Prevent These 3 Mistakes To Save Time Running A Sneaker Reselling Business

• Understand the Market: No business can start sourcing, producing, and launching their products without first confirming there will be people willing to buy them. As such, you’ll need to do your due diligence by researching market trends, identifying the most successful people who resell sneakers (and figuring out what they’ve done right), and pinpointing the most popular brands. Fortunately, social media makes this step a whole lot easier, as there are entire communities dedicated to the topic on platforms like Reddit, Discord, and Facebook.
  
  
• Know What You Want to Sell: Like any other industry, there are different categories within the sneaker reselling sector itself. For instance, you might want to make a name for yourself as the best provider of Adidas sneakers. Or you could offer a diverse range of products, from Nike to Reebok. Using the market research you performed in the previous step, it shouldn’t be difficult to land on your decision. 
  
  
• Prepare the Technical Aspects: As convenient as it would be to deliver your products with the snap of a finger, getting your actual shoes to buyers is another complex process — and especially not one you should skimp out on. You’ll need to know how you’ll source your inventory in the first place, create accounts on the platform (or platforms) you’d like to sell on, figure out your shipping strategy (if you’re in the United States, USPS is good option), and more. Without outlining this step beforehand, you’ll be navigating your business blindly and making the road towards earning extra income even longer!
  
  

Alright, now that you know some of the basics every resell business should adhere to, you can slowly start the process towards achieving your sneaker reselling dreams. If you have completed this list above, you should already have a clear direction to follow. 

Still, there are a few more mistakes to watch out for if you want to make this process as quick as possible.

2. Don't Fall for Fakes

In today’s market, you can find a knockoff version of virtually any product you can imagine. Laptops, smartphones, TVs, luxury handbags, and more have dozens — if not hundreds — of scam sellers tricking buyers into thinking their sham products are the real thing. 

As you might expect, that means sneakers are also a high risk: in fact, footwear is the most counterfeited product category in the world. There is a chance you’ll end up coming across this black market as you perform market research, even if you don’t realize it!    

So, if you want to resell sneakers in a way that increases your profits and establishes a positive reputation for your business, you’ll have to beware of fakes. If you accidentally purchase one of these counterfeit items, you’ll have a tough time getting your money back from the original seller, which could put a hold on your progress. 

Even worse, if you don’t realize your mistake and resell it to another buyer, you could find yourself facing negative reviews — and a reputation for selling fakes. 

In other words, fake sneakers could quickly stop your resell business in its tracks if you are not careful.  

Don’t worry; as frightening as this sounds, there are strategies you can utilize to ensure you never fall victim to a fake seller. Keep some of the following tips in mind as you begin scouting for your next profitable shoe. 

• Ask for Pictures: Someone who is selling a real sneaker will have nothing to hide. To keep yourself safe, ask for multiple, detailed pictures of the shoe. This way, you’ll be able to compare them to official photos taken by the brand, other sellers, YouTube videos, and more. As an added measure, you can even ask the seller to write the date and time on a piece of paper and have them place it next to the shoe in the photo. As a result, you’ll know that both the photo and the sneaker are legit.

• Ask for Receipts: Sneaker reselling is a job that requires more paperwork than most people imagine. As you purchase footwear, you’ll find yourself receiving a steady flow of receipts that you can use to return unsold inventory and — most importantly — provide proof to buyers. So, if you’re eyeing a sneaker from another seller and aren’t sure if it’s a fake or not, ask them if they can include the original receipt

Finally, make sure that you’re also following the same rules when managing your resell business! If you aren’t providing pictures and other forms of proof, buyers will be hesitant to purchase from your store: They will be afraid you are a counterfeit seller. 

On another note, there is a small chance that some buyers will claim the shoes you sent them are fake. Usually, they’re simply doing this to get a refund (and keep the shoe, of course). However, you can avoid this from happening by keeping your receipts, taking detailed photos, and including tracking & insurance with each shipment — that way, their accusations will have no merit. 

So, what’s the best way to prevent burnout? The answer is simple: avoid acquiring an overwhelming amount of inventory.  

You might be wondering: “But wait, isn’t it better to have more sneakers on-hand? Won’t I make more money with a larger inventory?” 

Sure, you could, but having dozens of resell sneakers cluttering your home is likely to do more damage in the long run. For starters, keeping track of so many items can turn into a disaster — especially if you’re working alone. It could make it easier for you to mistakenly send the wrong shoes to a buyer, or worse, lose a pair entirely. 

Furthermore, if you’ve run out of storage space, you might have to miss out on buying a new sneaker release simply because you have nowhere left to put them. Ultimately, the bigger your inventory, the bigger the headache. 

Fortunately, there’s a convenient answer to this issue.