Why are Jordans so expensive? 630 pairs, a $300 median

Nike lists a new Air Jordan retro at CAD 210 to 290. In Toronto, 630 pairs ask a CAD 300 median, read 20 September 2026. The premium is in which pair: 149 of the 630 ask CAD 500 or more.

Quick facts

• Live pairs: 630 at Utopia, 132 Cumberland Street, Toronto, read 20 September 2026
• Price range: CAD 100 to 3,000, median CAD 300
• Deepest model: Jordan 1, 243 pairs at a CAD 350 median; Jordan 4 next at 131 pairs, also 350
• Condition: 347 new at a CAD 350 median, 283 pre owned at CAD 300
• Sizes: 515 pairs in men's sizes, 103 in kids' sizes, 12 in women's; 9.5 the most stocked at 103 pairs
• Nike's own price: CAD 210 to 290 for a retro on nike.com/ca the same day

The Jordan shelf in Toronto prints the size and the price on every one of the 630 pairs. The rest of this note is the two prices, and why they differ.

Why are Jordans so expensive?

The list price is the cheap part. On nike.com/ca on 20 September 2026 an Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG was CAD 235 and a Jordan 1 Low OG 210. A Jordan 4 Retro was 280 and a Jordan 3 Retro 290.

Resale is the expensive part, and it is priced pair by pair. The Toronto shelf's 243 Jordan 1s ask a CAD 350 median, 49 per cent over that list price, and its 131 Jordan 4s ask 350, 25 per cent over.

Collaborations are the top of the shelf. 74 of the 630 pairs are Travis Scott pairs and 19 are Off-White pairs, and the two dearest, both Travis Scott Jordan 1 Lows, ask CAD 3,000.

A Jordan 1 Low is CAD 210 at Nike; the Fragment x Travis Scott pair is CAD 3,000.

What Nike's own report says about the cost

Nike's annual report for the year to 31 May 2026, filed with the SEC on 15 July 2026, gives the cost side. Nearly all Nike products are made by independent contractors outside the United States. In fiscal 2026, factories in Vietnam, Indonesia and China made 52, 27 and 16 per cent of Nike Brand footwear.

Product costs rose in the year and cut gross margin by about 20 basis points, the report says.

Marketing is the other line. Demand creation expense, brand marketing plus sports marketing including endorsement contracts, was USD 4,754 million on revenue of 46,398 million. That is about 10 cents of every dollar.

Jordan Brand sales inside Nike were USD 7,034 million in fiscal 2026, down 3 per cent on the year and down 16 per cent the year before that. The report describes the Jordan Brand as the line that designs, distributes and licenses footwear, apparel and accessories under the Jumpman trademark.

Tariffs moved the number in 2026. Nike paid the US tariffs imposed under emergency powers through the year, the IEEPA tariffs in the report's words. It booked a USD 986 million benefit in the fourth quarter when it judged their recovery probable.

Are Jordans worth it?

At Nike's price, yes: CAD 235 buys a Jordan 1 Retro High OG that the Toronto shelf resells at a CAD 350 median. Above CAD 500 you are paying for the colourway or the collaboration, and 149 of the 630 pairs are priced there.

Pre owned is the cheaper way in. The 283 pre owned pairs ask a CAD 300 median against CAD 350 for the 347 new ones. The pre owned top is CAD 2,100 rather than 3,000.

Why are Jordan 4s so expensive?

Because Nike lists the 4 above the 1 and resale adds a quarter on top. A Jordan 4 Retro is CAD 280 on nike.com/ca. The 131 Jordan 4s at Utopia ask a CAD 350 median, and an Off-White Sail pair in a women's size asks CAD 2,500.

How to tell if Jordans are real

Our guide to spotting fake Jordans answers that one and names who stands behind a pair. The Nike shelf in Toronto is counted separately, 508 pieces on the same day.

Where the numbers come from

Every shelf number here is a count of live pieces at Utopia, read from within's catalog on 20 September 2026. Each piece is counted at its lowest sellable price. The Jordan stockist page keeps the count current and the Jordan price guide has the full table by model.

Read 20 September 2026: 630 pairs, one shop, CAD 100 to 3,000.

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