Jordans Are Not As Expensive As You Think
By Cathy Ching
It’s no secret that sneakerheads have turned Air Jordans into luxury items. No longer just pairs of athletic shoes, Jordans can go for a few hundred, or even thousand, dollars. This was not always the case; Jordans were once actually meant for sports.
After Michael Jordan signed a deal with Nike in 1984, he wore his namesake red and black sneakers to his basketball games. Since these shoes violated the rule that footwear on the court had to be mostly white or complementary to the team’s colors, the NBA banned Jordan’s sneakers. Rumor has it that Jordan was fined $5,000 every time he wore these shoes to a game, but it was never proven. Nike capitalized on the controversy by reissuing these shoes as the “banned” colorways. Since then, Jordans have become a staple piece in many closets.
Photo Credits of @kyliejenner
Today, Jordans are so popular that they are worn by people who have never stepped foot on a basketball court. Even though Jordan advertised these sneakers as “athletic shoes,” they are unofficially considered luxury items. Sneakerheads sell Jordans for thousands of dollars on popular platforms like StockX, GOAT, and Flight Club. However, what many people do not know is that the retail value of Jordans is not that high.
Most Jordans are limited, and therefore coveted, by sneakerheads. This motivates people to wait for the moment of a shoe release to try and grab a pair online or in line at a store. Once the Jordans are obtained, they’re resold at a drastically higher price than the retail value.
The Jordan 1 Retro High Dark Mochas are $170 at retail value but resold for around $400, and the Jordan 1 Retro High Obsidian UNCs are $160 at retail and around $420 at the resale value. These are a few of the most-wanted Jordans being sold for over 150% of their retail value.
One reason people willingly spend so much money for a pair of Jordans is because of the hype. Countless celebrities have shown off their Jordans on Instagram and even on the red carpet — Kylie Jenner, Jay-Z, Drake. After Charli D’Amelio posted an Instagram picture of her Obsidian 1s, it catalyzed the craze with Obsidian 1s among teenage girls on TikTok.
When more people want Jordans, the resale prices increase — this is a simple case of supply and demand. Many pairs, like the Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scotts, are limited release and one-of-a-kind. Some of these shoes do drop again, but the colorways are almost always different. High demand and limited supply means that resellers know people will pay unreasonably high prices for a pair of Jordans.
The reason why resellers have an easier time buying Jordans, or any popular streetwear in general, is because they use bots. Priced between hundreds to thousands of dollars, bots check out multiple shoes at once on release dates. Although bots are not a 100% guarantee, it is far more likely that someone using bots would check out a pair of shoes than someone who isn’t.
Getting a pair of Jordans for retail value is as likely as winning the lottery — kind of. The hype that teenagers and young adults give to Jordans allow for these shoes to be synonymous with luxury goods. Even though they are physically just like any other pairs of shoes, they socially aren’t. Jordans may one day surpass their “athletic shoes” label and merely be luxury items. This is already happening; resellers buy expensive shoes to invest in them like stocks. Who knows where the social or resale values of Jordans will be in the years to come.
