Are Resellers the REAL problem??

[HankHill]

Originally Posted by jusbekicks

Originally Posted by silkboi

People don't understand the value of sneakers. We complain about the prices from resellers, when the price that Nike sets it at is outlandish. A shoe from 2006 that retailed at $125 has no reason being released at $160 4-5 years later. There's no improvement in design or material, Nike/JB just knows people are going to buy it because they're clinging on the idea that these are "supposed to be expensive". People want Columbias because....they're Columbias. Not because they look better than any other JB model, not because they feel better on their feet, but because they are XIs and Columbias and sneaker culture says they are the "best". So they'll do anything and pay anything just to say they have the "best". When you stop tiering sneakers a lot of the want will come down.

I want to see what happen's with the IX release. While they might not be the most favorite models, guarantee people will be lined up for the Cool Greys and limited "Johnny Kilroy", but not think twice about the Olives or other new colorways being released.

Another thing is consumers have a "buy cheap, sell high" mentality. I see this all the time from people who call themselves "non-resellers". They complain about people selling recently released shoes for high prices, but these same people are selling dirty, beatdown, used sneakers close to or above retail because they think thats what it is "valued" at. When people come to terms with true "value" of sneakers, they'll stop paying ridiculous prices and feeling cheated. Overtime things will drop.

The IX release will be no different from any other release. If you think that you are just going to walk in the mall at a normal time and be able to purchase them after the release date your kidding yourself (unless you live in some small town and no for a fact you can do that) resellers will be there to get there pairs because they know someone some where didn't get the sneaker and is willing to pay whatever for it. I do agree tho that the overall "value" of jordans/nikes in way over priced. People are going and copping there pair wearing them once and then still try to sell for more than retail. A guy in the marketplace on NT had two pairs on concords one with flaws and worn and the other DS. He wanted $265 for the pair that was worn and had flaws, i missed that release and would love to own a pair but pairing 2x retail is insane to me when i know you only got a pair to resell for twice the amount smh

 No one said they'll be easy to get, but you're an idiot if you think people will be camping a week in advance, killing each other, or smashing store windows for IXs. The point is, this occurs because people tier some shoes on different levels than others when there is no reason for it. Sneakers like KDs, Kobes, and Lebrons don't usually resell that much, unless they're actually limited. A GR Jordan retro at subpar quality will go for $100+ over or 2x retail just because its a certain model or colorway.

 

[dclee78]

Everyone needs to take a real hard look at themselves, and keep it real.

1. Most people have overpaid for a pair of shoes. I bought a pair of XI Breds last year for $250 (pretty decent price if you ask me) before this year's re-release announcement. Since they're my #2 grails, I'm content that I've been able to rock them for a while now, and dudes are breaking their necks checking out my shoes.
2. Probably the only fair way to sell shoes on a launch date is to do some type of raffle system. Then you'll get a good mix of sneakerheads, resellers, and girlfriends who bring their kids, their entire family, and leave their newborns in the car.
3. If you get up to the front door and they don't have your size, then don't buy a random size. If you're a size 11.0 and you buy a pair of 7.5, there's no way in hell anyone will trade with you. The likelihood that a guy size 7.5 bought a pair of 11.0, instead of his own size, and now wants to trade with you is very slim.
4. In the end, they're just shoes. Seriously, just shoes. No need to fight, stab, shoot, kill, rob, vandalize, pepperspray, etc over a pair of shoes. When I was young and my parents bought me the shoes that Jordan was playing in, people were robbed for their shoes in the hood. Now I see it coming full circle and it's getting progressively worse.
5. Nike/JB does not care about the consumer. Period. They don't give a rat's booty how crappy the quality has gotten, how much the prices have gone up, and about the limited supply. The demand is almost insatiable but Nike/JB refuses to send additional shipments of their popular shoes. Supply & demand, equilibrium price, and all other business factors are seemingly not important to them. The only thing they care about is marketing, and we are behaving like Apple drones (I own an iPhone too, so I'm just as guilty).

My recent experience when the Cements IV's came out on the same day of Kobe stealth sums up the majority of what sneakerheads experience:

I only wanted the Kobe stealths. I wanted to buy 1 pair for me to wear, and didn't care about reselling nor the temptation of a crazy cash offer. I went to the Nike store @ 5am. The raffle was to start by a certain time, and the buying of the shoes started at 7am I think it was. J's sold out real quick. With over 600 people lined up, it was bound to happen. Many, many people were bummed out because the J's sold out. People in line start saying "Hey, let's buy the Kobes since they're limited release." Size 11.0 Kobes sold out. Aww man, do I wait in line? Maybe I can squeeze into a smaller size or flood in a bigger size? Only 3 of us left in line by 8am. Homeboy needs a size 13 and I need an 11 but only 14 and 7.5 left. Homeboy's friend bows out and I end up with the size 7.5. I'm bummed but I don't want to leave the store without a pair of shoes. I've driven 40 miles to the store and spent 3 hours in line. Ultimately I sold the pair for retail on Craigslist after trying for a week to trade for my size.

