10 Ways to Get A Steal On a Pair of Kicks

Everyone loves to get a pair of sneakers they have been dying for, for a great price. Five years ago you could have searched for anything on Ebay, and you were likely to find it for less than $150. This goes for everything from Jordans to Air Force Ones, to yes, even Nike Dunks. If the pair wasn’t brand new it was lucky to break $100. Air tech challenges clocked in at a measly $30 a pair, rare Air Maxes barely broke $80, etc. There were exceptions here and there, but all in all everything was cheap and fair game. As the Sneaker Culture has hit the mainstream, it has been harder and harder to get pair of anything other than a general release for cheap. Here’s some tips for online as well as in real life to try to get a deal on some of those kicks you just can’t afford for the market value these days. Always be weary of fakes and sellers who are trying to steal your money! References and feedback are your friend!

1. Browse the buy/sell forums on the major sneaker message boards - usually prices are still absurd, but on rare occasion you can still find a generous seller.

2. Search ebay using the “check in description” option as well as subject - The auctions that go under the radar are the ones that aren’t listed well. Often times the seller will leave a major keyword out of the title, and the lucky bastard who searched the description as well gets the steal.

3. Search ebay and sort by newly listed items, and then by buy it now items - Every now and again you’ll find a steal on a buy it now auction if you can catch it before someone else does.

4. Search ebay by newly listed items and contact the seller and try to work out a deal for a buy it now price outside of ebay - A lot of times a seller may not know the worth of what he’s selling. If you can get in touch with them and finalize a deal outside of ebay (make sure to let them know they’ll save on ebay fees), you may be able to get a good deal. Keep in min ebay won’t protect you under these circumstances.

5. See if the seller has any other items not listed - For any of the above, if the seller is willing to give you a good price, there’s a chance they are holding other heat as well. You can always get a lower price on a package deal.

6. Find auctions ending on holidays, release days, etc. - If people aren’t on the computer to bid, chances are if you wait around you might luck out. I copped a pair of VVNDS on Christmas Eve 2 years ago for $75. Market value was about $150 at the time.

7. Hit up your local salvation army, thrift store, vintage shops, etc. on a regular basis.

8. Find mom and pop sneaker stores and ask them if they have any old stock - A lot of local stores have back stock from YEARS AGO that isn’t on the floor anymore. If you can find a store owner who’s nice they might let you rummage through the back and then you guys can work out a deal.

9. Sneaker stores in the middle of nowhere - Goes for #8 as well, but if you go out of the city into “the sticks” they sit on stock forever sometimes. You never know what general release from 5-10 yrs ago may be lurking in farmland.

10. Make friends and network - You scratch their back they’ll scratch yours can still work in this day in age. This could be anything from someone who has a personal collection in your size to shop workers/owners who can give you a discount, but if you do someone a favor they might be there to hook you up in the future.

Bonus #11. Fatfingers.com - Go check this site out!  You put in an ebay search and it will search every common variation of a typo possible. Can be so dope if someone misspelled the title when listing.

Bonus #12. Be Lucky - For some reason some cats are just lucky as hell when it comes to gettin those deals. GOOD LUCK!