How To Put An End To Obnoxious Sneaker Reselling

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We’ve all been through it – waking up early in the morning to go cop a sneaker, then finding out one individual purchased the entire stock of shoes you woke up for. We hate it, You hate it and it seems like there’s no hope for loyal customers who wear their sneakers. However, there may be a solution to the ‘Reselling’ game according to Complex Sneaker writer Brandon Edler. Brandon hasn’t copped 1 release in 2012 due to the on going reselling that has taken the fun out of the game and we’re sure he’s not the only one. Check out the article and let us know what you think.

From Complex Sneakers:

Over the past couple of years, the sneaker game has changed drastically, more so than in any other time period. The prime reason has been the rise of social media, which has also made trends come and go faster than ever. While social media can be a great tool to stay updated and build connections, it also builds ridiculous amounts of hype around releases both big and small. In a society where people confuse social daps and pounds with actual wealth, having the latest and greatest heat is everything. Not having the “Gold Medal Pack” Jordans on your Instagram feed by the end of this Saturday will somehow make people failures in sneaker culture. As CorgiShoe, one of the sneaker game’s most respected resellers, pointed out to me “People act like buying a shoe is a talent and skill.” The only true talent needed is being smart enough to enter your credit card information into a box or using the successful RSVP systems being implemented by more and more sneaker retailers.

In the early ‘90s, which many people still consider to be the golden era of the sneaker, everything was about the connection of the shoe to the athlete people were cheering for night after night. Now kids that never saw Michael Jordan play a single game feel the need to cop every colorway of every model that Jordan Brand decides to drop—and that it somehow makes them a “sneakerhead.” We watch celebrities hit the streets in these shoes and want to emulate their actions, so thirsty to feel more important than we truly are—all because of a sneaker. Being educated and informed about the history of a shoe and respecting its influence on the culture makes someone a sneaker connoisseur, which is far more respected than any self-proclaimed “sneakerhead.” You might as well just throw that terminology out right now—it’s corny and usually implicates the exact opposite. The ability to be different and find your own lane is far more impressive than having the same rubber and leather as everyone else.

When people can start walking away from a shoe that they missed out on instead of paying double retail just days after the release, resellers will stop copping extra pairs.

Which brings us to the plague of resellers. We are all to blame—everyone that is a part of the machine that drives sneakers and the hype. The sneaker companies for making every shoe that matters seem so limited, the blogs for gassing up every shoe like it’s the best thing that happened to sneakers since the OG Air Jordan 1, consumers for acting crazy every Saturday when three shoes drop that will likely be forgotten by next month, and the resellers who vulture around a release and grab up a dozen pairs they never had any intention of putting on their feet. You can’t point the finger at one party in this equation, but things will only change when we the buyers come to the conclusion that we’re the ones driving the price up. It’s really that simple.

When people can start walking away from a shoe that they missed out on instead of paying double retail just days after the release, resellers will stop copping extra pairs. And really, there’s no reason to rush blindly into a purchase. How many times have stores restocked on a “limited release” days after you or a friend spent $300+ for a $160 shoe? Be patient, if it is meant to be it will be. (Of course, this doesn’t always hold true—in some cases where a shoe is truly unique and truly limited, like the Air Yeezy II, you just have to suck it up and take out a second mortgage.) There is no statute of limitations for looking fresh in a pair of kicks—dope shoes will prevail no matter what the year is, just check the lineup of heat from the ’90s still getting love today. The suggested retail price is there for a reason, and if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that sneaker companies hear us when we say we need a sneaker in the wild. Whether it is retro shoes from the last few decades or the Air MAG, the demand has been met. Their objective is to cater to the true fans beyond the pop culture phenomenon. It doesn’t take a Harvard graduate to recognize we all want the things that are extremely difficult to get. And if these companies started mass-producing everything, the same people who jumped on the bandwagon recently would go back to collecting Pokemon cards or whatever they were spending their money on in 2010.

