What is a sneaker bot, and how does it work?

What is a sneaker bot?

Sneaker bots, also called shoe bots, can complete a purchase faster than a human. As a result, the practice of botting sneakers helps bot operators buy sneakers before genuine buyers. Afterward, a bot operator can enjoy adding a rare pair to their collection or seize the opportunity to resell them at a higher price.

What started with the frenzy around hyped sneaker releases has expanded to include other bots that buy concert tickets, gaming consoles, and other exclusive items. These bots follow the blueprint set by sneaker bots and aim for the same result — to secure high-demand items with lightning speed and resell them at a higher price.

Are sneaker bots legal?

Technically, yes, sneaker bots are legal because there is no specific law that prohibits their use for buying sneakers. However, bot use can become illegal in situations where the bots are used for fraudulent activities, such as using stolen credit card information. Although it’s not the most common use for sneaker bots, such instances do happen.

Still, while sneaker bots might not break laws, they often violate the terms and conditions of many websites. As a result, bot operators could find themselves banned from a retailer’s website. It’s a risk that not only affects their access but also could tarnish bot users’ reputation with popular online stores, making future purchases more challenging.

Moreover, sneaker bot use raises questions about fairness in commerce. Until laws specifically address bot usage, retailers are responsible for preventing shoe bots from unfairly snatching sneakers from genuine human customers.

How do sneaker bots work?

A sneaker bot imitates human shopping behavior but operates faster and on a larger scale. Bot users input their personal and payment details into the software and specify what to buy by providing product URLs or keywords. The process from there is automated — the shoe bot speeds through checkout, securing items much faster than human users ever would.

The operation relies on three key elements — the bot software, a proxy server, and proxy clients that supply different IP addresses. This trio allows the sneaker bot to run several times on the same website simultaneously, appearing as different buyers and using new accounts. This elaborate strategy boosts the chances of snagging those highly sought-after sneakers.

If you’ve ever wondered how to use bots to buy shoes, proxies are the secret sauce that makes this process possible. Proxy servers hide the bot’s tracks by routing the bot’s traffic through different IP addresses. This technique helps the bot avoid detection by the retailer’s security systems, which might otherwise recognize repeated access attempts from a single IP address as bot activity and block them.

Do sneaker bots impact customers or businesses?

Sneaker botting has a significant impact on both customers and businesses. While customers may struggle to secure a pair of limited edition sneakers, enterprises risk losing future profits and the trust of their customers. In this scenario, it’s fair to say that the stakes are higher for businesses. Still, both companies and customers are at a disadvantage:

🙋‍♂️ Impact on customers. Securing limited stock items is already challenging, and bots only make it harder. Shoe bots diminish the chances for human shoppers to purchase limited-edition or in-demand sneakers at retail prices because sneaker bots buy up the stock before buyers even have the opportunity to add items to their online shopping carts. Plus, bot users usually resell those sneakers in the secondary market for much higher prices.

💼 Impact on businesses. Sneaker bots put brand reputation at risk. The brand’s image suffers when customers consistently fail to get their hands on new releases because of bots. Sneaker bots can also degrade the internet speed of a shoe-selling website, leading to slower loading times and transaction issues that negatively affect customer satisfaction. Additionally, bots mislead companies about the actual demand for their products, leading to poor decisions in production and marketing.

Can businesses detect sneaker bots?

Businesses can detect sneaker bots with some effort. Keeping up with bots means investing in security and teaming up with tech experts, but it’s a challenge worth taking on. Still, despite numerous ways retailers try to tackle them, sneaker botting often avoids detection.

Here’s why sneaker bots are so effective at bypassing bot detection mechanisms:

• Sneaker bots use custom browser and HTTP fingerprints. Using digital fingerprinting allows sneaker bots to camouflage themselves. By posing as distinct visitors, bots decrease their likelihood of being detected by security systems designed to identify multiple access attempts from the same address.
• The most advanced shoe bots rely on residential proxies. Residential proxies are pricier than data center proxies but have a better reputation, are less likely to be misused, and make the bots harder to detect.
• Shoe bots can bypass CAPTCHA mechanisms. Bots can bypass CAPTCHA by getting help from people, using algorithms to classify images, or employing generative adversarial networks (GANs) to solve complex puzzles.

How can businesses prevent sneaker bots?

Sneaker bot creators continuously up their game, striving to mimic human behavior more closely. However, companies are equally determined, relentlessly working to outsmart these bots and ensure fairness for all. It’s a classic cat-and-mouse game, yet businesses are becoming smarter and more strategic in the ways they try to prevent sneaker bots.

Filter bots with web traffic management

Filtering tools like virtual waiting rooms are effective checkpoints to prevent sneaker bots. Waiting rooms can examine how visitors interact with the website and the visitor’s browser type and version. Visitors might also be asked to solve a CAPTCHA that’s easy for humans but tough for bots.

This setup not only spots bots but also levels the playing field. By queuing all users — humans and bots — waiting rooms neutralize the speed advantage of bots. Consequently, human customers stand a better chance of securing limited releases.

Block known sneaker bot traffic

Bot scripts often use outdated browser versions. Businesses can counter sneaker bots by implementing CAPTCHAs for browsers not updated in over two years and outright blocking those over three years old.

Additionally, since most unwanted automated traffic originates from public data center proxies, requiring CAPTCHAs for visitors with data center IP addresses before entering the waiting room can be effective. While this method won’t stop all bots, it can significantly reduce low- to medium-sophistication bots.

Conduct after-sale audits

Businesses can improve bot management by incorporating human oversight. IT security teams can conduct manual traffic audits to detect suspicious activity. Audits help a business learn whether any of the purchases made on their website were completed from the same IP address, which often indicates bot activity.

When companies detect bots, they can cancel those orders and restock the sneakers. This move ensures genuine customers get another opportunity to buy at the original price, not at marked-up rates on resale sites. Although time-consuming, this method is very effective.

Use bot mitigation software

Bot mitigation software is handy for businesses selling sought-after items online. This software helps keep bot attacks in check and provides insights into how bots operate, letting businesses tweak their approach for a better customer experience.

More than just dealing with the issue at hand, this software supports lasting customer satisfaction and keeps businesses secure and reputable. It’s a practical step businesses can take toward protecting what they’re offering and ensuring real customers have a fair shot at getting it.

Businesses have many strategies to prevent sneaker bots. Yet, as these bots evolve, companies must stay alert and adaptive and always look for fresh, effective ways to counteract bot activity. While the challenge is ongoing, a proactive and innovative approach will keep businesses one step ahead in ensuring fair access for genuine customers.