FutureTomorrow is a site written by footwear analyst and UX professional Steve Joseph. He utilizes a variety of research and data sets to provide discussions on more than just the sneaker industry. (picture via Future Tomorrow)
A few years ago when flipping general release shoes bought at retail was a possibility, I wrote a series called, Should You Buy To Flip? The series took a number of checks that I used to make when I was operating my Amazon online shop. I would check Flight Club, eBay, StockX and then I would utilize mentions on Twitter as a gauge for how hot a shoe was. It was one of the more read series on the site. I stopped writing it as resale for general release shoes basically fizzled. Today I was browsing LinkedIn and discovered a post from analyst Steve Joseph that shared a lot in common with those posts:
Yeezy 350 V2 Zebra Restock Resale Data Analysis
The post is well written and clear for those who will listen. In the analysis he states that there is an opportunity for adidas in their ‘restock’ of the extremely popular Yeezy model. He also explains why you shouldn’t be trying to flip this shoe. In my opinion the Zebra restock is a bulk shoe for resellers. If you are able to grab 10 plus pairs and make 100-200 bucks on the day, it’s a win. The problem is, even with a restock as Steve explains, the demand is there and the shoe will sell out.
I have always had to explain to anyone considering resale that the market for premium shoes is a dangerous place to play. In Joseph’s article he asked, “…if there are enough sneakerheads entering the market?” I will share with you something I wrote to another analyst back in 2016:
I recently wrote a post explaining that the term sneakerhead is outdated and is no longer relegated to the people who are in the communities reading HB, NikeTalk and Complex. While sneakerhead obviously represents the groups hitting sneaker conventions and driving the success of Complexcon and other events, the term has become co-opted by everyone. Ask the question, “Are you a sneakerhead?” to anybody and they will give you an answer that might surprise you. Older people collecting running shoes call themselves sneakerheads. The term has come to capture anyone who collects footwear and is a mainstream term now. I discussed this in the post below where I talked about how the demographics have shifted because the culture is maturing in a similar fashion to Hip-Hop:
Joseph does an excellent job of presenting his analysis of the resale market and how it could shape the future of adidas at the premium end of the sneaker business. Yeezy is becoming a lot like Jordan Brand. A product that is a standalone brand for adidas that is capable of driving engagement and sales of other footwear on the adidas wall. In other words the restocks and increase in Yeezy available might not be the death of Yeezy, it may be the gateway needed to push other models by the Three Stripes.
Here is another link to Joseph’s post:
http://www.futuretomorrow.net/2018/11/16/yeezy-350-v2-zebra-restock-resale-data-analysis/
Here is an equally solid post from AHN Housakicks:
