Buy, Sell or Hold: Air Jordan 4 University Blue

 

 

The Air Jordan 4 Retro University Blue released on April 28th and created havoc in the streets.

Making waves in sneaker culture since in its inception in 1989 by creator Tinker Hatfield, Jordan brand has once again brought us a brand new colourway of the iconic shoe.

Drawing a resemblance to the rare player exclusive Jordan 4 UNC Pe, this shoe features a University Blue suede upper with speckled cement grey sections in the midsole.

The shoe also contains hits of black on the wing eyelets, sole and on the Jumpman logo on the heel tab.

Overview

Paying homage to Michael Jordan’s college, the University of North Carolina, the sneaker incorporates the time-honoured UNC colour scheme while including a woven jock tag that depicts MJ’s number 23 on the tongue.

Whilst even being compared to the Travis 4s in the light blue colorway, this shoe has definitely lived up to the hype and has made sneakerheads wondering whether it will be a worthwhile investment. 

Today, we will go in depth and discuss whether you should buy, sell or hold the Air Jordan 4 University Blue.

 

Credit: @Footpatrol

 Analysis

Jordan 4s for the past 2 years have seen significant growth in both demand and sale price.

For example, shoes such as the Fire Red 4s, Metallic 4s and even the PSG 4s entered the market at a low price point of around $300 AUD. They eventually gave returns between 30-60% in just 1 year.

Compared to the demand of Jordan 1s, Jordan 4s typically start with less interest but slowly gains traction over time.

Prior to the release of the Jordan 4 University Blue, the Jordan 4 Taupe Haze had just entered the market and had been slowly increasing.

With both Jordan 4s being compared to Travis Scott 4s, it is easy to see why their resale value started off so high.

While men sizes of the Taupe Haze entered the market at around $410, the University blue pair started at $450.

They then saw a steep decline in resale prices but have since been creeping up since.

Since launch, the Jordan 4 Taupe Haze’s have risen ~$60-$100 in 2 months and have given a return on investment of ~15%.

I believe the Jordan 4 University Blue will do better in the long term compared to the Taupe Haze 4s due to their strong demand.

When we compare the current sales volume on other platforms, currently the UNC 4s have a total of 18,000+ sales compared to the 13,000+ for the Taupe 4s.

Despite the similar stock numbers and having been out for 2 months less than the Taupe Haze 4s, the UNC 4s have proven to be the more desirable and selling more volume.

Interestingly, Grade School sizes for both colourways are currently at the same price of around $320+ AUD.

GS is much more limited than normal mens pairs and have shown in the past that they can hold better than men's pairs.

Their low retail price creates a better margin and their limited supply drives demand.

 

You can purchase the Jordan 4 'Taupe Haze' here

Credit: @UpThereStore

Buy, Sell or Hold?

For those looking to pick a personal pair, I recommend buying now as I believe currently is the best price for the shoe.

The market has stabilised and those who are looking to invest should also do so now.

In particular, GS pairs look very promising due to their current price being somewhat undervalued.

Men's pairs should follow in a similar manner but due to their decently higher market value they will be a less effective hold.

Unless you are in a situation desperate for capital, I strongly believe in holding and definitely considering buying more pairs.

The future for this shoe is promising and I believe it has long term value that will not be forgotten.

Final thoughts

Overall, I’m very bullish on the Nike Air Jordan 4 University Blue and believe it will prove to be a great long term investment.

Whether it's in Men or GS sizes, the shoe will maintain its value and only rise with time - especially with the limited numbers available on the secondary market.

Unfortunately, due to how saturated the market is right now with other sneakers, it is unlikely that any shoe will rise up quickly in value. 

This is why I believe the shoe will be a long but fruitful hold.

The Jordan 4 University Blue’s strong connection to Michael Jordan’s past coupled with it’s premium materials makes for a great hold for any investor.

With similar UNC shoes such as the Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 3 having seen much success, Its hard to imagine that this release will be anything different being itself a University Blue colourway.

You can purchase the Jordan 4 University Blues here

 

 Written by Oliver Tan - analyst intern.