by Zac Dubasik
When it comes to sneakers, we love to complain. The quality is bad. There are too many releases. There’s no Nike Air on the heel! Some of our gripes are ridiculous, while others are totally valid. For example, it sucks that so many people have given up when it comes to buying kicks online. We just can’t compete with bots. Yet, the most popular complaint of all, PRICE, isn’t as justifiable as many sneakerheads think.
There’s no denying that the price of sneakers is constantly going up. But the price of pretty much everything (except, maybe, barrels of oil) is going up. That’s called inflation.
According to Merriam-Webster, inflation is defined as “a continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services.” More simply put: $100 today isn’t worth what it was 10 years ago.
The United States Department of Labor keeps tabs on things like this. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics even provides an inflation calculator, which tracks buying power, based on year.
To see how Air Jordan prices have fared when it comes to inflation, we’ve analyzed each model that’s been retroed (excluding CDPs), and compared the inflation-adjusted prices of the originals to the most recent retro release. The results may come as a shock.
Out of the 15 models we’ve calculated, only one shoe currently retails for more than the original price adjusted for inflation: the Air Jordan 11. And only by $6. As for the rest, on average, they’re $33 less expensive. Check out the model-by-model breakdown below.
Shoe: Air Jordan 1
Year: 1985
Original Retail Price: $65
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $143
Most Recent Retro Price: $140
Difference: Air Jordan 1s are currently priced $3 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 2
Year: 1987
Original Retail Price: $100
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $208
Most Recent Retro Price: $150
Difference: Air Jordan 2s are currently priced $58 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 3
Year: 1988
Original Retail Price: $100
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $200
Most Recent Retro Price: $170
Difference: Air Jordan 3s are currently priced $30 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 4
Year: 1989
Original Retail Price: $110
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $209
Most Recent Retro Price: $190
Conclusion: Air Jordan 4s are currently priced $19 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 5
Year: 1990
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $223 (2013)
Most Recent Retro Price: $170
Difference: Air Jordan 5s were priced $53 less than expected in 2013 when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 6
Year: 1991
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $217
Most Recent Retro Price: $185
Difference: Air Jordan 6s are currently priced $32 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 7
Year: 1991
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $ 217
Most Recent Retro Price: $190
Difference: Air Jordan 7s are currently priced $27 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 8
Year: 1993
Original Retail Price: $135
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $218 (2013)
Most Recent Retro Price: $160
Difference: Air Jordan 8s were priced $58 less than expected in 2013 when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 9
Year: 1994
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $199
Most Recent Retro Price: $170
Difference: Air Jordan 9s are currently priced $29 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 10
Year: 1994
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $199
Most Recent Retro Price: $190
Difference: Air Jordan 10s are currently priced $9 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 11
Year: 1995
Original Retail Price: $125
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $194
Most Recent Retro Price: $200
Difference: Air Jordan 11s are currently priced $6 more than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 12
Year: 1996
Original Retail Price: $135
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $200 (2013)
Most Recent Retro Price: $170
Difference: Air Jordan 12s are currently priced $30 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 13
Year: 1997
Original Retail Price: $150
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $221
Most Recent Retro Price: $185
Difference: Air Jordan 13s are currently priced $36 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 14
Year: 1998
Original Retail Price: $150
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $217
Most Recent Retro Price: $170
Difference: Air Jordan 14s are currently priced $47 less than expected when adjusted for inflation.
Shoe: Air Jordan 15
Year: 1999
Original Retail Price: $150
Original Retail Price Adjusted For Inflation: $187 (2007)
Most Recent Retro Price: $150
Difference: Air Jordan 15s were priced $37 less than expected in 2007 when adjusted for inflation.