Saturday, Sept. 3rd 2016 is one of those days in the life of a sneakerhead, when the sun seems a little bit brighter and the smiles seem a little bit warmer.
Why? One of the absolute must-have-shoes in sneaker history is being re-released. The Air Jordan I Retro “Banned” is coming back. It’s the shoe that took the world by storm in the colorway that changed the game.
When coming up with a short list of basketball shoes that had a true impact on the game of basketball, undoubtedly the Air Jordan I will be on that list. If not at the top then very close to it. Without the very first Air Jordan there would be no Air Jordan III Black Cement or Air Jordan XI Concord. That whole Air Jordan series gone, from 1 to 31. The signature shoes, too. No shoes for Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler or Carmelo Anthony. In all likelihood the name “Jordan” would only stand for a dude that was pretty good at basketball, not a brand. Now I don’t know about you, but if you have the same name as a COUNTRY and people think of you first, not the country, that’s a whole ‘nother level of fame. This is arguably just as much thanks to MJ’s products as his success in basketball. No other athlete – in any sport – has ever achieved that level of excellence in both areas on and off the court and no one probably ever will.
Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ were a true game changer in the athletic shoe industry and it influenced how we view basketball shoes today.
When rocking Air Jordans, what comes first to mind is the shoes should be crease protected. The answer to this is Sneaker Shields. It protects the shoe from unwanted toe creases. These creases occur on most sneakers’ toe caps that are made from leather. A perfect example of this is the Air Jordan retros and the classic Nike Air Force 1’s. I’m very pleased with how the product worked in reducing the risk of toe creases on my Jordans. These bad boys are highly recommended for collectors and fans that hate creases on their sneakers. This product will protect the shoe against unwanted creases to keep it’s look in pristine condition. I have shields on each pair of Air Jordans in my collection to preserve the original condition of the shoe to keep the value high until I decide to put it in the market. Luckily, canvas made material on sneakers doesn’t require shields. Vans is a pretty good example or the later Lebrons. Adidas Yeezy Boost line doesn’t require the toe shields either since fabric made materials are in no risk of toe creases. Pro tip: When buying a pair, make it at least .5 to an inch bigger than your actual foot size to prevent discomfort in rocking for a long time. When I started using the product I used to rock US11 size Jordans with sneaker shields on, and after a few hours use, it started killing my toe area that hurt pretty bad. The terrible part is, it destroyed my sneaker shields because it can’t fit well. So I’m better with an inch bigger in shoe size.
Don’t walk your Jordans outdoors or on plain soil if necessary. Bring another shoe with you. It reduces the risk of heel drags which dramatically drops the value if sold as used condition. Religiously clean your Jordans before returning it to their proper storage. Not only the top material but also the outsoles. Nothing beats the satisfaction seeing your sneakers smelling and looking like new again before storing it. My choice of weapon for cleaning sneakers is: For minor dirt and stains, I recommend Clean Shine Master cleaner for rubber, leather, and even canvas materials. It’s a quick fix clean if the need is not that serious. For much effort cleaning, I highly suggest Jason Markk shoe care. It’s like overhauling your shoes or having your shoes put in a washing machine. It’s really cool and very effective. Perfect for minor restorations.
Keep your babies in an airtight ziplock to preserve and prevent it from harmful humidity. It will also help keep the condition of the materials especially, on leather making it look pristine as it ages.
I prefer storing pairs in their OG boxes together with their respective shoe trees and paper inserts. This will keep its value for unloading purposes. I can demand better pricing on my Jordans if I present it in a complete package.
Store it together with silica gels to help humidify the shoes while inside their boxes to keep them fresh. Make sure to air out your sneaker at least once in a while or better yet, rock them if you can to prevent sudden sole separations. I store my shoe collection in a well-ventilated room. Not necessarily air-conditioned but, it would help.
For Jordans with non-oval laces, do not use the OG laces that come with it. Just keep it in an airtight bag inside the shoe box. I prefer the replica laces on my Jordan 1’s. I can pair different colors of replica laces on my heats. Unused OG laces help increase the value of used pairs in the market when it’s time to unload.
