About Sneakers
I want to say in the Sneaker Game, it is easy to lose your moral compass at times and today I felt it the strongest.
I had vowed to never be a reseller; line up with sole intention to buy a sneaker in order to sell it to make a profit. I feel it is different if people buy a sneaker and wear it (or not) and then decide that it is not what they wanted and then deciding to sell it. The intention when lining up to buy a sneaker was for the love of the sneaker. But I blame the sneaker manufacturers (ie. Nike) for making things so limited in supply that it stirs up a frenzy and for people to be desperate enough to pay 2x, 5x, 10x the retail for the rare shoe. Watch out for the Yeezy2 release. That is going to be mayhem x 1,000,000
I hadn’t really cared much for the Air Flight One. Yes I have a pair of Zoom Rookies that is designed off the Flight One, but it does not appeal to me much. But this is the NBA All Star Weekend and of course Nike was creating quick strike releases to stir up some crazy hype. I was pining for the ‘Galaxy’ Foamposite as was every other sneaker head in NYC and typical Nike, they make it the most limited of the All Star Weekend releases.
Make matters worse Niketown were not getting any, Nike online were no longer getting any due to extremely limited quantities, so it was only 21 Mercer. Check online and prices on ebay for pre-release sneakers was $2500. NO-WAY-I-AM-GETTING-THIS-SNEAKER. I felt bitter a little like this:
Back to the Flight One. So when said shoe manufacturer posted online that the Flight One Space Exploration Quick Strike were to be released this morning I felt sucked into the hype and the thoughts that I could get it and then sell it to make money for the next release. I was also half-hearted about buying it to wear if it looked good. This was not a good sign. If you didn’t really want it but wanted it cos it was possibly available, then you’re not in the right mindset.
So lining up this morning I came across another phenomenon, Nike Fuel Bands. There were more people lining up for Fuel Bands than sneakers. Ordinary folk also get sucked in to the hype. Not just me I guess.
After an argument with the incompetent security who put me in the wrong line when I double checked with them I found myself upstairs looking at a pair of US 9.5 shoes. I’d definitely be re-selling them.
I’m not doing this. I walked away.
A kid with his mum lining up in front of me walked away with a size 10 (He was a tall kid). He was happy as a clam. He tried ordering online and all sneakerheads know that you’re just as likely to succeed as Herman Cain is of becoming the republican candidate.
THIS is why I lined up for the sneakers. The joy and exhilaration of it.
So what did I learn today? Stick to what you believe in. Don’t be tempted to be someone whom you despise.
