Premium price tags spotlight rare styles

Even as the mainstream sneaker market takes off in China, a secondary or parallel market is emerging quickly. There, shoes are traded as if they were blue-chip shares.

A popular but limited pair of sneakers are precious and can be hard to get. Sometimes, consumers need to register online. Before they can lay their hands on a pair from a limited edition series, they need to first qualify to line up outside the designated store on the launch date. Many are willing to join the queue the night before the launch.

"They don't release the product where I live," said Wang Weiwei, 25, who loves sneakers. "Instead of going to the trouble of waiting endlessly, I'd rather buy in the secondary market."