Pumped Up Kicks: A Look into the Unique World of Sneaker Reselling

What if I told you a 21-year-old kid had built up a net worth of over four million dollars by simply reselling shoes? Not only that, but what if this kid - or should I write, young entrepreneur - was the first port of call for the likes of Drake, Travis Scott, and DJ Khaled when they wanted a shoe even THEY can’t get seem to get their hands on? 

Well, that’s the case for young American Benjamin ‘Kickz’ Kapelushnik. By the age of sixteen Kickz had made his first million by simply purchasing shoes from retail stores such as Footlocker and Nike, before selling them online for substantial profits. 

Before you drop out of university to pursue an underground croc smuggling ring, it’s good to remember that Mr. Kickz is one of the most recognized faces in the industry of buying and reselling sneakers, an industry that is now valued at over six billion dollars and continues to grow with each passing day. But don’t worry, this business and its millions, aren’t all based around living in America and meeting celebrities; students and young adults all over New Zealand are making good money buying and selling sneakers from Auckland to Invercargill. 

Today Massive takes you behind the scenes of the growing industry and art of turning shoes into cold hard cash. It starts with a word that has moved from being a person’s name, to an entire industry: Jordans. 

Nike’s Jordan brand range are some of the most sought after and expensive sneakers in the world, with prices of the various styles ranging from an affordable $99 to a not so affordable $560,000. Here’s a tangible example: The Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scotts (even the name’s a mouthful), are a pair of highly anticipated sneakers that dropped in select Jordan Brand retailers and online on StockX on May 11, 2019 with a price tag of $250NZ. So pricy, but not too bad for the lusty sneakerhead. 

The trouble is, these particular Jordans sold out in less than a second. Yeah, you read correctly, ‘one second’. For most mortals that would have meant having the fastest click speed in the world to even have a chance – we’ll talk about that some more soon. 

So, how do you get a pair of shoes that sell out in a second? Well, this is where the money-making starts. Milan Suka, a 22-year-old student at Victoria University was able to purchase a pair from a reseller for $750NZD a few months after the initial release. That’s already a $500 profit for the reseller and as hard as it is to believe Milan got them CHEAP. 

Fast forward to July 2021 and Milan’s pair of well looked after Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scotts could easily sell for a price of $2,500 and that’s on a bad day. But does he sell? Hell no! This is an investment shoe, the longer he waits, the more valuable they become and only when he’s really short on cash, or can’t be bothered looking after the shoes, he’ll sell up and walk away with a substantial profit. Pretty fucking mint, huh? 

Even without selling his prize sneakers, in just over the two years Milan has made about $3,000 profit buying and selling other shoes (and he rarely sells compared to some). Despite the value, he prefers to wear the shoes and who can blame him, he’s got some real diamonds in his collection of over 50 pairs. “It’s a win win no matter what, if you look after them the shoes will never lose their value, they either go up or stay the same depending on the market and if they don’t sell, I get to wear a nice shoe,” he tells Massive. 

Okay, okay, so Milan is buying from resellers, but getting your foot in the door (excuse my shit pun) of this exclusive industry can be the biggest hurdle buyers face. Let’s go back to the Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scotts. These shoes started at $250NZD, but you can’t exactly just go into your local Footlocker and make a quick, tidy profit. Remember I mentioned having the fastest click in the world? Well, even that won’t work for most people, sadly (I’m pretty quick in other aspects of my life). If you want those shoes, you’re going to have to go camping. 

Although this camping doesn’t involve a bunch of hapless people trying to figure out how the poles of a tent work, it is pretty similar to the summer camping we’re all used too. Dedicated resellers are more than happy to park up in a sleeping bag and chair as early as 5pm the day before a drop to ensure they can get their hands on the latest kicks. 

Air Jordan 1s drop six to seven times a year, usually with a different colour wave each time. For these drops, a retail store such as Footlocker may get as few as 80 pairs, so you can be sure that any pair of highly anticipated sneakers will be sold out in less than five minutes when the doors are opened. 

Francis Verbo, another student who has also had some success buying and reselling sneakers, has had his fair share of nights in a sleeping back outside Footlocker on Lambton Quay. He says, “You have to camp if you want the shoe. I remember lining up for the Court Purple Air Jordan 1s with about 30 people for the whole night. I made a quick $200 profit when I sold them a couple of months later.” Legends of the reselling game, like Benjamin Kickz, have taken camping to another level. It’s said that, in the early days of his career, the then 16-year-old paid 20-30 other students $50 each to camp overnight and buy the shoes on his behalf. This clever trick easily made him triple that amount with every shoe sold. 

So, if you’re looking to make some money on the side, or just like wearing fancy new sneakers, this reselling business could be for you. With Nike and the Jordan brand continuing to grow, there will be plenty more to choose from. Even if you’re a poor student, just one pair could pay your rent for a month or two, if you get your hands on the right ones. Who knows, maybe you could be counting up the millions while waiting for that call from Drake, because he can’t get a pair of sneakers with his own name on them and was wondering if you could help! Good luck!