Image via Complex Original
The only thing worse than not getting a pair of sneakers is paying too much for them. For some of us, that means paying the price slapped on the box from the brands. Being an obsessive sneaker collector means you're going to want get things for cheap, and it's also a rite of passage in sneaker to say, "I got them for below retail."
But how do you think this is achieved? Well, it's not as hard as one would think, but it takes a little bit of know how. It's also not as easy as just asking for a discount. If you follow these steps, though, you'll be procuring stellar sneakers and for cheaper than you'd imagine. Here's How to Get a Hook-Up on Sneakers.
Matt Welty is a staff writer at Complex. Follow him on Twitter here.
Get to know the people at the local store.
Meeting people never hurts. The more people you know, the more likely there's someone that can help you out in any given situation. This also goes for getting a discount on sneakers. Whether you're best friends with the shop owner or just a regular who stops by every two weeks to pick up a new pair, getting to know the folks who are selling the sneakers is a fast track way to getting held an important release or getting slipped a cool $10 off. It's as easy as starting a conversation or talking to them on Twitter. Don't seem thirsty and let the friendship develop organically. Under no circumstances should you ever, ever ask, "Can I get a discount?" Because they'll quickly shut it down.
Go to the outlets, but be smart.
There's a common misconception that everything at an outlet store is a good value, but this isn't always the case. Unlike regular retail stores that can curate their stock, outlets are usually packed to the brim with everything a brand's trying to get rid of. That being said, there are still hidden gems at outlets. Select stores will get retro product that didn't move quickly, or there will be something decent that's marked so low you can't pass it up. But the real gems are what's found on the hash wall, the section with cut-open boxes. Often, samples or older product can be found here, and they'll all be marked down lower than the rest of the store. There might even be an extra 20 percent off, which is well worth it when you're picking up Huaraches or Rifts that never made it to retail.
Follow the right accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
The quickest way to get news these days is from Twitter or Instagram, and the sneaker community is more than active on both of these social media platforms. What's being discussed isn't just how people feel about the quality of the latest Jordan retro, either. There are tons of sites — Kicks Deals, Sneaker Steal, etc. — that are posting one-time deals that can be applied to product at a bevy of retailers, and there also sites, Complex Sneakers included, that do sales roundups of sneakers that are available below the suggested retail price.
And then there are just the random people on Twitter who feel like spreading the good fortune and alerting everyone of a deal that's too good to pass up. Even retailers, from boutique to big box, will post sales that they're currently holding. If you're a sneakerhead who's hunting for their next come up and you don't use social media, you're doing it all wrong.
Get a job in the sneaker industry.
The perks of working in this industry — besides being involved daily with something that you love — are the free or discounted sneakers, of course. Everyone from sneakers editors to sneaker store employees to "influencers" are going to get some sort of hookup. It's the nature of the game. Whether they're getting a discount because they work for a retailer or brand who has a policy that allows its employees to get merchandise at a discounted rate or because they interviewed someone who just did a collaboration and the store owner felt generous, they're getting something on the low. They could know someone at the brands themselves that feel like sending "care packages," stuffed with the latest and greatest the company has to offer. At the end of the day, if your job description revolves around footwear, don't expect to have something beat up on your feet. And you're probably not going to pay full price, if anything at all, for it.
Enter giveaways.
One of the easiest forms of marketing for sneaker brands or retailers is for them to give away free product. Because, duh, people like free things. It's as simple as that. These free for alls often come in the form of Instagram contests or scavenger hunts, and the product that's being offered up is often collaborations or limited sneakers that have long been sold out. And they're easy to enter. All it usually takes is following an account on Twitter or Instagram, and then the rest of the information will be explained from there. These giveaways have become so popular that brands such as Nike are releasing certain sneakers through these formats. For example, Nike gave away the The Boxtrolls Roshe Runs, designed by Tinker Hatfield, through Twitter. Go ahead and enter these giveaways, just don't become the crazy giveaway moms that are filling up their inboxes with contest notifications.
Check eBay.
EBay can be a gold mine. The online market place has become renowned for those trying to sell whatever sneakers they have on hand. While eBay itself isn’t known for marketing footwear below retail, there are ways to come up on deals. Try searching for misspelled variations of what you’re looking for. It will yield results that others haven’t found yet. Also the big-time resellers buy in such large quantities that it’s easy to find items for slightly below retail because they sell in such huge volumes that they're still profiting. Even some consignment shops will straight-up buy sneakers from customers and flip them for a low profit, just to get rid of them. And even with eBay on the decline, it’s still a useful tool.
Sign up for mailing lists or club cards.
Retailers always want to build customer loyalty and gain repeat customers. They do this by offering free membership cards that allow the members to gain exclusive discounts and coupons that pop up periodically. Before the death of the friends and family sale, being part of these clubs was the way to go and allowed people to get in on discounts that were as high as 30 percent off now. Nowadays, they still pop up with coupons and codes that allow free shipping, 15 percent off, or a certain amount of dollars off a $100 or more purchase. They also might alert people of upcoming sales.
Shop the clearance section online.
There's more to online shops than just the new release page. Certain retailers have become known for their over-the-top sale sections, and some people check for them more than the sneakers that are going to instantly sell out. Some shops put sneakers as low as 50 percent off or more, and there's, more often than not, something in your size. It just takes some patience.