New York – September 19, 2026 -- Courtyard has launched Courtyard Sneakers, a mystery-box style shopping format that lets buyers pay $275 for a randomly revealed pair of authenticated deadstock sneakers pulled from a curated vault.
Buyers get a surprise pair, then three choices
Once the reveal happens, shoppers can ship the sneakers home, keep them in Courtyard's secure vault, or sell them back instantly at fair market value. Sneakers can also be relisted on the Courtyard Marketplace.
Every pair is authenticated before it enters the pool
The Courtyard Sneakers Pack draws from a collection spanning Jordan and Nike staples to rare grails such as the Jordan 1 High Off-White Chicago, the Mars Yard 2.0, and the Nike SB AF1 Pink Foam Friends & Family. Courtyard says every sneaker is certified authentic before entering inventory, with clear details disclosed to buyers ahead of purchase -- the identity of the specific pair revealed is the only unknown.
The model differs from typical resale platforms
Courtyard positions its approach against resale sites that sort inventory by price tier to maximize volume, instead curating for rarity and quality. Co-founder and CEO Nico Le Jeune said the platform built the format "for the hardcore collectors, the cultural trendsetters, and anyone ready to cop with confidence knowing the worst case scenario is a keeper and the best is a grail."
Sneakers mark Courtyard's newest category after rapid growth
Courtyard's monthly transaction volume grew from $50,000 in January 2024 to an annualized $2 billion today, spanning trading cards, luxury watches, comics, and coins. Sneakers are the platform's newest vertical, applying the same discovery-and-reveal model it built for collectibles to a sneaker resale market largely dominated by fixed-price and bidding formats.