Image via Complex Original
Corgishoe, since his days of unloading sneakers on his blog and NikeTalk, has been one of the most controversial sneaker resellers around. His presence only became more known once Instagram caught on, and he started to upload decade-old sneakers, that many were still searching for, on a daily basis.
What made Corgi a recognizable character in the sneaker reselling world wasn’t just the collection he had — although it seemed limitless and filled with gems that most had forgotten about — but it was also the interactions that took place in the comments of his posts. There was often a tenuous relationship between Corgi, the people attempting to low-ball him on his sneakers, and other resellers. It’s also what’s turned him into a certified legend.
The Sitdown, hosted by The Don Drew, finally got a chance to speak to Corgi in an hour-plus conversation, and it’s a tell-all that’s worth the listen. For those who don’t have the time, we’ve broken down the gems that Corgi spoke about during the episode, which can be watched below, on everything from the reselling world today to how he first got into sneakers. Here are 15 Things We Learned About Corgishoe, the Internet’s Most Notorious Sneaker Reseller.
Sneaker reselling today isn’t the same anymore.
"The current stuff isn’t worth buying. It’s not worth buying a shoe that’s $200 out the door when there’s 500,000 made, another 500,000 fakes. In three years those shoes are gonna be sitting for $200 still. The market’s dying as far as the current stuff goes."
He has a few more years to go before he hangs it all up.
"Things will be coming to an end, I mean I still have a good amount of old shit to go, but as far as moving forward the new stuff has no interest to me. All this weird shit like the 'Marvin the Martian' [Air Jordan VII], that stuff’s worthless so there’s gonna be a transition for me as far as things winding down."
He’s holding on to a lot of old sneakers.
"There’s still a lot of stuff that I’m not selling because it’s still going up in price."
There’s a reason why he doesn’t keep an inventory of what he has.
"I don’t count. I don’t have cute containers or shit like that, it takes all the fun out of it if I was that detailed about it."
Contrary to what some people may think, he actually likes sneakers.
"I used to wear a lot of Dunks, some Air Forces, ACG, Bo Jacksons, tons of runners. This was the ‘90s-late ‘90s and early 2000s. New Balances, they did exist before the last two years people, just remember that. ASICS, too."
When he discovered NikeTalk his mind was blown.
"Once I found out about NikeTalk, I was like holy shit this is a whole new world because there was a lot of information. Then I saw what the people were doing [on NikeTalk]. I loved the sneakers but I couldn’t get into the whole taking pictures of yourself laying in your shoes. It just started to go downhill from there."
Nike sends him free sneakers.
"I wear whatever some shit Nike sends me for free as far as working out. I just have relationships with people there, it’s not like I’m important. You could get plugged by Jordan or Nike, or Reebok just by having a friend who works there."
There's no special secret behind keeping his sneakers clean and mold-free.
"I just put that shit in a few storage spaces. I have two storage spaces and a house I use, I don't do much to it. I think the biggest thing is 1) the California weather helps because it's dry not humid, and 2) I don't fuck with the shoes. I don't take them out, I'm not displaying them and constantly touching them, they just stay there."
He thinks the world's largest sneaker collector is kind of creepy.
"I used to buy sneakers off [Shoezeum] on eBay in 2002. I think he’s odd, but I think it’s all a show. He’s cheapening himself. He doesn’t need to make them creepy videos. He’s bought a ton of things off me. The Shoezeum thing didn’t work out. He wanted to get a job at Nike, but that didn’t work out. He’s the only dude who’s gone to Guinness and said he had the world’s largest sneaker collection."
He doesn’t cater to celebrity clientele.
"I don’t need to bend over backwards for a rapper when I have a kid who can buy the sneakers on the Internet. There are people who buy 10-40 pairs a month, and I cut them off if their money’s short."
Reselling sneakers is his only job, for now.
"I sell shoes because I don’t need a real job. If I disappear for a year and don’t sell a shoe, I've got enough money for blow and hookers."
The rumors of him doing time in prison are true.
"I celebrated four birthdays away for sending amphetamine to a friend in New York. It was less than half an ounce. A very good friend of mine stored my sneakers for four or five years [during that time]."
He doesn’t post prices anymore so he can educate people.
"I don’t post my prices because I want educated buyers. I also don’t want people to take my prices and use them as their own. I tell people, if you can find one person selling a shoe for that price, I’ll sell it to them for that much. The serious people get the shoes."
His connection with Supreme runs deep.
"My best friends from 2002, they all worked there. It’s a deep connection, it’s a nice circle to be in."
The Lakers was the reason he got interested in sneakers.
"I was a big Lakers fan, and I wanted to see what they were wearing. I never liked Jordan’s shoes because I was a Laker fan. That was blasphemy to me."