Allegations of the trusted sneaker distributor Stockx are beginning to pile up. Many are claiming to be receiving replica sneakers after paying hundreds or in some cases thousands for genuine Nike shoes. 

StockX has been a known online distributor of expensive sneakers and clothing to thousands of people. They build their whole business model off of having verification to authenticate the sneakers that are sent in. This allowed for people to spend a lot of money on shoes and feel comfortable with the fact that they weren’t getting scammed. Unfortunately, in the last year, they have been called out many times on youtube videos and articles on social media about receiving replica sneakers.  Mark McConkie, a senior at Ridgeline high school said, “I have spent lots of money on Stockx on shoes”, he continued “ I wonder if I got scammed.” He shares this question with many others around the world. 

Since the allegations have been circling some are dropping out of the sneaker game. At Ridgeline high school one look around the hallways will reveal the appreciation for trendy sneakers. In the halls you primarily see Jordans and Nike Dunks. These are the two models that are most commonly faked. Miles stokes says, “Everybody I know has at least one of those shoes, I have 45 pairs of shoes in my room”. Some openly share that they buy replicas, some are  ashamed and do their best to keep it a secret, and some strictly wear real genuine shoes. It’s all personal preference. “In my opinion it really doesn’t make any difference if they’re real or fake, arent shoes just supposed to protect your foot?” stated Abby Monaco. 

Shoes are an investment for resellers. Shoes are so expensive because if you get the right ones off releases in the range of $100-$300 they can resell for upwards of $10,000 in some cases. Stockx is the middle man for reselling high value sneakers. For perspective on the price range of the sneaker market on Stockx, the cheapest shoes are $25 for adidas Stan Smith Star Wars collabs, and the most expensive are $85,000 for the Louis Vuitton Air Force 1 “Monogram Brown. ” When talking about that much money, it’s not something to play around about, said Cameron Workman. 

Sneakers are a huge industry grossing $55 billion a year. With replicas entering the market, they seem to be finding a place in accepted culture. Many students at Ridgeline wear replica sneakers. The shoes that at one time would cost upwards of $1000, are now available for only $100. One walk-through the Halls at Ridgeline revealed that many are open about the replica sneakers, they aren’t ashamed to be wearing them, and they are happy to be wearing hype sneakers without paying premium prices.