Inside the resale empire of 'Sneaker Jesus,' who made $1.5 million as the top sneaker seller on eBay

Sneaker Jesus

Chris Holbrook is the top sneaker reseller on eBay.

• Chris Holbrook, or Sneaker Jesus, is the top sneaker seller on eBay.
• The 33-year-old did over $1.5 million in sales in 2019, 90% of which were on eBay.
• Instead of holding onto certain shoes as long-term investments, Holbrook says he makes his money by setting fair prices on a lot of pairs and moving inventory quickly.
• Here's how the resale power player grew his business to become the number one seller on eBay.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If eBay is the originator of the sneaker resale story, Chris Holbrook is certainly a central character.

The 33-year old, whose business alias is Sneaker Jesus, is the platform's top sneaker seller. He made over $1.5 million in sales in 2019, 90% of which were on eBay.

That platform that bills itself as the originator of the sneaker resale game sold more than 5.7 million sneakers in North America in 2019. On average, there are more than 1 million sneaker listings on eBay every day. The platform recently eliminated fees for North American sellers on any sneakers sold for $100 or more.

Though he's currently the top sneaker seller on the platform, Holbrook has come a long way from his early days as an eBay entrepreneur.

"It wasn't easy, and it didn't happen overnight," Holbrook said. "It took a lot of hard work over many years to steadily grow from then to where we are today."

Holbrook says his business started out as a simple passion when he was a kid, and he still finds it hard to believe how far he has made it today.

"At the end of the day I'm a lifelong sneakerhead who's doing what he loves to do," he said. "Selling a product I've adored and believed in since I was a kid.

Here's a look at how Holbrook turned his passion into a business and became the top seller on eBay: