Sneakers on the aftermarket

On this page, you can learn A LOT about the type of sneakers we sell, why they are exclusive, why prices vary, and why prices increase over time. But before we can answer these questions, it’s a good idea for you to first read about the secondary market we operate in.

Happy reading 😊

The Aftermarket

At The Sneaker Store, we sell the coolest and most exclusive sneakers you can get your hands on. This also means that we are in an industry that might seem strange to the average consumer.

It’s very common that when new clothes, shoes, and similar items are launched by regular online stores, they can later be found on sale – maybe even with a discount of up to 50% after six months.

In the exclusive sneaker industry, it’s the opposite – prices actually increase over time!

You might have noticed that the price of your favorite sneakers has gone up on the webshop and wondered how this could be the case – we will explain that below!

Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Jordan brand, etc., are constantly producing new shoes. Whether they are running shoes, tennis shoes, soccer cleats, basketball shoes, or something entirely different, you can find most of them in everything from your local grocery store to more specialized sports shops around the world.

This applies to about 95% of their products. The remaining 5% are what we sell here at The Sneaker Store.

Why Are Some Sneakers Exclusive?

Sneakers, like everything else in the world, become exclusive when the demand for a particular sneaker exceeds the number of pairs produced. It’s simply a question of supply and demand.

A good example is the demand for the Air Jordan 1 model. Over the past few years, the demand for this model has only grown. There are many reasons for this, but it can generally be boiled down to the following:

  • The shoes are produced in fewer numbers than there is demand for
  • The model has become a must-have sneaker for anyone with a sense of fashion
  • Michael Jordan has gained increasing cult status outside of the USA.

Even though the Air Jordan 1 model has been released in hundreds of different colors and variations, the number of pairs produced simply isn't enough to meet the demand.

And when something is highly sought after, a market is automatically created for it on the secondary market.

Where Do Exclusive Sneakers Come From?

Before the shoes reach the secondary market, each shoe has gone through a longer journey. The shoes were originally sold at a very limited number of specialty stores in the world’s largest cities and specialized webshops.

Often, it's in select stores in cities like Copenhagen, London, Paris, etc. Here, people line up outside stores to be the first to get their hands on the new sneakers.

On the online side, there are clever IT professionals with systems worth thousands of dollars, which allow them to buy up entire inventories while you, as a private individual, will never get the chance to add the item to your cart.

Once the shoes leave the webshop inventories and specialty stores, a large portion of these shoes are sold on online platforms where you can trade with other private individuals. So, if you want to get your hands on the shoes, you’ll have to start negotiating with unknown sellers online, where there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding:

  • Whether you’ll receive the shoes you’ve paid for
  • Whether your payment is secure
  • There is no return policy
  • There is no warranty
  • You don’t know the seller

Therefore, there’s huge uncertainty about buying your new sneakers on these platforms because the chances of getting scammed are real.

This is where we, at The Sneaker Store, come in.

We, Frederik, Gustav & Lasse, got 10+ years of experience as collectors in the sneaker industry, and over the years, we’ve built a huge network of people and companies across Europe. They help us make it easy for EVERYONE in Denmark to get exclusive sneakers. Instead of negotiating with a Polish seller on an online platform, you can instead order your new sneakers from us, where you’re 110% sure that everything is done according to the rules. We handle all the uncertainties.

As a Danish webshop, we are subject to very strict requirements for the rights our customers have when purchasing from us.

  • You always have a 2-year warranty
  • You always have a 30-day return policy
  • You can always be sure to receive your new shoes
  • You can always be sure that your payment is secure
  • Your data is always safe, and you always have the option to have it deleted

Therefore, you can easily shop for your new sneakers with us, just like you would for clothes, electronics, and other items from other Danish webshops.

Now, you’ve had a brief overview of what it means to buy shoes on the secondary market, and you will now perhaps better understand the answers to the following questions:

Why Do Prices Vary Between Different Sneakers?

The price of sneakers varies both by model and also between individual sizes for each model.

An example could be the Air Jordan 1 model, which comes in colorways that cost 1,600 DKK but also can be priced in the thousands of DKK. This could be due to:

  • The more expensive model is more sought after on the secondary market than the cheaper one
  • The more expensive model is older than the cheaper one, and therefore there are fewer unused pairs left in the world
  • The more expensive model may have a special history behind it that gives the shoes special status on the secondary market

The above points are just a few examples of what can make the price vary between the different colorways. Generally speaking, the more expensive the shoes are, the more expensive they are for us to purchase at The Sneaker Store. Prices automatically follow the developments in the secondary market.

Why Do Prices Vary Between Different Sizes?

You may have noticed that prices also vary within the same model. A size 40 might cost 270 EUR, but a size 45 might cost 335 EUR. We can use the same example with an Air Jordan 1 model. The price difference could be due to:

  • Size 45 has higher demand on the secondary market than size 40
  • Size 45 was produced in relatively fewer numbers than size 40

Again, it’s the secondary market that automatically determines what the price will be on our webshop. We could easily price size 40 the same as size 45 and make extra profit, but we don’t think that would be beneficial for both us and our customers in the long run. Ultimately, Frederik & Gustav want EVERYONE to be able to get their favorite sneakers at a fair price without too much hassle.

We hope that with this story, you now have a better understanding of the market we operate in at The Sneaker Store, and can appreciate how our business works.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us via e-mail. We’ll respond within 3 business days.

We look forward to serving you!