“My idea was, 'Look, eBay is the largest marketplace. That seems inefficient, and it also seems crazy how you look on eBay and one shoe is selling for $1,000, and the other shoe is selling for $400.

If these shoes were authentic, they might fetch $500 on StockX’s online marketplace, which functions like a stock market for the reselling of hard-to-find sneakers, sportswear, watches and handbags.