I have not purchased one pair of Jordans in 2012, not because I get them for free as writer or I don’t think think they are amazing—it’s because it’s just too much stress and it’s lost a lot of its fun and honesty. We can keep lying to ourselves and and put the problem on someone else, but it’s us—all of us. I look forward to the responses and replies to this piece as others give their theories on the resolution to the problem of the rampant reselling in the sneaker game. But the Mighty Mos Def said it best, “Why did one straw break the camel’s back? Here’s the secret: the million other straws underneath it.”

25 COMMENTS

  1. Well written piece. It's unfortunate how prevalant this tag of "sneakerhead," has spread across the globe. And in 2012, the pure love for simply purchasing a piece of history, a childhood memory, a representation of an epic sports event, has now devolved into an immature, bitter reselling culture – where uneducated individuals go insane over Mutant 2012 Olympic VI's and proclaim themselves as sneakerheads. I'll stick with my Original colorways, undergrad degree, advancing my career, and going back for grad school – a goal that I hope MOST if not all of these kids aspire to achieve.

    • YESS!!! THANK YOOOUU! Brandon Edler your the man!! i wish i was in your spot were i can say something and it be seen as you do…i'm just your every day guy…but i feel the same way!! and i know and feel your pain!!! you literally toke the words out of my mouth man…i been in the game say since '88 or '89 and that's on point of how it was in the '90s we all wanted the players shoes cause they we connected to the players and we wanted to be like them!! and you were beautifully right when you said that these children now a day for some reason feel as they have to cop every release when they know NOTHING!!! nothing of jordan….as i've said 100000times this generation is a generation of total followers they all do what each other do and what the pop culture tells and shoes them to do…its a terrible generation these children are followers….back in the day we did what we liked and that was that….these children destroyed the game!!! yet they call them selfs "sneakerheads" its discussing!! its a terrible time to be in the shoegame….and i pray this FAD goes away because that's what it is…a FAD i can NOT wait for it too go…#KILL THE NOISE.!

  2. Ok excellent article with an excellent but highly unlikely solution, we live in a world of followers, Swagger jackers and low self esteemed emulators. When people of today realize that waiting 20+ hours outside of a store to buy a shoe you only want to post on Facebook/instagram/twitter makes u look more of a loser than u already are then maybe just maybe things can go back to waiting 2 hours in the morning to get a pair of sneakers and not a whole day-week in advance. Do you have that much time on your hands to wait for sneakers? There is more to life .. Get a dog or a girlfriend .. Study, read a book… I have no love for resellers… Do u know how much flight club has driven up the prices simply on all of there stock because the consumer base is willing to drop that much more for basic jays … Aqua 8s sat on the damn shelf, now add a couple pics of Kanye and bunch of waveriders and now a shoe that resold for 260 is going for 500+… This is just the way things are and won’t stop until people are finished wearing Jordan’s … When there are lines for Jordan fusion sneakers that was the nail in the coffin .. The game is dead

  3. and i saaaaayyyyyyyyy chrrrrruuuuuch!!!!! lol i havent really copped much myself, and most i have copped have been either under or at retail and from resellers at that

  4. I've been telling everyone this very same thing! If stop buying the reseller shoes we will get our pairs at retail
    Or closer to retail. But they hype machine known as fb and pages like this oly make the hype worse. Look just don't buy a resellers shoes the day of or the next day. Watch him drop his price. It happens all the time. Just be patient. Don't go rushing out willing to spend 260 on some general release military 4's.

  5. This goes for MN and the eBay adds that this blog puts up in every post, its a contradiction that there’s reseller adds on this post

  6. These are my thoughts exactly and said the same thing towards the end of last year. I dont run out and buy every release, I only try and buy the ones that appeal to me and if i dont get them then its on to the next one. Im not going to spend my hard earned money on paying double for a shoe just to pay someone elses bills cause they are to dumb and lazy to get a job and all they can handle is buying a shoe and trying to resell.

