That Obsession Hit Hard
Okay, so this craving for wild 80s kicks hit me like a ton of bricks a couple months back. Not just any old Nike or Reebok, nah. I’m talking obscure stuff, the kinda things you only see in old magazine ads – brands you blink and miss in old photos. Think Etonic, Troop, Pony Gold, British Knights models that ain’t the Slam Dunk, that whole vibe. It started innocent, just scrolling Instagram, saw this dude rocking crazy abstract-print Troop high tops. Instantly needed that flavor in my life. Realized quick that wasn’t gonna be easy.
Thrift Stores? Forget It (Mostly)
My first instinct was hitting every thrift shop in a 50-mile radius. Massive waste of gas, honestly. Spent whole weekends digging through dusty shoe racks. Found some funky 90s stuff, maybe a beat-up pair of common Adidas here and there, but zilch on the truly rare birds. It felt like looking for a specific needle in a haystack made of… other needles. Kept striking out. Got kinda frustrated, ya know?
Online Basics Were a Bust Too
Switched gears online. Hit up the usual places first – eBay, Depop, the big resale spots. Typed in stuff like “rare 80s sneakers” or “vintage obscure trainers.” Talk about flooded. Millions of Air Force 1s, beaten-up Converse, maybe some Diadoras if you’re lucky. Scrolling felt endless. Sellers use those terms loosely. I found one pair claiming to be “ultra rare Troop” – turns out they were just newer Troop re-releases, not true vintage. Money almost wasted. Learned quick: generic searches get you generic junk.
Learning the Secret Handshake (Sorta)
Kept pushing, diving deeper into comment sections on vintage sneaker pics, falling down weird forum rabbit holes (you know the old-school type, looks like they haven’t updated since Netscape Navigator). Started noticing patterns. Names of smaller forums kept popping up, places where the real nerds hang out. Also saw collectors mentioning specific models with weird internal brand codes instead of just the common names – “BK07” instead of “British Knights Slam Dunk,” that kinda thing. Felt like cracking a tiny part of a code.
Key Stuff That Actually Works:
- Go Niche or Go Home: Gave up on eBay generics. Instead, started searching eBay using those specific internal model codes I’d learned about. Holy grail moment? Finding a listing titled “Vintage BK07 Mens Sneakers” buried deep. Regular searches for “British Knights” wouldn’t have found it. Seller didn’t even know what they had! Snagged em.
- Forums Are Gold (If You Dig): Joined three specific vintage sneaker collector forums. Lurked for weeks first, learned the vibe, saw how people posted. Read the “ISO” threads obsessively (that’s “In Search Of”). Posted my own ISO list: super specific brands and models. This is how I connected with a guy in Italy who had the exact Etonic basketball shoes I was dying for.
- Keywords Are Your Weapons: Started using crazy specific combinations on resale sites: “NEXUS PROJECT vintage 80s made in italy basketball” instead of “vintage 80s shoes.” Being hyper-specific weeds out 99% of the noise. Found a gorgeous but neglected pair of obscure Italian-made sneakers this way.
- Connect, Don’t Just Ask: On the forums, I didn’t just demand shoes. Talked about my searches, shared dead ends I hit (like trying to ID a mystery sole pattern), commented on other people’s finds. Became part of the conversation, not just a leech. Builds trust. People remember you.
- The Power of “Hey, Know Anyone?”: When meeting other collectors offline (went to a couple small vintage sneaker meetups – awkward but worth it!), I didn’t just show off. Ended chats with “And hey, if you ever run across any obscure Troop or early Pony Gold Court Techs, seriously give me a shout!” Planted the seed. Two weeks later, one guy messaged me about a Court Tech lead.
The Sweet, Sweet Payoff (And it Takes Patience!)
Listen, it ain’t fast. That crazy Troop high-top that started it all? Still hunting that specific model. But man, the journey! This past weekend, I finally got those Troop low-tops I sniped online using the model code. AND that Italian NEXUS PROJECT pair came in, cleaned up beautifully. Seeing them lined up – the Etonics, the BK07s, the Troops – gives me a stupid grin. It’s not just the shoes, it’s the hunt. Feels like uncovering lost treasure, one dusty, weird-looking sneaker at a time. Requires stubbornness, insane attention to detail, and talking to people. But damn, when you find that one elusive grail? Magic.
