Fake Fridays: SneakerStoreZA
The series is back! From the beginning of lockdown, we have been getting daily messages and DMs about fakes and scammers tricking sneaker and streetwear lovers out of their hard-earned cash. With this in mind, we knew we had to bring back Fake Fridays. A couple of days ago we asked you which stores have been up to no good - and you guys really delivered.
So let's not waste any time and get right into it. One of our most requested stores was SneakerStoreZA - selling counterfeit sneakers from their well-followed IG account and webstore. They must’ve known we were coming because we’ve been blocked. Luckily, our customers have got us covered in the DMs.
A quick scroll through SneakerStoreZA’s feed will give you an overload of Jordan 1 and Air Force 1 models. Looks too good to be true? It is. Remember the Jordan 1 with Travis Scott that released earlier this year and was near impossible to get? Today, a real pair will set you back about R27 000 off StockX, but SneakerStore has got you covered with a fake one for R2500. But they don’t advertise that it's a fake or replica anywhere either - calling themselves ‘official’ and misleading sneaker lovers out of their own money. They don't even provide you with pictures of the real pair you’ll get, but rather steal photos from influencers (see Eiffel Tower in the back). SneakerStoreZA knows the demand for the Travis Scott 1s and they know they can make money scamming people into thinking they are selling the real deal at an unbeatable price.
SneakerStoreZA also sells its products through its own website that they have tried extremely hard to appear legit. They even have a returns and refund policy that actually says you can get a refund for an item if you aren’t happy. We wouldn’t recommend testing their refund policy though as most fake stores block any unhappy customers after they have taken the money. And if SneakerStoreZA is willing to mislead customers about the legitimacy of the products, then they will probably not honour any return policies too.
SneakerStoreZA also utilises an army of ambassadors to do their marketing for them. They promote their ambassador opportunities extensively on their feed and Story highlights, as a way to make the business seem legit with tons of happy ambassadors. Often the ambassadors have no idea they are promoting fake products and are also tricked and used by SneakerStoreZA.
The ambassador marketing also extends the reach of the scam by gaining the trust of the public - getting people you know to work as promoters and talk about the store. Each ambassador is given a promo code that gives them benefits if you purchase through them. This ensures the marketing for SneakerStoreZA is always extreme as there is a benefit to the ambassadors promoting too. Check out the store's comment section to see a mixture of people calling their products fake (the comments they haven’t deleted), and ambassadors promoting it with their referral codes. Ambassadors don't mean a store is always legit.
Taking another look at some blatant fakes from the store, you’ll also see Sacai LDWaffles going for R1600. This is another extremely common fake and should be a red flag if ever stocked by IG stores at a low price. They never released in the country and a new pair is worth R7000 or more today. Another example is the Alexander McQueen platform sneakers that retail for R8500 or more, but they somehow have them for R1999. It's very clear the store is set on misleading its customers out of their cash.
The photos SneakerStoreZA posts are always of authentic products that they have stolen from others to trick you into purchasing their fake, badly-made stock. When it arrives it looks nothing like the photo as they are different products completely. SneakerStoreZA NEVER posts their own photos and even try tricking people into thinking some of the photos are their own by applying a bad watermark over someone’s picture. See below.
Other crazy fakes worth noting are the massive amount of Women’s Air Force 1 Shadows that the page knows are extremely popular right now, as well as Off-White x Nike Air Force 1s and the beloved Jordan 1 Maison Chateau Rouge. There are even some fake hybrids that were never released by Nike to laugh at.
Shelflife Weekly Tip
If you are buying from a reseller or an Instagram store with no physical space, always ask for pictures of the product in-hand with their store's name or a similar tag in the photo. This allows you to see the actual product you are buying and not a stock image, ensuring you are happy with the quality and authenticity.
By requesting the store or seller includes a tag in the image, you are also making sure that the person has the product in-hand and is not stealing those images too. Below is an example of tagged pictures from sellers on Grailed. The name on the note matches their usernames to ensure they have the product.
