So you want to resell Supreme? Well, where do you begin? Thankfully, for every facet of Supreme culture there's an online guide to help you tap into it. Previously, Highsnobiety has detailed the best ways to buy Supreme, the best way to cop a box logo hoodie online, and we also answered Google's most asked questions about Supreme.
We're now entering the territory of reselling Supreme and how you can make some money from it. Because you can. Quite a lot, in fact. Reselling Supreme is still kind of taboo depending on who you ask. When products are already scarce, adding another link in the product-to-customer chain isn't ideal, but most people accept this as part and parcel of copping Supreme right now.
The emergence of platforms such as StockX and Grailed has certainly legitimized resell culture, and even made it safer. However, the jury's out on whether everyone is in it for the right reasons. We've covered the ways in which reselling can impact buyers in the past, particularly for sneakers. A recent episode of From The Ground Up even gave some expert insight into the rapidly expanding billion-dollar resell industry.
Put simply, there's no end in sight to reselling so we've put together a guide to help you do it in the best and safest way possible.
For this guide, we've grilled some of our most-trusted sources, resellers @sup.collector, @bullcitypreme, and from Russia, @ilyaprima, to outline everything you need to know about flipping ’preme in five easy steps. It can be a slow start, but the results can pay dividends. @Bullcitypreme told us that he's turned over about $70,000 in the last 11 months, which is almost enough to buy a Louis Vuitton toilet. Not that you want that.
Anyway, here's our ultimate five-point guide to reselling Supreme.
What Supreme clothing do you need to buy?
“Generally, I advise people to go after the items not many people have that catch a lot of attention once someone has it. For instance, I just helped Kyle sell his Meg Ryan Molodkin Sample Box Tee for $15,000. The old releases and samples will never have a limit on what value they can reach.”
“While the market is extremely dynamic, general trends tend to hold over time. The most obvious example is the box logo, which we all know you can resell for up to 40 times the retail price, like the Brooklyn opening box logo, for example. But other less obvious items have also fetched huge prices on the secondary market.
“The quickest way to crash and burn on a new resale venture is to sink too much money into dead items. By ‘dead’ I mean that there is little to no demand on the secondary market for that item. These items will often drive resale prices down to retail price or lower. In worst-case scenarios, you could end up with an item that you have to take a large monetary loss on or worse, be stuck with.”
What platform should you use to resell Supreme?
“Selling on Instagram has the advantages of carrying no added selling fees and being highly personalized. You can post whatever pictures you like, and curate your page to look however you like. You can also accept any payment methods that you’re comfortable with, as you can speak with all of your customers directly and send them a PayPal invoice or Square Cash request.
“If possible, always use PayPal as your platform to take payments and always use a PayPal invoice. Also, once you have a PayPal account, ensure you upgrade to a business account so you can take frequent payments left and right without a problem. PayPal invoice is the best option, because that way PayPal takes its percentage of every transaction, which is 2.9%, and also gives the seller proper seller protection and the buyer proper buyer protection. So everything is settled by PayPal if a problem were to arise.
“The biggest downside to Instagram is that it is now very hard to grow your page organically. As new algorithms favor posts from pages with the most engagement, it can be nearly impossible to break through the most basic level of having just a few hundred followers.”
“Grailed is great because it’s a highly specialized marketplace focused only on men’s fashion, offering a much larger platform of users than a single Instagram page, though still less than eBay. The transaction fees for Grailed are not as much of a deterrent, as they are smaller than eBay, but they’re still important to consider when you price your items. In the past, Grailed has had serious issues with scammers both buying and selling on that platform, but they recently upgraded to a PayPal marketplace, meaning that every seller has a certified PayPal business account.”
“I use only Russian social network marketplaces to sell or buy Supreme. Often I will buy it cheaper than the retail price there. A lot of Russian kids are just starting to resell because they think it’s cool. For them, it’s an honor to be a Supreme reseller and this ‘trend’ has now ruined all business here. I come from the streets, and I prefer to do my business there, too. For me, the best way to resell Supreme is with hand-to-hand fast cash and nothing more.”
