How to Spot a Fake Online Sneaker Store

As the U.K. and indeed many parts of the world find themselves in yet another lockdown, online shopping has never been more popular. With non-essential retail such as fashion and footwear shutting down left, right, and centre, more and more sneakerheads are looking online to find their latest pick-ups. While this may be pretty quick and convenient, it also means that an increasing amount of you are being scammed by fake online stores that are just there to steal your hard-earned cash and nothing else.

At a time as tough as this that’s the last thing that we want to happen to you, that’s why we’ve complied six handy tips and tricks so you can shop shoes safe this season! So, before you make any sort of purchase on a site that you’ve never heard of before, here’s what we think you should do before you checkout!

The first thing that you should do before buying from any site is check out the website’s domain name. A lot of fraudulent sites will reference well-known brands such as Nike and products like Ultra Boost as this ranks well on Google and potential buyers will also be familiar with these terms, but don’t be fooled.

For instance, websites such as nikeairforcevip.ca or cheapultraboost.za should be completely avoided. You should also bear in mind that official retailers rarely ever use domains that end in .org or .net so don’t fall for this trick.

You know how the old saying goes: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This age-old phrase applies to the world of sneakers and streetwear as well. If some random site is selling the latest Air Jordan 1 or Yeezy 700 for half the retail price, then you can be sure that it’s nothing but a big fat scam.

Fakes sites use this tactic to lure you in and keep hold of your attention, because at the end of the day, who doesn’t love a bargain?

Never ever pay for something via bank transfer. If a site asks you to pay for those Balenciagas directly to their bank account then you should hear alarm bells ringing from miles away. If you buy something with a card you do have some rights to try and get your money back, but these rights are pretty much non-existent if you do a direct transfer.

While we’re on this topic, legitimate websites often allow you to pay using services such as PayPal and Klarna. Businesses must go through a ton of stringent checks before they’re allowed to use these services on their site. However, if for some reason you pay using these and still get scammed, it’s much easier to get your money back this way.

An easy way to tell whether or not an online store is real is just a quick and simple browse of the site. If you’re unsure about a particular retailer then take a few minutes to check out their “About Us” and “Contact Us” sections.

There shouldn’t be any grammar and spelling mistake such as abibas or Of-White. If the site doesn’t have any contact information whatsoever and no physical address, then you should treat it as highly suspicious. Every single legit company needs at least a phone number and email address, so if you can’t find either of these then it’s time to get out of there.

Don’t recognise the site? Then head on over to the URL bar and try and find a padlock. If you manage to find one then it means that the site is encrypted meaning your payment details and browsing history can’t be intercepted by a third party. This means hackers won’t be able to check out those sweet React Element 55s that you’re looking at. If the site doesn’t have a lock then you can be sure that they’re going to be pretty dodgy.

Something else to look out for is a trust mark. With over fifty different trust mark labels and logos in use across Europe this may be a tricky one to find, but a recent study by the ANEC found that seven out of ten people say they’re more likely to use a website if there’s a trust mark around, so bear that in mind.

And last but not least, our final tip for you budding sneakerheads is to check out any reviews that the retailer may or may not have using sources such as Trustpilot, Feefo, and Sitejabber. You shouldn’t just check one review either because they can be very easily faked. For instance, if one review mentions how great the site’s Yeezy selection is and ten other reviews say the exact same thing with similar wording, you should be a little wary.

You should also check out the company’s social media pages as well for any recent activity and whether or not they’re interacting and engaging with their followers on a regular basis.

And that’s that! Six simple tips and tricks on how to spot fake online sneaker stores! While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of absolutely everything that you should do, it’s a quick and easy guide that will set you on the right path so that you don’t get scammed. Let us know if you have any other hints that you’d like to share, and make sure that you keep it locked at The Sole Supplier for the latest and greatest sneaker news and releases!