How To Cop Limited Sneakers Online
How To Get Nike SNKRS Exclusive Access | SneakerNews.com
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The Nike SNKRS App first launched in 2015 during All-Star Weekend in New York City; through this digital platform, the brand promised a unique channel that would deliver the most coveted footwear drops while honing in on the culture of kicks and the deep history rooted in community. Since then, the SNKRS App has become ground zero for must-have footwear, and while many of us have reveled in the triumph of “GOT EM”, many are left in the dust as the supply continues to fall way short of the demand. There’s also the unwritten belief that “bots” are also taking advantage of the system, which has forced the brand to evolve their sneaker release system into Draws which are basically random lotteries that grant random entrants the opportunity to purchase sneakers at MSRP (which in itself is a huge win).
Above that tier of release procedure is Exclusive Access. Nike SNKRS grants select users the opportunity to purchase shoes ahead of schedule without the hassle of waiting in line or crossing fingers in blind hope. And for the upcoming 50-pair Off-White Nike Dunks release, Nike has confirmed that Exclusive Access is the only way the public will be able to buy the shoes.
So, how does one get on this seemingly VIP-level list? While the selection of recipients seems completely random, Nike reveals some factors that help its internal algorithm make its selections. Here they are:
1. Exclusive Access invitations extend personalized purchase offers to members of the SNKRS community based on their engagement with the SNKRS app.
2. The more active a member of the community is, both in engagement with SNKRS’ content series and specific releases, the more personal Exclusive Access invitations become.
3. Activity includes participation in specific content series, including viewing “Behind the Design” videos, interacting with polls, entering launches and engaging during SNKRS Live sessions.
4. Exclusive Access invitations are good only for a limited time.
5. Invitations for Exclusive Access to the Nike x Off-White Dunk on SNKRS will be available to select members of the community August 9 and continue over multiple days.
The key here is point number two, which basically says that the Nike SNKRS App will reward participation and engagement. Exclusive Access will likely not go to dormant users who do the bare minimum of entering Draws on Saturday mornings. And with a huge uptick in App programming (SNKRS Live, the comics, Behind The Design, etc. ), there’s plenty of content to peruse that can both enrich your sneaker knowledge while increasing your chances on purchasing the Off-White Dunks. And it doesn’t stop there either, because Exclusive Access applies for almost every major sneaker release.
Nike is simply leveraging the demand of its product to build a more robust community, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A larger community could lead to even more programming on the SNKRS App, which could lead to new opportunities to explore sneaker releases and, most importantly, an increase in supply. If you haven’t downloaded the SNKRS App already, do so now.
How to buy limited sneakers online: Best manual practices
Best methods for manually buying shoes online
There are two basic ways to buy sneakers for resale: the first is sneaker botting and the second is going manual.
While it can reap rewards like checking out with multiple pairs, sneaker botting requires advanced expertise and is not for beginners.
Sometimes the best method is to cop manually, which can make you tons of money like many ordinary people are currently doing in this market, particularly with shoes like Off-White Nike Jordans.
There’s also our Hypemaster Playbook that includes everything you need to know for starting and scaling a sneaker business, including bots and manual methods.
You can also just browse all the other posts in this blog.
For now, let’s see how here:
1. Nike manual tips
Nike is at the forefront on the war against sneaker bots. They’re doing everything they can to prevent sneaker bot users from being able to use auto checkout software, aka bots, when purchasing shoes from their website.
To prevent this, they are releasing limited shoes primarily through a raffle system in which users must enter using the email address associated with their Nike account.
The winners are then chosen through a random raffle. Since bots rely on being able to quickly check out at a set time in a normal check out process, a raffle in which no check out process is involved is impossible to game using bots.
Some people are getting around this issue by raising their chances of winning by signing up with multiple Nike accounts.
Of course, there’s a limit to the amount of accounts you can sign up using your own computer and IP address, so there are people out there buying and selling Nike accounts to increase their chances of winning one pair but also opening up their chances of winning more than one pair.
If you look into dealing with Nike plus accounts, be sure to not get scammed as in 2021 many people are selling fake Nike accounts on social media, so do your due diligence or take the steps to learn how to create multiple accounts on your own.
Manual success on SNKRS App
One of the most profitable recent releases in 2018, the Off-White Jordan 1 “UNC” came out on the Nike SNKRS app exclusively for its first surprise release, with a retail of just $190.
