I first encountered shoes that cost more than a hundred dollars during my senior year of high school. It was the Air Jordan 1’s in the Mocha colorway, one of the most popular Air Jordan 1’s to be released. I still remember the taste of luxury that came with the box, the laces, and the new shoe smell. They quickly became the most expensive item in my closet. Since they were a gift, I didn’t quite understand their value at the time. I understood enough, though. For weeks I left my mochas in their box because I was scared of ruining them with a crease, scuff, or stain. I knew that if I ever wanted to sell them they had to remain in good condition. Today they’re listed at about 400 dollars on GOAT and StockX, two of the most popular online platforms for buying and selling sneakers. Both sites gained popularity for fast shipping rates and unique bidding processes that allow customers to make offers on “verified authentic” products, both used and new. They made it easy for the average person to buy an unrestricted quantity of a wide range of shoes, and to access the most exclusive pairs. Since these sites function in the form of a live marketplace, the products are constantly assessed by both their demand and monetary value. Each shoe is displayed next to its market data and price history, making it difficult for customers to evaluate the shoe for its design and wearability beyond its cost. I searched these sites often when I was debating which shoe I wanted to add to my collection next. I was simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the abundance of charts, graphics, and options which made me feel like I was shopping for an investment rather than a product to enjoy.
I began to develop a genuine attachment to how my shoes made me feel, growing especially passionate about the process of working and saving that led up to the purchase. To be able to afford my next shoe of choice, the Yeezy 500’s, I calculated that it would take at least 25.5 hours of work at my minimum-wage job to earn the money. But, when my paycheck finally came I decided not to try and find them on GOAT or StockX. Instead, I went to Xclusive Cops on Whalley Ave to see them in person. The shopping experience felt entirely different from the time I had spent on GOAT and StockX. I was immediately greeted with a smile by the owners as they asked me what brought me in. They were eager to help me find the right style and size. And I got to actually try the shoes on instead of staring at them on a screen. As the employee helped me decide on a colorway and offered to show me similar sneakers I might be interested in, we talked about the shoes we liked and some of the newest fashion trends. We connected in a way that seemed impossible, given my experiences shopping at primarily online retailers. After just a few minutes of trying them on, I knew I was going to buy them. When the time came to pay, I didn’t even feel guilty for spending such an absurd amount of money. I was happy to be supporting a local business over some anonymous seller who couldn’t care less about my reasons for buying their shoes.
Still, it wasn’t until I attended my first sneaker convention that I realized just how much of a community there was within sneaker culture. At events like SneakerCon vendors and attendees travel from all over the country to buy, sell, and trade shoes and streetwear. I watched as people circled around the venue, carefully observing each vendor’s table. People made negotiations, complimented each other’s outfits, and exchanged business cards. Parents bought matching shoes for their children and young couples tried to style each other. As I watched, I wondered how different my relationship to shoes would be if I only bought them online, and whether everyone around me felt the same.
The kind of engagement you have with the sneaker community through in-person interactions at local sneaker stores or conventions is nonexistent on StockX or GOAT. On these sites, the shoes are reduced strictly to their monetary value. Within a few clicks, you can have thousand-dollar Travis Scott or Off-White dunks shipped to you, even though they were once considered rare drops, accessible to the lucky few who hit during their release. There used to be something mysterious about these drops and their outcomes. Only those who kept up to date with the newest releases would know when, where, and how to enter the draws. Even then, hitting on a pair of exclusive sneakers was never guaranteed. Now, these exclusive releases can be found on most sneaker resale sites.
The use of these sites as a primary form of buying sneakers poses a serious threat to the existing sneaker culture in many cities including New Haven. There’s a reason why you’ll find SneakerJunkies, Rundown, Snipes, Xclusive Cops, and Eblens all within a one-mile radius of each other. The shoe resale market offers a promising business opportunity for many local sneaker lovers. The accessibility of chain stores has kept businesses like Snipes running for a long time. The high demand for sneakers is why so many of these stores exist. It’s starting to look like there may come a day when they no longer need to—as people take their shopping online. People should be able to have access to luxury items in an environment that gives them a chance to shop for an experience just as much as the product. While online resale sites continue to strip luxury streetwear of its meaning beyond the price tag, you should invest in them for what they do for you and the kind of shopping experience you value when it comes time to make your next purchase.
