Footwear designer John de los Santos last year released several limited editions of his best-known model of sneaker in exotic colors and prints. Although the new releases were priced substantially higher than their counterparts in more traditional colors, they sold out within a week of their release, and have since been selling on the resale market for up to four times the original price. The cost of producing the sneakers in exotic prints is no greater than that of producing them in more traditional colors
de los Santos could earn a higher profit per unit by producing a greater percentage of his sneakers in such prints.
The designers who compete most directly with de los Santos will not produce similar lines of limited-edition sneakers in the near future.