The initial intent of this piece was to write about sneaker packs—like next week’s Jordan “Ultimate Gift of Flight”—which pair a highly desired sneaker (in this case, the “Pantone” Air Jordan XI) with one that, er, isn’t so highly desired (the Air Jordan XX9 in a similar colorup) and leaves consumers with no real choice if they happen to desperately want one of the two. Yes, there is the choice to not buy the pack at all, but it’s still a pretty reprehensible practice that doesn’t occur in many other markets: “Oh, you like the Corvette? Well, it comes with a Volt that you also have to pay for in full.”
People will complain about it, and then many of those same people will buy it, or at least attempt to.
Then I thought about it more, and the more I thought about it, the less it bothered me. Because in 2014, the sneaker “game” has become less and less about buying what you like and more and more about buying what you “need.” And if you need those XIs, the XX9s aren’t much of a surcharge. It’s essentially paying resale for the XIs with the XX9s thrown in. It’s the same deal as the Brazils from this summer, which were the subject of much lamenting, but still sold out. How many people have worn the CP3s from that pack, or for that matter even remember that the CP3s were the second shoe in it?
It’s in the very nature of sneaker packs that one will be somewhat less desirable than the other. Otherwise why sell them together at all? Perhaps the original Jordan DMP was an exception, although the Concords were the real prize there. Most of the other Jordan packs have had a clear favorite, generally the pair Jordan played in most. And most of the sneaker packs to release at retail have been Jordan, with few exceptions (the Shooting Stars Pennys, the ASICS Gel Kayano 20/1, the Packer LeBron/Kobe Reebok Questions). And while some eventually went on sale, most did quite well.
Here is what will happen with the “Gift of Flight” pack. People will complain about it, and then many of those same people will buy it, or at least attempt to. Halfhearted attempts will be made to sell the XX9s by those who have no need for a technologically advanced basketball shoe. Others will try and flip the whole pack, although if those “Shooting Stars” Pennys are any indication, there isn’t much meat on that particular bone. Factor in eBay and PayPal percentages along with the time spent acquiring, listing, and shipping, and you’re better off just shoveling a couple of driveways.
And if this “Gift of Flight” sells, expect more of them. From a company or retailer’s point of view, the only thing better than selling out one shoe is selling out two at the same damn time. And realize that if sneaker packs DO keep releasing, it’s not about what they want as much as it is about what you think you “need.”
Russ Bengtson is a senior staff writer at Complex who has not been blessed with any sort of ‘gift of flight’ since his 20s. Follow him on Twitter here.
