I stayed away purposely out of respect for the thread because I knew I'd get into it if I kept replying. I do want to clarify my perspective, but I'm not trying to argue, just to offer things as I see them and do so calmly and civilly.
This market isnt large enough to be a stable market. The amount of people that are into vintage forces just isnt big enough for there to be set prices on things like there are for jordans and what not.
Personally, I think this is pretty true as well.
The subtly of my point that was lost as well was that I was continuously speaking about "the market," or at least my perception thereof. I wasn't making judgments as to what I think they are worth - I'm viewing them in relation to other potential deals I see in the future.
There are a lot of different ways to look at things. For example, Nadel only buys DS. I have a lot of DS pairs, but also buy a lot of used pairs as well. So, for me a $400 pair, not only has to be weighed against the chances of that pair popping up again DS and the likelihood of getting it for less, plus what else I can buy for $400 (AF1 or otherwise), but also the price of a well-kept used pair and the chances of finding one of those.
But, it still kind of comes back to what GG says because if there was a truly established market, we wouldn't be having this argument. Again - note that I'm not talking about whether I think a shoe is worth a certain amount (to me), but whether there's a measurably better deal on the same shoe to be found. Were there such a firmly established market, I'd simply just say I'm willing or not willing to pay that. ...It's not that I'm not willing to pay a certain amount, it's that I don;t think I HAVE TO. Subtle, but profound difference there.
Finally, let me just lay out my macro perspective on things. Again, this is just my philosophy - I'm not speaking for anybody else or arguing this is how anybody else should feel. The quest for Forces is endless. This isn't like Jordans where I basically have every shoe in the line I care about (maybe missing 3 or 4) and I'm just stacking multiples when I find deals. There's always another pair of Forces to obtain. That's why I can't even use the term "grail." There's a want list, but once I acquire one, there are dozens more lining up to take its place. Collecting Forces is like Lucy in the candy factory.
...And, no matter how much I want a single pair, once I acquire it, it just goes in a pile atop hundreds of others. Sometimes it gets tons of wear, sometimes it never touches the ground, and most of the time somewhere in between. But - at the risk of sounding like I have no passion anymore (that's not the case at all) - it's just another pair of shoes; I'm in the same exact position the day after buying them as I was the day before. Peeing in the ocean. So, if I don't get this pair, or get this pair at the price I want, there's always a next pair, and I'll get that one. Sure, I like some pairs more than others, but that's not necessarily reflected in the prices of things. If I knew that my collection was 5 pairs away from being complete, I'd have no problems spending $500 each to finish it off. But, because the AF1 is unconquerable, I can fold any hand I want and there's a new deal already in process.
If I ever reach the point where all I want to finish my collection is that one pair of gold canvas that I could have had for $480 back in 2013, then I'll just find the person who bought it and offer him $650. Until that day comes, I'll continue to play the field, and frankly, I expect that I'll find a pair for less at some point in my future pursuits - I don't plan on them ending anytime soon.
put some laces in those and enjoy them 
