The resale market dominates the athletic shoe industry. With the sneaker resale market tipping into the mainstream and Stadium Goods selling to Farfetch (for $250 million), the remaining competitors in the field are StockX and GOAT Group; it seems likely that the competition is bound to escalate between the two.
With the exception of a few larger volume sellers, Amazon is shifting away from the retailer model by limiting their wholesale partnerships to the most impactful partners. The rules of the consumer economy are changing faster than ever. Some of these changes have had dire consequences, especially for independent retailers and challenger brands. This week, Amazon announced that they have suspended an extraordinary number of lower volume sellers in the Direct Fulfillment (dropship) program. The Direct Fulfillment program allows vendors to dropship goods to their buyers. Additionally, some vendors stopped receiving purchase orders without explanation. And these aren’t vendors inconsequential revenue figures.
