If the word sneakers conjures up images of the beat-up shoes you wear at the gym, you probably won’t think of that and invest in the same phrase. Consider stocks, bonds, or even NFTs instead if you’re looking for something particularly volatile.
But collecting sneakers, or securing extremely rare shoe designs and selling them for a profit, is a lucrative if somewhat niche business – a number of high-demand kicks regularly sell in the five figures.
“Streetwear has exploded in popularity in recent years with collectors and sneakerheads eager to get their hands on it. brand discount codesto find the latest pieces at a good price, with discount codes for nike sneakers being the most searched,” reads a recent report compiled by the discount code site DealA.
I can get How Much for these sneakers?
According to some figures crunched by the site, the most valuable sneaker model on the resale market is the Nike (NKE) – Get the Class B report from NIKE, Inc. Dunk SB Basse Paris.
With only around 200 models made for the 2002 “White Dunk” art exhibition in Paris, the shoes with work of Expressionist artist Bernard Buffet is extremely rare and therefore often dubbed “the most expensive shoe in the world”.
Some versions are listed on the StockX clothing retailer for over $500,000 while, according to DealA, the lowest demand for an unworn model on the market right now is $89,691. That’s 149,385% more than the original retail price of $60.
“Only 202 pairs of these sneakers were made during the original 2003 production and this scarcity drove their price up by 149,385%,” the report read.
Another great value sneaker model is the original Jordan 1 OG Bred. The 1985 collaboration between Nike and NBA legend Michael Jordan was the first to spark decades of shoe collaborations and sneakerhead splurges to secure rare shoes.
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With the lowest asking price at $94,675, the ROI of the Jordan 1 OG Bred is a jaw-dropping 145,554% from the original retail price of $65.
“Perhaps the holy grail of sneakerheads, Jordan 1 OG Breds revolutionized the athletic shoe and fashion industries when they were released in 1985,” reads the report.
The Nike SB Dunk Low London, Nike SB Dunk Low Tokyo and Jordan 1 OG Chicago all follow as the top five most valuable sneaker designs; the lowest asking price for a new model of each is currently over $22,000.
See the full list of the 50 most valuable sneaker models on the market HERE.
Should I start buying every sneaker I see?
While such returns can certainly set the wheels in motion in the minds of many investors, the sneakerhead life requires fan-style devotion if it is to transition from fan activity to true business strategy – it takes being in tune with the community enough to understand which shoes are popular and have the potential to become valuable years later.
But for those who follow the latest sneaker trends, “flipping” can become a hugely profitable business. A Forbes History once featured a 19-year-old investor who put $132,000 worth of Yeezy Boost 350 Zyon sneakers on his credit card to resell them in minutes and make over $20,000 in profit.
“When I don’t work on a high margin it really hurts me, but they don’t do it on every sale, which is kind of weird,” Joe Hebert told Forbes in 2021. “I still don’t know the formula, and I’ve been asking for it for a while.”