After my little story, I'm basically saying that I'm part of the problem, and I know that I am. But there's certain things I won't do such as going to a launch just to snag 2 pairs to resell. I go buy shoes that I intend to wear, and I don't waste my time on releases that I don't care about. There isn't a thing I can do if I miss a release or can't snag of pair of shoes that I really, really want. I'm pretty much done this year for retail priced shoes, until Thanksgiving and Christmas JB releases, and will not over for shoes at all.

 

[yk12]

we jsut need to find better hook ups lol

 

[danegill]

Originally Posted by jsfeen304

resellers can only get those crazy prices if people pay them

^

 

[nautyc]

IMO resellers are going to be around no matter the price of the shoes or whatever Nike/AJ does to try to limit or prevent abuse. If the prices were raised, it would again IMO destroy collecting as anyone should have access to purchasing a shoe. Part of what contributes to the rarity and "swag" is what one has to go through to attain them. Higher prices would just create a new breed of RICH BOY resellers. Resellers exist and they aren't going away.

 

[crh1979]

How many times is this question going to get asked? It comes up like once a week. If you don't like the state of the game, don't play. If don't like resellers, don't buy from them, simple as that.

 

[outlaw8413]

I'd honestly never cop anything I didn't plan on wearing or trying to trade for something else, but if end up with a shoe I'm not satisfied with I'm gonna sell at market value or atleast a little something extra. I copped the '10 CGs, wore'em 3 times and sold them for 250. If you ask me though that's still a bargain seeing how it was a year later and the were still in NDS condition.

 

[taiwarrenwan]

Welcome to capitalism. Yes, it sucks that the shoe game has gotten this crazy, but as most people agree here, we just have to deal with it. JB/resellers/consumers are all part of the "blame" for what has happened. No clear cut way to stop it at this point... If you don't buy, someone else will.

 

[prince]

crazy how this whole reselling thing emerged..really sucks for the people who actually want the shoes

 

[diablosneaker]

There is no stopping our addiction...

There is no stopping JB/Nike from limiting production...

There is no stopping JB/Nike from raising prices....

There is no way to stop resellers from charging rape prices...

The end of the world is truly near! LOL

After 25 years in this it looks like I will have to slow down and quit. I am ashamed that I am supporting riots and people getting jacked.

 

[eltouha]

Originally Posted by diablosneaker












After the Concord nightmare, I see lots of complaints about
the current sneaker culture... and people suggesting what JB/nike can do to
control the rot in our hobby that we love so much. The fall guy is none other
than the hated RESELLER. Yes, they are a problem but I think it is totally OUR
FAULT for what is happening today. WE ARE THE ONES FEEDING THE HYPE WHEN WE PAY
FOR SHOES OVER RETAIL.





RAISING PRICES: If JB/Nike raise prices higher (its already
high btw) will that stop riots, camping, websites crashing, buying another size
to trade for your own size and even hyping on NT, etc? Many people will not be
able to afford the shoes but that doesn't mean the rich won't pay over retail
to get a pair. In that case it is even more attractive to be a reseller as they
are now selling to the rich who can/are willing to pay more. Again... Feeding
resellers.





FLOODING THE MARKETING: JB flooding the market will only
benefit resellers as they now have more stock to hoard because there is DEMAND
= Again, as long as there are sneaker heads willing to pay more than retail
there is good reason why a reseller should buy up all the stock. The true
sneaker head still can't get his/her shoes on RD and then FEED the reseller
again by paying more than retail.





RAISING and FLOODING: Both will not happen together as
JB/Nike won't do it. You can't make a super expensive shoe and flood it into
the market as they will only end up on sales racks... thus, ruining their brand
and market value. They will CONTINUE to limit and hype their products as it is
in JB/Nike's interest as a BUSINESS.





WHAT CAN WE DO??: The answer is actually very simple...





1) STOP PAYING OVER RETAIL - If we can't get our shoes on RD
for retail then DONT and move one to the next. Look for bargains on eBay that
are less than retail.



2) STOP BUYING - Not forever but why not just try it for
2012? You know JB/Nike will release these kicks a few years down the line
anyways??





Remember, no resellers = 
more shoes, lower prices, and a better buying experience. So think about
it before you pull the trigger on a pair over $200.00 THAT YOU ARE FEEDING THE
ROT!





