10 Ways To Better Enjoy Your Sneaker Hobby

We are all sneaker enthusiasts. Wether we collect, rock, stock, resell or just read about sneakers, there is no doubt the hobby means a lot to a lot of us.

That being said (and I hope I am not alone in this) there are times when it is all a bit much. Sneaker social media and the recent sneaker boom took a hobby I had – that no one understood – and made it mainstream. There is no turning back the clock, no going back to when it felt like only me and two of my buddies were hip to kicks but here are 10 things I do to keep the hobby feeling special.

Follow Fewer Sneaker Accounts On IG

If you are anything like me, as you become aware of others who share this hobby you instinctively follow them on Instagram. I personally follow 795 people on Instagram and of them 60% + are sneaker related. I would like to get that down to about 30%. Why? So that my feed can fill up with some of my other interests and so that Im not looking at 100 photos of the same sneaker every Saturday. Find the accounts you enjoy the most (we hear KicksOnFire is pretty dope) and begin to clear the clutter – it will make the sneaker posts that do hit your feed that much more dope.

Know What To Look For To Avoid Fakes

It is no secret that fake sneakers have saturated just about every sneaker marketplace and media platform. Very high quality fakes (also known as “Unauthorized Authentic”) are extremely hard to spot and while some sneaker marketplaces, like Kixify, work very hard to eliminate them you still need to be familiar with what to look for. This Fake Sneaker Reddit and Fake_Education on Instagram can be great resources!

Try New Brands

I know, I know… a lot of you are ridiculously loyal (for whatever reason) and if it doesn’t have a Swoosh or Jumpman on it, you want no part of it. Still, some of the best times I have had in sneakers has been discovering a great new model or brand. In a time where every month brings ten new retro models, its old and tired – get out and try something new, like BRANDBLACK.

Become A Twitter Master

Twitter is probably the most over-cluttered, pile of sneaker mess there is on the internet. When you first stumble across “Sneaker Twitter” you may become enamored by the notion of meeting so many like minded people – and it is great for that, which rules! With that also comes scams, twitter-bots, spam, “hey please RT this man,” trolls, unsolicited affiliate links, whining (oh, so much whining) and repetitive content. Use Twitter’s mute and block abilities masterfully: don’t be scared to unfollow (you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings), cut down your sneaker news/content follows to only the best (like KicksOnFire) to cut down on repeat news and even try setting your mentions to only show people you follow. You can turn all that “noise” into a cool, calm spot to hop in and talk kicks with those who’s opinions matter most to you.

Don’t Overpay A Reseller

Reselling is quick, relatively easy money – for as long as sneakers are popular and certain releases are limited, they will end up in the hands of resellers. Not every reseller is out to destroy your funds though and knowing what a sneaker’s resale value should be can help prepare you to negotiate and avoid be gouged. Check out cool services like ShoeFax for the information you need!

P.S. Remember when kids just played Manhunt for fun?

Note from Juan: Manhunt? The game where you can garrote somebody with a plastic bag. Wait, what?

ID Some Kicks

Nike ID, Miadidas, even New Balance offers a custom sneaker ordering process. In a time when it is becoming harder and harder to avoid running into a dude in the same kicks, custom ordering your own can help to renew the feeling of being the only kid on the block with the freshness. By the way Nike, here are some ideas about how Nike ID could be even better.

Avoid The Hype

I know, easier said than done. Everything is tuned to hype releases. Not only does Nike and Jordan brand want you to be rabid for there next release but so do the resellers, who hope that you want them bad enough to pay above retail. Every release has a company nickname and paper-thin backstory. For some, it is the fun of it all, for others (myself included) it gets a bit heavy. Try taking sneakers at face value. Do you like the way they look? Sweet. Get the release info from our release calendar and sit out all the hype mongering.

 

Score Below Retail

Nothing is as exciting as catching a deal on a sneaker you have been eying. Whether its a deal site or your favorite Twitter account that is always kicking out promo codes and discounted links – saving money on this hobby is something we all enjoy.

Set Up A Dope Sneaker Space

It sounds silly, I know, but having hundreds of pairs of sneakers is silly before you display them. One of the funniest parts of my time in the hobby has been getting a place with space specifically allotted for sneakers (my sneaker room is in the video).  It gives you a chance to re-experience your kicks, and admire your favorites.

Stay True To You

The best advice I can give you to continue to enjoy your sneakers is to remember the sneakers that got you into the hobby in the first place. Remember to appreciate them and the nostalgia even if no one else does. Sit back and wait for them to retro, again.

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