Flipping shoes is hardly a new hustle. This has been a lucrative side business for decades.
Then the internet boom and online commerce have given up more chances for selling and reselling sneakers than ever before.
So you’re probably here to learn how to flip sneakers. Kudos for finding your way to the right post.
The resale of sneakers is definitely a viable source of income. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who grew up when the first Air Jordans were released.
You may have heard that reselling shoes is a better way to generate money than wearing them. If you agree, then this article is for you.
How To Flip Shoes As A Beginner?
The flipping sneaker business has provided a way for hustlers to create a new income stream. What appeared to be footwear designed to keep your feet safe and toasty serves a different purpose for flippers.
With the help of online platforms, the sneaker market has become more accessible to a broader range of people.
Back when the internet didn’t exist, there was rivalry among the various communities in the market. People explored thrift stores and flea markets for shoes at a fraction of the retail price.
Others would dash to the nearest Foot Locker to purchase the most recent pair of footwear.
In other words, sneakerheads who resold shoes worked in seclusion from their communities.
At the beginning of sneaker culture, there was only so much distance and area you could scour. The sneaker market is what it is now because of that shared common experience among a select set of folks.
To be in the loop with the latest sneaker trends, visit Hypebeast and High Snobiety. Both are fashion websites that provide in-depth coverage of the culture for sneakerheads of all levels.
If you want to meet other sneakerheads, you should go to one of the many SneakerCon events.
Related Reading: How to find products to sell from home – Click To Learn More
How Much Can You Expect To Make As A Shoe Flipper?
If you’re determined to be successful, then the answer is millions. JV is a resale shoe salesman who earns six figures per year.
While working in retail, he began flipping sneakers as a side hustle. He was making over $10,000 per month after only four months.
There are, however, only a few persons who have made a fortune as shoe resellers. Benjamin Kapelushnik is arguably the most successful sneaker reseller.
He owns the sneaker marketplace, Sneaker Don. Benjamin began his career at the age of 13 in 2013 and rose to prominence two years later.
He rose to prominence as the shoe supplier for DJ Khaled, who recommended him to his entertainment industry contacts.
He made his first million in 2016. Since then, he’s been reselling rare and pricey shoes and sneakers to high-end consumers.
Sneaker collecting is a thing. And for those who can score a good bargain on rare sneakers like the limited-edition Nike SB Dunk, reselling sneakers can be highly profitable.
Acquiring better sneakers to resell, maybe around $500 per pair, you can work your way up to more significant profits.
This is an excellent way to make money, and you’ll find out how to do it later. Take a look at eBay to see how much some of these shoes are selling for.
Enter “Limited edition sneakers” in the search box.
Some of those shoes are available for purchase for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.
Related Reading: The Top Spots to Sell Shoes Online
Which Shoes Are The Most Sought After?
For five decades, most sneakerheads have only cared about two brands: Nike and Adidas.
Athletes and artists have benefited from both brands’ sneaker and shoe lines.
Some of those lines have weathered the test of time and have grown in value enormously after their initial introduction.
The following are some of the more popular high-end shoes pioneered by the two brands:
Nike Air Yeezy “Red October”
Kanye West is one of the most revered musicians today. Nike released their first non-athlete partnership pair of sneakers as a result of this celebrity.
Red October was first released in 2009 and cost $250. The pair has already been resold for $5,600 to $6,400.
Other footwear brands that West cooperated with include Louis Vuitton, BAPE, and Adidas. The latter began their collaboration with West, which resulted in the Adidas Yeezy Boost line.
Outside of Jordans, a pair of Yeezys is one of the most sought-after shoes on the market.
Related Reading: How To Resell Yeezys – Click Here To Learn.
Air Jordan 12
Michael Jordan is famous internationally. He founded the Jordan brand, which includes his line of Nike sneakers and his achievements as an athlete.
Based just on his shoes, you may rapidly compile a list of the most costly sneakers.
On resale, the most affordable pair of Jordan shoes (the Jordan III OG) might fetch $4,500.
The Jordan 12 collection, on the other hand, is by far the most costly pair of sneakers in the brand.
One, in particular, the Jordan 12 Flu Game shoes, is the priciest.
It’s the pair that he had on when he scored those legendary 38 points back in the 1997 NBA Finals. Those go for around $104,000!
