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Some SB Dunks have always been limited, but it seems like these days even basic general releases have become difficult to purchase! These days, it is tough to find SB dunks.
Why It Is So Hard To Find SB Dunks
The reason SB Dunks are difficult to obtain has to do with hype, limited numbers, limited places to buy and a small amount of buyers loading up on pairs.
Did Not Release In the US
Compared to regular non-SB Dunks, most releases of the Nike SB Dunks are tough to come by in-store.
Not only that, purchasing SB Dunks on the aftermarket can be punishing on the wallet. If you miss out on a pair, you can pretty much assume you will need to pay above retail in order to get it later.
In this article, we’ll take a look at why they are still fairly tough to locate, as well as give insights on where and how to shop for SB Dunks online.
SB Dunk Hype
designed in part by Richard Mulder
Shop SB Dunks: eBay
Hype is impermanent; it comes and goes. For the SB dunk, this hype has ebbed and flowed ever since its inception into the sneaker world.
Many things can bring on hype, and the the initial excitement for Nike SB centered around its team riders and high-profile collaborations with known streetwear brands.
When the SB dunk was first released, the colorways were in part designed by Nike team riders like Gino Iannucci and Danny Supa. Soon after, Nike began making collabs with companies such as Diamond Supply Co, Stussy, Chocolate and later Supreme. The resulting SB dunks solidified the model’s status as a collectible. Nike SB would continue this practice of high profile collabs with varying degrees of success throughout the years.
For a while, during the early-mid 2010s the brand seemed to have suffered a downturn. In my experience, they were no longer the “cool” shoe to wear. Still, the sneaker maintained a continuing fanbase (myself included) and looking back at it, some very nice releases happened during this time period.
Eventually, thanks to the likes of celebrities such Travis Scott, among others, the model has seen a resurgence in hype. This has greatly contributed to an influx of new fans of the model. This rush to buy has resulted in limited availability for the SB dunk. Therefore, the ability find SB dunks becomes a matter of competing with new and pre-existing fans of the model.
History of Limited Availability
Limited collab with Diamond Supply Co.
Hand in hand with collabs and a skater-centric philosophy comes lower production numbers and less retail outlets where one can find pairs. Getting pairs these days often comes down to entering raffles or trying your luck on the occasional SNKRS releases.
Nike SB does a good job of keeping hype high with the limited nature of collaborations and “Quickstrike” releases. This is due to scarcity, both perceived and real.
With Nike SB dunks, a majority of colorways are sold exclusively at skateshops, with some being sold at select boutiques and sites like SNKRS. This helps make all the pairs somewhat limited by design.
At this point most fans of the model know what skateshops and boutiques are either local to them or sell the shoes online. It’s also easy to find a social media account that posts news and release info for SB dunks and use it to stay on top of releases.
Many online stores hold either raffles or draws at this point, as the amount of SB dunks available does not keep up with the demand. Even the SNKRS app releases most SB dunks as draws.
Nike SB Dunk Resellers
only released in select locations in 2021
Wherever there is a limited supply and excessive demand, some entrepreneurial types will arise to take advantage. With the surge in popularity, there are sellers out there buying these shoes up in order to sell to whoever is trying to find SB dunks. At a marked-up price of course.
Of course, a few people buying up multiple pairs explicitly for reselling at a higher price are contributing to both price inflation and scarcity.
That said, as of mid-2021, certain pairs had begun to escape the extreme tax that was befalling everything with “dunk” in the name the previous year. Basically, SB Dunks will still often sell out, but not every pair winds up with a high resale price. General releases have been hit or miss as of late, although Nike SB tends to release more limited releases and collabs these days.
Where To Find SB Dunks at Stores
SB Dunks are not sold at Footlocker, Eastbay or any similar type of footwear store. Instead, they are sold at certain boutiques and skateshops. Some skateshops get the more limited SB dunks and others get no dunks at all. Apparently the barrier to entry is high in order to be able to sell the dunk line of Nike SB at a shop. If you have a local skateshop or boutique, this would be where you would attempt to get your pair. Options for getting these shoes in person are very limited. You can check Nike SB’s map of participating Skateshops here.
Where To Buy Nike SB Dunks
Following skateshops and other sneaker boutique type sites on social media and following their instructions for raffles and other release information is a great way to up your chances of getting pairs for yourself.
Some boutiques I’ve seen with SB Dunks include Concepts, Extra Butter and End Clothing among others. As far as skateshops, some well-known spots include Skate Park of Tampa and Premier skateboarding.
Most shops have some kind of online raffle system at this point, and besides the webstores of the aforementioned boutiques and skateshops, the other option is the SNKRS app. As many have come to realize, this app is not the most reliable way to find SB dunks.
Where Most People Buy SB Dunks
If, like many, you miss out on getting a pair for retail, your next best bet for purchasing an SB Dunk is an aftermarket site like eBay
My trick with buying dunks on these sites if you are looking for an SB dunk in your price range is to filter by size and then sort by lowest ask or lowest price. On certain aftermarket sites, you can sort by “Newest Releases” and it will display the latest dunks to hit the platform.
Shop SB Dunks Here:
- Browse SB Dunk eBay Listings
Ah, Well
At the end of the day, trying to find SB dunks is no easy task thanks to limited numbers, limited places to buy, hype brought on by collabs and celebrities and resellers buying up stock. As the shoes naturally wane in popularity, this will become less of an issue which should make common releases easier to find and easier on the wallet. This will be the time to buy up pairs you like as history has shown the SB dunk does not stay unpopular forever.