Where Can I Buy Vintage Men's Shoes?
Vintage men's shoes are one of those items that I never really would have expected to be such hot sellers. I guess I am a pretty low maintenance person and although a lot of people are very concerned with having the proper footwear, well, I've never thought about it all that much. There are people who are a lot more particular than me. And some people really like vintage shoes more than the shoes for sale today. Honestly, I can't think of anyplace that could possibly compare with eBay for having a choice of the vintage shoes that interest you. I've visited a lot of different types of sales over the years, and old shoes are one item that just does not show up very much. At least not in decent condition. eBay is the place to find vintage shoes that still have the original tags or show very little wear.
 |
 MENS VINTAGE 1970S THREE TONE LEATHER MAN MADE OXFORD SHOES SIZE 8D STACKS  US $.99 |  NIKE AIR VINTAGE OG ASICS FLIGHT TURF AGASSI JORDAN YOTD DS XI FOAMPOSITE LOT US $.99 |
 adidas Mens Vespa PK Mid Black Red Sneakers Original Leather Shoes Size 7 US $119.95 |  MENS NIKE AIR VENGEANCE GREY BLACK SZ 10 retro mercer max vtg jd trainer eu 1985 US $4.25 |
I learned about the popularity of vintage men's shoes totally by accident. I had gone to a church flea market and saw a pair of shoes that looked like they were brand new but they were too small for me. I thought a friend of mine might want them, so I picked them up (they were only a dollar). It turned out that they were too small for him too.
Not wanting to waste a perfectly good pair of shoes, I figured I'd put them on eBay. They were not really very old at all. They were Nikes that I guess some teenager had outgrown in a hurry. I wasn't expecting much and I didn't even watch the auction that closely because it was the only thing I had going that week. I remembered on Sunday night that they were ending, so I logged on and was shocked to see that they had sold for $57! Not a bad return on my one dollar investment.
Seeing my success with selling a pair of shoes, I started looking around the eBay completed listings and that's when I discovered how popular vintage shoes really were. Men, in particular, seem to really enjoy them. I don't know if it is a connection with the shoes of their youth, or the fact that they fit them better, but something keeps them coming back for those old wheels.
The best sellers by far seem to be vintage Adidas shoes. When I was a kid, I went through tons of them. That was back before almost everything in the way of athletic shoes was made of leather. There were pretty comfortable, but I really tore through those things.
Anyway, finding vintage Adidas shoes is pretty rare offline from what I've seen. My experience has been that the people who get these types of items are often professional estate clearing companies who get a job to clear out what used to be a store. I once dealt with a guy who did this and he had a large building full of what is known as deadstock merchandise. That is vintage clothing that was never sold for one reason or another. It may have been pulled for a seasonal change or the store may have closed, but it ends up in long term storage and then the only place to move it is the vintage market. Lucky for these guys that the vintage market has some very healthy little niches right now. Vintage shoes fill one of these niches.
Other popular vintage men's shoes include:
Air Jordan shoes. The best sellers are from the mid 1980s. In good shape you might get (or pay) $500 for these. Other Air Jordans also sell well, but a lot depends on how many bidders happen to like the pair being offered on any particular day.
Vintage Men's Boots. These sell well if they are in decent shape. Some exotic animal skin boots seem to do particulary well and can pull some hefty prices. Harley Davidson and Lucchese seem to do very well.
As you move down the list of ending prices on auctions, a very broad mix appears in vintage shoes for men. It really starts to turn in to a situation where whatever happens to catch someone's eye at the moment, just might sell. If you are a buyer, that means it is almost always worth a look to see if the vintage shoes you want are listed. For sellers, this means it is probably worth a shot to put any vintage shoes you might have up for auction. There is a good chance someone will be interested in them as long as you don't get greedy and price yourself out of the market with an outrageously high opening bid amount.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_a.png?x-id=35fa6622-d426-4aae-bcd8-5fd265964570)