Vendor interview · September 11, 2026 · 7 min read
Vendor interview: a sneaker distributor on allocation and hype
A distributor explains why allocation goes to boring buyers, what actually sells after launch week, and the mistake new resellers repeat.
We spoke with a footwear distributor who supplies resellers across several regions. As is normal in this category, they asked us not to publish their business name.
On allocation: "When a size run is tight, it goes to the buyers who pay on time and do not argue. Hype does not decide who gets stock — history does."
On launch week: "Everyone wants the release. The money is usually in week three, when the panic sellers have cleared out and the price settles. Resellers who only buy releases are competing with everyone."
On sizing: "New buyers order the sizes they wear. Then they sit on them. Order the middle of the run heavy and the edges light, every time."
On returns: "We take back what arrived wrong, not what did not sell. That line is where most disputes start, so I say it in the first conversation."
On the repeat mistake: "Buying too deep on a first order because the price was good. The price is good because we have a lot of it. Ask yourself why."
On what earns first access: "Consistency. A buyer doing steady volume every month is worth more to me than someone who spends triple once and then vanishes for a year."
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