Are you interested in getting on board with the sneaker botting train but do not know where to start? Lucky for you, our detailed guide will explain everything you need to know and what to do.
Sneaker copping has been used for many years by people looking to make a profit, or enthusiasts that want the get their hands on a limited-edition item. Profit-wise, people are purchasing multiple items and then resell them at a higher price, thus making a profit off of it, while enthusiasts just want the items for themselves.
No matter which group you are in, but do not know how things work, let us dive into the guide and explain everything. Throughout the article, we will mention some phrases or words that you may not be familiar with, so we will explain the meaning of those as well.
What is Sneaker Botting?
In essence, sneaker botting is the process of using a bot to purchase sneakers. Even though this trend started off for sneakers only, as the bots became more advanced, they were able to make purchases for other items as well.
The bots are automated software that carries out the purchasing process automatically and do that much faster than any human would. Sneaker bots come in a variety of applications and each offering a different set of features and supported sites. Some are designed to work with one site, while others with multiple – we will go in greater detail later in the guide.
Related, Ways To Beat Online Sneaker Bots
How to Sneaker bots work?
Making a successful purchase, also known as copping, can be achieved only with a bot. As we mentioned, no human can move or input the information faster than a bot. Since bots are very complicated, we are not going to dive into the technical details.
The first thing you should understand is the sneaker websites are the ones that use bots. Sites like Adidas or Nike usually implement in-house developed bots to test the purchasing process. Their bots simulate human-like behavior, and they run multiple bots to see how their website would perform under load.
Since the sneaker bots do the exact same function, they are more or less similar to the testing ones. As we mentioned, bots can vary in the list of features and possibilities. Still, the main features include automated add to cart and checkout, as well as refresh option that checks when the sneakers become available. The add to cart procedure can find the sneakers and add them to the cart, while the checkout process will fill out all the personal information, completing the process.
With this information in mind, people might ask: how can I have an advantage over thousands of others that may use the same bot?
Great question, and the answer is multiple threads. Most of the popular sneaker bots are equipped with multithreading technology enabling several instances of the bot to try and make a purchase. This is especially convenient if you want to buy more than one pair of sneakers. the way you can have an advantage with this is to run the bot on a powerful computer that the bot can utilize. Do not despair if your computer is slow; there is a solution for that.
Types of Sneaker bots
There are two main types of bots, browser extensions, and standalone applications. Both have some advantages and disadvantages.
Browser-based bots mostly come in the form of a Chrome extension, meaning that in order to run it, you are limited when it comes to browser choices. Another disadvantage to these bots is that they rely on the front-end of the site, so in cases where the website crashes, the bot will need to refresh and start from scratch. The good news is that they are quite cheaper, so people on a tight budget might find them a better choice.
Standalone applications are a better choice because they do not rely on the front-end of the site to make the purchase. These types of bots can automatically send the requests to the backend of the site completely bypassing the front-end, making sure that in the event of a website crash, the bot can continue to perform its duties. The biggest downside these bots have is the price. Costing several times more than the extensions bots, it is understandable why people might be hesitant to buy them. The good news in this situation is renting a bot. If you are not copping sneakers too often and the bots are outside your price range, there are several bots that you can rent on a specific time-frame. Some might even offer you a daily rental.
Regardless of the type of bots you want to use, there are multiple types of bot based on the sites that they work on. The most commonly available bots work with Adidas, Nike, Supreme, Footsites, Shopify, and a few others.
While you are able to get dedicated bots, you will also be able to find AIO or all in one bot. To be clear, going for an all in one bot does not mean that you will be able to cop sneakers from all sites. All of them have a list of supported sites outlined on their website, so it is up to you to see which one to look for.
Supported Websites for Sneaker Botting
We are going to go over the most popular sneaker websites and recommend some bots that you might want to check out.
Nike
We are starting off the list with the site that is most difficult. For many years Nike has been doing everything they can to block people from using bots to make purchases. Even though they have has some luck with that, Nike bots are still available. In this category, we should mention Ghost AIO, Better Nike Bot, Kickmoji, and Another Nike Bot.
Adidas
Not as tight as Nike, but still managing to raise their defenses, Adidas bots are one of the most sought after one the market. The leading problem bot developers see with this website is the virtual queue, that they still managed to find a way to bypass. Among the many available are Sole AIO, Project Destroyer, and Nike Shoe Bot. Do not be confused by the last one, regardless of the name; it works with Adidas.
Supreme
Another retailer looking to eliminate the use of bots for copping sneakers is Supreme. The severe measures they have taken in detecting bots have made the job of the developers much harder, but, with no surprise, some have managed to beat them and still work. As Supreme bots, we can recommend Heated Sneaks, Cybersole AIO, SuperBot, and ForceCop.
Footsites
Contrary to popular belief, Footsites is not one company, but an informal group of multiple retailers selling sneakers. Those websites are Footlocker, Footaction, Champs, and Eastbay, and the one thing all of them have in common is that they are not as strict as some of the others, so you will have no problems finding a working bot. The ones we are going to mention are Sole AIO, Most Advanced Bot, Prism AIO, and SoleSlayer.
Shopify
Last but not least are Shopify sites. This e-commerce platform has enabled a lot of people and companies to start selling their items. Being a platform, there are some protections, but out of all mentioned here, there is the least amount of security measures. That means that you will have no problem using any bot. Speaking of, our recommendations are Kodai, Project Destroyer, HS Shopify bot, and Sole AIO.
Sneaker Proxies
An often-overlooked part when it comes to copping sneakers is proxies. Some might be confused by this, but if you want to be able to make a successful purchase without raising any red flags, proxies are a must.
Proxies are IP addresses that are used to hide your home IP address. When you open up any website, you send out requests directly to it so that the website can see your original IP address. When you are using proxies, you sent the requests to the proxy, which then redirects the request to the website you want to access. In the case with the bots, sending a request to make a purchase with no proxy will reveal your real IP address to the site. If you are going to make only one purchase, you might be okay, but if you are utilizing the multithreading option, then your IP will be banned.
To avoid a ban, for any reason, you must use proxies. With them, even then multithreading, each thread will use a different proxy, so to the site that you want to cop sneakers from, it will look like multiple people are trying to purchase the same item.
What kind of proxies to get?
Residential or mobile.
Both of these proxies are IP addresses from home or mobile internet connections, so the sites will be handling them just like any regular buyer. In general, these are the more expensive proxies, but the fact that they are less likely to be detected makes them worth it.
There are tons of residential proxy providers such as Luminati, Shifter, or Smartproxy. As for the mobile proxies, you can check out AirProxy, Proxy LTE, or Airsocks. Both types will work just fine, so unless you want to be extra sure about not getting banned, the residential proxies will work remarkably.
Datacenter proxies are also an option, but we would not recommend them. One of the first things that the website will check is the IP address. Since most datacenter proxies are already flagged as such by most websites, there is a high chance that you will not be able to access the website. You might be able to get away with using datacenter proxies for Shopify sites, but still, we do not recommend that.
Making the Right Choices
You might think that choosing the bot and proxies is a piece of cake, but there are a few things to bear in mind before you do so.
Supported Sites and Locations
Almost all sneaker bot websites will outline the list of supported sites and locations. To ensure you are choosing the right bot, double-check if will work with the website you want to cop from as well as the region. Bear in mind that not all bots support the same sites or regions.
Features
Different bots will have a different set of features. Even though all of them will have the same basic ones, it is the advanced features that can give you an advantage over the others. When shopping for bots, apart from the supported sites, make sure that they support two essential things: multithreading and multiple account creation.
The reason why these are so important is that when you are trying to cop sneakers is because if the bot only works with one account and thread, then you have only one chance. If you work with multiple threads and multiple accounts, then the chances are increased. This is especially important when you are trying to cop multiple items, regardless if they are the same or not.
Another feature to look for is proxy support. Even though most of them have it, make sure to check if you want to use proxies with your bot.
CAPTCHAs are often the leading cause for concern for many sneaker coppers, so make sure that the bot you are looking at has a solver or harvester. One thing that may help you in this are Gmail accounts.
Getting to a CAPTCHA while logged in on a Gmail account may mean getting an easier CAPTCHA to solve, similar to the one where you click to prove you are not a robot. Otherwise, you might end up clicking through images to pass the obstacle.
Proxies
When shopping for proxies, there are no tons of things to look for. As long as you go for residential or mobile proxies, then you will have no problems. One thing to keep in mind, though, is the location of the proxies. This will not play a huge role in how the site will handle the request, but the latency is what may cause a problem.
The larger the distance between the site’s physical location from the proxy, the bigger the latency. For example, copping from a US site with Russian proxies will not be a good idea because the latency will be significant. For the best possible result, try to go for proxies in the same country or if you cannot find in the same one, god for a neighboring one. The same applies to the US states.
Hardware
We mentioned before that if you run a computer with high specs, then the sneaker bots will have no problem releasing their full potential. Also, since most of the bots are developed for Windows only, you will need a computer with Windows, or you will need to run the bots in a virtual machine if you have any of the other operating systems..
If you are one of the unlucky ones that do not have a high spec computer, there is the solution for that – sneaker servers. Some of the sneaker bots’ companies are also offering servers that you can use. If the bot you chose does not have that option, you can get your own server and set up the bot there. When doing so, make sure that it is a Windows-based server to avoid the hassle of setting up a virtual machine.
- Read more, Ultimate Guide to Cop Shoes Via AIOBOT V2
Price
Naturally, the price will play a massive role in your sneaker copping adventure. This decision will depend entirely up to you and the budget you have for this, but there is something to keep in mind.
The most expensive choices will not provide the best results, just as the cheapest will not provide the worst. When making the choices for the bots, proxy, or server, choose what matches your needs and budget.