  7. I totally agree with em and I haven't bought me a pair Jordans all year too for the same reason. The only Jordans I have bought; however, was last week and it was the AJ 2012 YOTD pack that I'm sure a lot of people slept on simply because they're not retros and I got em for retail 6 months after their release (now you try doing that for retros). But what people need to realize especially the ones that complain about the quality of Jordan Brand is that JB puts A LOT of quality in his newer shoes. From the packaging to the overall look of the shoes including the JB ambassadors' signature lined shoes as well. There is a lot quality being put in those shoes but they are constantly being slept on simply because there isn't any hype for them. But at the end of the day, as long as you're truly buying what you want and like then you're all right with me but don't buy into the hype of things.

  8. Honestly the sneaker game really went bad after the concord release. Before that, about every sneaker release was a easy copp. A big problem is teenagers have these jobs where they get a check of about $300-400 every 2 weeks and they go and cop a sneaker not because they are a fan of a certain shoe, it’s because they spend there entire paychecks buying these sneakers to resell because they think gettin a extra 60-80 dollars is a benefit to them which is not much. Also another scenario is parents buyin these 11-14 year old these sneakers. Back in the day if my parents were going to buy me jordans I would have to get good grades in school or just earn them buy doing work around the house. In this present time a lot of these kids are just spoiled and parents will just spend the money on their kids without having them earn it. The sneaker game is real bad right now from the material they make them in to all these kids tryin to flip sneakers just to make a profit.

  9. The releases have been so overwhelming I just gave up and haven't bought anything this year. Just seems like Nike has no respect for the product or the consumer.

  10. Completely agree with the writer.

    I say this all the time, its a “Buyers Market”. If we dont buy at said prices, it doesnt sale. All it takes is for one person to pay $3K for a shoe, than every reseller follows that MO because it appears profitable.

  11. The simplest way to stop resellers, is limit each show to 1 pair per person, the problem also lies in the fact of these sneaker boutiques hyping shit up to make a general release seem more limited. Selling the shoes early for higher prices and what not, I think if we can just limit the amount you can buy per visit than you can stop most of the issue with resellers. Who really is going to buy one pair of shoes go back in line and then wait to buy another pair to resell?

  12. Ummmmmmmmmmmm what was the solution? Something every one who missed out on a shoe has said? I thought there was an actual answer like the companies should just produce more. They see the shoes will sell and they manufacture them for pennies. Im too old for all this (39), Ive just always loved sneaks but if I miss out, I miss out

    • Yes, I agree if you miss out, you just miss out.Im the same age and the over hype of these shoe that have released before is MINDLESS!!!! to me

  13. This is a great peice I been getting sneakers since I was a little kid and the athlete part is so true from Griffey to Barkley to MJ it was a fun thing to do now it’s wack I still love Nike brand but I will easily pass on jordans when hypebeast take control always will love Nike but if I get them as a walk in cool of not I’m cool too

  14. I agree 100%! If you don’t buy any shoes, the prices will drop. Resellers will become discouraged, and the hypes will begin to dwindle. I don’t know about you guys but the shoe game died in 2010 with the cool greys hands down! My friend bought ds Aquas for 220, 09 true blues for 200 and fire red 5s for 210 all ds! No you can’t get any for under 240! That says something right there especially with aquas.

