How to get sneaker bots: the controversial tech that helps resellers flip hundreds of hyped pairs of Jordans, Dunks, and Yeezys

• In the world of sneaker resale, a “bot” refers to a software application that speeds up the online purchasing process.
• Although certainly a controversial aspect of sneaker culture, bots are for the purchase of the latest footwear essential releases at retail prices.
• Here’s everything you need to know about the business of bots and their role in buying sneakers.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

There are a few reasons people regularly miss out on hyped sneaker drops. But chances are it’s because of a bot.

In the world of sneaker resale, a “bot” refers to a software application that speeds up the online checkout process and helps resellers get hyped in seconds Pairs up for grabs – including limited – edition drops and collabs.

Reading: How to create an autobuy app for shoes

When sneakers are released in limited numbers, it’s often a race to see which sneakerheads can enter their credit card information on a website or app the fastest, to checkout before the product is sold out. Bots are specifically designed to perform this process instantly, giving users a head start over other buyers who choose to manually complete transactions.

While bots are notoriously difficult to set up and run, they’re a necessity for many resellers for buying sneakers at retail price. The software also circumvents the “one pair per customer” quantity restrictions imposed on each purchaser on release date.

As the sneaker resale market continues to thrive, Business Insider covers all aspects of scaling a business booming industry. And bots are an important part of that. Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial software, from acquiring and using the technology to the people behind the most popular bots on the market today.

Get a bot

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Bots, like sneakers, can be difficult to buy. Most bot makers publish their products online via a Twitter announcement. There are only a limited number of copies available at retail. And once they’re sold out, bots are often resold for thousands of dollars.

Some private groups specialize in helping their paying members nab bots as they drop. These bot-nabbing groups use software extensions—essentially other bots—to get their hands on the coveted technology, which typically costs a few hundred dollars to release.

Once the software is purchased, the members decide whether they want to keep the bots or “flip” them to make a profit in the resale market. Here’s how a group that snatches and resells bots, Restock Flippers, keeps their 600 paying members at the top of the bot market.

• More info: A 16- Year-old The sneaker-bot business has racked up $200,000 in fees since October. This is how his group of 600 secures the coveted software before anyone else.

How to use bots properly

While bots are relatively prevalent in the sneaker resale community are, they are by no means easy to use. Insiders spoke to teenage reseller Leon Chen, who has bought four bots. He outlined the basics of using bots to grow a resale business.

Most bots require a proxy or intermediate server that masquerades as another browser on the Internet. This allows resellers to buy multiple pairs from one site at a time and bypass shopping cart limits. Each of these proxies are designed to make it appear as if the user is coming from different sources.

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For example, “data center” proxies make it appear as if the user is accessing the website from a large company or company, while a “residence proxy” is traced back to an alternate home address. Regardless of what type you use, proxies are an important part of setting up a bot. In some cases, for example when a website has very strong anti-bot software, it is better not to use a bot at all.

• Read more: A sneaker reseller , who uses multiple “bots” to snatch large amounts of expensive shoes as they fall off, explains why the controversial technology is worth it

The Anti-Bot Faction

While most resellers see bots as a necessary evil in the sneaker world, some sneakerheads are openly working to contain the threat. SoleSavy is an exclusive group that uses bots to beat resellers in their own game while preventing members from exploiting the system themselves. The platform, which recently raised $2 million in seed funding, aims to nurture a community of sneaker enthusiasts not interested in reselling.

We spoke to one of the founders of the group to see how members are taking on the botting community.

• Read more: A sneaker platform raised $2 million to keep resellers free riders. This is how the founders preserve sneaker culture while resale booms into a multi-billion dollar industry.

The people behind the technology

In many cases, bots are built by former sneakerheads and self-taught developers who make huge profits with their products.Insider spoke to three different developers who have built popular sneaker bots on the market, all with no formal coding experience.

Splashforce, a bot that serves nearly 4,000 customers, was developed by an 18-year-old who he had previously described himself as “poor in dirt”. The teenage founder and co-owner of Adept, another major sneaker bot, initially made his living through paper. Meanwhile, the maker of Hayha Bot, also a teenager, describes the bot industry as a “gold rush”.

Each of these self-taught bot makers has sold over $380,000 worth of bots since launch, according to screenshots from payment dashboards viewed by insiders.

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• Read more: How a self-taught developer with no formal training made $700,000 in sales this year with his sneaker Bot, Splashforce, snagging hyped couples in just milliseconds
• Read more:How a teenager went from newsboy to founder of Adept, a big sneaker bot that made it in over $1.3 million in revenue since 2018
• Read more: “It’s Like a Gold Rush”: How a Self-Taught Teenage Developer Totaled more than 380,000 since April His sneaker bot Hayha, who can grab pairs immediately

, made sales of US dollars.