Image via Complex Original
The culture surrounding sneakers is steadily growing, and with growth comes change. Sneakers are everywhere — on people's feet, in stores, museums, news headlines, and, most importantly, online. Social media and the Internet as a whole have taken sneaker collecting from a niche subculture to an ever-present part of pop culture. The days of searching high and low and in mom-and-pop sneaker shops as the only option to finding a unique pair of kicks are over.
While sneakerheads today are still always on the hunt, the global sneaker market found on the Internet is now where the search takes place. If you're looking to join the hunt or sell a few pairs from your collection, here's a Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Sneakers on Social Media.
Know your consumer audience.
While many people still use eBay and sneaker forums, social media is great for two reasons to sell footwear: There are millions of active daily users, and it's completely free. Those two aspects alone make it the perfect place to make some money selling your sneakers without additional fees cutting into your profit margin.
Take a look at the kicks you're selling and think about where they will sell most easily. The retro Jordans from last Saturday will probably sit in oversaturated marketplaces like eBay. A Facebook buying and selling group or a simple Instagram post might be a better alternative. Consider this before you spend precious time listing one pair of shoes on seven different platforms. It will save you time, and that's just as important as money.
Facebook is for more than reconnecting with old friends.
Don't sleep on Facebook: There's more to it than dumping vacation photos into albums and letting everyone know your every emotion. Facebook is a great way to find groups for buying and selling sneakers. Instead of posting a for-sale ad on your own timeline for all your aunts, uncles, and cousins to see, these groups give you a place to have you kicks seen by sneakerheads just like you.
Many buying and selling groups are localized for specific regions like New York City or are for specific types of sneakers like Yeezys. You'll reach a specified audience and will be able to communicate with the exact person who's interested in whatever's being sold. It will also allow you to vet who's making a purchase.
Use Instagram for other reasons than to flex.
Sneaker culture is driven by visuals, so Instagram is, without a question, the preferred social media platform to simply see pictures of the hottest shoes. A combination of great pictures and the millions of Instagram users worldwide has created a big market for buying and selling sneakers.
Selling a pair of sneakers on Instagram can be a breeze – there isn't a bunch of fields to fill out or prompts to go through like an eBay or forum listing. If you develop the right following, posting one good picture and a detailed description can bring you some money. Consider searching #ComplexKicks and searching for other tags to use on your photos.
Buying sneakers on Instagram can be just as easy. There are plenty of online consignment shops and sneaker stores that use it. Follow the right pages and the sneakers will practically come to you.
One tweet can go a long way.
Using Twitter is essential for the modern-day sneaker collector. As a consumer, it's where you'll find all the information you need: leaked images, new products, release dates, and purchase links. With how fast exclusive products sell out, trying to navigate through websites to find exclusive kicks on launch day opposed to direct links is a sure way to come up empty-handed every time.
As for selling sneakers, take a few pictures and get creative with your 140 characters. It's possible a few people will slide into your DMs with offers. It's also more instantaneous and fast-moving than any other social platform, so you'll likely get a quick response to whatever you're peddling.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Quality pictures are essential to buying and selling sneakers online. You're not required to bust out a DSLR for your sneaker pictures – if you have one available, great– but your circa 2002 digital camera definitely won't cut it.
It is very possible to get a detailed set of photos with an iPhone. Social media platforms are optimized for mobile devices, so using a smartphone can get the job done. Make sure to have a clean, plain background and good light. If the picture quality is terrible or there's no pictures at all in your for sale post, just forget about making a sale.
Beware of scammers.
While there are many honest sellers who love sneakers just as much as the collectors, you can never be too cautious when buying sneakers on social media. Remember, you don't know who exactly is on the other side of the phone or computer. There are plenty of amazing deals to be found online, but if it's too good to be true, more than likely it is. Those $400 Yeezys in a full size run with free overnight shipping on Instagram are almost guaranteed to be fake.
With a little bit of diligence, weeding out the scammers can become very easy. Aside from the sneakers, make sure the social media page seems legit. Check to see if they have a decent amount of actual followers – not a bunch fake or purchased followers that plague Instagram. This will help you confirm other users have successfully purchased sneakers there, too. If you're doubtful about the authenticity refer to guides like this. Instagram user, @fake education has many other comparisons to help sneakerheads out.
There's no such thing as being too cautious.
Always use PayPal.
Money orders and concealed cash in envelopes are a thing of the past. If you're buying sneakers (or anything else online for that matter) PayPal is the way to go. The added level of security protects both the buyer and seller from fraud. All you need is an email address and a bank account, so there's no excuse not to have a PayPal account.
Most people aren't stupid enough to rip you off using a service that has their name, street address, and bank account linked to it. Still, if a transaction goes sour, PayPal protects the buyer and will help you get your money back in a timely manner. If a seller doesn't accept PayPal, something fishy might be going on.
Most importantly, here's how to do a meet-up.
Meet-ups are great for picking up a pair of sneakers found locally. You'll get the opportunity to inspect the sneakers in person, and it eliminates the need to spend extra money on shipping fees. But you still need to be alert. The key is to make everything go smoothly as possible so each party walks away with what they wanted, as some shady people have used meet-ups as an opportunity to commit a robbery.
Bringing a friend and doing the meet-up in a well-lit, familiar public setting can greatly reduce the chance of anything going wrong. Don't let the allure of copping your grails or making a huge sale lead you to a dark alleyway by yourself. Pick one of your favorite sneaker stores and arrange to meet there. Scheduling meet ups to take place at sneaker events like Sneaker Con is also a safe bet.