For most people, online sneaker drops usually end in disappointment: the coveted shoes sell out in seconds, leaving you frustrated and blaming “botters” for ruining sneaker culture. These individuals are undeniably more tech-savvy, employing programs to buy sneakers in bulk and resell them at inflated prices.
Botting isn’t new, but it gained mainstream traction during the early pandemic days. With stimulus checks and YouTube tutorials, anyone could learn to use a bot. However, as government funding stopped and retailers caught on, the landscape of sneaker botting shifted.
To understand this world better, we spoke with a 22-year-old sneaker botter who offered an inside look, under the condition of anonymity.
How many sneakers do you currently own?
Over the past four years, there have been countless releases. I’ve probably kept around 40 or 50 pairs. Last year, I mostly sold the sneakers I got online. There’s not much that excites me anymore. When the Yeezy Foam Runners came out, that was a big deal because it was something new and different. Kanye is a genius, I can’t believe he came up with that.
So, you appreciate a shoe for its uniqueness, even if it’s not conventionally appealing?
Exactly. Look at the Jordan 1s – they’ve released so many. They always sell out because they’re a classic, but Nike needs to innovate. Releasing the same shoe with minor color changes isn’t cutting it anymore. The market is getting saturated, and that’s why sneaker prices have dropped. Even Dunks are being pushed out like crazy and they’re all the same. Many people share this sentiment.
How did you get into sneaker botting?
I started about four years ago when I was in high school. Initially, I was just buying them to wear, but my girlfriend suggested I try botting. She said, “Why buy them at retail? Buy a few and sell some so you get yours for free.” I thought, “Damn, you’re right!” I researched it and learned how to bot. It was hard at the time because there weren’t many resources. Eventually, I figured it out and bought my first bot. It was a significant investment.
What are the costs associated with botting?
That bot cost me about $3,000. You have to do your research; you can’t just buy any bot. It was one of the top bots at the time. Another cost is proxy usage. Many sites don’t allow multiple purchases from the same IP address. There are specific proxies for sneaker botting that help you bypass these security measures. Companies like Oxylabs and Smart Proxy provide these services. Proxies are specific to different sites, like Foot Locker or Yeezy Supply, because of their varying security protocols.
The cost of proxies is very high. I was spending $1,500 to $2,000 per month, and that doesn’t guarantee success. It’s not as simple as buying proxies and bots and automatically getting sneakers. You have to consider if the website changed something or if the bot needs an update. Proxies can also get banned, which means lost money.
What’s the current status of sneaker botting?
It’s strange doing this interview now, because sneaker botting has been declining over the last year. Many of my friends have already left the space, and I’ve mostly moved on too. The two main websites we used to bot from were Foot Locker and Yeezy Supply, and they’re the main reasons why botting has decreased. They changed how they release products.
Yeezy Supply releases around four shoes per month, if it’s a good month. Out of those four, maybe one is profitable. Yeezy Slides and Foam Runners are good for making money, but if you get something like QNTM or MNVM it won’t make you a profit. We can still bot the website, but there aren’t enough profitable releases.
Foot Locker used to have constant drops of Jordan 1s, 4s, Dunks, and restocks, which were very profitable. However, in November 2021, they switched to raffles instead of a first-come, first-serve system. Raffles are a pain. To me, a raffle means the shoes are getting backdoored. Not much supply goes online, making it harder to get pairs.
What else has contributed to the downtrend?
The rise of sneaker-botting YouTubers, like Botter Boy Nova, has also had an impact. People watched their videos and thought it was just a matter of pressing a few buttons to get shoes. There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.
The new tax law, where you get taxed for sales over $600, is also a huge factor. If I sell three shoes on StockX for $600, I get taxed. That’s why many smaller resellers are selling locally. To make a real profit botting now, you have to treat it like a serious business, not a side hustle.
Do you think content creators are partly to blame for overexposing the space?
Definitely. I don’t blame them for doing it, but they’ve had a significant impact and basically “killed the game.”
When people complain that botters are the reason they can’t get Dunks, what’s your response?
I don’t really care what they say. Everyone has to adapt. If you really want a sneaker and a botter took them all, why not try botting too? I understand their frustration though, especially for those with regular jobs who don’t have the time to monitor drops.
Who are developing these bots?
It’s mostly people in the space who want to make money. The age range is usually from 15 to 26. The developers might be 25 to 28 with actual coding jobs and knowledge of cybersecurity. They develop bots because they see the profit potential. They’re essentially building software, which is impressive.
