Limited edition trainers sold for charity flogged on eBay for £56,000 after fanatics queued for three days to get their hands on them
LIMITED edition trainers sold in aid of a homeless charity are being flogged on eBay for £56,000 after fanatics queued for three DAYS to buy them.
Only 160 pairs of the coveted “Blackburn SPEZIAL” trainers were released at a store on Friday, but by Saturday afternoon many were generating bids of tens of thousands of pounds on the auction site.
The launch of the Blackburn SPEZIAL shoe was part of an exhibition showcasing the evolution of Adidas footwear.
According to the brand’s website the collection is “inspired by the styling of Northern England and the rose of Lancashire”.
The Blackburn trainer features the homeless charity Nightsafe’s logo, and a portion of the sale proceeds were going towards the group, which helps vulnerable, homeless youngsters.
Collectors camped outside The Cotton Exchange in Blackburn, Lancashire, where the trainer exhibition was held, from last Tuesday night, in time for Friday’s opening.
However, the weekend saw some lucky buyers immediately advertise their coveted footwear on eBay, with one brazen seller even offering to throw in a free sleeping bag with a pair of trainers priced at £20,000.
The Sun Online found another pair had attracted bids which have so far rocketed to £41,100.
That sum is thousands of pounds more than the £100 they were snapped up for in Blackburn.
Many fanatical collectors told reporters that they were going to keep the trainers inside their boxes to add to their collections.
Yet a size five pair was receiving bids soaring to £56,000 hours later.
Another pair was set to fetch £50,100, while others were listed for auction with bids reaching £21,400.
In the description for a pair of size nine trainers listed to buy for £20,000, with a sleeping bag thrown in, it said: “This is a limited edition release to highlight the homeless people on the streets of Blackburn.
“And as well as the brown Spezial swing tag, you also get a red leather limited edition swing tag.
“I’ll even throw a green sleeping bag in.”
Jan Larkin CEO of Nightsafe said: “We’ve no reason to be disappointed.
“We are really grateful that our charity was chosen to benefit.
“What’s also powerful is the way it’s raising awareness about homelessness.
“We understand collectors will be fed up to see this, perhaps we can do an official auction some time in the future with the trainers we have been given by Adidas.”
Among those waiting in the cold for the launch was Andy Burns, took four days’ holiday from his job and was the first in the queue for a pair.
Speaking on Thursday, he said: “I love Adidas as a brand because it reminds me of growing up in the ’70s and ’80s.
“The shoes from that time were so colourful and have become really iconic.
“I started collecting them in 2008 for a bit of fun and it’s become something really enjoyable.”
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“The Blackburn shoe coming out tomorrow is a real throwback to the early days.
“It’s a proper old school trainer, which is why I’m so excited to get my hands on them.”
Andy said it was a “shame” that some people were then flogging them off on eBay as “it’s nicer when a good trainer sells to someone who really cares about the brand.”
