How to Start Reselling Shoes: A Guide for Beginners

Do you call yourself a sneakerhead?

If you do, there’s a good chance you already know how much money there is in reselling sneakers. That said, breaking into the game is easier said than done.

If you want to tap into the resale goldmine, you’ll need to learn how to start reselling shoes.

How to Start Reselling Shoes

If you think reselling shoes is an easy way to get rich quick, you’ve got another thing coming. Sure, there are treasures to be found, and you could potentially make enough to quit your day job, but you’re going to have to put in a lot of time and effort before you reach that point.

If you have a passion for sneakers and are willing and able to put in the time, here’s your complete guide on how to start reselling shoes yourself.

Become an Expert

If you’re already a sneakerhead, you won’t have much of an issue with this step. If you want to make any money reselling shoes, you need to become an expert in all aspects of the industry.

You need to know brand history, market trends, and even a bit about shoe construction to ensure your wares are up to snuff. You also need to educate yourself on viable price points, shoe restoration techniques, and fraud so you can protect yourself from wasting money on worthless shoes.

So whether it’s finding out more about Yeezus Walks or vintage Jordans, doping your homework before you start investing will save you a lot of time and money later on and protect you from losing valuable cash.

Practice Restoration

The bread-and-butter of the sneaker-reselling game is finding a diamond in the rough. An old beat-up pair of Jordans you dig out of your local thrift shop could easily be worth a few hundred dollars — if you’re able to get them back to looking like new.

The art of sneaker cleaning and restoration isn’t exactly rocket science, but it does take practice. So, before you risk permanently damaging an irreplaceable pair of vintage shoes, you may want to practice cleaning and restoration techniques on something a little less valuable.

Setting Up Shop

In the early days of reselling shoes, sites like eBay will be your saving grace. In the beginning, your goal shouldn’t be to make a ton of money — it should be to build up your reputation and client base.

Sites like eBay make it easy to sell your wares and build up a positive rating. If you treat your clients right, they’ll leave a good rating and review, which will entice new customers. That said, if you want to be serious about your reselling career, do not use your personal eBay account to sell your sneakers. When you set up a unique store page just for reselling shoes, you open yourself to branding opportunities and future growth.

Shipping and Handling

Finally, before you start selling and shipping shoes to sneakerheads across the globe, you need to know a thing or two about shipping costs and packaging your products.

Checking out a few unboxing videos online can give you an idea of how the big names in resale package their sneakers. And, thanks to the internet, there are plenty of tools out there that can help you track and calculate shipping expenses.

How to Make Bank Reselling Shoes

Now that you know a little more about how to start reselling shoes, it’s time to get to work.

Are you looking for more advice on how to build your resale empire? We’ve got you covered. Check out the rest of our blog for more helpful tips and tricks today!