Damn, this post is making me remember the start. How it all began.
Anyways,
1. Shoe of the month:
I let my instagram followers decide what the shoe of the month should be, and the Jordan 1's won (another reason why you should follow me on Insta).
The discounted price will be 117$ shipped. The discounted pairs are the Obsidians and the Bred Toe.
Moreover, this time the discount will start on Monday, 13 April, and end on Sunday, 19 April. I usually do it at the end of the month (25th to the end of the month) but this time is an exception because of the Unions.
you can find pictures of (some of) my Jordans on my YUPOO. I will upload more when I got time haha.
EDIT: Oops I forgot to say, Obsidians and Bred Toe are now 117$ on my website!
2. Unions:
SOOOOOOO
Simply said, QC starts on Monday, 13 April, for people who have previously ordered (I'm sorry for the delays guys I promise you the pairs are perfect😢).
We will be producing about 30-50 pairs per day. I think that all old orders will be finished and supplied with their shoes in about 1 week.
On Saturday 18/04 at 00:00 Beijing time, I will open orders on my website.
Saturday 18/04 at 00:00 Beijing time is:
- Friday 17/04 6:00 PM (18:00) CEST (Europe)
- Friday 17/04 12:00 PM (12:00) EDT (USA)
- Friday, 17/04 4:00 PM (16:00) GMT
However, this is how it will go: (Not following those steps will cause your order to be canceled)
- It is basically a waiting list. You sign up and wait (to an extent). Some of you were afraid that 1000 pairs aren't enough. However, don't forget that I can make more. If I see that the demand is 2000, but I only have 1000 pairs, I will make another 1000.
- I have fixed the swoosh, stitching, wing logo, piping (the yellow/orange thing) and basically everything. CLICK HERE for pictures. I have sent them to many people who also told me that they're perfect :D
- Can you guess which is the Rep? Those are "old" samples by the way. I fixed a thing or two ;)
SOOO, the method:
- Once I allow new orders, just order normally on my website. I suggest that you create an account and login beforehand (just a couple of minutes) to be quick ;) Everyone will get pairs, but the faster you order, the higher up on the waiting list you are.
- Once you order, contact me on WhatsApp or WeChat and ONLY give me your ORDER NUMBER. You do NOT have to be fast for this, take your time and do it correctly so I can actually give you a pair. Just text me "My order number is XXXXX" without the "#" or anything else. This way, once your pair is ready, I can search your order number on WhatsApp or WeChat and I will directly find it. I know many people will say "we don't have WeChat or WhatsApp can I do it here or on Instagram" and the answer is sure, but I highly recommend doing it on WhatsApp or WeChat. WhatsApp is free and easy to download. In summary, after ordering on WhatsApp text me "my Order number is XXXXX" where XXXX = your order number, but don't add # or anything. No need to be quick for this step, since I will follow the website order.
- There is NO need to pay directly. I will only ask for a payment 72 hours before I am sure that I can get your shoes. However, if you don't mind paying, send me a second message saying "I do not mind paying yet". Again, NO need to pay directly. However, it's better for me since I still have to pay my staff and factory workers etc. Paying doesn't mean you will manage to skip the waiting list or anything. Paying more doesn't mean that you can skip the waiting list either. I had people offer me up to 75$ more to reserve them a pair. While I think that's cool, and thank you for that, but I cannot accept taking more money I just don't like it. No need to pay more than others you know. It's unfair.
- So ya as I mentioned in step 3, after you text me "My order number is XXXX" you must wait until it's your turn. Once I know that I will be able to get your pair within 72 to 96 hours, I will text you saying "You have 24 hours to pay or your order will be canceled." I am sorry for this, but I must be fair. The message is self explanatory, you have 24 hours to pay for your orders or it will be canceled. This might sound harsh, but don't forget the people waiting as well. I must stay fair.
- Ordering and not paying will also probably result in you not being able to take part in such waiting lists anymore, since I plan on doing this waiting list for my next shoes as well. Again, this sounds harsh I know, but imagine someone ordering, which means that I will make a pair just for them, but they they don't buy it. Therefore, only order if you are sure that you want to buy.
- Anyways, after sending you the 'pay in 24 hours' message, considering that you have paid, you will wait a few days (up to 3 or 4) until you get QC. It's normal from here. You get QC, GL (or RL) and I ship. If you RL I will not put you to the back of the list as some people might have said, but it might take a couple of days since I might not have any stock in your size for the next couple of days.
- Regarding paying via PayPal, you can only pay using Friends and Family. Moreover, only put your order number in the notes section. so for example the notes section should say "1001234" not "Order number is 1001234" or anything. just 1001234
In summary, Friday, 17/04 4:00 PM (16:00) GMT you order, then give me your order number on WhatsApp or WeChat. You can either pay directly or wait. Once it's your turn, and if you haven't paid yet, I will text you and give you 24 hours to pay. after paying, you will wait a bit then receive QC and continue the usual process. if you don't pay, your order will be canceled and you will not be able to join such waiting lists no more. It is easy to change your name or number, but the address is hard haha.
Lastly, ALL unions are now True to size just like the real unions.
3. Travis Scott Dunks:
Many people are getting impatient. In my last post, I said that I need up to 1 month to finish them, and I think that I need even less. HERE IS THE FIRST SAMPLE.
