Out of all the sneakers that Nike produces, Air Jordans are, by far, one of their most popular lines. According to the latest numbers, Jordan Brand brought in a whopping $5.1 billion in 2022, which is a massive 31% increase from the year before. Michael Jordan himself pocketed around 5% of this under his deal with Beaverton sportswear company, equating to around $255 million!
Even though the Air Jordan series is almost 40 years old, they’re still more difficult to cop than ever. And when you consider just how many shoe ranges Nike has produced over the decades, it becomes all the more impressive that Jumpman continues to reign supreme.
If you’re wondering why Jordans are still so hard to get, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to find out what makes Jordans just so difficult to get a hold of. So let’s get to it!
To find out why Air Jordans are so hard to get, we need to find out what makes them popular. One reason why they are popular is simply because they look amazing. Air Jordans feature a heightened look that comfortably embraces the ankles. This creates a great silhouette that can be paired with practically any outfit.
Jumpman sneaks are also supremely comfortable thanks to their high-top design. They surround the feet firmly and provide additional stability, while also being flexible enough to allow the wearer to make quick changes in direction while engaged in basketball. This is helped by the fact that the shoes are made from the highest quality leather and suede!
There are a number of reasons why Air Jordans can be difficult to get your hands on. And, believe it or not, most of these reasons stem from the popularity of the trainers:
As we’ve highlighted before, Air Jordan shoes are trendy, and regularly sought-after. This means that, whenever there is a brand new drop, many people are eager to get their hands on them. However, because so many people want to buy them, there are often too few pairs to go around.
Air Jordans are often sold as limited edition products, which means that they are only available for a limited period of time. During this period, they are often quickly snatched up by those that are already desperate for some.
As mentioned, Air Jordans are most commonly sold as limited edition products. This, in turn, creates a sense of panic among potential buyers. Potential buyers will panic, believing that they only have one chance to grab the trainers and that they do not want to miss out.
This fear of missing out (or FOMO, for all you cool kids out there) results in more people purchasing the trainers on release day, which causes them to sell out more quickly. This means that anyone only casually interested in the shoes will largely be without a chance to purchase them. If anyone wants a chance to grab a pair of Air Jordans, they will need to make sure that they grab them right away, or never get the chance.
Again, because Air Jordans are so popular, they naturally draw plenty of hype. Fans of Jumpman trainers will drum up hype for a new drop, which will cause more people to pay attention and feel as though they just can’t miss out.
Because Nike knows that hype will naturally be drummed up before they drop a new pair of Air Jordans, they are able to set the price much higher, confident that people will still pay the higher price, lest they miss out on the chance to grab them!
One factor that make Jordans tough for many people to grab is that there are few avenues that you can use to purchase them. Because they are a limited product, Nike is very careful with which retailers stock them. As a result, these can only be purchased directly from their stores, in person, or on their website.
Even through this, Nike still carefully controls the amount of stock made available for purchase, so it may look as though they are sold out before they actually are!
Because Jordans are so sought-after, many people seek to use this as an opportunity to make extra money. Resellers will buy up massive amounts of stock, which they will then sell onwards for highly inflated prices. This allows them to make a profit very quickly.
Resellers will also use carefully designed programs called “bots” that actively seek to buy up as much stock as possible. This allows them to buy them faster than regular people can, which can see the stock disappearing faster than usual. This has plagued the community for quite some time now, and brands like Adidas, New Balance, and of course, Nike are continually exploring ways to prevent this from happening.
And there you have it! If you, like many of us, have found it incredibly difficult to grab a pair of Nike Air Jordans in the past, there are actually many reasons behind this. From supply and demand issues to resellers, these are just some of many explanations behind his phenomenon. With that said, if you want to cop the latest and greatest colourways and collaborations, make sure you keep it locked at Captain Creps to up your chances, and follow us on Twitter well for all of the hottest drops and restocks!