Nike Air Mag Back To The Future
Nike produced only 1,500 pairs of sneakers inspired by Marty McFly’s sneakers from Back to the Future 2. However, none of them made it into stores since they were all sold at auction.
The money was donated to Fox’s Parkinson’s disease research charity.
The upper shape and glowing LED panels distinguish the pair.
The Process of Flipping Shoes
Making over a million dollars through reselling shoes is still achievable, but there are still barriers to overcome.
You will have to find customers willing to pay top dollar for sneakers. Then you need to know where to look for and purchase the most sought-after footwear.
Nowadays, the competition is tough, and you’ll be lucky if you can create a client base as a newcomer.
To have a fighting shot, you must immerse yourself in the sneakerhead lifestyle and apply yourself thoroughly.
Because more people are collecting sneakers than ever before, the sneaker resale market has potential for additional hustlers.
We’ve already covered the sneaker industry as a whole. Now it’s time to get down to business and learn how to resell shoes and sneakers.
Finding Shoes To Buy and Sell
You must first gain a better understanding of the market before you can begin looking for shoes to resell.
The stock market is analogous to reselling shoes. There are specific pairs of shoes that aren’t particularly attractive at first but grow in value with time.
Conversely, some sneakers get a lot of attention but fade away with time.
The ultimate takeaway from this is to choose things that are inexpensive but have long-term value.
One approach is to obtain the sneakers on the day of their release at retail prices. It is when they are the most economical.
Instead of waiting in line for hours to buy them, you can place your orders instantly on the Frenzy app.
It will alert you to the release dates of the most recent sneakers from the most well-known manufacturers.
From there, you can place orders (preferably in volume) and resell them for a profit.
The app’s purpose is to decrease friction between businesses and customers. Both can complete transactions and generate money more quickly.
New pairs of shoes, on the other hand, are hard to come by.
To make money reselling shoes, you must first locate pairs that are being offered at a discount. But how can you figure out how much a pair of shoes will set you back?
This is where StockX enters the picture. The website displays the cost of shoes and sneakers over 12 months.
You’ll watch the price change over time, just like a stock market index graph. This should give you insight into which shoes to buy for reselling.
It also functions as a consignment shop where customers can bid on or request resell shoes.
If you have a pair of sneakers you’d want to sell, you can do so on the website.
After you’ve gathered all of the information you’ll need, it’s time to look for those shoes online.
Use AIO Bot to automate the process of locating and purchasing the shoes you wish to buy and flip.
You can choose which stores you want to copy from after purchasing and installing the software on your PC.
Enter the shoe you’re looking for, as well as the size and color, and the bot will do the rest.
This is one of a few bots that can assist you in finding shoes quickly. This is an excellent idea if you don’t want to look for pairs personally.
There’s a chance you’ll find sneakers for considerably less than the market reseller pricing.
Then you can sell them for more than ten times what you paid for them.
You may get started right now by monitoring the price on StockX and buying/flipping on eBay.
At this point, you’ve probably decided to become a shoe reseller. But how can you know these aren’t counterfeit sneakers?
Determining Genuine and Fake Shoes
The last thing you want to go down is to make a mistake and buy fake shoes. This problem exists in online marketplaces that do not have an intermediary, such as Amazon or eBay.
If the asking price is too reasonable to be accurate, it could be fake.
But, before you come to that conclusion, you must first discover how to determine whether the sneakers are genuine.
Here are several ways to check if a pair of sneakers or shoes you’re looking to buy is genuine:
Ask For Receipts
You must request a receipt for new transactions to verify the validity of the footwear. The receipt should prove that the shoes were purchased from authorized retailers.
It should then be easier for you to sell the sneakers because you will have actual proof that they are authentic.
Ask For Real Photos
In most cases, the price should be sufficient to persuade you to buy anything. Other aspects that go into the sale of sneakers, however, must be considered.
One way to tell if the sneakers are authentic or not is to look at tagged, high-resolution photos. To see if it’s for real, have the vendor take many images of the sneakers.
Ask to include newspapers or any indication that these are fresh photos.
The photographs can then be compared to the genuine version of the shoes on their official website.
You may get more information on how to recognize fakes on Instagram too.
Trust Your Gut
Let’s say you’ve done your investigation and have all the details that indicate the sneakers’ legitimacy. But you still have reservations about the seller or the shoes.
I suggest not going through with the deal.
You probably have the intuition to tell whether something is wrong with the shoes or the vendor at first.
You will be able to differentiate easier with time and with enough practice purchasing and selling.
Pay Attention To The Details
You may check a seller’s rating on Amazon and eBay by looking at their profile.
Anything less than 95% should be avoided at all costs.
Also, take a look at what other buyers have to say in the form of comments and reviews.
Some may be voicing their dissatisfaction with minor issues such as slow delivery times or problems unrelated to the shoes.
Finally, be sure the reviews are from genuine buyers, not fake identities designed to boost the seller’s rating.
Where To Sell Shoes?
Now that you’ve acquired shoes, you must determine the best platforms for selling them to make a profit.
To begin, create an account with a consignment retailer such as StockX and resell the shoes there. Both sites act as go-betweens for buyers and sellers.
To sell your shoes, you must deal directly within the platform.
When you’ve decided on the highest bid, send them the sneakers, and they’ll take care of the rest.
Sites like StockX make it easy to sell your shoes while ensuring that consumers aren’t fooled with fake footwear.
If you prefer the traditional method of reselling shoes, Facebook Groups, Craigslist, and eBay are all viable options. These websites allow you to personalize the product page for your pair.
It would be best if you were as specific and comprehensive as possible regarding footwear. Make sure you leave no stone unturned and that your description is accurate.
If you’re a new seller, it will take some time for buyers to warm up to you.
So it would help if you continued to focus on winning buyers’ trust and moving forward.
Expect shady people to express interest if you sell shoes informally, like on Facebook Groups or Sneaker Con.
As previously stated, you must determine whether the buyer is trustworthy.
In terms of price, you should consult StockX to see the range of prices at which the shoes are sold.
To come up with a price, you must also consider the trend and volatility of the sneakers. The market sets the price, and the only unfair cost is one that no one is willing to pay.
There are also other apps to consider, such as the GOAT app.
It’s a purely devoted software for buying and selling sneakers and is extremely popular among sneaker dealers.
It’s a valuable tool for locating sneakers that aren’t available on the secondary market.
You want an efficient mechanism in which your money flows from one pair to another, more costly pair.
If all goes well, you’ll be able to buy in bulk and increase your earnings even more!
Additional Tips For Flipping Shoes
Start With One Pair
All this might sound overwhelming to you. If you want to start with a pair that you know will sell, stick to well-known brands. It makes it easy to identify fakes and do pricing research.
You can start with trusted players in the sneaker industry like Nike and Adidas, which have been around for decades.
It would help if you researched which silhouettes and palettes are selling better (and faster) than others.
Prowl Social Media
YouTube channels are a valuable instructional tool as well as a new platform for sneakerheads and dealers.
With over 2 billion monthly visitors on YouTube, you can reach a large audience.
Having an engaging social media presence draws potential shoppers who are researching before making a purchase.
You’ll start to show up in relevant searches over time.
Then you’ll be able to promote your sales channels on your profile.
Reinvest Your Earnings
Reinvesting your earrings into another pair of more costly or limited-edition sneakers is a fantastic idea.
That is if you want to get into the resale game for the long haul.
Before you have the funds to purchase them, you can begin studying what pair they might be.
Once you’ve gained experience in the sector, you’ll be able to sell more in-demand shoes with more significant profit margins!
Invest in Storage Space
Shoes take up more room than other items that can be flipped.
And, unlike T-shirts and jeans, they can’t be folded neatly into neat stacks.
When reselling shoes, the shoebox is just as important, so make room for heaps of them.
Think about how you’ll organize the various sizes, colors, and editions.
Related Reading: How To Earn Money From Home Without Any Investment – Check Out The Ways Here
Final Thoughts – How To Flip Shoes?
This post provides a good overview, but if you’re serious about buying and selling sneakers, you’ll need additional information.
You don’t have to start from scratch if you want to learn the ins and outs of shoe flipping.
Seek out true professionals and gain a better understanding of how to make this business work for you.
Because you’re competing with the pros, your chances of losing money are higher if you don’t have a mentor.
So do more research!
Reselling shoes can be a fun way to earn money as a part-time or full-time professional, regardless of your age.
If you enjoy basketball and hip-hop, you are already ahead of the game’s other newcomers.
Happy selling!