It might not look perfect, but don't forget, this is the first sample. I still think it's good, but it can be better. The first Unions sample was horrible (I never posted that one). This is simply because the first time, I have to literally reconstruct the shoes from scratch. However, once I have a first sample, I can easily compare it to my retail pairs (I have 4 retail pairs in different sizes.) and can easily pinpoint the flaws. Don't worry, it will be perfect just as always :D
Regarding the ordering process, I'm not sure how I will do it but I've paid a lot for the Dunks till now. I might take some pre-orders, but I'm unsure. If the "waiting-list" method I'm currently doing with the Unions goes well, I will do the same for the dunks.
Regarding price, I still don't know because I don't know all my costs yet.
Tell me what you think by replying to my comment "TS Dunks". I will literally comment "TS Dunks" and please reply to that comment so I can see all the replies. Moreover, if you notice that someone has already mentioned the flaw that you want to talk about, just upvote his reply. This is way more organized and easier for me to not lose track. I will be writing down all the flaws you guys see and will firstly identify if they are actual flaws (since sometimes some people compare my rep to for example StockX images, which are inaccurate, and/or because each pair differs, but it isn't really a flaw), and secondly (if it is a flaw) to fix it obviously. However, having 1000 comments all over the place will be very hard to track haha.
4. What to produce next
and before anyone says "FiNiSh YoUr CuRrEnT oRdErS", let me explain something:
there are phases to replicating a pair of shoes. It all starts by actually knowing how to replicate it. This includes things like knowing where's what, what changes on every pair of shoes, what doesn't change,... Basically understanding the design and "making the replica" so knowing how to produce it. You cannot just give it to someone at the factory and tell them "make me a 1:1 copy."
However, once a pair of shoes reaches production, such as the unions right now, and the Dunks very soon, I have no work left. I must wait while people at the factory make the pairs. Think about it like this: I must make the program that cuts the pieces and must know the dimensions etc. However, right now is just the production.
So ya, once I finish the "how to replicate the shoes", I sit down and wait while the factory makes the reps.
This is the perfect time to start working on the next pair of shoes (instead of just wasting time waiting for the factory to finish producing the shoes).
Click here to vote for the shoes you want me to replicate next.
5. Prices
Some of you have been complaining about my prices, saying that they are too much or I should charge less because those are reps not retail. Let me explain:
- This job is actually stressful. I sleep 3-4 hours on average. I've got some hideous bags under my eyes due to the lack of sleep. I'm always working, always active,.. Time is money guys don't forget that. Opportunity cost.. Instead of working about 20 hours per day on reps, I could do anything else and with 20 hours a day, even if you work for 5$/hour, that's already 100$ per day, and I don't have a holiday every Saturday and Sunday, don't forget that. I'm not complaining, I'm just explaining my point of view.
- Most of the money goes to the factory. So if the shoes are not my batch, I'm not the one making most of the money, it's the factory.
- Making a .75:1 batch is wayyyy easier than a 1:1. It's not linear.
- Prices are not as cheap as you think. You think a pair of shoes costs me 20$. I'm not nike.. I actually care about my workers conditions and pay them well..
- Some say prices shouldn't be like retail prices. Well firstly, sure if you get retail on those shoes congrats I'm very happy for you. However, most people are buying shoes which resell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Moreover, Nike's costs are less, so if Nike charges 180$ for a pair of Jordan 1's, it should be more than fair to charge something around that price because my costs are surely higher than Nike's. Some people might say "but your products are reps and are not of the same quality." I can assure you that my Union AJ1's have the same, if not better, MATERIALS (leather etc..) than the real Unions. I have 4 pairs of real Unions haha. Same goes for my Jordan 1's and many other shoes, specially those supervised by me.
- Making the shoe is easier than replicating it. A designer made the shoes and just did whatever he wanted without following any guides, whereas I have to make shoe that are 1:1 like how the designer made them. For example, when they made the Union 1's, they didn't have to make the Wingslogo Xxcm long and YYcm wide or anything. Whereas I have to do that
6. Misconceptions:
Many people ask about which shoes I make, this is the answer:
there are 3 (2) types of UaBat batch:
- Shoes made and supervised by me such as The Unions, Dunks, Jordan 1 Obsidian,...
- Shoes that are made in my factory but I didn't directly supervise them, but gave them to someone responsible to make them, but I didn't sit with him all the time and worked on it with him like in "1."
- Best batch if I don't have the shoes from my factory of if I think that another factory has a better batch.
7. "added services"
I have no clue what to call this, but I have had so many people, specially from Germany and Europe ask me if I can ship their pair to a middleman in Europe and then the middleman would ship it to them. They are afraid of customs. I could do that, and I told them that all I would charge them is the national shipping cost, so about 10€ for Germany.
However, I have a better method. For 10$ (10$ < 10€), I can give you some kind of insurance. No matter what happens to the package, I will take care of it. I will do the customs clearance etc.. If customs ask for a proof of payment I can make and send you a proper one, not just a PayPal invoice since some people said that it doesn't always work. If that doesn't work, I will obviously send a new pair nonetheless.
8. How to order & Contact info:
WeChat: UA-Bat
WhatsApp: +1 646 637 7762
Website: UAbat.com
Yupoo: uabat.x.yupoo.com
Instagram: UA.Bat
The prices on my website include shipping.
To order, check my website to see if the shoes are in stock in the color/size you want, then place an order on the website. You will get an order number. Contact me on WhatsApp or WeChat and give me your order number and ask for payment info. I accept PayPal (only friends and family), Bitcoin, and the other known methods. Once you have paid, wait for you QC. Once you GL your QC, I will ship just like with all other sellers. In the PayPal notes section, ONLY write the order number for example "12345", don't write "Order number is 12345" or anything else, just the number.
P.S. uAgent on the way👀 (or some other name unsure yet)