Source: Air Jordan 8 Retro ‘Sequoia & Max Orange’. Nike+ SNKRS
The Retro 8 had a solid run a couple years ago so seeing another colorway drop after the return of the Aqua and Three Peat, which didn’t do very well is kind of surprising. Seeing the shoe return in a colorway that is still identified by one of the most legendary collabs the Air Jordan 4 UNDFTD, is a bit more exciting. Especially when the retro releases this past year have been kind of low key; which is great for collectors, but bad for those of you reading this hoping for a better response from than you’ve seen on a Jordan in a while. So… what do I think about the “UNDFTD” Retro 8? First, the Curry 3 Flight Jacket could learn a thing or two about materials. This Retro 8 nails it and that’s a good thing. Let’s get to it.
*** I’ve been neglecting to say that I’m writing these for those people who don’t have a hookup or discount. On almost any Jordan Brand release if you get a discount you can flip it for a profit.
Since I do 3 checks before my decision I will weight them on a scale of 1-9. The max points on a scale = +3
*** New addition to the rating system: Tier 1: 0-25% = +1 Tier: 26-55% = +2 Tier 3: 56% and up is +3
First check: For the first time in a long time Flight Club is excited about a release. They had a full size run of the UNDFTD 8 a week ago when I considered doing this SYBTF. They only have 5 pair left at 325.00. Now of course they probably had more than a full size run, but to see only 5 sizes left is a good thing. When FC is at 325.00 the rest of the market will have to adjust 50-100 dollars down. The question is am I on the high end of low end… The high end would place the shoe at 275.00 for the mere mortals. The low would be 250.00. Here is what’s interesting. 4 of the 5 left in inventory are at 350 on FC. I’m staying on the high end here and stating that this shoe in Check 1 is a solid 275.00. Of course the 2nd check will see if I’m right. At 275.00 here is your
ROI: 190 + tax = 204.00
Add 15.00 for shipping
Add Fees at 275.00 (eBay 13%) = 35.75
Total: 254.75
ROI: $20.25 or 7.95% back on your dollar. Not great, but better than putting your 254.75 in the savings account at 1% for a year.
That’s a Tier 1 for the regular guy who doesn’t have a discount of any kind. That Tier 1 is rough though and I want to rate this higher so I will give it a
Rating = +2
Second check: My second check is always on eBay. The eBay Check is always easier to make an estimation. My initial excitement in check one has been sobered up. Team early on eBay made the first sell on the Take Flights on December 21st at 289.99. Since then 121 pair have sold. Here is the average price of sold shoes as of 1/25/2017:
January 24 – 239.99
January 24 – 279.99
January 24 – 279.99
January 24 – 254.99
January 23 – 249.99
When we do the average price 1304.95/5 = 260.99 My FC projection was 275.00. Excitement gone… The last three years has been all about Team Early on retros. If you can get pre-orders you win. If you can get a discount, you win. Unfortunately the majority of people aren’t getting a hook up and that margin in Check 1 is reduced considerably. I haven’t done my third check though so I don’t know the availability by location. I haven’t contacted my Insiders for total pairs available locally either, so I am going to stay optimistic and I simply like the colorway. Don’t let my numbers sway you though. I should give this shoe a +1, but I’m… nevermind. The numbers don’t lie.
Rating = +1
Third check: My third check is now a combination of Twitter hype, launch locators and StockX. StockX has UNDFTD/Take Flight available. #teamearly https://stockx.com/air-jordan-8-retro-undefeated When you click to sell there is listing for last sold, but this is derived from FC. StockX takes all sales into consideration, not just StockX. This is the current offer: HIGHEST BID: $0 | LOWEST ASK: $300 The ask is the seller’s price and the bid is obvious. Do I need to write more? No bids? I have to do another video on StockX. There are some serious underlying issues with the platform that I think hurt the market and can be frustrating for some sellers. I can’t really take the StockX check into consideration on this, but the Launch Locator is very eye opening. Locally I can always tell if a shoe is going to be a limited release. Nike has limited the release of this shoe although it is a GR. When we only have two FootLocker stores getting the shoes, that signals that each store will get about 12-24 pairs. What’s worse is that the shoe is “First Come, First Serve”. There isn’t a raffle or drawing. If the backdoor crew drops in on this release you can expect that at least half of the shoes will be “reserved or already sold” when you get to the counter. This increases the prospects of the shoe.
Rating = +3
My final ruling: +6 is my overall rating. It’s been awhile since I gave a Jordan GR shoe a solid rating of 6. Although the first two checks don’t look great, I don’t think people are aware that this will be a limited release. Team Early often screws up the pricing, but this time I think they may be selling themselves short. This may be the first Retro to pop in a while. If you want to flip, my advice is find some and get busy. If you want to collect, this is a dope ass colorway. I hope whatever you decide works out well for you.
