The vision is a slang term that describes the process of reaching a successful point in your life. In street culture, it refers to taking the entrepreneurial leap to build an "empire" by dedicating yourself to the culture of reselling streetwear and rare shoes. Among millennials, brand name sneakers and high-end streetwear sell well, and reselling them has become a side-job hobby for teens worldwide. This form of art is a break-neck winner-takes-all to see who can obtain the rarest merch and feed off buyers' materialism to secure the highest profit.
Only a few individuals can claim the title of "reseller," which is why I decided to interview Spencer Blake, (AKA 717soles on Instagram and his website), who is known to make "bank" (great profit) from his reselling business. He has been in business for almost two years. His flexible strategies and perception have earned him admiration in the reseller community, and today, he shared what the reseller life is really like.
The man Spencer himself getting business done on the move.
Anurag (A): Hey Spencer, first off, thanks for agreeing to this interview. I want to start off by asking you, what does it mean to be a reseller?
Spencer (S): No problem, this sounds great. Well, being a reseller formally is someone who buys anything that can produce profit. For me, it's more about what I do and acquire along the way. It's more about the people you meet, the late night meet-ups, traveling across country to attend events where you can buy and sell and maintaining a reputation. I've been to LA, Chicago, NYC, DC etc... just to make money, build connections or in short, just to do what I do.
A: What initially got you interested in becoming a reseller?
S: I was originally always into shoes and streetwear and the whole vibe of hype culture. When I realized I can make money off it, I jumped in on the opportunity. It was a great discovery and slightly simpler to make the decision of joining the community for me since I was already into the items involved along with the additional perk of having revenue.
A: What would you say is the hardest part of your "job?"
S: For me, the hardest part would be maintaining and keeping a social profile, keeping up with social media — like answering texts, direct messages and sales — while also keeping up with my personal life and college. It gets really hard sometimes to be able to switch between the two and keep a clear mind.
A: What may be some setbacks and negative factors in this game that you have faced along the way?
S: It takes away a good portion of my time which distracts my ability to do work from college. This also makes it harder to manage my customers at the same time. When the customers are uncooperative and not very great, it makes my job even harder.The combination of all of this plus more gets hectic a lot and hard to manage, but I do my best to handle both and live my life at the same time.
A: As an individual, do you think any normal person can reach the level of success you have acquired?
S: I mean reselling just takes some social skills and knowledge. Anyone can do it. It all just depends on how hard you work and how much time you put into it. Obviously, you need to make connections and meet people who can look out for you, but that comes with time. Just like any field, it requires patience, hard-work and dedication in order to strive in what you took on.
A: Last but not least, is there any advice you can give to new prospects who want to join in on this lifestyle?
S: If you're looking to get into reselling, try to get as much money together as you can for a startup. This will help you with having a reserve and investing money. Educate yourself on market and how to legit check whatever you're looking to buy but be smart with what you buy. Figure out what you're able to sell and where it'll sell whether it's social media or other selling platforms. Anyone can engage in this lifestyle, but only some are successful.
A: Thank you Mr. Blake for your time today, it was a pleasure to hear what you have to say.
S: No problem, this was a great talk.
As a reseller myself, I've found that it is true that reselling takes a good part of your time if you are dedicated. Along the way, you meet many useful connections and can make decent cash. Just being involved in a community where everyone is supportive is a great situation to be in. Some negatives can include people who don't cooperate or scam you. Just like in any other field, there are some who try for the easy way out. Overall though, when everyone works together to bring their vision into perspective, reselling becomes more of a lifestyle than just a hobby. It takes dedication, knowledge and patience, as Spencer said. Some people express an interest in the field to slip some easy pay into their pockets, but reselling is much more complex than social media depicts. Reselling has allowed me to develop business tactics and communication skills early on, helped me master time management and value every buck earned and well-spent. To anyone interested in this lifestyle, take Spencer's advice and keep the grind on!
