How This German Skate Store Is SCAMMING Bot Users And Getting Away With It

It's safe to assume that the sneaker community, in general, isn't a huge fan of bots. A piece of automated software used by many to purchase the hottest grails around, it makes copping manually an even harder task, since there's no way you can out-buy a piece of computerised code. Now, it looks like a skate store in Germany is taking the battle against bots to an entirely new level, and they're winning - albeit illegitimately.

Based in Trier, Germany, ZUPPORT has been around since 2005 focusing on skate-centric brands such as Vans, Converse, Stüssy, and a ton of others. During the launch of the Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 Low 'UNC' earlier this week, the retailer posted the product on site, just like you would for any other release. But if you look closer into the description and translate it, you'll find that they're actually selling a PHOTO of the shoe for €90, not the shoe itself.

While this technique has been used by sellers in the past to try and scam potential buyers, it's shocking that a legitimate store is trying to do the same. According to some Instagram users, around 12,000 sneakerheads fell into this trap because their bots had automatically purchased the shoe without realising that they were actually buying a picture.

To make matters worse, the store reportedly changed the description of the 'UNC' to say that it's just a photo, not the shoe itself. This is making it harder for people to get their money back as online payment systems like PayPal have no way of verifying this.

If you DM them to request a refund, an automated message will be sent to you, reading, "Unfortunately, a cancellation or withdrawal from your order is not possible because the product was unambiguously tagged with its name and its description."; It continues, "In order to complete the sales contract, you had to affirm separately that you have been informed of buying a digital medium and agree to the respective terms of cancellation.";

Since the incident, ZUPPORT have released an official statement through their Instagram Story. What do you think of this response? Do you use bots yourself? Let us know what's on your mind, and be sure to keep it locked at The Sole Supplier for the latest and greatest sneaker news!