  15. I don’t understand what the gripe is about resellers. Everything you buy is from a reseller unless you’re buying it directly from the manufacturer. Every time you go to a convenience store youre paying 2 to 3 times more than what they probably paid for the things you buy. As any businessman will tell you the prices are set by the market. If people are willing to shell out 300 bucks for something that retails for far less thats their problem. If I can’t get a pair for retail and they’re selling for 3-400 online I’d just go buy some Gucci or Prada sneakers. I dont even go to the mall on release day. You have a better chance online. If you were more informed about what sites you could buy the shoes from rather than which ones you can go to cry on you’d get the shoes. People that keep complaining about missing out on general releases are the biggest fools of all. When you use eBay and craigslist as your primary source for shoes you’ll always end up paying more. You need to become more informed as a consumer and stop going to blogs complaining like babies. As far as the idea that young people are killing the shoe game not everybody is 40 years old and had og everything. Some people only got to see these shoes in pictures growing up and now that they have money they can go buy them. Growing up I knew a lot of kids who’s parents bought them Jordans because they were the most expensive sneakers and they wanted their kids to get attention and look like they had money. Some of those people didn’t even like the shoes and complained about how the shoes looked and if you asked them to this day they wouldn’t even know what number Jordans they were. There were people who had the shoes and never wore them because they didn’t like them kept them in the closet and resold them 10 years later for hundreds more than their original cost and you’d say they’re the authority on sneakers because they have og heat. Also just to set the record straight some of the people you think are resellers are authorized retailers. They don’t go to your favorite store and buy everything then sell it back to you. They have accounts with nike and they get the shoes from them. They get to charge what they want and the demand sets the price. The only way to get them to lower the price is by not buying but if you’re not buying you don’t have grounds to complain in the first place. So in closing I’d just like to say if you’re a young kid rocking your first pair of J’s just trying to get some attention from the girls there’s nothing in the world wrong with that and you’re not ruining the “sneaker game” go for yours. Watching every game MJ played in is not a prerequisite for enjoying the design of his sneakers. So the people that think the shoes are popular because of the history are way off. The late model jordans aren’t unpopular because Mike didn’t play in them. It’s because they’re fugly. They don’t retro them because they wouldn’t sell. 1-13 and for some 14 stand the test of time because they are beautifully designed sneakers and just like other pieces of art you’d like for the youth to appreciate them for the same reasons you do but if they just like them because they’re nice to look at that’s okay too. For all the whiners act your age get money and don’t worry about the price tag. If you’re broke wear Skechers or just get the Jumpmans. I’m not venting or anything. Just bored waiting to go to work

  16. I didnt mind paying extra money on ebay to get shoes dat came out a few years ago, but ill never pay extra shoes that jus came out. I resell some of my sneakers, but only after i wear them as much as wanted n know ill probly wont be wearing them much anymore. Im not jus gon let em sit.

  17. I would have to say that the game IS a little lost right now…but that doesn't mean it can't get back to its roots again. Yeah the hype and the thirst are very real, and I would have to say that a majority of it is generated by kids seeing their favorite rappers, ball players, etc. rocking these highly sought after kicks. But isn't that the same reason that most of us older folks who watched Jordan, Pippen, Hardaway bought them as well? It's a double sided coin, I just feel like complaining about the status of the game is like running in place you may feel like its productive, it gives you something to do for a bit, but when it comes down to it you're still in the same spot. If the sneaker game is to change, it has to come from within. Nike isn't going to stop it's marketing scheme, they are making money hand over fist, and if you were in their position you would do the exact same thing. For real change to be brought about, we as a "sneaker community" need to take the reigns and lead these new jacks in the right direction.

  18. Like most "underground" cultures you have your OG's and you have your new jacks, but if you just complain about how stupid the next generation is it falls on deaf ears, the way they are acting is the only way they know. We need to step up to the plate and school the youth with wisdom, and bring up the next generation properly cause they will be the one's that will carry the torch forward. The best prevention of ignorance within a culture is wisdom…So take that hype beast kid under your wing and turn him into a real head…Share your knowledge and passion for kicks, school them on the history and culture of our community. Because when it comes down to it, passion for something is contagious, and when you're passionate about something you want to preserve it, for someone else to enjoy the same way you do.

  19. Even though some people get into this culture as part of a fad doesn't always mean that they will move on to the next one, some find a place that they feel they belong. Who knows that hype beast might be the same person to open a shop and do shit right for a change, but if we just sit around and complain about how the game is dead, that means we feel that it has no future, and I personally don't see it that way. "Underground" cultures have always had people find ways to infiltrate them and sell them out for profits, it's inevitable. We as a community need to really find that catalyst for change, and in my experiences that catalyst is knowledge. So next time you feel like roasting that ignorant youngin, think about how you were acting when you first got into the game and exhibit the change that you would like to see, because one day when the hype dies down and everyone moves on to the next thing we will have a core community of like minded individuals all in this "sneaker game" for the same reason…The Fucking Love of It!

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