With limited-edition sneaker releases coming at us on a near weekly basis, the growth of the resell market is showing no sign of slowing down. StockX data values the secondary market at $6 billion (significantly more than the $1 billion widely reported), so it makes sense that the likes of LVMH, Farfetch, and Foot Locker are making moves to get a slice of a pie previously reserved for only the most hardcore of sneakerheads.
With that in mind, we’ve teamed up with the data wizards over at StockX, with illustrations by Ryan Haskins, to bring you a detailed breakdown of the most valuable shoes on the resale market from 2019.
Stay posted for more data-driven findings from Highsnobiety and StockX.
Most Expensive
The podium for our "Most Expensive" category is expectedly occupied by three of the rarest Jordans of 2019. First up, retailer Trophy Room (owned by Michael Jordan's son, Marcus) issued up a Jordan 5 collaboration, which included a limited friends and family colorway. Only 223 pairs were produced in the red edition, with resell prices averaging around $5,191, while the highest individual sale came in at $6,600. In second and third place were player-edition makeups of the Jordan 4, made for Nike-sponsored schools Georgetown and Michigan respectively, which arrived as part of a "March Madness" Jordan 4 PE pack.
Nike sneakers limited by local availability or distribution round out the rest of the list, including G-Dragon's Korea-exclusive Nike Air Force 1, plus friends-and-family Dunks created by Parra and Girls Don't Cry. Prada and adidas' luxurious Superstar makeup lands in 7th place with an average resell price of $3,142 for its made-in-Italy quality and limited production run of only 700 pairs.
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As part of Jordan Brand's "Fearless Ones" collection, CLOT served up this exclusive Jordan 1 Mid in honor of Dover Street Market London’s 15th anniversary. The Mid silhouette was adorned with the same luxurious silk brocade used for CLOT's series of silk Air Force 1s. The special Air Jordan 1 Mid garnered an astonishing price premium of 3,095 percent over retail.
Fifth place is occupied by the very controversial July 4th-edition Air Max 1 featuring a Betsy Ross-era American flag. The sneaker was cancelled by Nike following public backlash, as the 1776 Betsy Ross flag is linked to a period of slavery in the United States. Some pairs still found their way onto the secondary market, however, where they sold on StockX for an average of 650 percent over their retail price of $120.
Travis Scott's high- and low-top Jordan 1s snagged spots 6 and 7 on our list, while three-striped adidas models take up the final three positions. Reflective "Synth" and "Black" YEEZY 350 V2s land in the 8th and 10th spots, with a special Pride-edition Temper Run coming in 9th.
Most Commonly Sold
As with previous data-driven reports from Highsnobiety and StockX, we find that our list of the top 10 most commonly sold sneakers from 2019 is entirely comprised of Jordans (including all three Travis Scott models) and YEEZYs, which speaks to the volume of distribution for both of these sneaker lines. Accounting for 20.3 percent of the top 10 most-commonly sold sneakers, the "Black" non-reflective YEEZY 350 V2 secures the pole position.
In 2nd, 8th, and 9th positions, Travis Scott's Jordan models accumulatively represent 29.1 percent, only slightly less than a third of the ranked models.
Elsewhere, we see "Clay," "Lundmark," and "Cloud White" YEEZY 350 V2s, as well as Jordan retros like the "Obsidian" 1s and "Bred" 11s. While Jordans and YEEZYs are certainly some of the biggest status symbols in the sneaker world, it's clear to see that, for some, these limited-edition shoes represent a prospective paycheck.
