Long gone are the days of waiting in line for a chance to cop the coveted Jordans. Now we have to fight online queues, bots, and backdooring. I remember when I was young in the sneaker game and waiting for hours to get the latest Jordan 11’s. One time I even skipped a Saturday detention to get the 11 Breds. That meant a three day suspension for a pair of sneakers. Now all I need is a WiFi or cell connection and the SNKRS app. I have even purchased sneakers while in a meeting.
If only it were that simple. There are more failures or “not selected” than there are the ever so delightful “GOT EM” when hitting the latest Nike drop. Why is this difficult? In part it has to do with the limited releases of some kicks and also the increased demand. These are not the only variables. There is also backdooring.
Backdooring involves a reseller having a connection at the local sneaker store i.e. Footlocker or Finishline. This individual then pays a premium to the employee to purchase a large portion of the upcoming release in order to resell at a higher price. This lowers the available sneakers leading to those loses.
Sneaker resellers often times flex their hauls on Instagram or Twitter. This brings up the question is this illegal. Nike and Adidas have strict rules in place that prohibit this. That does not mean people will not except a bribe.
In 2021 two employees at a Singapore footlocker were charged with excepting bribes. These employees would leak information on upcoming limited releases and restocks of discounted sneakers. A Nike executive resigned after her son used her credit card to purchase sneakers. These sneakers were then resold for profits of almost $50,000.
As long as their are sneaker releases there is always the chance of them getting sold before the public has a chance to purchase them. There is some hope though. With the recent pandemic stores like Footlocker and Finishline have moved to online only releases. Often these releases are completed via a draw or with exclusive access. After they are released then people have the chance to purchase the remaining stock online. Although this does not completely eliminate backdooring it does give consumers a chance to cop the sneakers they want. Nike has announced that they will be penalizing resellers. Hopefully this has an impact and increases our odds of picking up those sneakers we want.
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