Crocs has anywhere around 374 stores all over the globe with annual revenue of around $2.31 billion in 2021, as the company sells tens of millions of its iconic footies every year!
Despite that, even basic crocs can cost you around 30 to 40 bucks per pair. So why are Crocs so expensive?
In today’s article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the reasons behind the relatively high price tag of this popular footwear. Let’s jump right in!
Why Are Crocs So Expensive?
1. Made from Quality Material
At first glance, a lot of people think that Crocs are made from cheap synthetic rubber, which is why a lot of people think that Crocs are extremely overpriced.
However, all original Crocs are designed from a proprietary material that is patented by Crocs, known as “Croslite”.
Croslite is actually a type of lightweight yet durable resin with foam-like cells that has a soft and rubbery texture but is incredibly easy to clean and maintain.
Since this material is solely patented by Crocs, any cheaper knockoffs will use low quality plastics and rubber to make their footies.
Of course, Crocs spend millions of dollars in order to develop this unique formula and they continue to optimize it so that it conforms to feet while staying rigid enough for support.
This means that Crocs combined the materials used to make this material in thousands of different ratios in order to come up with the golden formula.
Not only that, but they also need to make sure that every single item produced fits their standards, so they may reject hundreds or even thousands of faulty pairs.
To make up for the extra costs of producing this material and developing it, Crocs sells its unique footwear at a relatively high price.
2. They’re More Expensive in Summer
A lot of people don’t actually know about this reason, but it actually plays a huge role in the pricing of Crocs.
Since Crocs are originally summer footies specifically designed to be used in warm conditions like at the beach, a lot of people consider buying some in late spring and early summer.
As the demand for Crocs increases, the price of a pair will typically increase slightly, and people will still buy them.
For that, if you want to buy Crocs, the best time to consider is usually in the off-season (Winter and Fall) because the prices are usually at their lowest.
3. Branding Plays a Huge Role
Another aspect that has a huge impact on the pricing of Crocs is the branding. One of the simplest concepts of the free market is supply and demand.
As previously explained, if an item is highly sought after, its price will usually increase, and vice versa.
Crocs are well aware that their footwear is trending and currently considered a fashion statement, so they’re marking up the price in order to maintain its status,
Crocs footwear appeals to a large demographic who have a relatively high income and are capable of enjoying summer activities, making them a great purchase, although there are others who think that Crocs are simply some ugly plastic footies.
4. Sturdy Construction
One of the things that allow Crocs to go head and shoulders above the competition is that they’re made to last for a very long time.
While knock offs and cheap copies will display signs of wear and tear within a few months, Crocs are actually built to last and capable of surviving for several years if you use them properly.
For many people who will use Crocs on a daily basis, such durable and dependable footwear is worth every penny no matter how expensive it is!
Of course, to achieve such durability, Crocs are designed from high end materials that withstand years of continuous use, which adds to the price.
5. Waterproof and Antibacterial Features
The materials used to make Crocs are also highly expensive because of their waterproof features.
Many cheap brands can actually be bad for your health because they are bad at wicking moisture, which allows bacteria to multiply, causing bad smells and fungal infections.
However, Crocs are made with antibacterial features and are designed from fully waterproof materials that make them very safe to use all the while not needing to be constantly washed and cleaned.
6. Long term Investment
As you now know, the Colorado based company goes above and beyond in order to make its footwear more efficient and durable over the years.
For them, this means that potential customers may not need to buy more than one pair of Crocs for several years.
In fact, Crocs also has a surprisingly high resale value, which makes it even less likely for them to sell more footies.
Although there are some who collect various Crocs, it’s not enough to sustain long term profit, which is why they increase the cost of their Crocs to make up for their longevity.
7. Designed for Comfort
Crocs are designed so that they’re extremely comfortable and easy to wear for all daily needs, which is why they’re extremely common among nurses and other professionals who need to be standing all day long.
This might seem like an easy task, but designing remarkably comfortable footwear takes a lot of experience and optimization and it ends up adding to the overall costs of the Crocs
8. Built for Versatility
Crocs’ versatility is one of its greatest features. You can wear them while buying your groceries, attending class, or going to the beach.
Of course, Crocs aren’t ideal for every situation, as they’re actually bad workout footwear for example, but they can work very well in tens of other situations. This also adds to the immense demand for this iconic footwear, which ramps up their prices!
9. Limited Editions and Collector’s Items
In addition to standard Crocs that are sold at a base price, there are plenty of limited edition Crocs that are released occasionally that are sold at extremely high rates. Such Crocs can reach up to $70 to 90$ per pair.
Similarly, there are also collector’s items and rare Crocs. In fact, there are some Crocs that are sold for over $850, such as the Balenciaga X Crocs.
10. Available in Custom Designs
Crocs also allow its customers to design their own Crocs, as they’re available in nearly all colors and patterns that you can imagine.
Of course, custom designs will usually cost a lot more than basic Crocs, as they take extra time to be produced and inspected for quality.
11. There Are Affordable Alternative
Technically speaking, Crocs aren’t too expensive when you put all their features and advantages in mind, as their prices are still comparable to the average footwear for the same purpose.
However, if you find them too overpriced, there are actually several alternative footies and high end copies that can do the trick while costing a lot less!
Wrap Up
Comfort footwear became a huge business recently, as more and more people started working from home after the pandemic. For that reason, it’s no surprise that Croc’s popularity has skyrocketed in the past few years.
As you can see from the reason above, Crocs are relatively pricey for a wide variety of reasons, but they’re well worth the price if you’re all about comfort.