Some developers are as young as 16, often coming from tech-oriented families. There was huge demand at the peak, and some developers made millions. My first bot, which cost $3,000, was selling for $9,000 at the peak. The developers get monthly user subscription fees, which can range from $50 to $100. Imagine a user paying $5,000 minimum and then a $50 monthly fee.
Some argue resellers contribute nothing to society. What’s your view?
There are always haters. I strongly disagree. Many resellers are around 18, and some are making $10,000 or more per month. These haters should reflect on what they were doing at 18.
Also, the sneaker bot developers, who are often 18-20 years old, are creating software that challenges big companies. These developers could potentially change the world and many are already in discussions with companies like Facebook and Google.
What’s the most expensive pair of shoes you own?
The most expensive pair I’ve copped is the Off-White MCA Blue Air Force 1s. I haven’t sold or worn them yet. I’m sad about Virgil’s passing, but like when Kobe passed, people bought up his shoes and their value increased. I felt bad about that, so I didn’t buy any Kobe shoes. That’s how this market works.
The shoe I sold for the biggest profit was probably the Travis Scott Jordan 1s. I bought them for around $170 or $190 and sold them for $1,200. I sold them quickly because I didn’t think they’d go up in price, but they did.
How much profit have you made from sneaker botting?
I spent about $10,000 on bots, which I can always resell. My monthly costs were around $1,000 to $1,500 for proxy and bot subscriptions. I would say I profited about $6,000 each month on average, after deducting costs.
Have you used bots for other items like PlayStation 5s or graphics cards?
I wasn’t a big retail botter. Retail botters use bots on sites like Target and Walmart. Each website works differently with its own proxies and security. Retail botting was very profitable. My friend made a lot of money selling 500 PS5s at $400-$500 profit each. Now, supply has caught up and those profits have dwindled.
Have you ever tried to bot anything unconventional, like weed or an air fryer?
I tried to bot an air fryer on Black Friday. [laughs]
How would someone sell sneakers in bulk?
When I was deep into botting, I learned that sneakers were very popular in China. I’m talking about businesses that hold more shoes than a retail store. A pair of Jordan 1s selling for $200 in the US could sell for $450 in China.
A Chinese businessperson would partner with an American botter, providing capital to buy 500 to 2000 pairs of each shoe. The American partner would buy the shoes at US resale prices and ship them to China, where they’d be sold at higher Chinese prices. Aside from shipping, they’d make about $50-$100 profit per shoe.
The Nike scandal in Xinjiang significantly impacted this market and caused many people who were shipping shoes to China to lose money. Sneaker prices dropped by about 20%.
Do these stories make you hesitate to buy Nikes?
As an American-born-Chinese person, I have always identified as Chinese, so I lost respect for Nike after that scandal. However, there is still demand, so there’s still money to be made. I’ve lost passion for most Nike products, and now I’ll only buy collaborations with artists I like.
Do you think what you were doing was greedy?
I wouldn’t call it greedy, it’s a strategy to make money. Reselling can benefit both the buyer and seller, allowing the seller to avoid platform fees and the buyer to get a lower price for bulk purchases.
Are bots relevant to the metaverse and web3?
Funny you ask, I jumped into NFTs last October, after the sneaker market started to die down. Have you heard of “cook groups?” They’re online groups, mostly on Discord or Twitter, where you pay to join a community to learn about botting, buying bots, and other relevant info. The founder is an influential person who creates their own Discord and hires experienced staff. It’s basically a school for sneaker botting.
I work for some of the cook groups I’m in. One of them is founded by SNKR MAMI, a content creator and influencer who was one of the first female sneaker botters. She and another founder went into the NFT space back in August.
How much can you make with NFTs?
It depends on how fast you learn and how well you control your emotions, because it is very volatile like trading stocks. If you get greedy, you’ll lose profit or even your investment. I turned $2,000 into $60,000 in four months through NFTs. Some of my friends made $300k. Luck and hard work are definitely big factors.
So, sneakers are out, and NFTs are in?
Yes, NFTs are where it’s at right now. I initially thought the NFT thing was a huge bubble, but I now see it’s part of the future. When sneakers started to die down, SNKR MAMI asked me to join her in the NFT space.
And you can bot NFTs?
Yes, it’s easy for sneaker botters to understand the NFT space. Flipping .jpegs is basically the same as flipping sneakers. However, the culture is different. Many NFT enthusiasts are serious investors with multimillion-dollar businesses and got into NFTs for fun. Many sneaker bot developers have now created bots for NFTs. Minting an NFT publicly is similar to a first-come, first-serve sneaker release. NFTs are easier to bot.
Interview by: Larry Lanza
Illustrations by: Aubrey Fisch
