The phenomenon of buying as many sneakers as you can and storing them in your room or closet is relatively new. Growing up, I had one or two pairs of sneakers and that was it. So did all my friends. Over the last 15 years though, I’ve acquired plenty of shoes that I either didn’t really want or didn’t plan on wearing that often. I know I am not alone. Selling some of your shoes is a great way to free up some space in your home and make some extra money to pad your bank account.
Because of this new sneaker collecting phenomenon, plenty of websites and apps have been developed to help you sell your shoes (and buy even more). I have utilized several of them, including eBay, GOAT, StockX, and Poshmark. The best places to sell shoes each have their pros and cons, so it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before selling a pair of shoes that may be worth some money. You can check out this article for tips on how to resell your sneakers.
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Things to Consider
There are many options if you’re looking to sell your shoes.
Are your shoes deadstock or worn?
Are your sneakers in good condition and brand new, or have you worn them outside and gotten them a little dirty/creased? Like a new car, sneakers lose at least 30% of their value the moment you wear them outside on the sidewalk.
Where did you get them? Direct from a brand’s website or from another resale site?
If you bought them direct from Nike or Foot Locker, you have no need to worry about them being authentic. However, if you bought them from eBay or another resale site, there’s always a chance they may be fake. It’s not that common overall, but there’s always a chance.
Do you have the box? Additional laces if they came with them?
Having the original box is huge for reselling. If you don’t have it, you’re going to lose significant value on the shoes you’re trying to sell. Same goes for extra laces that come with the pair. If a shoe comes with extra laces and you don’t provide them when reselling, you may lose value.
How long have you had them?
The sneaker world is tricky for older shoes. Sometimes the value skyrockets for a shoe that is hyped, and sometimes it can stay stagnant for years or even go down. For example, you would think an OG colorway of an Air Jordan XII would be worth $1000, but they are for sale for only $400-$500 these days.
Where did you store them?
Where you store your sneakers is a huge deal. Keeping them in a damp basement or a hot attic can significantly damage your shoes in a short amount of time. The way they smell and how they age is a big deal for sneakerheads, so make sure you are keeping them in a space with limited sunlight and a temperature range of about 60-75 degrees.
Best Places to Sell Shoes
With those things in mind, here are the best places to sell your shoes.
GOAT App
Since 2015, the GOAT selling app has skyrocketed as one of the best ways to sell sneakers in high demand. I find that GOAT is the best way to buy and sell brand new deadstock sneakers, and you can also buy and sell used shoes. Sellers, including retailers and boutiques, can submit their items for sale on GOAT, while buyers peruse over a million listings. The seller fees are higher, so you potentially may not make as much money compared to other resale apps. The good news is that you can sell shoes very quickly for a good price on GOAT.
Resale products, including sneakers, are required to ship to GOAT for verification first to ensure they are authentic and as described. Once verified, GOAT will ship them to you. If they find that the product is inauthentic or not as described, they notify you and offer a full refund.
Retail products, including apparel and accessories, are pre-verified and ship directly from trusted retail and boutique partners. You can also purchase shoes instantly. “Instant” products are pre-verified and authenticated, and ship directly from GOAT facilities to you for an additional fee.
GOAT’s resale products and trusted partners are verified or vetted by a variety of means, such as digital authentication, in-hand verification, and/or machine learning technology. By doing so, they seek to ensure the product you purchase is both authentic and as described.
To support their verification process, GOAT has logged hundreds of thousands of data points on their products to evaluate their authenticity. Additionally, their team of authentication specialists goes through mandatory training and inspects details from the label to stitching, texture to color, and so much more for Ship-to-Verify products. All this to say, don’t try to resell fake shoes on GOAT, because they will know. Once you sell your shoes, you can either cash out or earn a site credit for future purchases.
eBay
eBay has is the most popular online platform for selling new shoes and old shoes for over 20 years. You can list your shoes for whatever sale price you want, and it’s always exciting to watch potential buyers get into a bidding war if you set the initial price low. Their listing fees are very competitive compared to other resale sites and apps. Simply take a few photos of your shoes, write a detailed description of them, and set your price. eBay claims to be the most cost-competitive option for online sneaker resale, compared to competitors like GOAT, StockX and Stadium Goods.
From no-fee verified returns and seller protections through Authenticity Guarantee, to tools and resources to build and boost their business, eBay equips sellers like no other to accelerate and scale their businesses on the platform with the highest sales velocity of any marketplace.
eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee is a service designed to protect sellers and allow buyers to shop with confidence, without any additional cost. Their expert authenticators physically inspect all eligible items before they are shipped to buyers. They also inspect all returns prior to sending them back to sellers.
