The Supreme Hype Tax Explained
Supreme takes products other brands already make, adds a box logo, and charges more. We call the difference the hype tax: the markup between what Supreme charged and what the original retails for.
We ran the numbers on the 799 items in our catalog where both the Supreme retail price and the original price are verified.
The numbers
The median collab costs 38% more than the same product from the original manufacturer. The average runs higher because a few extreme markups pull it up. Some items are barely marked up. Others are marked up thousands of percent. The full distribution, the breakdown by category, and the current top ten are in How Much Does Supreme Mark Up? The Data.
The biggest markups
The top of the list is almost all cheap utility goods. When the product costs a few dollars, the logo is nearly the whole price.
| Item | Original | Supreme | Hype Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme x Swarovski Crystal Box Cutter | $5 | $288 | +5660% |
| Supreme Brick | $1 | $30 | +2900% |
| Supreme Chibi Rib Screwdriver Keychain | $4.5 | $36 | +700% |
| Supreme x Tru Grit Pull Up Bar | $39 | $288 | +638% |
| Supreme x Martine Rose Dulton Stash Can | $6 | $44 | +633% |
Expensive products aren't exempt. A $555 Vitra Panton Chair sold for $2600 with a box logo on it. The percentage is smaller. The dollars aren't.
The smallest markups
Not every collab carries a markup. 17% of priced collabs sold below the original's retail price on drop day.
| Item | Original | Supreme | Hype Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Slice NewGen Classic Toaster Dualit | $379.99 | $398 | +5% |
| Swarovski Crystal Belt b.b. Simon | $495 | $448 | -9% |
When the original is already expensive, as with Dualit and b.b. Simon, there's less room to mark it up. Sometimes Supreme comes in under the original's price.
Where the markup falls
How the hype tax breaks down across our 799 priced items:
Half the priced items are marked up 38% or more. 22% are marked up past 100%. On those, the logo costs more than the product it's printed on.
What you're paying for
Supreme has good taste. The brands it picks have been making the same things for decades: Timberland, The North Face, Leatherman, Spitfire, Zojirushi. The products are good, which is why Supreme picked them.
The box logo isn't free. On average it adds 75% to the price of the same product. That's the hype tax.
The original is available today. No Thursday drop, no resale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Supreme hype tax?
The hype tax is the markup between what the original product retails for and what Supreme charged for the same product with a box logo on it, as a percentage. Supreme takes something another brand already makes, adds the logo, and charges more. The difference is the hype tax.
How much more expensive is Supreme than the original product?
Across the 799 priced items in our catalog, the median hype tax is 38% and the average is 75%. 22% of them are marked up more than 100%, which means Supreme charged more than double the original's retail price.
Why does Supreme charge so much more than the source brand?
Curation plus scarcity. Supreme picks brands with good products, adds a box logo, and releases small runs. The cheaper the original, the bigger the percentage: a few dollars of product can carry a markup in the thousands. Expensive picks get marked up too. A $555 Vitra Panton Chair sold for $2600.
Can I buy Supreme products without the logo?
Yes. Every Supreme collab has an original, and you can buy it today without waiting for a Thursday drop or paying resale. The catalog links to the source product for every Supreme item we track. Start with the catalog.
Is Supreme worth the hype tax?
The products are good. That's why Supreme picked them. But on average you pay 75% more for the same product with Supreme branding. Whether the logo is worth that is up to you. The FAQ has more on how we think about it.
Which Supreme collaborations have the biggest markup?
The biggest markup in the catalog right now is the Supreme x Swarovski Crystal Box Cutter: $5 for the original, $288 from Supreme, a 5660% markup. Cheap utility goods fill the top of the list, because when the product costs a few dollars, the logo is almost the entire price. At the other end, premium collabs like Dualit and b.b. Simon carry little or no markup, and 17% of priced collabs sold below the original's retail. The Supreme x Swarovski Crystal Box Cutter page has the details.