A reseller who made nearly $110,000 in profit selling sneakers on Instagram reveals how he maximizes sales on the social media platform

Ryan Fresen

For Ryan Fresen, reselling sneakers has become a serious business.

• Ryan Fresen is a sneaker reseller who primarily sells shoes through his Instagram, 860_kicks, which has over 38,000 followers.
• He said he brought in nearly $110,000 in profit in 2019 from the business he runs out of his bedroom.
• "It's a full-time job to grow an Instagram page," Fresen said. "People don't realize it."
• Fresen revealed his top tips for building a strong resale brand on Instagram, from how and when to post images to how to gain followers and build a strong reputation.
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Forget about StockX and GOAT. For many sneaker resellers, Instagram is the go-to platform for moving inventory and building a personal brand. With no middleman fees and the freedom to dictate your message, more resellers are turning to the social media platform to promote and facilitate their business.

Ryan Fresen is a sneaker reseller who primarily sells his inventory through his Instagram account, 860_kicks, which has over 38,000 followers. The 24-year-old said he brought in around $110,000 in profit in 2019 from the business he runs out of his bedroom full-time.

"Growing up I've always had an entrepreneurial mindset," Fresen told Business Insider. "I knew I didn't want to work for someone else, I knew I didn't want to wake up every morning and go to work 8-5 and be miserable."

Fresen said he started selling sneakers through groups on Facebook but changed his strategy when he saw Instagram was becoming more popular.

"There's a lot more active people on Instagram, so I kind of just took advantage of that," Fresen said. He started using Instagram for his business more seriously in early 2018.

Fresen explained how he gained a following on the social-media platform and offered his top tips for growing a business while using the site to its full potential.

"It's a full-time job to grow an Instagram page," Fresen said. "People don't realize it."

Here are his tips for maximizing sales and growing your customer base: