Sneaker Collecting: A Guide for Beginners

Did you know that the Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordans sold for $2 million and is one of the most valuable pairs of shoes ever created so far? While this pair might be far too expensive for the average person, there are plenty of shoes you can buy instead of you want to get started with sneaker collecting. People who collect sneakers tend to be called sneakerheads and their sneaker collections can range from a few dozen to hundreds or even thousands of pairs of shoes.

You will find that many guides for collecting new sneakers online list a lot of rules for what constitutes a “good” collection. However, you don’t need to follow these rules. Instead, the most important thing to remember when collecting is to only collect the shoes you personally like.

This guide, however, will show you a few tips to follow if you’re unsure how to start a collection of sneakers.

Set a Goal for Your Sneaker Collection

If you don’t have a goal when you buy sneakers for your collection, you might start buying shoes that you don’t particularly like or need just to build up your collection. This is not a good way to start building your collection. Rather, this is a good way to accumulate a lot of junk shoes that you won’t know what to do with.

By setting a goal, you can start putting your collection in motion and see it grow the way you want it to grow. For example, say you have the goal of wanting to collect vintage-style or true vintage sneakers like Adidas Country OG shoes. By setting this goal for yourself, you won’t have to worry about buying all the thousands of other brands and styles of shoes you might find inside shoe stores or online.

This can narrow down your collection quite a lot and save you a lot of money as well. More than that, you can better curate and fine-tune your collection. If you are a fan of vintage-style sneakers, you might even enjoy organizing these sneakers by the year in which they were released.

Another goal you could set for yourself is collecting shoes based on their brand. For example, maybe you want to collect every version of Air Jordan sneakers that have ever been released. This may be a difficult goal to fulfill, but you might find it fun to go hunting all over for all the different kinds of Air Jordan sneakers, especially the ones that might not be manufactured anymore.

These goals are, of course, only suggestions. It is important for you to come up with your own goals that motivate you and allow you to build your shoe collection in the way you want it.

Don’t Spend All Your Money at Once

Some people get so excited about the idea of starting a shoe collection that they immediately go out and buy as many pairs of shoes as their wallet will allow. This, of course, is no way to start a shoe collection. As a matter of fact, it might be a very good way to end your shoe collection because you’ll have to be paying off your credit card bills for a long time before you can even begin to imagine buying more shoes.

Instead, you should start slow and steady with your collection even though it might be tempting to buy a few more pairs of shoes. By starting slow, you can give yourself time to figure out the goals of your collection. You will also have the opportunity to discover other types of shoes and see what kind piques your interest the most.

More than that, you will be able to save yourself money. After all, some shoes, especially rare ones or pairs that are no longer made, can be very expensive. Very expensive shoes may be good for the occasional splurge, but they shouldn’t be a regular thing otherwise your finances might suffer.

If you find yourself worried about your budget, you can try limiting yourself to buying a pair of shoes for your collection as a reward for something you have recently accomplished. For example, if you got a promotion at work, you might allow yourself to buy an expensive pair of shoes. Or maybe you can treat yourself to some new shoes after finishing a hard college exam or essay.

Whatever the case, by taking it slow, you will find that you will better be able to stay motivated without destroying your budget.

Look Out for Great Deals

Shopping online has never been easier and, for the same reason, finding deals has never been easier as well. When you buy shoes at a physical store, you are limited to the deals you might find there. On the other hand, when you shop online, you can search for deals and sales to your heart’s content.

Many stores online will have different deals, sales, and prices in general for certain brands or styles of shoes. Websites like eBay might also sell some pairs of shoes for very low prices if they are used. Of course, if you want only brand-new shoes for your collection, you’ll have to spend a little more.

Remember that big sales tend to happen around the holidays such as Christmas. So, if you’ve been eyeing some shoes that you can’t quite afford, try waiting until the holidays.

How to Start Sneaker Collecting

Sneaker collecting may seem daunting if you’ve never tried it before, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll find it can be very fun and rewarding. By starting slow and setting goals for yourself, you can end up with a very interesting sneaker collection in no time.

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Robert Griffith

Robert Griffith is a content and essay writer. He is collaborating with local magazines and newspapers. Robert is interested in topics such as marketing and history.