Recommendations
In this section, we are going to cover a few recommendations to ensure that you have a successful purchase or purchases.
Out of Stock Bots
Quite often, you will run into the bot that you want, but it will be out of stock. Even though bots are software, developers keep them in stock and do not sell thousands or millions of licenses. This will happen more often with application-based bots, not with browser-based.
To ensure that you manage to get the bot that you need, follow them on Twitter. Almost all companies are sending out a tweet when they restock, and that is when you need to move fast if you want to get your hands on a license.
To make sure that you still manage to purchase the bot even when you are not in front of your computer, there are countless plugins and extensions that offer an auto purchase option that can make the purchase for you. Some of these auto purchase extensions may even work on Shopify, so you will have one less thing to worry about.
As an alternative, some people resell sneaker bot licenses, but in almost all cases, the prices are higher. Companies do not recommend getting bots from resellers, and neither do we, but if you are in a tight spot and need to get a bot as fast as possible, you can do so on Botmart or Botbroker.
Read the Manual
It might sound silly, but people often think they are smarter than they actually are and start examining the bot themselves. That may not be a problem if you just want to look around the bot, but if you are setting it up to cop some sneakers, then open the developer’s instructions and follow them to the letter. One small step may cause you to lose the sneakers.
To make sure that what you are doing is correct and in accordance with the guides, try doing it beforehand, say a few days before the release. That way you will have some time to go through the steps and if you are not sure about something, or something does not work, you can contact support and sort things out before the sneakers are released.
Shipping Location and Payment
In a lot of cases, you will want to get sneakers from a location that is not supported in your country, or you will have trouble with the shipping. Another obstacle can be the payment method – the site will see that the credit card is from a different country and will decline the order request. If you are in this kind of situation, there is a workaround.
For the payment side of things, some services will provide “fake” credit card information. The details will be fake, but the payment will be legit. You will still be using your credit card to make the payment, but the site will see a different card from the location where you want the sneakers to be sent.
Speaking of shipping, you can utilize the services of reshipping companies that will provide you with an address in the desired location. Once the sneakers arrive at that location, they can be resent to your home address.
The “fake” payment option, as well as the re-shipping options, will cost you more than going without them. If you are in a situation where you must use them, do research beforehand and check to see if the companies you find are scams.
Correct Details
Something that happens even to the best of us is a typo. Regardless if you are writing an article or filling in your payment or shipping information, it may happen to enter things wrong. In those cases, you can be sure that the purchase will not be successful because either the payment will not go through or the shipping address will be wrong. In either case, your sneaker copping will fail.
To ensure that everything is correct and do not make a mistake rushing into setting things up, take your time, and do it beforehand. Double-check everything and be 100% sure that all the information is entered correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are proxies a must?
The use of proxies is a recommendation, not a requirement. If you are going for only one pair of sneakers, you can do that with your home IP address, but you will be decreasing your chances. To improve them, make sure to use proxies.
I found some free proxies; can I use those with my sneaker bot?
No, free proxies should be avoided at all costs. Free proxies mean that you will have no idea who has control over where the data flows and who may read it, and since you will be putting in personal information and the credit card, you would not want those to fall into the wrong hands. Another bad thing about free proxies is that they are very unreliable, so you cannot put too much faith in them.
How to tell if a bot is good or not
First, you need to check if the bot is supporting the website and the location you want to purchase from. Then you should check the features and make sure that offers the ones we already mentioned. If you are not sure, our reviews should provide you with all the necessary information. Overall, there is no right or wrong sneaker bot; there are the ones that suit your needs and the ones that do not.
Are sneaker bots legal?
At the moment, no law in no country forbids the use of sneaker bots for copping. That is from a legal point of view. On the other hand, as we already mentioned, websites are implementing all kinds of protection to prevent users from making purchases because using bots is against their terms of use. To sum it up, the worst-case scenario is that you may get an IP address or an account banned, something that can be remedied with the use of another.
How certain are bots that I will cop some sneakers?
They are not. Sneaker bots have the task of helping you increase your chances of copping sneaker, but they will not guarantee success.
Is it better to use a server or my own computer?
It depends on the configuration you have. If you have a high spec computer, then the need for a server is eliminated because the bot will be able to perform just as it would on the server or even better. On the other hand, a plain old computer or a laptop that is only good for surfing the web will probably not be the right choice, so you should look at servers. All bot developers have a list of minimum or recommended specs for their bots, so compare them and see if your machine is good enough.
Conclusion
Regardless of how you look at things, sneaker copping cannot be accomplished without the use of a bot. The set of features and overall design are meant to provide you with an advantage to cop sneakers successfully.
As a first-time user, they may seem intimidating and confusing, but once you get the hang of them, you will have no problem with the operations. Finally, before you make a purchase of the bots or the proxies, make sure to check out our reviews to see how they perform and if they would be a good fit for what you need.