It's hard being a sneakerhead.
Copping sneakers can be incredibly difficult these days, especially when you're going after rare/hyped up shoes. These days, stores use raffles instead of relying on first come first serve. This means you have to sign up for a chance to win the right to buy the shoe. It's a rough process that is hard to explain to anyone who isn't into sneakers. With stock levels decreasing, sneakerheads in North America have resorted to signing up for overseas raffles to see if they can have a better chance at winning.
Now, it appears as though Nike and Jordan Brand are putting a kibosh to this strategy. According to Sole Collector, on the Sneakersnstuff website, it now says that "From January 2020, Nike and Jordan products may no longer be delivered from Europe to your region." Simply put, if you want to buy shoes, you'll have to buy them from stores on your continent.
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“Retail partners are a key part of Nike’s Consumer Direct Offense," a Nike spokesperson said in response to this recent decision. "Similar to other premium brands, we have Terms & Conditions of Sale in place with individual retail partners to better serve consumers in each territory with the right assortment, based on local demand."
This is good news for European shoppers who have had their stock scooped up by Americans. Nike has plans to increase their direct-to-consumer efforts heading into 2021 so don't be surprised if we see even more policy changes in the future.