This is the first 3-part series of a weekly data series Air Jordans, where we explore the resale numbers behind the most iconic silhouettes in the sneaker universe. Stay tuned next week for Part 2.
Our 3-part series on the resale data behind Air Jordans begins exactly where you’d expect, with the most popular silhouette in the entire sneaker universe: the Air Jordan 1.
Jordan Brand has released 40+ models of sneakers, and many, many more variations if you count different colorways. But when you look at the resale data, it quickly becomes clear that the Air Jordan 1 stands completely apart from the rest of the Jumpman family. In terms of sales and in terms of value, the Jordan 1 is far and away the most popular and profitable of them all. Consider the following top-line stats:
AJ1s are four (4) times as popular as any other Jordan model on StockX in terms of overall sales
Jordan 1s are really, really popular on StockX. Aside from being the best selling overall sneaker among Jordans, eight (8) out of the top ten (10) best selling Jordans are AJ1s. They don’t only lead in sales volume, though – they retain their value and sell for well above retail.
AJ1s have a 1.82x resale multiple on average, good for 13% higher than the next highest model (the Jordan XXI, in case you were curious)
The AJ1’s 1.82x premium is more than 50% higher than the rest of the Jordan portfolio, which sells (on average) for 1.19x their retail prices. There are other models that sell well, though: the AJ21 (XXI) goes for 1.62x retail on average, and the 4 goes for 1.39x retail.
Among the top 5 best-selling Jordan Brand sneakers, three are AJ1s; among the top 10 best-selling Jordans, six are AJ1s
If you look at the best-selling Jordan Brand sneakers in the history of StockX, you’ll find the following three AJ1s among the top five: the Jordan 1 Rookie of the Year, the Jordan 1 Turbo Green, and the Jordan 1 Pine Green. However, the overall best-selling Jordan isn’t an AJ1. Instead, it’s the 2018 Jordan 11 Concord.
The most popular women’s exclusive sneaker on StockX is also a Jordan 1
It’s rare that a women’s exclusive sneaker finds itself on the StockX best-seller list. But that’s exactly what happened to with the Blue Chill UNC Jordan 1 that released in February 2019. With over 20,000 StockX sales to date, it’s far and away the most popular women’s sneaker ever in terms of resale volume, ranking 7th among all Jordan sneakers, and 11th overall across all brands.
Average Resale Multiple: Jordan 1s vs. All Other Jordans
(Shown: average resale multiples across all Jordan sales on StockX, split between Jordan 1s and all other Jordan models)
Out of the top ten (10) best reselling Jordans (as measured by average resale multiple), seven (7) are Jordan 1s. It’s a pretty dominant group data-wise, and might be one of the most impressive selling sneaker models ever created.
Most of the really popular AJ1s in culture and history – especially the collabs of the past year or so, like Off-White, Union LA, and Travis Scott – are Jordan 1 Highs. But Nike fans will note that the 1s also come in Mid and Low models, even if they’re dropped less frequently: how do those stack up in the numbers?
Unsurprisingly (potentially because of the high volume of high value collaborations), the Highs take the lion’s share of the AJ1 overall resale multiple. Jordan 1 Highs sell for 1.93x retail on average, compared to 1.31x for both the Mids and the Lows.
Finally, there’s historically been one AJ1 to rule them all – the OG Chicago colorway. It has been released and re-released – originally in 1985 and then again in ‘94, ‘13, and ‘15. On StockX, the original 1985 version has sold for more than $3K, with an average resale multiple of 38.6x on only 2 ever sales. There are bids waiting at around $9K at the time of writing.
The Chicago re-releases have done pretty well, too. The 2013 Retro has bids waiting around $400 at the time of writing, almost double the average sale price just a few years ago.
In next week’s installment of our Jordan Brand data deep dive, we’ll expand our focus to look at the entire Jumpman universe, and how supply and prices have been changing over the past several years. Stay tuned!
