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> Sneakerbots killed it for everyone Ultimately I think artificial scarcity/limited production for products offered online is a futile and erroneous venture. T

by ronsor 19d ago

> Sneakerbots killed it for everyone Ultimately I think artificial scarcity/limited production for products offered online is a futile and erroneous venture. The bots exist because the product is valuable. The product is valuable because it's artificially limited.

epsteingpt 19d ago
Slightly different take IMO. There's a niche market for certain player's sneakers. If Nike services them at a price point (e.g. $200 base) then people can keep buying from Nike and will buy the next version. If instead some sneakerbot takes ALL the consumer surplus (buys for $200, resells for $1000) yes that is the actual demand curve but it hurts NIKE'S business and the consumer.
- bawolff 19d ago
  >then people can keep buying from Nike and will buy the next version. But in this scenario people can't because if they are worth $1000 but selling for $200 then they will instantly sell out. why does it hurt consumers more to not be able to purchase due to the price point instead of due to being instantly sold out?
  - tancop 19d ago
    Nike can make them not worth $1000 and get more revenue by selling more shoes. They are actively shooting themselves in the foot by putting resellers over real customers.
    - nadermx 19d ago
      For a foot company you'd think they wouldn't want themselves to have one less foot. But here we are.
  - WalterBright 19d ago
    It didn't hurt me any. I just bought a cheaper brand.
- HWR_14 19d ago
  If Nike wanted to stop that they could just take more orders at $200. It's not like a concert, they can just make more shoes.
  - mitxela 19d ago
    Or sell them at $1000 itself if that's really where the demand is at.
bawolff 19d ago
Its fine if you are targeting rich people. It doesn't work if you are targeting (relatively) poor people. You can't have both scarsity and low prices, something has to give.
- mitxela 19d ago
  You can, I only poop once a day but I still have to pay the sewage company to get rid of it (negative price).
jahller 19d ago
yes, but people will only pay up to a certain price for a sneaker if they are not collectors and only consumers. and as we now see, a shoe business is not running that well, if it mainly caters to resellers and collectors. i can remember a few instances about 5 years ago when I was really interested in a nike shoe "drop", but didnt win in the shoe lottery to purchase the show. the result? i just stopped looking at Nikes completely.
- mitxela 19d ago
  Non-collectors don't need what the bots are buying, they can just go to the store and get normal sneakers. I don't see how limited edition shoe scalping affects the normal market at all.
  - leoedin 19d ago
    I don't bother buying Nike's because every time I see a pair I like online, it turns out they're "collectibles" and sold out instantly. Yeah, I can go and buy a pair of black Nikes in any shop today. But even though they make lots of variety, they never seem to make it in enough volume that I can buy it. I'm not interested in being a collector - I just want shoes that aren't black, white or grey. So I shoes from companies that don't have as much weird hype around them.

by ronsor 19d ago

epsteingpt 19d ago

Slightly different take IMO. There's a niche market for certain player's sneakers. If Nike services them at a price point (e.g. $200 base) then people can keep buying from Nike and will buy the next version. If instead some sneakerbot takes ALL the consumer surplus (buys for $200, resells for $1000) yes that is the actual demand curve but it hurts NIKE'S business and the consumer.

bawolff 19d ago
>then people can keep buying from Nike and will buy the next version. But in this scenario people can't because if they are worth $1000 but selling for $200 then they will instantly sell out. why does it hurt consumers more to not be able to purchase due to the price point instead of due to being instantly sold out?
- tancop 19d ago
  Nike can make them not worth $1000 and get more revenue by selling more shoes. They are actively shooting themselves in the foot by putting resellers over real customers.
  - nadermx 19d ago
    For a foot company you'd think they wouldn't want themselves to have one less foot. But here we are.
- WalterBright 19d ago
  It didn't hurt me any. I just bought a cheaper brand.
HWR_14 19d ago
If Nike wanted to stop that they could just take more orders at $200. It's not like a concert, they can just make more shoes.
- mitxela 19d ago
  Or sell them at $1000 itself if that's really where the demand is at.

bawolff 19d ago

Its fine if you are targeting rich people. It doesn't work if you are targeting (relatively) poor people. You can't have both scarsity and low prices, something has to give.

mitxela 19d ago
You can, I only poop once a day but I still have to pay the sewage company to get rid of it (negative price).

jahller 19d ago

yes, but people will only pay up to a certain price for a sneaker if they are not collectors and only consumers. and as we now see, a shoe business is not running that well, if it mainly caters to resellers and collectors. i can remember a few instances about 5 years ago when I was really interested in a nike shoe "drop", but didnt win in the shoe lottery to purchase the show. the result? i just stopped looking at Nikes completely.

mitxela 19d ago
Non-collectors don't need what the bots are buying, they can just go to the store and get normal sneakers. I don't see how limited edition shoe scalping affects the normal market at all.
- leoedin 19d ago
  I don't bother buying Nike's because every time I see a pair I like online, it turns out they're "collectibles" and sold out instantly. Yeah, I can go and buy a pair of black Nikes in any shop today. But even though they make lots of variety, they never seem to make it in enough volume that I can buy it. I'm not interested in being a collector - I just want shoes that aren't black, white or grey. So I shoes from companies that don't have as much weird hype around them.