Another way Nike is combatting sneaker bots is through its SNKRS app. This app was released in 2015 and completely changed the buying process of shoes.
Instead of going on Nike’s website and logging into your account and browsing through a ton of products to get to your shoes of choice, the SNKRS app was like scrolling through an Instagram feed of only the best sneakers (roughly half or more of all SNKRS releases are resellable for a profit at retail, compared to maybe 5% of the shoes on Nike’s site).
When you saw a pair of shoes that you know through research has resale value, you can set up the app to send you a push notification reminding you of the release and another one right on the release time.
Setting up the push notification on the SNKRS app is extremely helpful as when you click/swipe the notification at the release time, it will take you directly to your desired shoe and right to the checkout process.
You’ll get a notification saying to hold tight and wait to see if you’ve “Got ‘Em”. The odds for you getting a pair at this point are very high, so don’t exit the app and be ready to wait for up to 10 or even 15 minutes.
Make sure the settings on your phone have the auto lock on your screen turned off so that after not touching your phone after any amount of time, your screen will still stay open and not automatically lock.
Advanced techniques that will give you a huge number of chances to win the Nike Draw are discussed in depth in the Hypemaster Playbook, which you can get here.
I’ve gotten over 50% of my attempts at highly resellable shoes through the sneakers app, including 2 pairs that I made over $300 each in profit off of. Even if you get the disappointing “Didn’t Get ‘Em” notification after waiting, give it another try and you just might get lucky.
Remember though that when using the SNKRS app, be sure to get on the app exactly on the release time, either through clicking the push notification that happens on the release time, or getting on the app minutes before the release time and refreshing exactly at the release time, which is usually 10:00AM EST, and the buttton below the shoe will turn into a price rather than a “Notify Me” button.
Press the price and proceed through checkout with high hopes.
This app alone has basically made my car payments through some months.
2. Adidas manual tips
Although is a popular target for users of sneaker bots, it doesn’t mean that you’re not able to manually purchase a pair of Yeezys through Adidas or through Yeezy supply (Kanye’s direct Yeezy brand retailer. ) You’ll have to have a couple things in advance set up to do so.
Twitter accounts:
Adidas will release Yeezys at a random time on the release day. Although some have pulled all nighters with their eyes peeled open to the screen, refreshing every 30 seconds, it’s not worth doing this. Historically, Yeezy’s have dropped sometime between 10AM and 1:00PM EST. Also, the window for you being able to purchase the shoes is about 30 minutes.
So if the shoes initially release at 10:45AM, you’ll have until about 11:15AM to have your shot at getting them. It’s also been said that it doesn’t matter to adidas whether you went to their site right at the release time or some time after, so long as you are within the window which the shoes are still available, since the process is random.
The best thing to do to prepare yourself is to follow a number of twitter accounts, including (but not limited to) the official twitter of adidas and that of Kanye West, @adidasalerts @solelinks and @yeezymafia
Whenever the shoes become available, these accounts will normally take you to a direct link to the shoes.
Often, the link is So another method is to have open in your browser with no other tabs or windows open, and Twitter push notifications set up on your phone so that the instant you get the notification of Yeezys becoming available, you can go onto the site and refresh the page, putting you in the “waiting room” for Yeezys.
Be ready to wait up to 40 minutes to be given the chance to go through the checkout process, also be ready to be faked out by the website numerous times before you actually make it through the process.
Make sure that when you get to the buying page that you select a size that’s available and add it to your cart. Sometimes, a size will be listed as in stock but when you try to add it to cart, it’ll say it’s out of stock. You can try the size again or try out a different size, but either way, if the shoes have not been added to your cart then you’re not buying them.
Also, if you’re lucky enough to pick a size and it goes to your cart, you’re not in the clear yet. Proceed immediately to the checkout page, as adidas will time you out for inactivity, and remember that you have not gotten your pair until you have completed the checkout process and you’ve gotten a confirmation email. Even then you’re at 90%, as adidas has been known to occasionally send out emails of orders being unable to be fulfilled even after the confirmation email, although this is very rare.
You’re only at 100% when you’ve gotten a follow up email along with a tracking number.
To make it to this point is totally possible without using a sneaker bot, but the odds are pretty low so be mentally prepared for release day to go both ways.
