These Are the 3 Best Ways to Buy Sneakers in 2019

Founded in Detroit by CEO Josh Luber, the online and app-based platform uses a bid-and-ask system where users submit asks to set the price and buyers submit bids. When the highest bid meets the lowest ask, bingo, you’ve got yourself a pair of sneakers. With access to sneakers before their release dates, StockX has become a known place to get your hands on a pair before anyone else, but be ready to shell out and pay top dollar to have the sneakers ahead of launch.

StockX slaps a 9.5 percent seller's fee onto all orders, but that’s just until you have made three sales. With an additional 3 percent on top for payment processing, StockX takes a total 12.5 percent as their cut of the sale. On the buying side, shipping costs $14 and that’s it. StockX throws a lot of numbers at you at first, but the bill is clearly outlined at checkout, making the process transparent so you can easily see how much you’re spending.

StockX has been hit with some controversy about product quality and verification, but that’s bound to happen when you’re dealing with a high volume. For the most part, customers are happy with the process. StockX is going strong, and recent events like its New York City pop-up have helped the company engage its following, allowing sellers to verify product in-store and receive a cash-out on the same day. It was a big hit with NYC hypebeasts looking to make some quick cash, even if it was for only a limited time.

Living up to its moniker, GOAT just might be the greatest (sneaker reselling app) of all time. Its seller verification process means that users looking to flip product have to be patient and wait before GOAT grants access to sell on the platform. Fees vary based on location with an easy $5 inside the United States and a (not so cute) $30 for outside the United States and Canada. GOAT’s advantage also rests in its cash-out process. After the sneakers are delivered and verified, the money is released to your GOAT account, allowing you to immediately spend it on another pair or deposit the money into a linked account.

GOAT’s recent merger with resale giant Flight Club garnered a cool $100 million investment from Foot Locker. The L.A.-based sneaker reselling platform got its start in 2015 and has gained notoriety for being a simple way to cop, one that rivals other resell options like Grailed, StockX and eBay. The recent Foot Locker investment and its funding history are expertly outlined on Crunchbase.

In an online and app-based world that scoffs at the old-fashioned brick-and-mortar retail world, Stadium Goods is a store that defies all the trend reports condemning walking into a store and speaking with a sales associate. Founded in 2015, Stadium Goods has quickly become one of the top destinations for sellers and sneakerheads alike. While not only a retail store—they also boast an e-commerce platform and an app—this Soho-based sneaker paradise just sold to Farfetch for $250 million. Yeah, you read that right. And they sold for a reason. Selling a vast variety of sneakers and streetwear, the store is also home turf for the hit Complex series Sneaker Shopping with Joe La Puma.

The shop works on consignment and splits the money between the seller and the shop at an 80:20 ratio, favoring the seller. Although 20 percent might not seem like enough to sustain a sneaker store, the foot traffic in an area that includes shops like Palace Skateboards, NikeLab and Billionaire Boys Club (dubbed “Clout Corridor”), means the store gets plenty of people off the streets and ready to spend. Another advantage of shopping with Stadium Goods is that sometimes it runs sales that give 15 percent off all items—a wild concept for a consignment store but a successful sales tactic. Whatever the business is doing, whether it’s the sales, the prime location or the online presence, it’s working. Stadium Goods is a reliable destination for all kinds of sneakers. A store that’s lined with product from floor to ceiling is quite a retail destination to see.