Would you pay £2,000 for a pair of trainers that only cost £150 when they went on sale a few months earlier?
No? Then you might not understand sneakerheads.
While to some of us, footwear is just another item of clothing. To others sneakers are more than just footwear, they’re a statement of style and a symbol of status.
Sneakers have become a subculture of their own, with sneakerheads passionate about their collections and dedicated to staying on top of the latest releases and trends.
But with sneakers becoming the hottest tickets in town, the rise of resellers and buying bots has meant that even for the most dedicated, ‘copping’ a hot pair of sneakers can be near impossible.
For some, that means turning to resellers, and in some cases paying up to 20 times the RRP for the must-have shoes. However, for others, there’s another, darker, and even nerdier world of high-accuracy replica shoes that can cost almost as much as the real article.
Our hotukdeals Rep Creps study has scoured social media sites and communities, studying thousands of posts for counterfeit sneakers, to find the most commonly faked sneakers, with the top 25 alone accounting for a near £3 million black market.
Don’t buy fakes
Before we begin our deep dive, we should make it really clear that hotukdeals absolutely does not encourage or condone buying counterfeit items, for a variety of reasons.
Not only are counterfeit goods illegal, contribute to other elements of crime, infringe on the hard work of others, and are likely to be seized by customs and open you up to lots of legal trouble, but also giving your payment details to criminals is generally a terrible idea.
Likewise, in buying replicas you’ll also not have any consumer protection should something go wrong, or your goods not arrive. In our study, we found a large proportion of people had issues with receiving or the quality of their products, with no recourse.
However, with high-level ‘reps’ becoming so common thanks to the internet, the difference between genuine and counterfeit can be harder to tell than ever before, so be sure to check out our top tips on how to check my sneakers are real at the bottom of this page.
Availability vs Affordability
So, despite all the downsides, why do so many people buy replicas?
While most people might think those sporting replica goods do so because they can’t afford the genuine article, our study found this not to be the case.
Looking at the top 25 most repped sneakers, the difference between the RRP cost vs the replica cost was minimal, with an average difference of just 16% (or $37).
So, with a minimal price saving compared to the RRP and the downsides of risk, lower quality, and a shorter lifespan, why do people still buy replica goods?
Our study found the most common reasons for buying reps were a lack of availability of sneakers on release and subsequently high resale costs. Less than 10% of the users surveyed said they had bought rep sneakers because they couldn’t afford or didn’t want to buy retail legitimate versions.
So, while limited releases or time-sensitive online drops for sneakers are a staple of the industry and fuel hype for shoes, it also appears the lack of availability also fuels demand for both an eye-wateringly expensive resale market and a counterfeit black market.
In some cases, users surveyed said they owned legitimate copies of shoes but didn’t want to ruin their investment, opting to wear fake ones instead.
Most repped sneakers
To find the most popular repped sneakers hotukdeals analysed thousands of posts across multiple forums dedicated to replica sneakers.
We then looked for shoes that had been submitted by users for QC (quality check) or review by the community, showing that the sneaker had indeed been purchased.
Pouring through thousands of posts across multiple forums, our study found the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG Dark Mocha to be the most commonly repped shoe, with over 3000 QC or purchase posts related to the sneaker.
Released as a limited edition in 2020, the Mocha’s were immediately popular following the success of Nike’s first Jordan collab with rapper Travis Scott in 2019, also in a similar colour-way.
Initially retailing at $170, the Jordan 1 High Mocha can fetch an average of $531 on resale, a staggering 212% more than the RRP, with the average cost of a replica sitting at $128, just 24% cheaper than retail.
Also featuring in the top five were three appearances from the Nike x Travis Scott line, including two Jordans and one Nike SB Dunk collab, while all originally went on sale at around $150 resale value on the sneakers are an astronomical $1,443, $1,675 and $2,048 respectively.
Most Repped by Brand
Of the most repped sneakers, Nike dominated the top 25, making up 88% of the total list split mostly between the Air Jordan and Dunk lines.
Similarly, our study found that it was Nike sneakers that fetched the highest prices in the resale market, despite generally having a lower RRP than their Adidas rivals.
From the Air Jordan range, our study found the classic Jordan 1 and the Jordan 4 lines are the most repped by faux-sneakerheads. Air Jordan 2’s were the least popular line, with less than 10 in total found across the thousands of posts analysed.
Adidas had just three pairs of sneakers that broke the top 25, all from the controversial Yeezy line, which has cooled in popularity in recent months.
How to get the best Nike deals and Adidas deals
Unfortunately, as resale prices and the demand for replicas shows, getting your hands on the latest sneaker drops isn’t as easy as you might think.
Often the most in-demand or ‘hyped’ shoes come from limited-release drops, meaning there’s no sure-fire way to guarantee you’ll be able to grab a pair on release.
In most cases brands like Nike and Adidas or stores like Size? or Footlocker, will run raffles, giving those who enter a random chance at being able to purchase a pair.
In some cases, being a regular customer of the outlet may boost your chance at entry, however many sneakerheads are finding they are beaten to the punch by resellers armed with bots.
For your best chance at getting your hands on the latest hyped release, be sure to download your retailer’s app, check online at any additional raffles available in your area, and sign up for any newsletters, as well as regularly checking our sneaker deal pages for the latest discounts.
What do we say?
Vix Leyton, consumer expert at hotukdeals said: “For many, being a sneakerhead can be a painful experience of fruitless lotteries and raffles in their quest to get their hands on the latest kicks.
“Ultimately, shoe brands have hit a winning formula of building incredible hype for drops and restricting the number of sneakers released. Causing a supply and demand problem which our study found fuels both resale and counterfeit or ‘rep’ markets.
“With the scene exploding in recent years, the decision on which shoes are going to be a hot commodity is often made by the community months in advance. This means to get the latest collab or hype pair, customers face stiff competition from other sneakerheads, collectors, resellers, and bots.
“Our study found that in pretty much all cases, the most repped shoes were limited-release drops that were going for significantly above retail on the resale market, with customers spending nearly as much on fakes as they would on the real article. In most cases, we found the goal for rep-wearers was to get something as close to the real product as possible, rather than saving money.
“Unfortunately, hardcore sneakerheads are only going to be satisfied with copping very specific releases, based on a bunch of unwritten rules in the community.
“However, if you’re just looking for a pair of cool kicks and realise that 99% of people aren’t looking at the details of your trainers, then there are lots of options available to you that can often be found discounted including Jordan Mids, Dunks, and other non-limited colour-ways, that will give a similar look and experience for significantly less.”
Staying safe and ensuring you’re buying legitimate sneakers
- Only purchase from authorised retailers: The best way to ensure you’re buying legitimate sneakers is to shop via official stores or authorised retailers of the brand. Our clothing deals pages only point to authorised, reputable retailers.
- Check the packaging: Authentic sneakers usually come in a high-quality box with brand labeling and special markings. Be wary of resellers shipping ‘new’ products without the box.
- Inspect the product carefully: Check for any inconsistencies in the material, stitching, or logo placement. Look for any misspellings, colour mismatches, or incorrect labeling. Social media sites, like Reddit often have communities dedicated to ‘legit checking’ items.
- Verify the serial number: Most authentic sneakers come with a serial number that can be verified with the brand. However, in some cases, these serial numbers can be the same for all variants of the show.
- Research the seller: If buying from an individual or an unknown website, research the seller’s reputation and read customer reviews. Some reseller sites, like StockX will also carry an authentication guarantee.
- Compare prices: At hotukdeals we love a bargain, but If the price of your sneakers seems too good to be true, like a pair of Travis Scott 1’s selling for £50, then exercise caution.
Keep in mind that even if you follow these steps, there’s still a chance of encountering counterfeit products. So, always be vigilant and exercise due diligence when purchasing sneakers.
Want stylish sneakers that won’t break the bank? Get more for less with hotukdeals’ latest offers and discounts on trainers.