What is a Sneaker Bot?
If you’re trying to get into the sneaker game, you should have heard people talking about automation bots. So, once and for all, what’s a sneaker bot? In a nutshell, it’s an automated software designed to autocomplete the checkout process and make multiple purchases in online sneaker shops using sneaker proxies. So if you’re seriously trying to make money reselling sneakers, you definitely need to use bots.
Get your sneakers early
Before sneaker culture became mainstream, the biggest sneaker drops would happen around NBA All-Star Weekend, Black Friday, and the weekend before Christmas. Now, this footwear industry is booming, so there’s at least one sneaker release every day with thousands of customers ready to crash their credit card balance for the juiciest releases.
Despite the growing hype (or maybe because of it), the question remains: how do you get those kicks first? After all, if they were easy to get, they wouldn’t be called limited-edition sneakers!
First things first, sneakers usually drop at 10 a.m. EST sharp, so be sure to set your alarms, night owls!
How do sneaker bots work?
To better understand how sneaker bots work, we need to know the retailer sites’ part in this. When they set up a website, retailers need to make sure that the shopping experience is flawless. To do so, they release a bot that automatically whizzes through the whole process. It puts an item to the cart, fills in the details, and checks out, just like real customers. So yes, your retailer is also a bot user.
While this process is useful to the retailers, it’s also a real gift to the sneaker bots’ makers. Of course, it’s not their intention to do so, but those tests actually create a backdoor to the website, making it possible for sneaker bots to go about shopping undetected.
… and why using bots is not enough
You have to bear in mind that there’s no way to use a bot with just one IP address. So basically, to make it functional, you must have multiple IP addresses on your hands. And you know what that means. Yup, proxies.
Residential proxies are the best choice for sneaker drops as they provide you with real IP addresses basically from anywhere around the world. Furthermore, those IPs belong to actual devices, making you appear just like average users to the sites you’re targeting. This means you can cop your sneakers with ease!
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Are sneaker bots illegal in the US and other countries?
It’s a common question whether sneaker bots are illegal in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, or other countries. Actually, the whole sneaker bot traffic ordeal is a lot more transparent than it might look at first glance. Legit professionally-made bots aren’t traded on the dark web or some black market. Most bot creators have their own websites and advertisements as well as the listed prices. So, as long as it is a fair transaction, you’re perfectly fine.
Bots aren’t illegal, but they do go against a lot of sites’ terms and conditions. Most retailers and brands take active measures to combat sneaker bots. Supreme, Shopify, Foot Locker, Nike, and Adidas are very aware of bots and regularly update their online protection against them. However, bots are quick to update their operating software to bypassing any new protective measures. These updates usually entail changes in coding that aim to tell the difference between a bot and a human user.
How to get a sneaker bot?
Ok, let’s be honest here for a minute: many automated bots are resold in the sneaker business. You’ll have to pay quite a bit to the resellers, as it’s a pure chance that you’ll find bots to buy for their retail price. See, sneaker bots are released in a limited number of copies for purchase at retail. When sold out, sneakerheads can get this essential only through resellers.
So if you want to catch a bot for its retail price, be sure to check social media often as most bot makers announce their releases via this platform. In fact, there are even private groups that specialize in helping paying customers catch those bots when dropped. Yup, even the secondary market has a thriving demand for this business!
What’s the best sneaker bot on the market?
Unfortunately, it looks like there is no definite answer to this question. You see, it all depends on what you’re trying to cook. If you’re after a few different brands, All in One Bot or SoleSlayer might be the right choice for you. You can use both of them on several different brands and websites such as Shopify, Frenzy, Nike, Adidas, and Supreme.
As for Supreme sites, over 100 Shopify stores, Footsites and Adidas you might be more interested in using Nike Shoe Bot.
To get a real feel about bots, we would recommend looking through the users’ reviews. This way, you can get to know the bot from the real-life experiences of other users like yourself. You can also check out detailed bot reviews on our blog!
Moreover, to get other bot operators’ opinions and ask questions about the world of bots, we would recommend you to scroll through r/sneakerbots.
The most popular sneaker bots
Although we can’t determine which sneaker bot is the best, we can still define the five most popular bot services for your grail, fellow sneakerheads!
Better Nike Bot and RNB AIO
Better Nike Bot or BNB is one of the most effective public Nike sneaker bots out there. It is one of the few bots to beat Nike’s updates over the years successfully. BNB allow unlimited accounts, meaning that with proper residential sneaker proxies, BNB is at full speed.
Better Nike Bot only works on Nike stores in all regions except for China. BNB All in One (or BNB AIO) version supports Supreme, Bape Adidas, Footlocker, and Footaction, among dozens of other sites.
You can find more Better Nike Bot & BNB AIO features and set-up info in our blogposts!
Another Nike Bot’s Nike SNKRS Bot
Another Nike Bot’s (ANB) Nike SNKRS Bot is yet another go-to bot for Nike-only sites. With it, you can run up to 500 tasks at once; the bot is extremely beginner-friendly and has helpful Discord support! Also, it comes with an auto-checkout and an in-built proxy checker feature. Dope, right?
Oh, and this bot has an SNKRS calendar, which allows you to set up new tasks before a drop or restock. For more info on setting up this bot with SNKRS proxies, check our Nike SNKRS Bot blogpost.
AIO Bot
This All in One Bot (AIO) is another popular choice in the sneakerheads community. And, honestly, it’s worth all the hype! AIO bot was made by the same people who created Another Nike Bot, so it’s known for its great features like multiple-task modes and the Harvester, which allows you to generate Captcha tokens automatically. Also, it has an excellent Discord server and detailed instructions for ultra-hyped limited-edition sneakers!
Find all nitty-gritty stuff about this lit AIO bot in our blog.
Nike Shoe Bot
Nike Shoe Bot (NSB) is one of the oldest Nike bots out there, so it’s no surprise that it’s so popular too! It has a simple and user-friendly interface, so sneakerheads can cook multiple pairs with ease. NSB supports a nice bunch of retailers’ sites, from Footsites to Shopify, so you can be sure you’ll be there for the sneaker releases on time with this beauty! Also, it comes with a Discord server. Read more on how you can do sneaker copping with Nike Shoe Bot on our blog.
Less mainstream SNKRS bots you should try
Let’s leave the good ol’ classics and explore some new bots in the sneaker botting scene. And yup, there are at least several worth your attention!
PrismAIO
Sneakerheads love PrismAIO for their dedicated developers that make this app better every day. In addition, they never cease to surprise with regular updates that even include last-minute ones to beat Shopify’s anti-bot security updates. Sleek, isn’t it?
Ah, and you guessed it right – this bot is lit when cooking shoes from Shopify. Unfortunately, it’s a bit slacking when it comes to certain footsites. But don’t you fret – PrismAIO devs are devoted ones, so it’s just the question of time when you’ll be able to cop these sneaker shops too!
This bot is worth its users’ hype for another reason too – its sleek UI and excellent customer support service.
Ganesh
Ganesh is an elephant-headed Hindu god, traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise. And as a sneakerhead, you probably pray to every single deity before every limited sneaker release: excellent thinking, Ganesh, the sneaker bot.
This top-notch sneaker bot is perfectly balanced for the EU sneakerheads. Seriously, among sneakerheads, it’s known as one of the best bots out there!
It’s perfect for copping shoes from Footlocker, Offspring, and Size. Unfortunately, you have to resort to reshipping services if you’re from the US or elsewhere globally. Just keep in mind that this bot is pricy and can be priced between $4500 and $5000 in the secondary market.
On the bright side, you enjoy a flawless customer support gang that is available 24/7. So this rave is worth the money, right?
Cybersole
Ok, here’s yet another great bot that is worth your attention! It claims to be the fastest on the market and successfully supports more than 170 sites. For instance, it works wonderfully on Supreme, Size, Footlocker, and YeezySupply.
Also, you can successfully cop your sneakers from tons of different sites globally. Did you hear that? Yup, your life just got easier.
How much does a Sneaker Bot Cost?
The cost depends on the product itself – prices can vary anywhere between 10 USD and 500 USD. The cheaper ones are usually just browser extensions. The more advanced software programs are the ones going up to a few hundred dollars per bot.
Is it worth copping sneakers?
The thing is, when you’re just starting, sneaker botting can be a not-so-cheap hobby. See, many different variables play in: you have to consider how much money you can spend on bots and proxy service, how much time you can dedicate, and evaluate your location’s possibilities.
Firstly, you have to check whether a particular site has those limited kicks you want to cop in your country. If it doesn’t – they might not ship them to your place. So, unfortunately, US and EU countries are most advantageous when it comes to cooking shoes as your delivery address will always be valid.
Pssst… if you need some inspiration on the art of retail and making a successful business from limited products, check out Simon Lister.
Calculating expenses
You have to calculate your starting budget too. Bots, proxies, server, and cook groups cost money. That’s the sad reality. And you shouldn’t go for the cheapest or free options even if it’s tempting. Being a penny-pincher can seriously compromise your copping experience as well as your online security. For instance, free proxies are known for their slowness, downtimes, and data safety concerns. Saving money on a proxy just to see your credit card data leaked isn’t a good strategy.
On top of these expenses, you still have to put aside some money to actually buy those limited kicks.
So yup, the floor is yours; you just need to decide whether you want to become one of the hardcore sneakerheads!
Building sneaker bots yourself
If you’re a crafty one with loads of patience and good knowledge of some programming language, you can definitely build your own sneaker bot.
First, you’ll have to figure out how to log in to your target site automatically; then, you’ll have to find a product ID and figure out how to add this to your cart. Then think of how to input your payment/credit card details and shipping details, and all that jazz. Just after this last step, you can start figuring out how to submit your order!
Ah, and don’t forget to check Github for some inspiration!
About the author
Ella Moore
Ella’s here to help you untangle the anonymous world of residential proxies to make your virtual life make sense. She believes there’s nothing better than taking some time to share knowledge in this crazy fast-paced world.
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