Did more “Heelys” search on eBay since now I am Heelys stock holder. (12Dec06) There are 1628 results using keyword “Heelys”. They include the shoes, safety gears (helmet, wrist, elbow, knee pads), and accessories (caps, T-shirt). There are both new and old items (for the shoes). It seems used ones are also sold well if they are in good condition.
Here is my concern, the knockoff or copycats. I found out they ususally have “heelys style” in their title. But some authetic Heelys also have those words. So I did search on this “heelys style -authentic”, which means exclude “authetic” in the titles. I noticed some sellers put “authetic” in the title to make sure buyers know those are real ones. While this is not 100% accurate, this gives 178 results. In other words, about 10% of Heelys items on eBay are knockoff or faked ones. I looked at some of the knockoff shoes. There are not too much discount if you consider the shipping cost. Say, an authetic Heelys costs $60, a knockoff on eBay sells for $30 plus $15 for shipping, the total would be $45. Besides the small price difference, there are other reasons why there won’t be a big market for knockoffs.
1) Parents want the peace of mind from the authetic Heelys because in some way they kids well beings depend on the quality of shoes. What if the wheels fall off during skating?
2) Kids also have their self-esteem. Won’t a knockoff Heelys embarass the kid when he/she compare it with friends’ real ones in school? It’s probally better off not wearing the fake ones at all.
From investor point of view, I think a little bit knockoff activities are probablly a good thing. It means the product is popular and it’s generating a lot of buzz in the consumers. Now the key question is will Heelys’ buzz last for long. Or in other words, will it stay or will it just be a fad? That’s a million dollar question.
Last but not least, here is a positive report from hitwise, yes, finally something positive.