If you still pull the trigger then shut up with all
complaints and bickering about resellers and how ugly the shoe “game

 

[ckauffman23]

Anything is going to only resell for how much someone else is willing to pay... just like when homes were going for forclosure, you cant blame resellers for buying a 100k home and flipping it for 250k as long as someone is gonna pay for it

 

[LoX]

IMHO its not a resellers fault, its the buyer or the person who is willing to pay the price to have them. I can't blame the person in front of me getting the shoes I wanted but you have to count the effort he had to put in to get to the front of the line. It's basically a business just like anything else...Supply and demand..

 

[skyboi02]

 

[skip2mylou23]

The problem is the sneakerheads buying the shoes. If no one buy sneakers in the secondary market, the resellers will have no reason in buying pairs to flip.

I missed out on the yellow Foams, but instead of going out and buying a pair for $340 the same day like my boy did, I just went home and took the L. Patience is key, and a lot of people don't have it. The prices we are seeing now on the resale market are inflated, and I'm just waiting for the bubble to burst.

 

[lewbez]

They are one of the problems, but not the only problem... there's a lot of idiots out there that are making it harder for people who actually care about kicks that cant get em'

 

[shammd]

They are part of the problem, another part of the problem is retail outlets and managers not knowing how to adjust to them and the growing want... But as collectors we just have to adjust and make due... It's been a lil more of a headache as of late but not impossible to cop...

 

[nikedealer]

NT is cyclical in its topics....

When people want to ask who to blame....

Pick up a mirror.

Then if the local High Schools are teaching Supply and Demand or How to build buzz for your business then google it.

Its not really hard.

You guys keep looking for a solution. Just realize Resellers aren't even what they were five years ago.. let alone two years ago. Before.. Resellers were a necessity and apart of the Sneaker Culture Checks and Balances..

It was a way to find sneakers you never had the chance to from someone else who never wore theirs.

Now? Everyone is a reseller. I remember when Oly XIX SE's came out... I got two pair.. one to hold onto to resell. That was stupid.. never picked up an additional shoe to sell again...

Til the Concords... those are shoe currency.

Its a new day fellas...

 

[lubu1]

No. Blame the people who buy from resellers. They wont be able to resell if there wasn't such a HIGH DEMAND. U DAMN RIGHT IF YOU WILLING TO DROP 1K ON MY FOAMS I BOUGHT FOR 200, THAT IM FINNA SELL IT TO YOU.

 

[619destroyer858]

NO!!!! the NEWBIES and IGNORANT are the problem,,dont blame the RESELLER!!

 

[eltouha]

 

[jtplatnum]

nobody to blame but ourselves. no one is 'forcing' us to do anything. we are doing it because we CHOOSE to.

if u got a problem with JB, stop buying their kicks. simple as that.

 

[dreb1989]

Originally Posted by JTPlatnum

nobody to blame but ourselves. no one is 'forcing' us to do anything. we are doing it because we CHOOSE to.

if u got a problem with JB, stop buying their kicks. simple as that.

That's true.  If someone sees that we are willing to do whatever for a pair, then they see that as a business opportunity.  There is no way to probably stop this, so the solution is to plan better for releases or deal with having to resort to the resellers.

 

[vuey]

Originally Posted by Skip2MyLou23

I missed out on the yellow Foams, but instead of going out and buying a pair for $340 the same day like my boy did, I just went home and took the L. Patience is key, and a lot of people don't have it. The prices we are seeing now on the resale market are inflated, and I'm just waiting for the bubble to burst.

good post mate.

yes, its all about learning to accept missing out on a release. Out of interest, i have been watching Galaxy foams on ebay, and most are topping out at around the $1k mark, compared to the reported "$2k - 4k" prices on ebay. How many of those buyers pay up ?

I am starting to notice early release pairs of hyped releases hitting the market early and fetching high prices on ebay. The "Mcfly south beach LBJ 9's" come to mind. These are already hitting $650-700 a pair on ebay

 but its the people bidding on them thats creating this market.

  

 

[futuredhughes]

Originally Posted by Vuey

Originally Posted by Skip2MyLou23

I missed out on the yellow Foams, but instead of going out and buying a pair for $340 the same day like my boy did, I just went home and took the L. Patience is key, and a lot of people don't have it. The prices we are seeing now on the resale market are inflated, and I'm just waiting for the bubble to burst.

good post mate.

yes, its all about learning to accept missing out on a release. Out of interest, i have been watching Galaxy foams on ebay, and most are topping out at around the $1k mark, compared to the reported "$2k - 4k" prices on ebay. How many of those buyers pay up ?

I am starting to notice early release pairs of hyped releases hitting the market early and fetching high prices on ebay. The "Mcfly south beach LBJ 9's" come to mind. These are already hitting $650-700 a pair on ebay

 but its the people bidding on them thats creating this market.

  

The only downside is how long it takes.
& because are "fiends", prices go up before they go down.