Here at Laced, nothing makes us happier than helping our sellers turn a profit. Trainers are no longer just for wearing, and each new release represents considerable investment potential. Think of each product as a stock, naturally, their values fluctuate up and down over time but what you as a re-seller want to become increasingly astute at exploiting is the period when a product’s value rises above its initial retail. That sweet spot is different for every shoe, and so in an attempt to assist you in this, we have created ‘Easy Money’ a monthly guide to the hottest drops which we think are a sure thing to turn a retail price investment into a lucrative return.

How to make money on the resale market

First thing you have to understand about the resale market is that it is super competitive, and getting your hands on the latest exclusive drops from design titans of the trainer world is rarely an easy undertaking. By its very nature, each shoe is highly coveted, and demand almost always outnumbers a product’s supply. That critical imbalance is the crux on which the entire resale market is finely balanced and is precisely what allows a retail investment to translate to something three times as lucrative a month down the line. People still want to buy long after all the shelves are empty, so if you can get your hands on a pair before this inevitably happens, plenty of buyers will pay a lot more for the same privilege. The trick is to find shoes you could A) feasibly obtain, B) holds considerable “hype” in the industry and C) aren’t widely available or are of limited numbers. When a product exhibits at least two of these factors, they should definitely be up for consideration, but to tell the truth, each month there are plenty of shoes that display all three, and we are about to run through some of the best coming out in May 2019.

The easiest thing to do in anticipation for any new month is to look at the release calendar, the sooner you get to terms with what is dropping in the coming weeks the sooner you can begin to prepare for their arrival. The key to this is to develop a good eye for what is going to be worth a cop, and what is going to be a total flop. Now obviously there is no 100% certified way of knowing how every shoe is going to do, sometimes products under and over perform but once you immerse yourself in trainer culture, read around, look at what is gaining the most attention, then you will be much more informed in your predictions. This will allow you to be a lot more decisive, ultimately saving you money, in the long run, preventing you from getting burnt by products that don’t get you a return.

What shoes are going to go up in value after release, May 2019?

Coming up in May we have several shoes sure to turn heads and very capable of making you a healthy profit in the process. The most eye-catching of opportunities comes early on in the form of the newly released and hotly anticipated Air Jordan 4 Bred 2019. The key to knowing this shoe is a sure thing to increase in value is by looking at its history, The Air Jordan 4 Bred has seen several iterations since its OG was launched way back in 1989, and its appeal hasn’t wavered one bit over the years. If you are able to get your hands on an Air Jordan 4 Bred 2019 at its retail price of £165, it is most certainly worth the investment. Every time the Jumpman brand has dropped a version of the Jordan 4 Bred it has sold out, and sellouts are good for us, providing you can get your hands on a pair early on.

If you want to wait a few days, another Air Jordan is dropping with a lot of potential. On 10th May for £140, you’ll be able to get your hands on the women’s exclusive Air Jordan 1 Panda. This black and white model is designed for the brand’s female fanbase and will naturally be more widely available in smaller sizes, so if you can get your hands on an unusually large size for a women’s exclusive, there are going to be a lot of male fans wanting to rep the Panda for themselves. We see this a lot with women’s exclusives where the design is so enticing that the bigger sizes, which are rarer, go for a lot more money on resale as it is the only way men can get the opportunity to wear the design. To finish off my triple threat of Air Jordan suggestions we have the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 ‘Mocha’ probably one of the most anticipated shoes of the year which drops a day after the Panda on 11th May for a retail price of £164.95. This shoes widespread appeal and delayed release has led to year high hype for the Jumpman brand, and due to the suspected limited qualities of this shoe, we suggest entering raffles in an attempt to obtain a pair as their value is sure to increase after the inevitable sellout.

To touch on just a few other big drops coming to us for May that could be worth a go, the Nike Air Fear of God 180 Black, a follow up to designer Jerry Lorenzo and Nike’s work on the Light Bone variation which is now still trading well above the £150 retail price at upwards of £185. The Black iteration is sure to trend similarly with black versions of popular silhouettes always doing traditionally well. We also after much delay see the release of the Sacai x Nike collaboration both with the LDV Waffle and the Blazer hitting shelves, but don’t be fooled, these kicks are going to be hard to get hold of. Tagged with a retail price of £140 each we can assure you the rarity of these trainers is going to lead to a sharp increase in price on the retail market not long after release, and so if you can get your hands on a pair, then for sure do.

To summarise, that was just a few of our hottest picks for May in your quest for Easy Money, but in truth, there are no one, two, three products you should be focusing on. To be successful in the weird and wonderful world of trainer resale you always need to have your ear to the ground for what’s coming and look back at what’s been; knowledge is vital. Here are Laced we are committed to being your Sherpa as you traverse the trainer landscape, so for everything trainer, and the best way to buy and sell products safely and efficiently, keep it Laced.