Lots of people have unique collections: bouncy balls, rocks, erasers, snow globes, beanie babies. But perhaps the most expensive and surprising are sneaker collections. More than a collection, many people who are into sneakers buy and sell them, making it into a hobby and almost a part-time job where they can earn money. These dedicated fanatics, commonly known as “sneakerheads,” are intensely passionate about their sneakers. For them, kicks are an obsession.

Sneakerheads have been buying and selling shoes since the’70s, but in an Amazon world, online shopping has completely changed the craft.

“I buy limited products and sell them for more than I paid,” senior Ethan Goldberg said.

“Everyone thought this was just a phase, and it was, until I made it into a business and started to become successful.”

Ethan began making a profit off shoes five years ago and has a lot of experience in this field. He says he became hooked with his first profitable sell, where he sold $220 sneakers for $1100. Now, he ships out at least five packages a week, mainly to Japan, Singapore, New York City and California.

“I really got started when I went to a sneaker convention five years ago,” Ethan said.  “I had swarms of people coming up to me offering all different prices.”

Junior Joe Masini has also found success through sneaker selling. He even became friends with Ethan through the sneaker business. They mainly sell online and through twitter to promote themselves.

“I buy and sell all different types of sneakers,” Joe said. “From Nike to Adidas, I am always trying to get a pair of shoes in my own hands.”

Joe has been involved with sneaker selling for over two years when his parents told him to find himself a job. Little did they know, he already created his own source of income through his sneaker collection.

“At first my parents thought I was crazy for doing this and thought it was a huge waste of time,” Joe said. “Once they noticed how much money I started making and how I can pay for all my own stuff they became really supportive.”

Joe said selling shoes became his dream “job”; he could make a lot of money while doing something he loved.

“I realized I can make $600 in a week, which is more than I made in my old job in a month,” Joe said.

Though it seems like an easy and simple way to make money, it can be frustrating. Even with years of experience, unsuccessful sales are sometimes inevitable.

“At times, it is ridiculously frustrating,” Ethan said. “There have been many times where I will wake up very early on a Saturday morning to prepare for a release and spend six hours on my computer only to find out everything is sold out. Sometimes doing this is a waste of time and sometimes it is 100 percent worth the time and effort.”

But, frustrations and failure are a part of any job and create a learning experience. Since he loves it, Masini said he wants to continue buying and selling shoes for as long as he is able to.

“My favorite things about doing this are the feeling of making hundreds of dollars in profit on just a single shoe and being able to treat myself to things I always dreamed of buying two years ago,” Joe said.

Along with regularly profiting off of sneakers, many people are using technology to their advantage. Ethan has even created a group on the app “Slack” to connect with other people doing the same things as him. Ethan said they act as a community and help each other out when needed.

“I have made a good amount of money off of doing this, but that is not what I consider to be success,” Ethan said. “Through doing this, I have made friends and connections; the money is just a bonus.”

Ethan’s motivation is to create a wildly successful business. It becomes more than just a hobby and a collection when someone is able to pursue their passion and form new relationships as a result.  

“I am not close to a multimillion dollar business, but I will be there one day,” Ethan says. “I want to be an inspiration for others.”