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Cleveland222 wrote:

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BubbaEla1 wrote:

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i like them pattas> simple, clean. 200 pairs or 2 million pairs. And don't forget the work patta has done with asics too. Some fine work.
I should have got a pair when offered. Im stuck now a days. I pride myself on not buying shes but as a product of hype myself i feel like i should by some of these tier o limited shes but also cheap clearnced out max 95s that you can find for $20-$30 in the los angeles area. I just got the solebox 1500s and get my normal flow from various comapnies but damn if i might have to start buying a few deals too good to pass up. But really not to wear them. Only to sell them years later on. Then i feel like a reselling prick. Its a tough spot to be in. But lets face it, shoes became a business and less of a passion by both the consumer and companie in "lets say" 02. Any thoughts from yous all in this thread? i feel i have a good rapor with some of you in here. I still have all my connections but just dont follow up on them unless its free. To buy or not to buy.......

What up Corgi. Hope all is well your way. Just my thoughts....
98% of this hobby / passion / whatever is beyond fu#ked up. (Obviously) The little kids, too many forums, blogs, over saturated media attention, in general, has the shoe thing somewhere it shouldn't be. I feel you on the "to buy or not to buy." A while back I figured out that with the great relationships I had with shops around town I could pretty much fund my sneaker habit by flipping some shoes here and there.....but in the end it wasn't worth it to me. To buy up stock to make $$$ only to deprive others of sneakers they could have at retail just isn't right.......just not good karma. Resellers paying others to sit in line so they can drive up prices with less availability I absolutely can not stand. While most "limited" releases are downright nasty with there hyper-bright CWs and gimmicks, on occasion the hard to find shoes are done well and are something I want. Why someone does what they do makes all the difference. Buy what you like....and for no other reason.

I can't control what others do; I choose to not shop at Walmart for a lot of reasons, but I'm not going to picket in front of the store just to try and tell everyone why. Like I said, I choose not to be part of the problem, that's all. I'd much rather help other good-natured collectors out whenever I can than call in those favors just to make a dollar.

I used to log on daily and flutter around these forums like a wh#re, but I've been so turned off by the simple lack of humanity that I really only post in this thread, and check around for info on upcoming releases I may be interested in. To see the FAM post info, and continually help oneanother out anyway possible is exactly how everyother forum / thread should be. People posting a pic and "Yo, got these from my local spot today" when there are half a dozen posts asking where to find them, and your "local spot" takes phone orders absolutely makes me ill.


I thought on-line forums were started for information sharing, and to better whatever they are specific to. Sneaker forums, for the most part, seem to be the exception to that rule. Not sure why, but love to see the FAM doing things how it should be done.

The flaunting, and every "big-time" collector just trying to outdo the last post, instead of sharing info, and helping others out makes me absolutely sick to my stumach as well. The way I look at it, is that I can't fix everything, and I'll make of it what I like. I don't post most of my pick-ups, and there are a handfull of friends and fellow collectors that I talk with daily. I'll always share and help anyone I can, not to try to make a dent in how screwed up this hobby is, but because it's right.

As for your particular dilema.....I can't speak to it very accurately. Nobody thinks I'm important enough to be shipping me piles of free shoes. If they did I'd like to say that I'd just take what I like, rock em, stack em, and love life, but not being in your shoes makes it easy to say that. I loved dope sneakers growing up, and still do. Most of my favorites are ones that take me back to my childhood. With every super-hyped release I'm reminded of why I started stacking boxes......because of the shoes, not the hype around them. I don't care if a shoe is 1 of 1.....ugly is ugly. Everyone has different taste, and everyone started messin with shoes for a slightly different reason. It's well known that you have / had put together one of the largest collections known about.........over 2,000 pairs from what I've read. You've also said that you don't wear any of them. If you bought all these up with the initial intention to sell em off down the road then do what you do. If you bought them out of love only to have the whole state of things change how you look at them.....then I don't know. To each his own, and everyone / everything evolves.....hopefully for the better, but not most of the time.

I could go on for days and days and pages and pages about what's wrong with the sneaker thing, but I'll end by saying Team AM Fam is a bright light in an awfully dim hobby. Each and everyone who posts, contributes, and helps out here has genuinely restored a good bit of faith in me.


