Adidas’ decision to release the Adidas Yeezy 350 Boost Pirate Black within the next couple of days, despite ending their partnership with Kanye West, is an interesting one. It is worth exploring factors such as the impact of the rapper’s controversial comments, the economic success of the Yeezy line, and Adidas’ current marketing strategy when examining this move.
Kanye West has been a controversial figure in recent years due to his outspoken political views and social media presence. His comments have caused some consumers to distance themselves from him and his products. However, it appears that Adidas still sees value in releasing the Pirate Black edition of the Yeezy 350 Boost despite ending their collaboration with Kanye West. I thought this could be because of the financial success of the Yeezy line since its inception in 2015. The shoes have become highly sought after by sneakerheads and fashion enthusiasts alike due to their unique designs and limited availability. As a result, they have become a lucrative source of revenue for Adidas. And it would be utterly ridiculous to put a halt to one of their most successful products, so this is a money move at least on the surface that is what it seems like.
Christ from ARCH in his article discussed the actual reasons why Adidas decided to re-release the Pirate Black, check out his article. Adidas has actually decided to bring it back in its OG form so I won’t be surprised if they fly off shelves. We’ll see how well the shoe will perform on third party marketplaces. If you’re interested in picking up a pair, see details below
Where To Buy The Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Pirate Black
Color: Pirate Black/Blue Graphite-Core Black
Style Code: BB5350
Release Date: May 31, 2023
Price: $230
Retailer(s)
You may also purchase it on StockX, CLICK HERE
RESALE VALUE
The chart above gives us a summary of the average sale price of the shoe since May 9, 2023. The data shows us some very interesting findings. Prices went from $650 down to $470 between the 9th and the 10th of May, then began to increase again and went up to $793 on the 14th, then back down to $415 the very next day and $850 on the 18th. There was another very rapid drop to $419 on the 19th and thus far prices have remained within the $360 to $440 range. The last three days have seen an increase from $390 to $438. We definitely need to find our five number summary.
Minimum: 300
Quartile Q1: 400
Median: 425
Quartile Q3: 491
Maximum: 850
The lowest sale recorded was $300 for a size 11, that was on May 26, while the highest sale was $850, for a size 12, on May 18. The size 12 is currently selling for $450. 25% of the sales were between $300 and $400 ( see next chart for sizes), while half of them sold between $400 and $491. The top 25% sales were from $491 to $850 and there were three outliers, $650, $793 and $850 corresponding to sizes 12,10.5 and 12.
With the outliers removed, the overall average resale value is $425 with a 15% volatility, that’s about average. At $425, you can expect to make about +$144 in profit, that’s a 59% mark up ( almost 4 times above average), that’s actually really good. Now let’s look at the current earnings by size sold.
With the exception of size 11, which generated a profit margin of $29 (only one pair was sold in this size), every other pair sold yielded profit margins of $100 and above. Sizes 10.5 and 12 were the most lucrative. The conclusion is evident: this shoe is likely the second-best option for resale this month, following closely behind the Travis Scott Low 1. While the resale market has generally experienced a decline, occasional gems like the Pirate Black Yeezy 350 still emerge as profitable opportunities.