To buy Yeezy’s at retail is definitely an amazing feeling, but is also worth the shot at manually purchasing, but be prepared for an early rise and to follow Kanye’s twitter account to know when to purchase.
Historically, Yeezy Supply makes the shoes available for purchase around 5AM-6AM EST, but has been known to release as early as 4AM.
Remember that not until you get the email confirmation of your order as well as the shipping follow up a day or two later do you have a pair of shoes secured.
Also remember that even when you’re on the page with sizes still available, your chances remain slim. Putting yourself in the position of being able to buy the shoes is better than missing out completely, and with enough persistence and some luck you will eventually be able to buy a pair of Yeezy’s for retail using this method
Another method to manually buy Yeezy’s without the use of sneaker bots is to try lesser known sites for better odds!
Thanks to the wonderful resource, I’ve been able to go on lesser known sites and luck out on the occasional pair of Yeezy’s!
Be aware though that some of these lesser known sites are international, so not only are some not in English, but you’ll have to log onto the site at a strange time (like 3:00 or 4:00AM) and possibly use an international parcel forwarding service like Borderlinx to have your mail forwarded to you from a European address. Most of these services are free to set up and make it really easy to cop from a site like END clothing.
Apps and Raffles.
You’re also able to purchase a pair of Yeezy’s as the winner of a raffle. If you live in or near a major city like New York or LA, there will probably be a store in the city doing an in store raffle. Interestingly, smaller cities like Cleveland (retailer: Xhibition) and Charlotte (retailer: Social Status) have been known to stock Yeezy’s in store and hold in store raffles at their boutique retailers that are approved to stock Yeezy’s.
Another way to secure yourself a pair of Yeezy’s is through the adidas confirmed app. Champs, Footlocker and Footaction have all made their own version of this app in which you’re able to buy a pair of Yeezy’s at their store, and although the process is slightly different for these apps, all of these Yeezy grabbing apps are dependent on your location.
With the adidas confimed app, you’ll have to first register for your shot at reserving a pair before the deadline expires, then you’ll have to go on the app exactly at the instructed day and time (typically the Thursday before the release weekend at 4:00PM EST), and tap like crazy on a circle that appears (or sometimes doesn’t) on your phone for your shot at reserving a pair.
If you get the notification that a pair is reserved for you, you’ll see a store location and a timeframe, and if you’re able to buy shoes according to those parameters, then you’re all set! It’s pretty cool if you’re trying to resell these shoes because you can coordinate with a buyer exactly where you’re going to be and immediately and safely sell the shoes right after you buy them (in or right outside of a store full of cameras, other people, and often police. )
The other reservation apps that retailers like Footaction are offering work on a point system. Your odds are higher if you’ve purchased from the store before. You’ll probably have to make a physical check in at your desired store just to enter for the drawing initially. Your odds are greatly increased if you reach a higher status based on your purchase history as a member of the store, usually in tiers of $200 or so.
I’ve heard that at the highest status, you’re pretty much guaranteed a pair. To maintain the highest status, you’ll have to spend upwards of $500 at the store, sometimes more, so in my opinion, unless you’re spending $500 on resellable shoes or stuff you can at least break even on to resell on, it’s not really worth the hassle of spending that much, but if you want to do that then by all means go for it.
Unless you’re close enough to drive or willing to make a trip to cities where location based apps open up the door for you or raffles are being held in store, you’re SOL when it comes to physical raffles.
Apparently there are ways to spoof your phone or iPad location, but these methods are shady and I haven’t known people who have legitimately gotten this to work, and if you see this being advertised online as a service, it’s likely a scam. Luckily, you still have a shot to score Yeezy’s, albeit a very slim one, using online raffles.
Again, the awesome resource Justfreshkicks also has the most extensive list of online raffles that I’ve seen. Most online raffles are as simple as entering your name, size and email address, and all I have seen are free, however, be sure to pay attention to the time frame in which you are allowed to enter the raffle. Don’t miss out! The most work you’ll have to do to enter a raffle is an Instagram raffle, where you’ll have to mildly embarrass yourself by reposting a retailer’s image on your Instagram along with a certain caption that normally includes you tagging a number of your friends and keeping the post up until the drawing happens.
Even though tons of people enter these sort of raffles, it is free to enter and having a 5 in 1000 chance is 5 times better than having a 1 in 1000 chance so keep on doing whatever it takes to score a pair if it’s your goal to be able to buy yeezys online manually without a bot.
