In any industry, if there is high demand and low supply you’ll find those who look to game the system in order to make a profit. Resellers in the sneaker world have been a part of the game for years, though with the advent of bots and the increased popularity of flipping sneakers for profit we’ve seen it become even more difficult to secure a single pair on release day. Less than a month ago, The Swoosh finally added language targeting resellers in their terms of service that many assumed was an all-bark, no-bite move to appease the general public, however, it seems Nike is actually acting upon their new guidelines.
In a screenshot shared throughout social media, a user (who wishes to remain anonymous) was told directly by Nike that they can no longer purchase any Nike Dunks directly from the sportswear giant. What led up to this point? Well, we reached out to the user and they shared what went down prior to and after receiving this news.
Nike’s Reasoning For Banning Users From Online Purchases
The customer explained to us that they had purchased 63 pairs of Nike Dunks from nike.com over the course of two years and after that they had attempted to purchase pairs of Air Jordan 1s but were hit with an error that read “Payment Not Accepted.” Afterward, they reached out to customer service to resolve the payment error (which was fixed), however, a follow-up email was sent stating they “exceeded the quantity limit on your recent Nike.com orders” in regards to the pairs of Dunks that were recently ordered. Continuing further, Nike’s customer service told the user they were “unable to process further orders for this model. If you would like to purchase more of this model please visit a local Nike Store or another authorized retailer of ours.”
We have assumed that after Nike’s updated policy they would try to crack down on customers that return an excessive amount of products, but the anonymous user is quoted as saying they have “little to none” in terms of their return history, furthering this sentiment “I don’t return kicks.”
Overall, it appears that Nike going forward will be paying more attention to excessive orders or those with multiple accounts linked to a single payment method/address. When speaking to another customer, they experienced their account being blocked from purchasing on the Nike SNKRS app for over a year due to having multiple accounts linked to their person. Going forward, those looking to game the system will have to be more creative and more careful. If you're looking for a more in-depth breakdown of the Dunk, check out our Nike Dunk Buyers Guide, and keep it locked to our Twitter andMobile App to stay up to date on future releases.
Takeaways
- Nike's updated Terms of Sale targets customers who are costing them money, reseller or not
- Nike's policy will impact customers who continually game the system
- Nike has the right to refuse sale and adjust terms as they see fit
- Casual resellers will likely be ok, but bulk buyers and "brick flippers" may be in trouble
Images via Roszko
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
