The subject of sneaker resellers is hot topic amongst anyone with a seriously interest in sneakers. You'll get those who feel it's a disingenuous undertaking that steals sneakers away from those who actually want to wear them or you'll get a statement of indifference, that once you buy a pair of sneakers, you are free to do with them as you wish. Three cheers for carpetbaggers. Whatever your feelings, the fact remains that sneaker reselling is big fucking business. According to The Financial Times, the reseller industry has surpassed the $1 billion mark.
Last year, FiveThirtyEight dropped a big piece on the success of sneaker resellers and it was clear that the arena had boomed with popularity. The combination of exclusivity and price is something that separates something like even the Red Octobers from the likes of the newest Margielas. They're both exclusive, but one costs much less at retail. Whether you want to argue that Kanye's name being on the shoe has an impact we can save for another time. Josh Luber, who runs Campless, compares the reseller market to the illegal drug trade in a way that capitalizes on exclusivity with exorbitant prices. And even though just 5% of collectors profess to be in the game for a profit, the market has reached a figure most other products could never achieve.
Most of that business is Nike, which makes you wonder if the monopoly it has could cause a backlash once more people actually take action against the brand's seeming disregard for how it handles releases. I'll be honest, I'm fucking salty about missing out on the Mercurial Superflys that released a few weeks ago that sold out before they even hit the site. With releases happening every weekend, it could be prime time for the bubble to burst. The real question is: How big can it get before it finally does?
