On the hunt for some killer heat? Then look no further than local lad Montana Inc who is selling up large with an array of kicks and proddy that will make you salivate into your SBs. From Yeezys to Jordans this cat has it all, and all for a good price. A rising trend in the sneaker game, personal online sneaker consignment stores are popping up on the regular as heads take reselling into their own hands by cutting out the middleman. After co-running Adelaide's finest sneaker swap meets, Montana has created a close network of hook ups, which has helped him amass one neck breaking crate of kicks. Late Show Nikes – he's got them. All three pairs of Yeezys? In the bag. How about Entourage's enigmatic Laser-etched AF1s... yep, Montana is about to become your new best friend! Did we mention there's a whole swag of Supreme, A Bathing Ape, W)taps and more for sale as well? We hit up the good man to find out just why he's selling off some of the illest sneakers and apparel we've seen in a long minute.
Hey Montana Inc! Before we jump in, let's go back to where it all started. How and when did you get involved with the sneaker scene?
I started the same way as many other heads – two words... Michael Jordan. Growing up it was all about collecting basketball cards, watching the Chicago Bulls destroy all competitors and wearing Air Jordans. After nagging my parents for long enough they finally caved in and I got me my first pair of real sneakers - the Bordeaux Air Jordan 7. I still remember picking them up off the shelf, just knowing I had to have them. Those were the good ol' days. There's no better feeling then getting a brand new pair of sneakers, the feeling might not be as strong but even to this day I still get excited opening up a new pair of kicks. I guess now that I'm old enough and able to buy my own sneakers, buying sneakers has become a similar addiction to collecting basketball cards. And yes, it IS an addiction!
Being from a smaller city like Radelaide, what were the challenges you faced copping all this amazing and limited product? I wouldn't say living in a smaller city has made it more of a challenge then any other city, as long as you have an Internet connection and a postal address there's nothing stopping anyone. But it does help knowing who to ask and where to look. After co-running Sneaker Swap meet events in Adelaide with a good friend of mine, Nick Thomson, it didn't take long to realize just how many big collectors there were in this little city of ours. Also not having to line up at the crack of dawn for a pair of Nikes does have its advantages on release days. The biggest challenge I've come across online is the same for everyone interested in buying sneakers limited or otherwise: It's the amount of fake sneakers constantly flooding the marketplace. We're even starting to see some local stores stocking fake gear. Having been burned a couple of times myself, I know how easy it is to be sold fakes - it's a rookie mistake and has happened to the best of us. The best advice I can give to anyone new on the scene is, if it sounds to good to be true then 9/10 it normally is. When buying online always check feedback, post on legit check forums, and try to buy off well-known sites where possible.
What was the decision to start the blogspot and sell off most of your sneaker and proddy collection?
It's an idea I've been contemplating for awhile. I've done the consignment thing in stores before but quickly became tired of chasing money for items already sold and after hearing horror stories of similar or worse things happening to people interstate it seemed like a good idea to start my own blog/online store and be 100% in control. When I finally decided it was time for a clean out, the blog was only really one option for the amount of gear I had. Doesn't it seem a bit sad to have amassed this collection to only sell it all off? Yes and no. What seemed like a good pickup at the time might seem like a waste of money four years later. Buying double or triples of a certain pair always knowing you've got a pair on ice should you ever feel like breaking that pair out becomes old quickly... not to mention knowing there's a pair of kicks in my closet that someone else could be wearing and enjoying instead of collecting dust. It's a funny thing, sometimes I'll open a box up and see a pair of kicks I've totally forgotten about only to think what the hell was I thinking buying these or why the hell haven't I been wearing them!
It seems a little like there may have been an intention to sell your kicks from day dot considering most of the limited edition ish is deadstock...is this true? Did you consider your sneakers as cash?
I wouldn't say there was an intention to sell my sneakers, I can honestly say I bought every pair I own fully intending to wear them. Sometimes certain models of sneakers don't look right or fit correctly, so they gotta go. I don't know if it's just me but it's a hard thing to break the cherry on a brand new pair too, especially if they've been difficult to source. There's been countless times where I've laced up a brand new pair only too get one step before the door, look down and say ‘nahhhh', take them off and tell myself I'll wear them next time. I found myself with a lot of limited deadstock sneakers in my closet I guess also knowing there's always the opportunity of being able to sell or swap a pair for something new in the back of my mind too. I don't really see my collection as money; I do it because I love sneakers. If you're only in it for the money then don't waste your time, you'll be much better off putting your money in the bank earning interest or buying property rather than the latest pair of hyped sneakers. I wouldn't consider myself a re-seller either; I've never lined up overnight and bought 10 pairs just to re-sell at a profit the next day. Not that I have anything against that - sometimes you have to pay extra to get the limited gear and I'm cool with that. I mean, there's that argument that true sneaker heads will always rock their kicks no matter how exclusive, but were you aware of the value of each shoe, hence keeping them deadstock to sell off in the future? I do what I do... maybe some people might not consider myself to be a true sneakerhead because I have DS pairs in my closet. At the end of the day I'm wearing what I like. The majority of sneakers I wear I haven't listed on my site as their still in rotation. I'm defiantly aware of the value of each shoe so I go out of my way to make sure no one steps or spills beer on them. But mostly I'm aware because I've just dropped a week's wages on them! I always try to wear something nobody else is... nothing worse for a sneakerhead to see someone else rocking the same pair of kicks they've been waiting to break out for that special occasion.
