The Most Expensive Sneakers of 2020 (So Far)

Average resale price: $750

Air Jordan nostalgia jumped this year as the world tuned into ESPN's The Last Dance series, which chronicled Michael Jordan's final season as a Chicago Bull. This pair isn't about nostalgia, though. Instead, it's a rare instance of a new Jordan release becoming immediately collectible and valuable on the secondary market. Will the shoes hold their value like the kind of retros that usually populate these lists? Probably not, but it's still fun to see such a strong new Air Jordan design get this kind of recognition. — Brendan Dunne

Average resale value: $756

It’s rare to see a sneaker take inspiration from one of a competitor’s most popular models, but that’s the beauty, sometimes, of working with collaborators. Jerry Lorenzo’s appreciation of Allen Iverson led him to rework his Air Fear of God 1 in a colorblocking he says was inspired by Iverson’s “The Question” (although the accompanying photos show the shoe being compared to the Answer 4 rather than the actual Reebok Question). Regardless of the confusion the name may cause, it marked a resurgence for the model, which had been dormant since the late-2019 release of the “Oatmeal” colorway and recently lacked the hype of some of his earlier releases. — Zac Dubasik

Average resale price: $800

It’s hard to call any shoe on a list of “most expensive” sneakers a bargain, but when considering a pair of “Chicago” Off-White x Air Jordan 1s runs nearly $4,000 these days, any Virgil Abloh-designed Air Jordan for under four figures seems like a steal—especially one we’ve just named as our Best Sneaker of 2020 (so far). It’s not like the Off-White x Air Jordan V was easy to get either—rather than hitting the usual top-tier Jordan accounts, it only released in Chicago for All-Star Weekend, the SNKRS app, the Jordan store in Paris, and Empty Gallery in NYC. Only time will tell if it will shoot up in value similar to his take on the Air Jordan 1, but with an Air Jordan IV on deck for later this year, there’s little chance that the hype around Abloh’s run with the brand is going away soon. — Zac Dubasik

Average resale price:  $1,001

New Balance deserves all the credit right now. The brand is heating up its archival styles with well-timed retros, creating excitement around brand new models, and shifting its collaboration strategy to focus on a more diverse set of partners. This time it brought in stalwart Harajuku streetwear label WTAPS to rework the 992, a shoe enjoying the cresting wave of excitement around its chunky 99X series of runners. It also made sure that people could only find the shoes where they could find WTAPS—only retailers carrying the brand got allotments. That tight distribution resulted in one of the most resellable New Balance projects in years. — Brendan Dunne

Average resale price: $1,050

Quick Rhude story: There was a huge line for the brand at ComplexCon 2019 in Long Beach, as the brand was selling its clothes and sneakers at slashed prices. I was walking around with Conceited, being able to cut lines based off his juice, until we got to the Rhude booth. The security guard recognized him and told us it would be a minute, as we had to wait for the current shopper and his entourage to finish up. Turns out it was LL Cool J, who purchased head-to-toe outfits. I got to meet him as he walked out from shopping. Jadakiss was waiting behind us line. One of those unforgettable moments that only happens on the ComplexCon floor. As for the sneaker, it retails for nearly $500 and resells for twice as much. It’s a low-top, Air Force 1-looking creation made of a multitude of bandanas, which makes it extremely on trend at the moment. — Matt Welty

Average resale price: $1,155

A lot of people are upset that this sneaker exists, and that really doesn’t make any sense to me. Sure, SB Dunks have been around for a whole lot longer than Travis Scott, and the “golden era” of Dunks has nothing to do with the rapper. But, the current era of SB that we are in and the line’s increasing popularity has a lot to do with La Flame wearing what feels like a new pair of mid-2000 era Dunks everyday and driving the resale price up each time. So, the next logical step was for Nike to give one of its top collaborators an SB Dunk of its own. Tear-away uppers, a wearable colorway, and another Nike SNKRS fiasco combined with everything mentioned lends to this shoe being Scott’s most valuable sneaker collaboration to date. — Ben Felderstein

Average resale price: $1,423

Like many of the shoes on this list, a big factor in the resale value of the Kith x Air Force 1 is its exclusivity. Released only in Japan to celebrate the opening of the brand's new Tokyo flagship location (and originally intended to commemorate the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which is postponed due to COVID-19), Kith founder Ronnie Fieg has been adamant that the collaboration won’t be released anywhere else. Combine that promise with a premium take on the AF1 Low in a classy colorway and you’ve got a sneaker that’s reselling for upwards of $1,000, with many recent sales surpassing the $1,500 mark. — Riley Jones

Average resale price: $1,611

Internet petitions have taken off this year. Whether it’s legitimate activism, such as calls for arrests following cases of police brutality, or less significant causes like getting Virgil Abloh’s Pop Smoke album cover design changed, it’s been impossible to ignore the voice of the people in 2020. Although they’ve gained prominence this year, online petitions aren’t anything new, and they’ve even been used for sneakers, including a call to bring back the Nike Air Ship, Michael Jordan’s original “banned” shoe. Whether or not the 2016 petition was the root of the retro, the model finally saw a reissue this year alongside a matching white/red colorway of the Air Jordan 1. Seeded to influencers and collectors ahead of the drop, the pack released exclusively in Chicago during NBA All-Star Weekend, contributing to its inflated aftermarket price. — Riley Jones

Average resale price: $1,641

If you have any sort of social media account in 2020, then you know all about the "Chunky Dunky." They were the sneaker of the moment for months and are easily one of the most hyped sneakers we have seen this year. Combine that with their limited numbers and the current resurgence of Nike SB and you have yourself a sneaker worth well over $1,000. While these Dunks might not be the most wearable shoe to drop this year, they are certainly one of the most well executed and premium creations so far. Not often do I get texts from people asking if I can help them buy sneakers (99% of the time I cannot help you, I am sorry, I can barely help myself), but I got numerous inquiries about the "Chunky Dunkys," from friends to family members to a dancer from Major Lazer. If you’ve got about $2,000 to buy these, you might as well spend the extra thousand and get the special ice cream carton-inspired packaging. — Ben Felderstein

Average resale price: $4,579

Wanna know why this sneaker is number one on the list? Because they only made 420 of them. That’s why. Familia Skateshop in Minneapolis launched the sequel to the Skunk Dunks on 4/20 through the Copdate app and it was a mess. Each pair was numbered out of 420. The 69/420 pair has yet to surface. Rumor has it, though, that Familia was going to make it an ultra hyperstrike, with no social media warnings, and just put the shoes on the shelf. If you got ‘em, you got ‘em. Then someone leaked the images from Nike’s website and it was spoiled. Then COVID-19 happened and the in-store release was canned. What a shame, could have been great. — Matt Welty