We are living in a multiverse. Not (only) in the sense that word has to a physicist but in a very practical sense, too. (By the way, if you are interested in multiverse physics, I strongly recommend Max Tegmark’s book “Our Mathematical Universe“)
Ever so often, I discover one of these parallel worlds. The world of Geocaches is one of those. Another one is the world of Pikachu and his friends, constantly surrounding us in AR. The trick is, you only can access these parallel universes through the eyes of a teenage kid. As soon as you cross the threshold of twenty (yes, it is twenty, trust me), your view of these worlds begins to fade and rather sooner than later you lose any connection. Well, you may have temporary access through a psychic medium, aka son or daughter. Here’s another one of these worlds, the universe of trading sneakers.
I already provided a glimpse into this world through my “Supremeizing” post but it extends far beyond. Here’s the case. First, you download — say — the Nike Sneakrs app. About once a week, they “drop” something special there, either a model of their own or something in collaboration (the correct phrasing would be “collabo”) with a “hype” brand, say “Off-White” (how you actually become such a hype brand is another world within a world). There are two different sorts of drops: regular sales and raffles. In a regular sale drop, you have to be quick, very quick (best you have some robot working for you). In a raffle, you have 30 min to apply and hope to be drawn.
May the trade begin
Suppose now, you had the incredible luck of being drawn Dec 19, 2018, in the raffle for the shoe pictured above (“Nike Air Force One x Off-White”), being granted the right (and obligation) to buy the pair of sneakers for € 150. This is where the story only starts. Even before the drop, your newly granted shoes are already traded on the resell market. There are already short sellers and long buyers in the market (plus some people who just want to wear the shoe, almost regardless of the price). There is even a fully blown stock exchange for this kind of goods (stockx.com). In the very moment you get the right to buy your shoes at the retail price, it is worth already € 450.
If you actually have to care about money and win over your desire to show off with your sneakers (bear in mind, the 20plusses won’t even notice the treasure on your feet), you will want to usher in your book profit. Luckily, StockX not only works as an exchange but also as a clearing house. You close the deal and wait for your shoes to arrive. Upon arrival, you might caress them briefly (but do not cut the Off-White zip tie please!) before printing out the shipping label and take your package to the closest UPS point. You have three days from the retail drop to your shipping drop, otherwise you will be penalised by StockX. If from Germany, your parcel goes to London where the goods are checked by an expert before they are finally shipped to the buyer (and the money being transferred to your account) … .
Profiteers
There are so many profiteers: Nike x Off-White, selling their sneakers at an additional margin of 30-50%. StockX, charging 10% plus some other fees for their services. Different shipping services as the sneakers travel the world (don’t ask about the CO2 balance). You, gaining 100% plus in cash (even after fees) … and finally, the person proudly flexing with his 500$ sneakers.
Forget about trading in pig halves, enter the sneakers trade! … And if you’re in the business of retail products: there might be amazing opportunities to supercharge your brand.