Sneaker Freaker

Jordan have put out a lot retros lately. what has this done to their prices?
In fact – too many! Many shoes from 2003/04/05 are only now recovering from the discounting, including the Jordan 14, 13, 12, 10. Many of these were returned by retailers and ended up in a Nike outlet. The plethora of colorways coupled with an increase at the retail level also contributed to this. The 12 and 13 Retros are now starting to appreciate in value from the 2005 and 2006 prices, and the 10 and 14 are probably not too far behind as they are all more difficult to find in 2007. When models are discounted, some collectors will buy multiples, lessening the deadstock supply, such as the Jordan 4 (Cement) and the 5 (Laney) Retro + from 1999-2000 which are now some of the rarest from that era. Despite the number of colorways released in 2006 when the Jordan V was retroed, this shoe still continues to be much sought after, especially OG colorways.

The PUMA MTV Clydes and Alife First Rounds have been strong performers. are PUMA on the up?
Yeah, I don’t find this surprising at all. Puma have some strong branding philosophies and collabs with music, fashion and sport are eagerly accepted by shoe collectors globally.

Why aren’t there more New Balance?
NB collectors are unique in that they actually rock their shoes, which means there is a serious shortage of shoes on the secondary market that are being actively traded. NB collectors are always happy to buy, but not having a steady supply for sale makes things difficult to gauge the market.

Have there been any noticeable changes over the past year or so?
There has. In the past 12 months a new group has emerged who buy what they like and rock it regardless, which replicates how it was 5-7 years ago, even though heads then bought multiple pairs to keep on ice. When resellers ‘buy up’ they’re playing Russian roulette with a number of factors including prices and currency conversions. With more shoes than ever, heads have to be more careful. I don’t think resellers see the financial benefits like they used to do.