Many see sneakers as an everyday essential, a fashion statement, or simply something that needs to be worn outside, that’s not the case for Piere Tran.
Piere Tran, 21, from Portland, once saw sneakers as something that was an everyday essential, but now he sees them as an opportunity to make money.
Starting when he was only 14, Piere was able to get his hands on his very first pair of sneakers, Kobe X Elite Low “Mambacural”. Rather than keeping them for himself, he saw it as an opportunity to make some quick cash. He was able to turn $200, into $350 after selling them on eBay.
“I just became hungry for more,” Piere said after his first sale. “It slowly became an addiction.”
Since then, Piere has built a name around Portland, going by his Instagram handle Portland Kicks, accumulating well over $100,000 in sales, and creating a long list of clientele.
Even though it seems like sunshine and rainbows, Piere has had many ups and downs over the years of reselling. Without a mentor, he had to learn as he went, and that meant finding out about the dark side of reselling sneakers. Dealing with scammers and unauthentic sneakers is an everyday struggle in the industry.
“I was once robbed for $7,500,” Piere said as he was reminded of the dark time. “But it motivated me to continue. ‘A minor setback for a major comeback’ is what I thought about after it happened.”
While being a full-time student at the University of Oregon, he is part of multiple clubs and takes part in multiple extracurricular activities outside of being a reseller.
“I don’t know how he does it, but he makes time for everything,” Jessica said, his long-term girlfriend. “It’s crazy how he makes time for school, clubs, social life, and his business during the week.”
Piere hopes he can show that no matter how busy someone is, they can make time for anyone and everyone. “It just takes a lot of time, learning, and finding a system that works. And once you find a system that works, it makes it easier and well worth it.”