Kennedy Sneakers

Shoes are called different things around the world, with terms like shoes, sneakers, and tennis shoes being used. The word sneaker can refer to various types of shoes, especially high-quality or collectible ones like Jordans and Yeezys. The sneaker community has its own terminology, including abbreviations like DS, SB, and GR. There are different platforms to buy and sell sneakers, such as StockX and GOAT, as well as social media sites like Facebook Marketplace and Instagram. Counterfeit products are a major issue in the sneaker industry. The sneaker community is made up of athletes, resellers, collectors, and enthusiasts. Basketball has a significant impact on the sneaker market, and many professional athletes have their own shoe lines. Sneakers have a strong influence on fashion trends, and the sneaker market is worth over $80 billion. Sneakers can range in price from $10,000 to over $100,000. Building connections and relationships is important in Around the world, shoes are called many different things. Some people say shoes, others say tennis shoes, or sneakers. Personally, I use the word sneaker. The word sneaker can refer to many different types of shoes. I tend to associate it with high quality or more collectible shoes. For example, Jordans or Yeezys. For those unfamiliar with Jordans, they are Michael Jordan's line, the greatest NBA player of all time. Yeezys are Kanye West, an artist, producer, and songwriter's line. Within the sneaker community, there is tons of terminology that the general public would not understand without a background in sneakers. Terms like DS, V&DS, PADS, SB, OGALL, BREAD, PE, and GR are all abbreviations for sneaker terms. They all have a direct meaning. DS is dead stock, brand new. V&DS, very near dead stock, means slightly worn. PADS, past as dead stock, means like new. SB means skateboarding. OGALL, original all, means the shoe, box, and laces are all included. BREAD, black and red. PE, player exclusive, means that they were exclusive to collegiate or pro athletes. GR, general release, means that the shoe was not super limited in quantity. All of these terms are common language you would hear at a sneaker convention or in many sneaker deals. When starting with sneakers, you will not know every single one of these terms, but eventually you will probably learn most of it, if not all, if you stick with shoes. These are definitely some really useful terms. There are many different ways to buy, sell, and trade shoes in today's world, thanks to technology. Two common marketplaces used to determine the value slash current market of sneakers are called StockX and GOAT. Both are platforms that you can buy and sell sneakers as well as streetwear on. Although both are great platforms, people use apps such as Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Instagram, as well as eBay to sell their products. Each platform has its ups and downs, but many people, like myself, sell on all of these. Facebook and OfferUp are generally more focused on local sales and meetups. eBay is all online sales that comes with shoe authentication. Personally, I use StockX to evaluate my selling price. StockX is a great tool that shows live asks and bids on almost any shoe imaginable. It also shows the past of sneakers and allows you to see a shoe's ups and downs throughout time. GOAT is a direct competitor with almost the same business model. When it comes to actually making sales, I prefer to use OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace since they offer local sales. This means I post my product, people near me make offers, and then I can accept an offer one right and meet them locally for a sale. The best part is there's no fees when meeting locals and no shipping costs. Finally, Instagram is the last platform I use to push my name and brand. I use it to post products for my followers and to document progress over time. A major issue in the sneaker industry is counterfeit products. Unfortunately for many sellers and buyers who are trying to get authentic goods, they face the issue of fake shoes that are sometimes almost identical to the real ones. This means everyone must check their products when buying and selling, especially when some pairs cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. It can be quite an awful experience to get scammed. Speaking from experience, it really stinks to get scammed and there isn't much you can do once it's already happened. The easiest way to stay safe from this is buying directly from certified retailers, but that is not always possible as many shoes sell out in seconds. Seller to seller, there is generally respect towards the other and if you are trying to push counterfeit products as real, then you are seen as a coward. Once people hear of one or multiple scams on your part, you will be cancelled and no one will buy from you. It is usually smart to keep a clean record and to avoid scamming altogether. When asking who makes up the sneaker community, there are many different groups. Some prominent ones are athletes, resellers, skaters, sneakerheads, collectors, hypies, and just general people interested in some new shoes. Personally I refer to myself as a reseller and that is what members of the sneaker community would identify me as. Being a reseller comes with a negative connotation. Often many collectors and members of the general public get annoyed with armed markups from the retail price, but a common phrase to combat this is everyone has to eat. Anywhere you buy a product that is not directly from the manufacturer, there is a markup. But when there are very limited quantities and you are one of the few people that actually have the product, then you can determine your sale price. Many professional athletes have their own shoe lines or may have a collaboration with brands including Nike and Adidas. Basketball especially has the most impact on sneakers out of all sports. In my own life, my interest in sneakers sparked after playing basketball. Every year my teammates and coaches would have a fresh pair of basketball shoes. I then wanted to have the cool new shoes like everyone else, but my parents couldn't always afford that. From there I wanted a way to get the shoes I wanted, so I started selling them and using the profits to buy my own shoes. Before I knew it, I was buying and selling new shoes every week and it became a business. The Nike SBN or skateboarding line has become very popular, not only to skaters, but to the sneaker community as a whole. Sneakerhead is a term that refers to someone that loves to collect shoes, whether they have a lot or just a few. People that have been in the sneaker game a long time are referred to as old heads, which just means they usually like retro Jordans and OG styles. The old heads often have some of the coolest collections as some of them date back to the 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s. Often when people think of sneakers, they have a pair of Jordans in mind. Sneakers are arguably the most popular and influential line of sneakers, but so many brands and lines have touched the market in recent years. Alongside Adidas, Kanye West had his famous Yeezy line, which has now come to an end as they sell off their remaining inventory. Other brands such as Puma, New Balance, and Crocs have had some recent impacts on the sneaker industry. As fashion trends are constantly changing, different companies and models rise as some for a short period and others for the long haul. What people wore 5 years ago is probably not the same as it is today. When referring to holy grails of shoes, it tends to date back to the original Jordan One High from 1985. A pair of these shoes in pretty much any colorway, size, or condition is worth something today. The current sneaker culture really built its foundation off of Jordan brand. More recently, it has grown tremendously with Yeezy. Yeezy has become the other big brand in the industry in the last 10 years. The sneaker industry is continually growing and changing. What many people don't understand is the value of the sneaker market. It is worth over $80 billion and is constantly expanding. Shoes can cost anything from $10,000 all the way up to $100,000, some even more. A personal friend of mine named Kyle directly deals with highly collectible pairs and has had some that are upwards of $90,000. Kyle has definitely been a huge mentor for me the last couple of years in the shoe industry. We previously knew each other through school and Boy Scouts and have gotten to be even better friends via sneakers. As a mentor for me, he taught me how to get started with making an Instagram, business cards, and most importantly, he taught me a lesson. The lesson he taught me is connections over dollars. This simply means if you can make a good connection with someone, then don't worry about making a little less money. If you have a big web of connections, it will only continue to help you grow. Kyle has grown his connections in such an amazing manner. His success has been proven through his 20,000 plus Instagram followers and his six-figure profit years, all while in college. Sneakers are far from just a pair of shoes, they are a whole industry, community, and culture. It has been a major part of my life for the last four years and I hope to continue with it. There is so much more for me to explore with shoes and if you haven't looked into them before, I'd highly recommend it.