A former pharmacist quitting his job at Chemist Warehouse will generate $20 million in sales within 12 months of opening more than 10,000 pairs of designer sneaker stores.
Edwin Low of Melbourne bought a pair of sneakers for $500, which he thought were “rare” from a Facebook group seller, but felt “defeated” when he opened the box to discover that the shoes were fake.
“The seller had a legitimate Facebook profile, but when I tried to get my money back, he blocked me right away,” he told FEMAIL.
“I quickly told my friends and was shocked when they said that almost everyone who bought sneakers on social media eventually fell for a scammer.”
After that experience, he opened the Secret Sneaker Store, an outlet that protects customers from buying fake sneakers online and allows them to choose from over 1,000 limited edition styles, from Yeezy to Jordan and Nike. put it on the market.
“My traditional Malaysian family thought I was crazy for giving up my regular job at the Chemist Warehouse to pursue my dream of opening a sneaker store,” Edwin said.
A former pharmacist is expected to make $20 million within 12 months of opening a branded sneaker store with more than 10,000 pairs of shoes.
The store resells limited edition sneakers to protect customers from buying fake sneakers online and choose from over 1,000 limited edition models.
Before launching the brand, Edwin admitted that he initially “didn’t have the money” as he had just graduated from college.
Working as a student pharmacist, Uber driver, and Airtasker, he used all his savings to move the grass to keep the business going.
“My parents still think I’m crazy, but at least now they’re bragging to their friends that I’m successful and crazy!” said Edwin.
Before launching the brand, Edwin admitted that he “had no money” because he had just graduated from college.
“I thought I would need at least 400 pairs of shoes to get started, so instead of buying inventory why not try to find a way to help people sell sneakers,” I thought.
“But I wasn’t sure if this concept would work, and I hired a few people from my friends and family to collect sneakers.”
Since 2017, 31 employees have confirmed more than 100,000 pairs of limited-edition sneakers, with prices ranging from $150 to $14,500 for a pair of Nike x Louis Vuitton Air Force 1.
Another challenge of starting a business from scratch was reputation, as Edwin knew it would be difficult for customers to initially trust his brand with expensive sneakers.
From there, he opened a pop-up store for a week to test the concept after buying sneakers from vendors, and it was a huge success.
“People were lining up to buy and sell shoes, and sometimes before we even put the sneakers on the shelf, customers would ask us about their sizes and if they could buy them,” he said.
Since that week alone, he’s spent $16,000, which was huge at the time.
Today the Secret Sneaker Store spans three locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Chadstone
“Everything we sell goes through a rigorous authentication process where shoes are marked with our tamper-proof authenticity label to mark them legally,” Edwin said. “There is no room for error because our reputation depends on it.”
Today, the Secret Sneaker Store is located in three locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Chadstone.
“Everything we sell goes through a rigorous authentication process where shoes are marked with our tamper-proof authenticity label to mark them legally,” Edwin said.
“There is no room for error because our reputation depends on it.”
In 2017, 31 employees confirmed more than 100,000 pairs of limited-edition sneakers, with prices ranging from $150 to $14,500 for a pair of Nike x Louis Vuitton Air Force 1.
In addition to the staff, the store uses a technology called “sneakerbotters” not only to verify the authenticity of the sneakers, but also to determine the sales amount of the shoes.
The store also has about 700 dealers per month.
The store also has about 700 dealers per month
When asked how to determine if a sneaker is real or fake, Edwin replied that there are usually a few key indicators, but this is always changing as scammers keep track of design changes.
When asked how to determine whether a sneaker is genuine or fake, Edwin replied that there are usually a few key indicators, but that changes all the time as scammers keep up with design changes.
Edwin said that the details his team is always looking for are the differences in color tones, the quality of the stitches, the smell and whether the number on the shoe matches the box.
“It’s a real game of cat and mouse because scammers are also knowledgeable about shoe changes,” he says.
In the store, customers can browse hundreds of products from Jordan, Nike, Yeezy, Fog Essentials and New Balance.
In-store shoppers can browse hundreds of products from Jordan, Nike, Yeezy, Fog Essentials and New Balance
Source: Daily Mail
