Black Friday has been a huge event for sneakers over the past few years. This year's was another madhouse, thanks to the re-release of the Air Jordan VI "Black/Infrared," complete with 3M details and an oh-so-icy sole.
The sneakers, which first released in 1991, the year Michael Jordan won his first championship, flew from the shelves. That alone would lead people to believe that A) these VIs were super limited or B) there was a huge demand for them. Seeing that this retro released at nearly every legitimate sneaker retailer across America, let's go with the latter.
In a perfect world, this would mean that tons of people respect the fact that Jordan Brand put out a great product and they all wanted to wear their pairs. We all know that's not true, and a lot of VIs were purchased with the hopes of being resold. But it's not as easy to unload these sneakers — some consignment shops aren't looking to pick up a lot of pairs right now.
"We are currently waiting for the market to level out," Tony Chen, owner of Soled Out NYC, a secondary-market sneaker store in Highland Park, N.J., said in reference to why his shop isn't outright buying the VIs right now. "We are giving the options to clients to put them on consignment, but everyone is looking for the cash up front."
With the holidays quickly approaching, those who purchased the VIs with the intention to resell them are in need of cash. That's understandable. No one wants to wait for the pair they've put on consignment to sell before they get their split of the money, which is usually 80/20.
Stores that operate on a strictly consignment basis, such as Flight Club, are taking in pairs, but they are also being selective about what they're putting into their inventory. "There are various factors we have to consider when accepting pairs, including inventory control and size availability," the shop told us. "We do our best to not load our shelves with too many pieces in uncommon sizes."
The price of the "Black/Infrared" VI has already seen a dip at Flight Club. "We had a few sizes arrive about a week before the sneakers formally released, so we accepted them from consignors with an initial selling price at $450," the shop told us. "Since their release, prices are ranging from $300 to $375."
That could only be temporary, as the shop admits, "The price may increase throughout the holiday depending on size availability."
Remember, though, that's based off consignment numbers, and Chen admits that he's had a hard time getting the sneakers in his shop because of customers' unrealistic expectations of how much the sneakers are worth. "As of now, everyone is asking for the resell value of the shoe, which we obviously cannot do because there will be no profit on our end," he said.
That doesn't mean that people won't be able to find "Black/Infrared" VIs on the secondary market. Flight Club currently has 22 pairs available, in an assortment of sizes, on its website. Still, as Chen says, "We will probably start buying them in a couple of weeks when everything levels out in price."