What's the interest been like in the site? Are people buying?
The interest has been better than I expected. After testing the waters on the Sneaker Freaker sale forums I started posting on various other forums with decent responses. It's hard selling to people overseas - buyers in the US aren't willing to pay $40+ for shipping. I must have spent thousands of dollars over the years on shipping alone. Australia Post must love me. Unfortunately there are loads of lowballers. Don't even get me started on the lowballers!
Why do you think we're seeing this rising trend of sneaker heads resorting to selling all their shoes online?
Selling online is so much easier, like I said before it gives the seller total control of pricing and payments, not to mention being able to show what you have on offer to a global market rather then a handful of locals that may or may not be interested. Listing online gives you a rare opportunity to directly target those people that are actually looking to buy a specific pair of sneakers. As for why people are selling, I'm sure they all have their reasons - houses, cars, children..... Prescription painkiller addiction?? It could be anything. Some people may just think it's time to hang up the boots...literally. All I know is guys like me aren't getting any younger but our collections are growing week by week, so now seems like a good time for me to have a bit of a clean-out. That's not to say I'm growing out of sneakers, but my tastes in kicks have definitely changed over the years as well as a mindset about buying in general. Personally, now days I'd rather pass on buying three or four pairs of general release sneakers, instead using that money to buy one pair of a more limited or sought-after release. It's more quality over quantity.
Tell us about some of these killer kicks... all three Yeezys? Are you kidding? I know the Zens dropped in Oz, but what about the rest?
Hmm where to begin? Probably one of my rarer sneakers that always turns a lot of heads would have to be my pair of Air Force One Entourages, released through Undefeated in LA in conjunction with an episode of the HBO's TV show. I got them off a seller in the US that needed some cash fast. I was more then happy to help him out! As for the Yeezys, I was lucky enough to score a pair of the Zen Yeezys locally, Tans from a hookup in the US and the Blk/Pinks - well I can't say but I'm sure a few fellow Sneaker Freaker members know what I'm talking about. You either love or hate the Yeezy. The "What The Dunk" SB again was lucky enough to have got a heads-up from a Nike rep on the local release, raced down to grab the first pair in my size before the store was rushed by other sneaker heads looking for their fix. Over the years I've got a lot of pairs from everyone's favorite sneaker hookup Gusto out of Tokyo. Japan is a Mecca for all dope gear. If you don't know about him it's your loss! I had his help getting nearly all of my Supreme SB colabs as well as a few other gems. I got the Kobe PE AF1s off eBay for a good deal considering I've only seen larger sizes around. I'm a big fan of Back to the Future so when the Hyperdunk McFlys released I had to pull the trigger no matter what the price was. I ended up getting a second pair many months later for a fraction of the price. Most pairs are either from trusted sellers overseas, online stores, forums, local stores or eBay. It's taken me years to be able to create a list of trusted contacts in other countries. There really isn't too much that gets released that can't be purchased at the right price.
What the hell is the deal with those Late Show Nikes?
The Late Shows were released back in 1990-something. You're either a Letterman fan or a Leno fan and if you're a Leno fan you're an idiot. Conan's cool, he gets a pass. These were given out to cast and crew only, and I stumbled across these on eBay many years ago after looking for something entirely different. With only a few minutes left in the auction I placed the opening bid and to my surprise it was the first and only bid. I haven't seen another pair anywhere before. The only thing is they're a full size too big for me but I couldn't let them go. I'm still looking for the Air Seinfeld or Home Improvement Nikes if anyone wants to hook me up??
How have you determined the pricing on each product. I know a lot of the limited editions have ‘offer only' but is it naïve to think that each shoe is worth much these days?
Pricing is a difficult thing, some people might think they're getting a good deal, other's might think I'm trying to rip them off. Different pairs can be more sought after in different countries. Basically I just look around to see what everyone else is charging and do similar. There's a few pairs on my site which I've listed as ‘offer only', it's not that I'm expecting stupid prices but more that I'm not actively looking to sell them. I'm more than happy to keep hold of them. You can be sure if they're marked as ‘offer only' then they're not the easiest pairs to find. If people are serious about a certain pair then we can talk, people that think I'm looking to give those pairs away for next to nothing better think again. It's not naïve to think some pairs still fetch high prices, a sneakers is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it, if they need that pair then they'll work overtime, sell their own gear or do whatever they need to in order to pay for it. I've done it, I'm sure many others reading have done the same.
So it's not only kicks as we've stated...tell us all the brands you'll be selling off and how cats can get in contact with you to buy?
I'm trying to appeal to as many people as possible with the different brands but many people into the sneaker scene will be familiar with most of them. Brands like Supreme, A Bathing Ape, W)taps, Visvim, The North Face, Stussy, Alife, adidas and more. They can all can be seen on the site, which I'll be updating regularly Montanainc.blogspot.com If anyone's after anything in particular just drop me an e-mail montanainc.ed@gmail.com
Any parting words? Thanks to those for taking the time to read this, I hope this has given you all a bit of an insight into why I collect/sell, all the younger sneakerheads just starting out - good luck and happy hunting. All you older heads you already know what's up. Big thanks to the crew at Sneaker Freaker for taking the time to ask me a few questions PEACE
