Guillaume Scaglia
Jan 9, 2023
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3
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Articles
The limited editions of sneakers launched by the brands have an impressive success. These sneakers, due to their rarity are the object of speculation. Among the most coveted models there are adidas Yeezy or Air Jordan 1 X Travis Scott sneakers. Find out here about this trend.
There is a real speculation around the rare sneakers as indicated by the site capital. The models of sneakers manufactured in a few hundred copies only are very appreciated by enthusiasts and especially by speculators. It is a significant investment because the resale prices climb on the online auction sites. At the beginning, the acquisition of rare sneakers was made for personal needs.
Until a few years ago, there were few passionate collectors. However, in recent years, due to the great success of hype and limited sneakers, many people keep them in order to resell them and get a higher value. This is a trend that is far from experiencing any kind of crisis. Indeed, sales and purchase prices keep increasing every year.
Except for the sneaker resellers, the speculation is a very favorable phenomenon for others. These are the big sports brands such as adidas, Nike, New Balance, etc. For those who know, it is a phenomenon that contributes to their notoriety.
That's why they organize themselves the scarcity of the models. To achieve this, they set up roundups. These are draws on websites or applications like SNKRS from Nike. The limited editions sell out in a very short time and are then resold at a high price.
Prestigious collaborations also contribute to this trend. For example, adidas yeezy sneakers are the result of a collaboration between adidas and the rapper Kanye West. This is also the case with the air jordan 1 sneaker and the rapper Travis Scott. It is obvious that models designed in collaboration with celebrities are highly coveted in the market.
The sale of sneakers is a market with an impressive turnover. It is worth several billion dollars. However, a brand can decide to end the speculation by re-releasing a rare model, bringing down the value of the old one. Apart from rare models, there are unique models in very limited editions. These are marketed at exorbitant prices. There are some that are manufactured in less than 100 copies.
It is not at all easy to get your hands on rare pairs of sneakers. For sneakers made for example less than 5000 copies, you have little chance to find them. The race is very tough. However, it becomes beneficial for those who manage to get them. In just a few hours, it is possible to resell a pair at triple its initial price on the various platforms.
The increasingly excessive speculation and spectacular gains increase the risk of trading in counterfeit models. This is why resale platforms have specialized teams to identify fake models. The authentication of the pairs goes through various steps including the verification of the soles or the laces.
There are other techniques such as the identification of the smell on the sneakers allowing also the consumers to be able to identify the counterfeit articles.
If counterfeiting is on the rise, it is because buyers do not know the difference. There are also those who don't mind wearing fake sneakers. Social network subscribers are aware of this scam.
The resale of limited edition sneaker collections is now a very profitable business. It is a secondary market of madness that is not likely to dry up. The phenomenon is present in the United States and everywhere.