“Me personally, I only use Instagram. It’s the best way to reach out to the right people, using hashtags on every post. Celebrities always use the hashtag and that’s been proven countless times. Instagram is where everyone always tends to be roaming. eBay is okay, too, but they take their own fees out every month and I don’t take kindly to that.”
How do you ship Supreme to buyers?
“Always use signature confirmation so you know it will really get there and someone has to sign for it. It might cost a bit more, but it’s worth it to add on insurance, so if an item gets lost, the postal service has to reimburse you for it. It’s the best way to always be safe.”
“The best way to ship is as simple as two plus two. You take your package and use premium shipping companies. But this way can be like Russian roulette; sometimes it’s extremely hard, sometimes it’s extremely expensive, and sometimes it takes too much time. Our postal service is unpredictable as fuck. That’s why I prefer a face-to-face meeting if possible.”
“Always, always ship in the safest way possible. Choose materials that are durable and will withstand the journey to wherever they are going. Don’t skimp on securing the package with tape or bubble wrap and padding if necessary. Always take the extra step of insuring your package for its full value, even if it costs a few extra dollars. It is always the seller’s responsibility to cover the cost of a damaged or lost package, so don’t be caught unprepared in this scenario. If the cost is high, ask your buyer to give a little more money to cover the extra insurance. Trust me, they will always appreciate the extra care in the long run. While it almost always takes more time and money, it is literally always worth it.”
How do you grow your Supreme resell page?
“A consistent inventory of new product for your page will bring more attention and keep your page relevant. Make sure your page is consistent, with detailed pictures and everything else, so the set up is appealing and trustworthy. People appreciate sellers who take the time to make their set up look professional. It makes them more comfortable doing business. Supreme isn’t cheap; I invest $50,000-$60,000 at a time and go from there.”
“The most simple answer to this question is time and effort. Over the past couple of years on Instagram, I have easily spent 40+ hours a week creating content for my page, posting, answering messages, sending invoices, receiving payments, and just talking with my customers and followers. Always post good, consistent pictures. High-quality photos are really important. Make sure your shots are clear and centered in the post. Don’t post too much, even when you have good photos. Do giveaways to gain followers. Admittedly, this used to work a little better with the old Instagram algorithms, but it still works okay today. Giving away cheap-but-fun items every couple of months or so draws new people to your page and keeps your current following more engaged and excited.”
Which products gain the most value over time?
“As a general rule, almost everything increases in value over time, even if it does have a high resale price on drop day. Items that tend to gain the most value over time are box logos, photo tees, limited edition artist collaborations, skateboard decks, accessories, and stickers. Stickers are a personal obsession of mine, and probably the part of my collection that has grown the most in value over the past few years. They are honestly great investments, with some bricks — 100 count — of stickers that were sold for $100-$300 years ago worth $3,000+ now. If you’re going to hold things over time to resell, though, it is important to keep them in excellent shape.
“To maximize profits, it’s best to keep collected items in deadstock condition in their original packaging. For tees and hoodies, keep them folded and stored in a dim, cool, and dry place. I use plastic storage bins to keep all of my items protected from dust and damage. Decks and fragile items I keep wrapped in bubble wrap. As you acquire more and more items, you really do need an organized plan to keep things neat, clean, and protected. Otherwise, you end up losing potential profit to something completely avoidable.
“In the event that you don’t keep something deadstock or you actually acquire a used item that you want to resell in the future, there are methods that you can use to restore the condition to something more desirable for buyers. There is a really popular method used in the community for whitening and redyeing tees, known affectionately as “The 541 Method” to credit the inventor @kyansol, so that you can charge a higher premium. In fact, many resellers make good profit just by doing work like this and don’t even have to bother with reselling new Supreme pieces.”
For more tips, check out our guide on how to buy Supreme, right here.
If you would like to know the history of Supreme, watch below.