2015 is when I and my partner in the business are still fresh in the reselling game of basketball shoes. I began to see the high importance of the OG colorways in Jordans. I found out there is a huge demand for Michael Jordan’s game-worn basketball shoe models. Not just because it looks awesome to get to rock what the G.O.A.T wore during his basketball game era but, the different silhouettes released during his time in the NBA. The story behind each series of signature basketball shoes that’s been opened to the public to get their hands on and be like Mike. No one can deny that the best model of all Jordans is, of course, the holy grail of basketball sneakers, the Air Jordan 1’s. “The origin of sneaker culture”. If you’re a big fan of the G.O.A.T, and you’re a collector, your collection will never be complete without the 1’s on your shelf. Besides the fact that this is were it all began, you can never go wrong with the Bred colorway or the Chicago silhouette. Everyone wants to get their hands to it, they want to get their feet in it. Die-hards will kill anyone just to get a hold of it. Well, sort of. Now here I am in our tiny sneaker biz, I began to give more attention or hunt like a hungry lion for the next Jordan OGCW sneaker drop by Nike and Titan retail. I remember back then how I saved my hard-earned cash to get as many pairs of hyped OG’s as I can so I can collect those purchase receipts from Titan and Nike Fort so I can get that chance of becoming an Elite or VIP member. You can feel it inside, the superiority, the power, just to reach that status in the game. That privilege to be the first to get the chance to purchase that hyped release when it dropped online at Titan’s website or that most awaited email reminder from Nike if you want to cop and rock that ever hyped sneaker drop from Jordan Brand. Behind it, you are also required with an ultra-fast and powerful internet connection. Remember, you are not the only one who reached the VIP or Elite status. There are hundreds of you. The big question is, it doesn’t matter how much cash you’re willing to spend on the hyped drop. In this game, you need better resources. Find a faster internet connection, and you get to own the game. In these modern times, technology is god. Skills also matter, get your sweaty fingers ready on the keyboard because if you don’t think fast, key-in fast then your chances to purchase will just be suck in the drain. There is massive competition outside to get on the website. Work your ass off to get that W. You don’t want to be that cry baby with a big L on his forehead after that 30 seconds chance given to enter your purchase order. With all this in mind, The next order of business is figuring out the value of your just copped Jordans. How to decide how much extra cash to put on top of the retail price. Get familiar with the popularity and demand of the model. Study the history of the silhouette before it’s release. You can easily find the details on numerous sneaker websites and social media. The lesser the number of Jordan pairs released, the higher it’s value and demand. Limited edition drops and collabs are heat pairs. But, that’s another story. Going back, a good example is back in 2015 when the Air Jordan 1 Retro OG low Royal Blue was released for the first time. I was able to cop 2 pairs from Titan via online reservation for members. Back then, my membership request at Nike was still on pending status so I wasn’t given any reservation advantage but luckily, I still got the last remaining pair at a Nike retail store. It was a hit! It was sought after. There’s a market for OGCW. I sold my first pair via pre-order at a very good price. The amount I earned for that pair alone was allotted to make another sneaker purchase. I invested the money earned to get me a pair of the Air Jordan 1 retro High OG UNC which I got from Nike and still got some change. Titan only released a few which got sold out easily. I sold my 2nd pair of low Royal Blues at a very near deadstock condition, and my last pair which I copped from Nike was sold at almost retail price because I have a very slim market for US13 size shoes. When selling my used pair of Jordans. I guarantee the buyer gets his money’s worth. The condition of my used pairs is in almost near deadstock condition. Whenever I rock my Jordans I keep in mind that someday someone will own and rock it. My pairs are crease-free and always clean, zip-locked, complete in the box, kept in a well-ventilated room. Its no longer difficult finding potential buyers these days. When I first got into selling sneakers. There was an OLX online selling website in the Philippines. I believe it’s recognized all around Southeast Asia. And has changed its name to Carousell. My partner introduced me to the site. I simply took good photos of my Supra Skateboard Shoes. It only took a few weeks before the pairs got sold. I was so delighted, I immediately got hooked with the concept. I never realized that there’s a massive market online. I eventually posted anything that has a value from collectibles to electronic gadgets. I also created my own social media Facebook page, Sole316 to promote my sneaker reselling business. I found another avenue to promote and market shoe reselling on the world wide web. In this day and age selling online is the new norm.
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