Remember these lesser known retailers like Xhibition and Social Status, because when it comes to securing limited kicks that aren’t quite Yeezys but still resellable, these sites are often less crowded and you have a higher chance at a manual purchase.
3. Supreme Manual Tips
Supreme is also on the war against bots, although apparently they’re not very good at it as I know many who are still using bots to get their hands on limited supreme items.
Like many sites that combat auto check out bots, Supreme will shut down orders that have been executed quickly. Hilariously, I have heard to some super fast Supreme site veterans have been shut down because Supreme thought they were a bot but they were actually just that fast.
The skate brand is having a really hot year in 2020 and is definitely here to stay on the radar for Hypebeasts and fashion addicts who want the hottest gear, which Supreme New York certainly is.
If you follow Instagram accounts like @Supcommunity, which is an excellent resource for Supreme news, you’ll see that items that resell for hundreds of dollars above retail are sometimes available to be bought for over 1 minute after the release time. Although this doesn’t sound like a lot, if you’re able to log in right at the release time and type in information pretty quickly, you have a good shot at getting your desired clothing item or pair of shoes.
One time I logged into Supreme’s site right at the release time and the page wouldn’t load. I waited 5 minutes and went back on the page, and finally, 9 minutes after the release time I got to the product page for the Supreme Air Jordan 5’s and was able to get them in a desirable size, manually. I purchased them for $190 and resold them for $550 2 days later.
No bot was necessary for this process! I’ve also lucked out on some other Supreme clothing items without the use of a bot. So stay up to date with Supreme news and be ready Thursday mornings at 11AM EST for the drops!
Physically entering for a Supreme raffle only happens in major cities like NYC and LA, and the process is secretive so I won’t write about it here but I get into it more in the newly updated 2020 Hypemaster Playbook.
If you want a guide specific to Supreme techniques, we have the highly reviewed and previously private guide, The Supreme Resale Bible, recently updated for 2020, which you can check out here.
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Well that about does it for manually copping limited kicks like Yeezy’s! Try out these methods and then customize your process to something that works for you, and I promise you that with enough persistence you’ll be able to score a pair of kicks at retail, without a sneaker bot. Of course you’d want to know what actual shoes to buy to apply these new techniques.
For a look at some upcoming hype drops and further sneaker resale information, check out the top 12 shoes to resell in 2021
If you’d like to learn about sneaker botting techniques to add to your arsenal of skills, check out our blog post here.
Despite all the weirdness, 2020 was an incredibly lucrative year for sneakers, and 2021 is looking ripe.
So get your game on, learn these techniques and don’t miss out!
Check out the Hypemaster Playbook today, and get a piece of the Billion Dollar Shoe Pie.
Click here to get it now!
10 Ways to Beat Online Sneaker Bots | Complex
10 Ways to Beat Online Sneaker Bots | Complex
Social Media Manager for Complex. Twitter/Instagram: @johnmarceloMay 16, 2014ComplexCon returns to Long Beach Nov. 6 – 7 with hosts J. Balvin and Kristen Noel Crawley, performances by A$AP Rocky and Turnstile, and more shopping and your spot while tickets last! It’s become extremely difficult to cop sneakers online these days. Not only are you competing with what seems like an ever-growing number of sneakerheads, but you’re also up against consumers that use automated methods, a. k. a bots. Like it or not, this is the nature of the culture now. Gone are the days when you could just stroll into your local mall and pick up the latest retros or log on Nike’s website to find a full-size run of might feel like the odds are against you, and that you have to resort to using a bot. It most definitely doesn’t have to be that way, though. With research and the right preparation, you’ll greatly increase your chances to flourish. To help get you started, we put together this list of 10 tips on How to Cop Sneakers Online Without a LATED: Confession: I Bought a Sneaker BotRELATED: 10 Sneakerheads On How They’d Fix the Industry Sign up for Complex notifications for breaking news and stories.
Frequently Asked Questions about how to cop limited sneakers online
How do you get limited sneakers for retail?
Exclusive Access invitations extend personalized purchase offers to members of the SNKRS community based on their engagement with the SNKRS app. 2. The more active a member of the community is, both in engagement with SNKRS’ content series and specific releases, the more personal Exclusive Access invitations become. 3.Jun 17, 2021