The best thing about eBay is you can quickly and easily get rid of worn sneakers that you want to sell quickly and get something for. I’ve listed shoes for around $20-$30 and they sold for $50-$60. I wasn’t looking to make much, I just wanted them to find a good home.
StockX
Though StockX has had its issues verifying sneakers over the years, it’s still a great place for selling your shoes (as long as they’re not fake). If you are a pro seller, StockX is an excellent way to list multiple shoes because of their Seller Program.
The StockX Seller Program establishes Seller Levels and provides clear performance standards for Sellers. The better the performance, the lower the Seller Fee. This results in a safer, healthier, and more reliable marketplace for everyone.
There are five Seller Levels. Your level is determined by your activity (number of sales completed OR the total value of sales in USD) on StockX. Activity resets at the end of each calendar quarter.
A sale is deemed complete once the item has passed StockX’s verification process and the Seller has been paid out. StockX recommends you provide at least three business days for your package to arrive at StockX and to pass verification.
StockX will continuously evaluate your activity so you can level up and achieve additional benefits. Once you achieve a Level, you get the benefits immediately and retain those benefits for the current calendar quarter and the following calendar quarter.
Once Level 3 status is obtained, Sellers can qualify for an additional 2.0% off their fees through consistent monthly performance.
- Successful Ship Bonus: Ship at least 95% of this month’s sales on time to earn an additional 1.0% off seller fees for the next month.
- Quick Ship Bonus: Ship 80%+ of the month’s sales within 36 hours of the sale and earn an additional 1.0% off seller fees for the next month.
Sellers can earn one or both of these Bonuses. StockX determines your eligibility on the 1st of each month based on the prior month’s performance and the benefits you qualify for apply for the entirety of that month.
Poshmark
Poshmark works in basically the opposite way of eBay. You list your shoes at a fairly high price, and then people will start making lower offers for them. Once in a while, if you set the price just right, no one will bid lower. Of course, you won’t make any more than your list price either.
Poshmark connects you to people whose style you like, allowing you to easily shop designer brands and boutiques. With over 80 million community members across the United States, Canada, and Australia and 200 million items for sale, it’s a massive marketplace for sneakerheads where you have the potential to earn top dollar through their selling process. It is one of the best sites to use if you aren’t in a rush to sell your shoes.
Poshmark makes listing sneakers very simple. Snap a photo of the item you want to sell with your iPhone or Android device, fill in a short description, set the price, and you’re done. You can use professional photos if you want, of just take some on your phone.
You can also join Posh Parties, which are virtual buying and selling events that happen in the app. You can browse, buy, and even list together with your friends. With a wide variety of themes and designer shoes, it’s a fun way to interact and sell your items.
When you make a sale on Poshmark, they provide you with a prepaid shipping label ready to be put on the box. Once your sale has been packaged, you can drop it off at a USPS mailbox or even have it picked up for free from your home. Shipping is really simple with Poshmark.
When you purchase a luxury item(s) or sell an expensive sneaker valued at $500 or more, the item(s) will undergo Poshmark’s authentication process or are pre-authenticated through their trusted independent suppliers/resellers prior to shipment.
If an order is shipped to Poshmark HQ for authentication, their team of luxury experts carefully inspect the item by checking logos, tags, materials, hardware, quality, and more. Once the item(s) pass the authentication inspection, they will package it and ship it to your buyer. If an item’s authenticity cannot be verified, they will refund the buyer immediately.
Most pre-authenticated items are sourced and shipped directly from verified independent suppliers/resellers who have been carefully vetted by the Poshmark team. They stand by the authenticity of these items and the steps taken by the seller to ensure a safe, secure, and timely delivery to you.
Select pre-authenticated items will still be shipped to HQ for authentication, regardless of seller status, at Poshmark’s discretion.
Mercari
Mercari is similar to Poshmark and eBay.
It’s the perfect place to go to declutter or find your new look if you have too many shoes. Letting go has never felt so good – it’s almost as good as finding your new favorite thing.
Listing an item is simple. Upload some photos then include a description and a brand name. Include the condition, color, size, category, and any flaws the item might have.
Add the brand name if you have it – lots of shoppers search for specific brands. For some items, Mercari may recognize the item and input item details for you. You can still edit these details before listing. Check out similar sold listings to see what your item might sell for. You can also set up Smart Pricing from the listing page. Just name a start price and a floor price – Mercari will gradually lower it based on market demand.
