Recently at the Urban Syndicate we had the opportunity to attend the inaugural IRL Offspring Sunday Discussion. The event itself was superb, providing a wide range of discussion topics and a lovely dinner.
The most captivating question to me however was the one about raffle culture and whether the sneaker industry is better off for it, or if we were better lining the streets the old fashioned way.To understand where we are today and the rise of raffle culture within sneakers we need to understand where the industry has come from and how we have progressed to where we are today.
Before raffles were introduced, hopeful buyers flocked to the streets in the early hours of the morning waiting for a store to open in the hopes of securing the latest release, To many who have been in the scene for an extended period of time, those days are sorely missed, gone is the human interaction, the networking and the true hunt for shoe.
In this modern age of consumerism where everyone has a mobile device most retailers have moved to an online raffle based system, there are still the odd few releasing via FCFS in store releases however these are few and far between. Typically these are seen by smaller independent skate stores and rarely seen from large retails, however END recently released the A Ma Maniere Jordan 4 as. FCFS release in select stores nationwide.
The reason releases have now moved to an online platform are plentiful, however the most notable would be safety concerns. Far too many times in the past, releases became chaotic and on the extreme end resulting in violence. This was most recently seen at a release by Size? Birmingham where two men were seen fighting over a pair of dunks outside the store on release day.
Although this was a small isolated incident the potential danger of these releases can be highlighted by the riot at the 2005 Pigeon dunk drop in New York. This release resulted in a literal riot with hopeful attendees camping out for up to three days prior to the release. The SB Dunk Low Pigeon was a turning point for sneaker culture in more than one way; however in this case it distinctly highlights the dangers of pre-raffle culture within the sneaker industry and the need for a safer way to release pairs.
Along came 2015 which saw the launch of both the SNKRS and Confirmed apps by both Nike and Adidas who clearly sensed a shift was needed in the way sneakers were released to the public.
With both of these applications having been around for almost 10 years at this point it’s fair to say we have enough experience to go on as to how these raffle releases have affected sneaker culture. Nike and Adidas are by no means the only brands/retailers raffling shoes via an app or online form, almost all large retailers including Footpatrol, Offspring, END and others are using online raffles to select users to purchase pairs both online and in store.
By no means however is the current raffle system without flaw. Although it has mostly removed the rowdy nature of drop day for most it has created numerous other problems. From botting, proxy entries and backdooring to faulty applications and a lack of community the raffle system has potentially caused more harm than good.
Amongst the problems listed above the biggest and most prevalent problem is the one of raffle botting. Whether botting SNKRS, Confirmed or another retailer this unfair numbers advantage against genuine users is unacceptable and out of control. Those who use bots can be seen checking out multiple pairs sometimes in the hundreds of the latest release on any platform taking these pairs away from genuine end users. This is the same case for proxy entries whereby friends and family’s data is used to enter a raffle; however all pairs will still be going to the same individual.
Regardless of the raffle method, whether it be Google form or application based there are countless ways for dishonest entries to be let through. Although in the past people were able to secure multiple pairs through queuing up, this still required a modicum of effort for all parties; however now these false entries can be submitted from anywhere in the world, and almost an infinite amount of times.
As we have established there are issues with both systems of release, however the biggest drawback of the online raffle system we are yet to discuss. To me and many involved in the industry the culture and people are what makes this community truly special, it’s also something which the online raffle system is distinctly lacking.
No more are we able to meet new like minded individuals queuing in line for a new pair. There are retailers such as Offspring and Footpatrol organizing events and such to help newer sneakerheads engage with the already established community. These efforts are vital as without the community aspect of sneakers there’s nothing to define the industry and without the people there is no culture.
As mentioned it’s brilliant to see events being hosted by retailers which really engage the community and bring everyone together. Hopefully more retailers follow the lead of the two listed above as it would be a real shame to lose what makes this special.
Whilst I feel both have their pros and cons I think we are working towards a happy balance between the two. As the sneaker industry is about community it would be great to hear what the Urban Syndicate community thinks regarding this topic.
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