John Kim 
With the popularity of sneakers experiencing a meteoric rise over the last few years, prices of the most sought-after sneakers in the ‘re-sale’ market have risen to unprecedented levels. The “collectible” nature of sneakers (particularly Air Jordans) has also played a role in the appreciating value of kicks, with the most priciest category being the ‘Player Exclusive’ or ‘Sample’ – shoes that are created for specific athletes or as production samples with no intent to release to the public. The rarity of these items have made these the crown jewels for sneakerheads, and with no true suggested price, the bar is set by the seller, with the final value of the shoe being undetermined until the item finally sells. A prime example of the priceless nature of these items is the ‘History Of Flight’ Collection that has begun to pop on for sale over the last two weeks; the shoes, originally displayed at NikeTown locations as a tribute to the Air Jordan, are currently available on eBay and priced in a range from $3,500 to $6,500, which are startling figures compared to the current $160-$180 MSRP of Air Jordan Retro releases.
Last week, Sneaker News stumbled upon one of the most tantalizing Air Jordan samples ever seen – an Air Jordan XI in a full tonal-black colorway; the shoes were listed on eBay as a true auction by a seller aptly named ‘brokeonjordans’, but by auction’s end, we can make the safe deduction that he’s no longer broke – in fact, he’s $11,267 richer (before eBay fees and shipping costs). The ‘Blackout’ auction didn’t just grab the attention of the sneakerhead community, but piqued the interest of auction buffs and became the focus of a recent article by whatsellsbest, which details notable eBay auctions; due the heightened popularity of the Air Jordan XI, over 43,000 people visited the auction and sixty-six bids totaled up to the $11,267 figure, which topped the eBay ‘Clothing’ category (an amazing feat considering the millions of Clothing items currently up for sale). The winning bid for the Air Jordan XI ‘Blackout’ can actually pay for a number of things, like a brand new Nissan Versa, a remodeled kitchen, three pairs of Nike Mag 2011s, a massive spending spree at Flight Club, and, well, the list is really endless. So, is the Air Jordan XI ‘Blackout’ really worth $11,627, or did it just strike while the iron was incredibly hot? Let us know your thoughts on one of the craziest sneaker auctions in history, and if you want catch up on the hoopla, you can revisit the listing from brokeonjordans on eBay.