You can also enable Smart Offers to automatically accept and/or provide a one-time counter offer for your listing. You control the acceptable offer price range by setting your minimum price and your listing price. When one of your items sells, Mercari will email you your prepaid label. They ask that you ship the item within 3 business days so the buyer can get their order on time.
Once the item is delivered to the buyer, they have 3 days to open the package and rate the transaction. If they run into any issues, they can contact Mercari through the help center. Mercari will remind the buyer to rate you. If they don’t after 3 days, Mercari will automatically give you a 5 star rating to complete the transaction. Then you’ll get paid!
You can cash out your balance in minutes with Instant Pay. If you don’t mind waiting a few days, you can also request a direct deposit from your balance page.
Facebook Marketplace
If you have a Facebook account, Facebook Marketplace is a great option if you’re active on Facebook and looking to sell some sneakers locally. If you’re meeting someone in person, they recommend arranging your meeting in public places that are in a well-lit area, or near a police station. Let others know where you’re headed. That way you won’t get robbed.
When you sell something on Marketplace, you create a public listing that can be seen by anyone on Marketplace and in Feed, search and other places on or off Facebook.
You can create a new listing, then click Item for sale. You can add high-quality photos of your item from your computer. Or, click Add Video to upload a video of your item from your computer. You may select a cover photo for your listing based on photo/video quality and listing accuracy. Enter the info about your item. To mark an item as Free, you can enter 0 as the price as well.
Facebook Marketplace is a good option if your shoes are not that expensive and you just want to find them a good home.
SoleSavy COLLECT
Another great alternative to selling your shoes is COLLECT by SoleSavy. COLLECT by SoleSavy is a free app currently available for everyone to use. Download the app on iOS or Google Play.
COLLECT by SoleSavy is the first app where you can buy, sell, trade, and showcase your collection. They aim to empower real people who wear their sneakers, not resellers looking to maximize profit. This means all listings you’ll see will be retail or less. COLLECT has the lowest fees in the industry to buy, sell, or trade – and premium members have zero fees on COLLECT.
To build the safest marketplace possible, they require all users to verify their identity before transacting on COLLECT. This ensures that all buyers and sellers are who they claim to be. SoleSavy utilizes Stripe to conduct ID verification. Stripe builds payment technology and has been widely adopted by the sneaker industry from Kith to Undefeated. Stripe is also used by major companies around the world, like Amazon, Google, and Zoom.
SoleSavy does not store any of the identity information you share during the verification process, and your data never hits SoleSavy servers. Identity information is used strictly to verify users.
As a direct peer-to-peer marketplace, they have seen that their retail-or-less model and identity verification requirements are highly effective at preventing inauthentic pairs from being sold on their platform. In the event that a sneaker you purchase never arrives, your item is inauthentic, or if your item differs significantly from its listing, SoleSavy will refund your order. However, if you’re offering significantly above retail or trading a high-value pair, you can never be too safe. They have partnered with industry leader Legitmark to power authentication on COLLECT.
Selling Offline
Sometimes selling in person is a better option.
Consignment Stores
Consignment stores like Flight Club, Stadium Goods or Buffalo Exchange are another great option to make some money on old sneakers. Buffalo Exchange, for example, is a good place to buy, sell, trade store that buys clothes from the local area — which means you can be sustainable and stylish while getting cash or trade towards a new wardrobe. It’s like a thrift store, only better because you can make some money on popular brands of shoes that you may want to get rid of.
Buffalo Exchange buys from open to close every day, no appointment required, so you can stop in to sell anytime. There’s no need to wait for an item to sell, which is the benefit to consignment. On the day you sell, you’ll walk away with 25% of their selling price in cash or 50% in store credit for anything you’re able to buy.
Store credit (trade) gets you the most money for selling clothing. Buffalo Exchange gets new inventory all day, every day, so it’s a treasure hunt each time you shop. Use your trade towards new-to-you pieces and show off your unique and sustainable style.
The buyers at Buffalo Exchange make selections based on the style and condition as well as their current inventory needs. They pay close attention to items that are selling quickly in their stores and styles their customers are asking for. They keep tabs on items that don’t sell so well. While certain brands are more desirable than others, style is the most important deciding factor for Buffalo Exchange. If you want to learn more about why your buyer is selecting certain items and passing on others, feel free to ask them. They love to talk fashion.
After you sell, your buyer will tell you your cash and trade options. Feel free to shop around before making a decision. Then stop by the register on your way out. You can take any combination of cash and trade. Many customers like to use their store credit to buy an item they found that day and take the rest in cash. Others like to take a trade card to use on another day – it never expires.
