Sneaker value checker
Photograph the pair and the size tag. The estimator identifies the model and colorway, judges wear, and estimates a resale range for used or deadstock condition.
Example estimate
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera
$190
Usually sells for $120 – $320
Your result appears here.
How to photograph it
Good photos are the biggest single improvement to an estimate. These are the shots that matter most.
- Show both shoes from the side, plus the soles.
- Photograph the size tag inside the tongue, with the style code visible.
- Include the box label if you still have the original box.
- Type the size in the details box. Size moves the price.
What decides the price
- Model and colorway
- Limited collaborations and original colorways command premiums; general releases rarely do.
- Condition
- Deadstock (unworn, with box) sells highest. Creasing, sole wear and yellowing lower value.
- Size
- Common men's sizes sell fastest; very small or very large sizes can be higher or lower depending on the shoe.
- Box and extras
- Original box, extra laces and receipts support authenticity and price.
What this market actually looks like
Sneaker resale is a narrow market pretending to be a wide one. Most pairs ever made resell below retail, often well below, and the headline prices belong to a small number of limited releases, collaborations and retro colourways with a following. The first question is not what the shoe is but whether anybody is still looking for it.
Size changes the price more here than in any other category of clothing. The same pair in a very common men's size competes with hundreds of listings; in an unusually small or large size it may be the only one available, and sells either slower or for more depending on the model. Price research that ignores size is close to useless.
Condition splits the market into two almost separate products. Deadstock pairs — unworn, with the original box and tags — trade on the resale platforms at prices the same pair worn twice will never approach. Worn pairs sell, but on general marketplaces, to wearers rather than collectors, and usually for a fraction of the deadstock number.
How condition is judged here
- Style code and production date
- The size label inside the tongue or sidewall carries a style code and a production date. That code identifies the exact colourway and release; the shoe's popular name often covers several different releases at very different prices.
- Midsole yellowing
- Clear and white rubber oxidises with age and light, and it cannot be reversed reliably. On older retros, yellowing is the usual reason an otherwise unworn pair sells at a discount.
- Sole separation and crumbling
- Polyurethane midsoles on pairs more than a decade old can crumble when worn even if they have never left the box. Collectors know this and price old deadstock accordingly.
- Box and extras count
- The original box with its correct label, spare laces and any insert are part of the product for a deadstock sale. A replacement box is a disclosure, not a detail.
- Creasing on the toe box
- The fold across the forefoot is the first thing a wearer creates and the first thing a buyer looks for. Light creasing moves a pair from deadstock pricing into the worn market immediately, and no amount of steaming or stuffing undoes it, so it has to be photographed rather than angled away from.
What costs people money
Most of the value lost in this category is lost before the item is listed, by the owner, with good intentions. These are the four that come up most often.
- Quoting hype prices
- The price a pair hit in its first week after release is not its value two years later. Only recent completed sales of the same size and condition tell you anything.
- Photographing one angle
- Buyers at these prices expect the sole, the heel, the insole and the size label. A single side-on photo reads as something to hide and suppresses offers.
- Cleaning aggressively
- Harsh cleaners strip suede and discolour midsoles. Light cleaning helps; anything that changes the texture of the upper does not.
- Skipping authentication on grails
- Replicas of the most-copied models are good enough to pass in photos. For the expensive pairs, selling through a platform that authenticates protects both sides and usually nets more than a private sale.
When to bring in a professional
Use an authenticating resale platform for anything with a four-figure comparable sale: the fee is lower than the cost of a reversed transaction, and buyers pay more when the risk is removed. For worn pairs and general releases, a normal marketplace listing is the right venue and authentication is not worth the cut. If a pair is old enough that the midsole may be degrading, say so in the listing — collectors expect it, and discovering it after delivery is how returns start.
Common questions
Where is the style code?
Usually on the size tag inside the tongue and on the box label. On Nike pairs it looks like DD1391-100: a model code plus a three-digit color code.
Are worn sneakers worth reselling?
Hyped pairs keep meaningful value even used. Ordinary runners and general releases are usually worth little once worn.
How do I spot fakes?
Compare the size tag font, stitching and shape against verified photos. The estimator mentions visible red flags but cannot authenticate.