? Well, there are a lot of ways you can learn from this experience in general. The first way you can learn from reselling is by being financially exposed to a lot of different concepts you will need in the real world, without too much risk. For example, simply investing in sneakers and then reselling them can help build up your investment skills, which can be used in a variety of different ways. If you worked for a business and had to decide whether or not something was a good investment, you probably would be more aware of things like the benefits, and the return on investment, and that would lead to a more successful and efficient business. It may seem small, but small things definitely add up! One may argue that it would take too much time to start selling shoes, and that could cause stress, but really, all you need to do is find a decent pair you know will hold its value and try to buy it, then sell it on a reliable platform for profit. Other than managing to buy the shoes, the reselling process is mainly guided through different apps. There’s no real minimum or maximum amount of sneakers you can resell, and the finer details are all up to you. Whether you want to invest in bots to increase your profit chances or keep it simple by manually buying/selling to have a little side hustle, it’s all up to you. Just remember: don’t invest money you can’t afford to lose! Reselling can be as time consuming or as simple as you want it to be, and a lot of it is just up to you and your mindset. At the start there are things you need to learn, but once that’s all done you can dive right into the world of shoes!

Another way reselling shoes can benefit you is getting social connections in the community. For me personally, I’ve developed a deep connection with my fellow sneakerheads, that not a lot of other people can understand, and those deep ties of trust and friendship are really good for your character in general. For example, I’ve made some good friends through sneakers, and we go through our ups and downs, celebrating the times we cop (manage to buy) the shoes, and getting annoyed together when we take Ls (don’t get the pairs of shoes). In general, there’s a bunch of ways that I’ve changed as a person because of sneaker reselling. Finally, there’s the added benefit of gaining valuable experience with research, technology, and most of all, patience! While looking up shoes and deciding what to invest in and what to avoid, one can develop really good judgment and efficient research skills. There’s a lot of technology involved, like creating google docs, managing your buys and sales, and of course, the ridiculous amount of keyboard shortcuts you find out about that just help simplify everything. About that patience aspect of it, you really can learn how to wait and be patient when you’re reselling shoes. In the buying part of it, you need to wait for the right pairs of shoes to buy, and that can take some time, but not only that, you learn how to manage the simple annoyance that can come from not getting the shoes. I feel like I’ve become more patient overtime from this experience with all of the times I miss out on getting pairs of shoes. And you can’t forget about the patience needed while waiting for someone to take your offer for a pair of shoes that you’ve been so excited to sell! To put it simple, there are definitely more than a few ways you can learn from reselling shoes.

How do you start?

Now that you know the background, here's a guide on how to get started. First, you should probably find places to buy and sell your shoes. This can be online, or, if you live near a sneaker store such as Undefeated, Flight Club, or a local place, that’s also a good place to buy some shoes. A few good places to buy shoes in my experience online are on the Nike SNKRS app, which you can download on a mobile device, or access by going to nike.com/launch on the web, Footlocker, which is extremely well-known in the shoe world, the Adidas Confirmed app (and the regular Adidas app has raffles at times), and other places which hold raffles for sneakers like Snipes USA, Kith, Stadium Goods, and others like that. The hardest part of reselling is probably buying the shoes from the right places so you won’t get scammed, and offer returns if needed. Deadstock shoes are almost always better to sell over used shoes because of the difference in profit. A used shoe could have its resale value halved, or even worse at times if worn a lot! There are usually websites that can give you a sneaker calendar of what shoes are releasing and trusty places to get your hands on a pair. It’s not always certain, but you will eventually get a few good pairs if you give it time.

Now let’s move on to the selling aspect of it. There are a bunch of places you can sell your shoes, and it really depends on preference. If you want to sell online safely where you know that you can trust that you’ll get your money, with no worries of any fraud or danger, I would recommend a marketplace such as StockX or GOAT. Both have a similar concept. They’re basically a stock market, but for shoes. A buyer would put in a bid for a price they want to buy the shoes at, and the seller (you) can place an ask or sell at the highest bid price immediately. Both of these sites are good, but I’ve noticed that there are some higher offers on certain shoes on GOAT, though it can really vary. GOAT also accepts used sneakers on its marketplace, whereas StockX only has deadstock trading. On StockX, you just need to make an account and fill in all the required information, and on GOAT, you need to make an account then apply to become a seller, which can take around a week or two. StockX is the better choice if you want to start selling right away, but GOAT also has its advantages. Ebay or others like them are another viable option, but there are usually more fees, and you don’t always get the added security of that third party monitoring all transactions, and it may not be the best option if you’re not okay with meeting up with strangers. There’s a lot of options to choose from! 

Once you actually get the shoes, you need to find a selling price, and that means listing the shoes at a reasonable price, or finding which offers make sense. As a general rule, sneaker reselling is an investment, like the stock market. You need to find the good stocks and invest low, then sell high. A few ways you can find this investment are by looking at the resale prices on StockX, GOAT, and Ebay, and find what would be considered competitive market value. This means you find a very reasonable price you could sell the shoes for that’s not too low but not too high either; finding that medium is crucial to making good profit. Once you list the shoe and sell it, pack it up and ship it out! One main thing I would suggest is to always have a plan - maybe a shoe you thought would sell ends up being a brick (a shoe that has no resale value, and could end up in you losing money), then make sure to always have the option to return them. Studying the market, finding good releases, multiple safe places to buy & sell them, and reinvesting some money for shoes and saving the rest are what it takes to be successful in this niche - you don’t want to buy from a sketchy site with potential for fakes. This is basically how someone can get started in reselling. I would say there are a few silhouettes of sneakers today that are generally pretty profitable. These are the Jordans 1-12, but it depends on the colorway (what color the shoes are), excluding the Jordan 2, which usually has little resale value (unless it is a special edition or in collaboration with another brand). Also, Adidas Yeezys & Human Races, Nike Dunks, and sneaker collaborations with popular figures or brands. I personally go for the Jordan 1s, 6, 3, 4, 11, and 12, as well as Nike Dunks and Adidas Yeezys occasionally. However, there are a lot more that are still quite profitable, and I’m trying to widen my general buys as well. It may seem overwhelming, but once you set a plan on where to buy and sell from, as well as trying it out for yourself, it’ll make you wonder why you even worried in the first place!

In conclusion, sneaker reselling is becoming a really hot topic. Initially started in 1985, the shoe game has certainly evolved since then. Reselling airs of deadstock shoes can have a lot of benefits with a good learning experience, as well as a potential for huge profit. It could seem a little overwhelming, but once you start your hobby, it gets pretty straightforward. The good thing about it is that you can work on it for as long or little as you want, and in a time where people are bored at home or have extra downtime, it’s fantastic. Overall, the culture behind this is intriguing, and like any sneakerhead, you can truly have a phenomenal time hustling, connecting, and learning!