These are the top 10 most valuable sneakers to resell

Here are the sneakers with the highest return on investment

A photo of Nike Dunk SB Low Paris, one of top 10 most valuable sneakers to resell

Reselling sneakers can be a great way to make money. But even though the process of reselling sneakers is pretty simple, there are a lot of things that aspiring resellers need to know to ensure a healthy profit. And one of those is identifying the most valuable sneakers to resell.

What are the most profitable sneakers to resell?

Coupon website DealA.com recently released a ranking of the most valuable sneakers to resell, and below are the sneakers that made it to the top 10.

Top 10 sneakers with the highest return on investment

On the top spot is the Nike Dunk SB Low Paris. Each pair of these sneakers is unique, as the artwork on the printed canvas uppers was cut differently. It’s also worthy to note that only 202 pairs of these sneakers were made in the original 2003 production run, and this rarity has increased their price by a whopping 149,385%.

Second place in the ranking is the Jordan 1 OG Bred (1985). Designed by Nike in collaboration with Michael Jordan, these black/red sneakers were infamously banned by the NBA during the 1980s because they didn’t adhere to the league-wide rule that required all players to wear sneakers that were mostly white and color-coordinated with their team’s uniforms.

Jordan was never seen wearing them in a regular-season game, but rumor has it that every time the basketball superstar stepped foot on the floor in these, the NBA would charge him a $5,000 fine for going against the so-called “dress code”. But since Nike wanted to continue their marketing efforts for the shoes, it’s believed that they ended up covering the costs themselves.

An original mint pair of these sneakers now costs $94,675, a meteoric 145,554% rise from its original $65 retail price.

Sitting in the third place is the Nike SB Dunk Low London, which features an embroidered outline of the river Thames as well as a soft grey/magnet colorway that is meant to reflect the cloudy London skies. These rare sneakers had an original retail price of $60 and are now selling for an enormous $24,900 a pair ― that’s a 41,400% increase in value.

Top 3 most valuable sneakers to resell

DealA’s ranking of most valuable sneakers to resell was based on the retail prices and lowest asking prices from StockX as of January 27th, 2022.

What sneaker brand has the highest average resale value?

A separate study by Money.co.uk published in 2021 revealed that Jordan has the highest average resale value among sneaker brands. According to the research, which is also based on the data from StockX, a pair of Jordan could sell for 376.2% of the original price, so long as they’re unworn and in their original condition.

Following Jordan in the ranking is Nike. A pair of the brand’s sneakers could deliver 305% of the original cost.

Next in the ranking is the skate brand, Vans. A pair of Vans without any personal customization and skater scuffs could be worth 221.8% more than its original retail price.

Completing the top 10 sneaker brands with the highest average resale value are ASICS (203%), Yeezy (170.6%), New Balance (144.9%), Converse (127.9%), Reebok (120.8%), Adidas (118.1%), and Puma (107.7%).

Can you get rich selling sneakers?

Currently valued at around $1 billion, the sneaker resale market is actually very profitable. Thanks to the rise of online marketplaces, the sneaker market has since expanded and grown exponentially. But while people are making life-changing amounts of money from reselling sneakers, it isn’t easy to do.

One of the most successful sneaker resellers is Benjamin Kapelushnik, aka Benjamin Kickz. The owner of the sneaker marketplace Sneaker Don, Kapelushnik started reselling sneakers at the age of 13 in 2013 and made it big just two years after. Kapelushnik made his first million in 2016, thanks in part to DJ Khaled, who referred him to his friends in the music and entertainment industry.

Of course, unless resellers know someone as popular as DJ Khaled, it will likely be impossible for them to make that much money within than brief period of time. That, however, shouldn’t discourage aspiring sneaker resellers, as beginners can still profit around $80-100 per pair, as long as they know what are the most valuable sneakers to resell, where to resell them, and how to resell them.

Sources: DealA.com, Money.co.uk, Sneaker News, Niche Pursuits
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