-Andrew-

a, sorry for the late reply. I dont stay current enough and this thread seems to move fast so apologies in advance for missing this one.
i dont wanna hear about the"kids". Its too easy of a cop out. We are all the same if you ask me because when i see pics of those sneaker stroke shows or the tasteful nude pics that that culture vulture steve from sole collector does of dudes and their shoes its grown $@@ men. It is a different generation but to me the "kids" are still most of you on these boards. I try to be a "kid' but im well past that status.
But yes, its become a big clusterfuck. Shoe stroke sites, shows, mags,.....just sheer and utter excess.
Some of what i like to call the "sneaker gods" who u all look up to and think are the cream of the crop are the biggest cheats and resellers out there. But its all coming back because reselling isnt what it used to be. Even size run of the crap supleeeeme puts out now. The margin isnt there. It amuses me how many of you cannot find a hook up at your local shop or any shop. Be nice, normal, courteous and have $$$ and buy some releases maybe you will break even on because that will enable you to buy the releases you can make more on if you want to go that route. Shops are loyal to you if you are loyal to the shop. You think i could just buy 10 or 15 pairs of heinikens or calis but never buy another sb from said skate shop. Nope. You buy the majority of teh stuff , build a rapor and you can be a reselling machine. But again, if you have to wait a second in line or you may or may not get what you want then you dont have that connect. You either have it or dont. If you can get your pairs when the people are sleeping out for a shoe, or walk in that day or go a few days later and grab what you want then you are doing real good. But again that takes time, tenure, and u have to take the good with the bad.
when i used to get someone a shoe i got it for my exact price. and if it came out the back door or from a skater for a few bucks thats what i sold it for. I was never a reseller. Shoes are a +*$$*@ business. Well i cant say that because now i do very well but again i am selling shoes that i have stored for 6 to 15 years. So my case isnt typical.
I think reselling now a days is great for the consumer. For you guys. If theres only 500 pairs of said shoe made, 504 will be on ebay. Thats not exactly a limited grail type shoe. Most buy to sell. But a lot of times they get jammed up with the product because they assume they can double, triple or whatever their investement. Problem is everyone else who is buying that shoe is thinking the same thing. This isnt for all shoes so please no one reply with "well this shoe wasnt like that and this hsoe etc etc" but IN GENERAL thats what i see. If you are patient you can get the shoe at a steal from a reseller of today. To truly be an effective reseller you have to be able to hold those shoes atleast 2 years. Most cant.
I think its noble of you to not steal someone else's pleasure but i think you are shorting yourself then because if you have a connect take advantage of it. Thats how it goes in life. The person you feel sorry for wouldnt piss on you if you were on fire. Maybe dont kill em on price if that settles your conscience. But in my mind selling shoes sucks. I hate this. I cant stand having a shoe sold 5 times and no one pays. Or people say " i will offer you $200 for this shoe" and i say "ok heres my paypal" and then they say "well i was just seeing if that works and if i have the money or i cant get some other shoe i may get this from you". Like i said between the shops and people the shoe business is a waste of time. There is no integrity or professionalism in it.
I think if you stick with your handful of pals and NT friends you all can get anyshoe and get a great price and it all works out in the end. And if someone acts up or burns you then they can get a kick in their rubberhole and you are better off for it. IT has to be mutual and not ticky tac stuff. You and your group have to be in it for the long haul. You have to have faith that your favors will be repaid. If they arent then that person is a scumbag and your better off knowing it sooner than later. In the end most peiople will be scumbags so its best to just work the stores local, regional, and international. Make connections and do it yourself. I have two people i still trust in this shoe thing. One is a "shoe god". The other i dont even think has ever posted or has an account on NT.
I never bought a shoe to sell it unless it was for someone like ben hundreds in 2001 or someone like that. And again it was for what i paid. Or for a select few others who i previsouly listed that i still trust.
But truthfully i just wanted every shoe. And the prices i was getting them for were phenominal. Why by 1 when you can get 5 for the price fo 1. Or get it at 50% off or more. Or get a line up shoe a week after and a few sizes in that line up shoe to boot. Its not bragging its just how it happend for me and what i did. But i still have the same connects, same stores, if they are around but i dont mess with it. Why? because i cant stand dealing with 99% of teh people who are trying to buy the shoes. They feel entitled and my favorite question i often pose back to people is "would you sell me that shoe for that price that you want me to sell it to you for"...then all i hear is crickets....Like i said, i had certain situations happen where i had to sell them. And a primary one was i was dead broke, with a heavy restitution to pay, and no one wanted to keep my shoes in their own homes/spaces anymore. To them the shoes were like junk. So they want the trash out of their place. They held them for years. So i am a reseller yes. But i dont feel bad about it. And i dont feel bad about the fact that i bought a lot of these shoes for severely reduced rates years ago and now u all on NT have valued them at premium prices. Id be a fool to say i like your offer but i want to make less so let me sell them to to you for retail from 8 years ago , and id still be making a great profit. Its a business now.
I have no clue what i just wrote, and am sure there is no point or maybe a point or two and prolly didnt even answer your reply but thats what came out. best to you sir. Thansk for your kind words and support.