Kicks & Coins CLub

A Mental Picture:

Amber wakes up in the morning, gets ready, puts on her shoes, and heads out for her morning run. When she gets home she takes a few minutes to complete a survey and she snaps a pic of herself wearing them. Amber receives a notification of her earnings for the day. She has discovered a way to monetize her shoes! She bought her running shoes 3 years ago. They have served her well, but now they are nearing the end of their life. Normally Amber would plan for her shoes to be tossed in the trash once they have been retired by her. However, Amber has a different plan for the pair she wore today!

Amber has been doing this for a several weeks. She earned about $40 so far. Not bad for a pair that was headed for her garbage bin! ☺️ Amber gets another notification. Looks like it's time to ship the pair! The next day she packs the pair she wore yesterday in a box, she puts on a different pair, and she heads to the post office to ship. When she gets home she looks at the pair she is wearing. She thinks, "I think it's time to monetize this pair next!".

Background:

The picture presented is what's possible in the Kicks & Coins Club at Healing Biome! The club was created to obtain information about the wear of shoes and socks to market that information to interested footwear companies. 

We are particularly interested in what we call "late-stage footwear use". This is the period when footwear items are at the end of their life and will eventually be tossed, donated, recycled, sold, or undergo maintenance by the owner to keep them. This is important info to know because the majority of the shoes at the stage will end up in landfills which contributes to waste materially and economically. Socks are easier to repurpose, but often end up in landfills as well.

Two ways that the company salvages footwear economically and physically at their "late stage" is by marketing data about them and getting shoes shipped for refurbishment. One way of looking at the value of these pairs is that it comes from their "wisdom". Every crease, imperfection, and more has a story to tell about the pair, and that can be valuable for the development of footwear products. Additionally, what owners are doing to maintain the pairs and what they plan to do with the pairs when they are done with them is also valuable. 

The company has also partnered with an independent shoe refurbisher who refurbishes pairs from those in the club to resell them. 

Taking Part as a Club Member:

There are 4 ways you can earn cash as a member of the club.

• Club Surveys

This involves completing surveys that relate to general questions about your footwear and more. Payment is $5/survey.

• Shoe & Sock Review Surveys

This involves completing surveys in which you will provide reviews and photos of your pairs. Payment is $5/review.

• Selling Pairs

You can get a quote for your pairs and ship them out to the refurbisher. Payments per pair range from $5-$40. We also cover the shipping cost before you ship. The refurbisher will always prioritize pairs being actively monetized over ones that are not. Pairs must be shipped within 7 days of reception of payment for shipping or late fees may be charged.

• Active Monetization & Selling Pairs

Active monetization allows you to increase the value of a pair by wearing them before you sell them. You can put your pairs in active monetization and sell them afterwards for the amount they were monetized for. This involves completing a survey about the pair and taking a pic of yourself wearing them each day you wear them. Payment is .50 per hour you wear the pair and you can get paid for up to 3 hours of wear daily. This amounts to $1.50/day. You can monetize the pair until you earn $60. Up to 2 pairs can be monetized at a time for $120 total. The cost of shipping is also covered. Club members can also request what they would like to earn for their pairs and the company will determine if that rate can be paid for them. This amount is called the price point.

Pairs may be shipped when the amount earned from the surveys equals the price point. The refurbisher can also decide to pay for your items before they reach this agreed upon amount due to their need for inventory at that current time. If your pair is not bought by the refurbisher then you get to keep the pair and the cash earned from the surveys you did for them!

All actively monetized pairs are reviewed by you as well. This means that $5 will be applied toward the total.

*The company also has the discretion to pause active monetization at anytime. You will always be notified about this. This could be due to violations by club members for not accurately submitting data or the company determining that the data collected about the pair is sufficient. 

More about Active Monetization:

Next, let's see some examples of what active monetization looks like so we can better understand how it works.

• Example 1: Pair is actively monetized and then sold at price point.

This member has a pair with price point of $30. The member monetizes the pair until $30 is earned. The member receives payment for shipping and receives $30 after the pair is shipped and received.

• Example 2: Pair is sold before price point reached.

This member has a pair with a price point of $30. It is monetized until $10 is earned. The refurbisher requests to pay $20 for the remaining amount. The club member agrees to sell. The member receives payment for shipping and receives $30 after the pair is shipped and received. 

• Example 3: Pair is actively monetized and sold beyond price point.

This member has a pair with a price point of $30. It is monetized until $30 is earned. Refurbisher is unable to accept item. Company decides to allow monetization to continue. The member monetizes for $20 more until pair is requested. The refurbisher is able to accept the pair due to new opening within inventory. The member receives payment for shipping and receives $50 after the pair is shipped and received. 

• Example 4: Pair is actively monetized, but not sold.

This member has a pair with a price point of $30. The member monetized it until $30 is earned. The company requests for the member stop monetization due to refurbisher rejecting the item before it is shipped. The member receives $30 and keeps the pair.

• Example 5: Pair is actively monetized before reaching $60 limit, but not sold.

This member has a pair with price point of $30. The member monetized it until $50 is earned. The company requests for the member stop monetization due to refurbisher rejecting the item before it is shipped and the company determines that data collected concerning pair is sufficient. The member receives $50 and keeps the pair.

• Example 6: Pair is actively monetized to $60 limit, but not sold. 

Same scenario as above, but the company decided to allow monetization to continue until the member earns $60. The member keeps the pair. 

Active monetization has several advantages:

• You can earn more for your pairs than selling without doing active monetization. The max you can earn per pair without monetization is $40. The max you can earn with it is $60/pair. If 2 pairs are actively monetized then the total max is up to $120. 

• Active monetization allows you to increase the value of a pair. Let's say you have a pair that is in used condition to the point of being unsellable or the most you can get for it is $10-$15 elsewhere. If you put it in active monetization then you can increase the value of the pair to up to $60. This would increase the value of the pair 4-6x in this example.

• Your pairs are more likely to be accepted if monetized. 

• It is possible that you can keep the pair after they are monetized. 

Accepted Types of Shoes for the Club:

Sneakers, flats, heels, wedges, and sandals can be accepted for the club. Pairs that are nearing the end of their life are preferred. 

Privacy:

Personal identifying information will not be shared about members outside of the company. You are free to withdraw from the club at anytime. 

Application:

If you're interested in selling pairs within the club then please complete the application below and we will email you!

https://s.surveyplanet.com/l64e3sb3

*Please note that the details of this opportunity are subject to change.