My Transition from Buying Expensive Air Jordan 1 Shoes to Going to Reps Shoes

Fast forward to nearly fifty years later, it still commands relevance, connecting different generations of sneaker enthusiasts with its evolving designs and hues.

why does the Jordan 1 carry such a hefty price tag?

Since sneaker sales began to take off in 2012, it has been sold by apps like StockX and GOAT. Between 2020 and 2021, when sneaker resale peaked, the Jordan 1 regularly topped the sales charts. In those times and into early 2022, getting any color variation of this shoe on the SNKRS app was next to impossible regardless of its perceived quality. Supply chain disruptions contributed to this scenario by restricting market availability while factors like lenient monetary policies, fiscal stimuli, and an insatiable penchant for speculation ensured there was never a dearth of willing buyers.

Trainers are snapped up as soon as they are sold? That’s a pipe dream for resellers.

For years, they’ve feasted on them. Whether it’s through upsells, bots, connections, or other means, resellers have been able to acquire large quantities and sell them on the resale market at high prices. As long as the end demand is there – that is, the people who actually want to put them on their feet – the money-making machine will continue to run.

Why is the Jordan 1 getting cheaper?

Supply chain issues are starting to get resolved and there is an overall increase in the inventory of trainers on the market. Inflation heated up quickly and continues to do so. In response, monetary policy tightened a lot in a short period of time as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. At the same time, Nike began to openly admit something that had seemed more insidious in years past: consumers felt the process of lowering the price of athletic shoes was unfair, and they were concerned about the impact it might have on their business. Translation: things are about to get a lot more challenging for dealers.

Casual purchases like buying that 15th pair of $180 trainers? Not so smart anymore. As a result, the urgency to buy the next pair of Jordans off the SNKRS belt is waning, which means less pure consumer demand and therefore less interest in resale. Resellers have seen their distribution channels restricted to varying degrees and they have had to deal with this less profitable environment. Smaller companies with weaker access to resources are quickly being squeezed out of the market as their economic performance begins to decline. This, of course, further reduces the initial demand for the product.

The result of these changes?

Much lower resale premiums and in some cases even resale discounts.

We looked at every Jordan 1 high-top shoe released over the past four years and calculated the premium or discount that each pair sold for on StockX relative to the retail price one week after release. In other words, how much would people be willing to pay to snag the shoes on the resale market a week after release when the opportunity to buy them at retail price runs out? What’s the initial buzz after release?

On average, 2019 releases sold for 9% over retail. 2020 releases sold for a hefty 61% premium. 2021 releases continued the frenzy with a 50% premium. Then things start to deteriorate. the average premium in 2022 is 23 per cent, and without “lost and found”, the average premium would be only 12 per cent. But it gets worse ……

For nearly half of 2023, the average retail discount on the Jordan 1 is 2%! This would be even lower if not for the “Across the Spiderverse” release, which carries a 38% premium. Four of the other five titles were immediately discounted.

It’s not just the current releases that are affected. Many of the pairings that commanded such high premiums in 2020 and 2021? Suddenly they’re back to rock bottom …… Or, in the case of colourways that don’t have any real significance, they’ve fallen back down to what might be considered a fair price. As of June 22, 2020 releases are down an average of 13% from resale prices a week after release. 2021 releases are down 25% in value. 2022 releases aren’t far behind, down an average of 21% from early resale prices.

What’s next for the Jordan 1?

The golden goose is currently in jeopardy. Well, to be more specific, it’s the Volt Goose, the Black and Gold Goose, the True Blue Goose or the Pine Tree Green Goose …. , all of which have stopped laying golden eggs. Now, let’s look at the reality of the situation – Nike is still making a killing on the Jordan 1. Trainers do sell well …… Eventually …. , most of which were sold at full retail price. It’s still extremely rare for Nike to sell the high-top Jordan 1 directly on sale for a discount.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking that this doesn’t have a negative impact on business. For one thing, Nike won’t cash flow as quickly if the trainers don’t sell out immediately. They had more inventory on their books, and overall the system wasn’t running as efficiently as it had in better times, when the market was undoubtedly in a “pull” phase, with frenzied demand bringing the product to market.

What’s more, the effects of product stagnation can be cumulative or compounded. When a product stagnates, consumers feel less urgency to buy, distributors withdraw from the market, and demand wanes. Optically, the temperature of the product decreases and heat is lost, which in turn further reduces the urgency to buy. With the combination of pure consumer and dealer retail demand, the decline becomes slow and rapid.

It will take some time – it’s not a quick process – but Nike will eventually adjust supply to restore balance and protect this iconic and important product. We must do our part to protect the strength of the Jordan 1 brand at all costs. This may mean reducing the number of releases, or it may mean lowering the supply of each release. Either way, Nike has shown a knack for striking the most favourable and beneficial balance between meeting demand and keeping the brand hot.

Until then, however, sneakerheads rejoice. Your Jordan 1 is on sale. But after the discount if you still find it expensive, you can consider replica shoes. Buying Air Jordan reps shoes is a way to pursue classic and personal fashion, but please keep your rationality when purchasing, and make the purchase in a good replica shoes shop, he can avoid a lot of problems. I recently purchased air jordan rep series shoes from PeakHook reps shoes shop and they feel just like the originals.