A flawed pair of the Air Jordan 4 “Bred Reimagined” that purportedly made its way past quality control and into a customer’s hands has turned into quite lucrative payday on the resale market.
The size 13 sneakers that had previously gone viral for an upside tongue tag resold on eBay for $17,300 in an auction that ended Thursday. Retail for the sneaker, which released in mid-February, was just $215.
An Instagram user with the handle @almiighty.lynden posted the sneakers to the platform last week and said he had purchased them from JD Sports. Only the right shoe in the pair features an upside tongue tag, and a receipt for purchase was included on the eBay listing.
Such blatant flaws aren’t unheard of but are also far from common, especially considering the volume of sneakers sold for such high-profile retro releases. Where some see a mistake, others see a one-of-one collectors item — including at least one person who through the Air Jordan 4 was worth as much as a brand-new Harley Davidson Sportster.
The Air Jordan 4 “Bred Reimagined” is one of the biggest sneaker releases so far this year. While featuring the same original color scheme from 1989, this pair set itself apart for its use of leather for the upper instead of “Durabuck.” Technically speaking, the first release used a different material than all subsequent reissues, which have featured nubuck instead of the proprietary synthetic material that was also used on original Air Jordan 5s and Air Jordan 6s.
Jordan Brand’s “Reimagined” series has been hit or miss, with the Air Jordan 1 “Royal Reimagined” replacing leather with suede from last fall still sitting on shelves. Sometimes known to be fickle, sneakerheads nonetheless decided the material swap here was acceptable and caused the sneaker to sell out across stores.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
