Re-Selling 101 – Building Brand is not about making money on every single transaction!

Yesterday was a great day because I was happy to help out one of our longtime supporter and home-town sneakerhead @hardiegirl get a pair she’s been looking for since she struck out during air max “month” as every re-seller locally were literally charging 2-3 times retail price.  Like most of you, I don’t have a plug and I too have to pay re-sell prices for new releases because I will never line up for a pair of shoe.  To be frank, I don’t mind paying REASONABLE resell prices because sometimes this price spread is to compensate the buyer for the time they took to line up to obtain these shoes.  Realistically when it comes to big releases, you’re almost guaranteed to pay re-sell if you strike out online.

Now the backstory on how I got these was I made a deal with a seller locally to pick up 2 pairs (air max atmos $500 and air max master $400) for $900 CAD, which works out to be around $675 USD.  I knew Hardie was a size 8 mens max because I hooked her up on a pair of nike air max atmos tiger camo over the summer at our pop up shop.  I DM’d her and asked her if she bought a pair yet and she’s like no because prices are still up there and she’s about to give in and pay resale price on grailed.com.  Then I’m like great, say no more…I got you covered for $345 CAD (which is equivalent to $260 USD) for the Air max 1 master.  I gave her $55 discount because she has supported us on some of the gift card raffles and you mind as well use your gift card as that’s what it’s designed for.  She was more than happy and the rest is history as you can see from the pic above.

The point I’m trying to bring home today is that even though it may seem like I’m losing money on these for what I paid for ($400 to $345), I’m actually not losing in the bigger picture. Seeing a happy customer get what they want for a decent price is what drives me to do what I do with Netmagnetism every day.  Obviously I cannot do this for every transaction, but my motto is that if you support me, I will return the favour 2 fold within my capabilities.  In my opinion with the vast amount of re-sellers in the culture nowadays, we tend to get clouded by the bottom line profit and forget the etiquette of helping each other out in building a stronger community.  How I see this transaction is that every time Hardie puts on this pair of Air Max 1 master, she’ll be thinking about Netmag and I think that is well worth my $55.  Well atleast that’s what normal sneakerheads like myself do all the time.  Every pair I lace up, for some stupid reason I always reconcile how I acquired that pair.

Another prime example is @lovetasha.  I hooked her up with a pair of DS T23s for fairly decent price way back…unfortunately the biggest she can fit is a size 7 mens and getting a size 7 in the T23s was pretty much near impossible.  But I got lucky and was able to pick up a pair months prior before prices started going up after Drake wore them…haha…crazy how I remember this stuff.  For the record, I did make a small profit spread off this transaction but the price I sold to her was WAAYYY below what any other re-seller would even think of selling.  Even though I could have made more selling close to market price, but I chose to help out a true sneakerhead to get what he/she needs.  I think from this transaction alone, not only did I feel happy helping out a true sneakerhead, but her post alone brought in more future business to me…that I will choose to remain confidential, but looking at the pic above you can probably guess. However, whom I give deals to are very strict…I only give sneakerheads that I know will wear the shit out of their shoes and NOT to those that I know will only wear it 2-3 times and then flip it for more – in case that’s what you’re all thinking now.

At the end of the day building a business is not about milking cheddar on every SINGLE transaction.  It’s about making money the ethical and fun way that builds loyal and happy customers that will support you for the indefinite horizon of your business.  Not every single customer will return the favour, but that’s ok because if you expect something in return for your favour – you’re thinking business and life in the wrong way.  Lastly if it helps drill this point home…for my recent strike out on the KAWS Jordan 4, I’m willing to pay resonable resell prices, but I REFUSE to pay current day unreasonable resell prices.  Let’s just say for example I give in and buy at current re-sell rape price…now what will go through my mind going forward is when I put these KAWS on my feet every single time, I’m always going to remember that GUY that RAPED me for these and I’m never going fk with him again… For that re-seller, I will never buy from him again because knowing how much he fked me for his own benefit….nuff said.