Dear Nike: Fix your SNKRS Drawing System: Sneakers – Reddit
Nike needs to revisit the drawing system on SNKRS. The whole point of the draw is to combat bots and resellers, but the 30 minute window favors resellers significantly. This morning, I got a submission in on the Royal 1’s within 30 seconds and I took an L. Yet, for hyped releases such as the Tinkers, they allow a 30 minute window for people to enter. Lets be honest, every users main account gets an entry in within the first 5 minutes. The other 25 minutes of the drawing allows those with 100’s of accounts to login and submit duplicate entries. I have never won a drawing in the last two years, yet I get on twitter and see kids have gotten two and even three wins on the Tinkers because they had enough time to login with their duplicate accounts and enter. Nike, I beg you, please change the drawing openings to 5 or 10 minute windows so that people who actually WANT your shoes can have a better chance rather than allowing resellers to get multiple pairs at a time.
How to Win Sneakers Straight from SNKRS and Nike.com
OK, I’ll be honest:
The title of the post sounds too good to be true, and to some extent it is.
It doesn’t change the fact that you now have to win sneakers from Nike.
Check out our beginner’s guide to how to sell sneakers once you win them, but for now, Read on to learn how you can win…
How to Succeed on Nike SNKRS in 2021
SNKRS logo –
A lot has changed since the very first days of buying sneakers online.
Following the first days of online drops, it became exponentially harder to secure a pair of sneakers for the average individual. Sellout times got shorter and shorter, making people, including the retailers of themselves, question whether or not the users were human or not.
Turns out, some of these record times were not humans with fast fingers, but clever humans using software that they or others built to benefit them.
Manufacturers now have resorted to letting people win a chance to buy the shoe–more on this later.
Sophisticated sneaker bots have come on to the scene, causing many brands and companies to wage war against those who make use of the nifty software, which still works in the hands of those with expert knowledge.
(We just launched a private group for high level sneaker resellers for a limited time for the month of June–click here to check it out)
When the demand continued to remain astronomically high and supply got lower, resale prices skyrocketed, bringing outsiders onto the scene who wanted to play the game so they could make a few dollars (in more cases than you would think, a few hundred thousand dollars).
UNDERSTANDING THE RESALE GAME BETTER
Brands understood that they couldn’t ban reselling, because it’s not illegal, and it’s really hard to tell whether or not someone is a customer intending to keep the shoes or flip them quickly.
Many strategies have been implemented, from the CAPTCHA “are you human? ” tests to more technical algorithms that monitor behavior of website users, blocking orders from users that resemble bots, even if they do pass the CAPTCHA test.
Other retailers such as Supreme, who stock coveted clothing items that resell for much more than they retailed for have boosted up their defense against bot users, who are almost always resellers running big business.
Websites like Yeezysupply, adidas and even footsites like Footlocker and Eastbay are known now to cancel orders even after they’ve been confirmed and paid for if they look like they may have been executed by a sneaker bot. Because of this, buyers are becoming more careful about how they are acquiring the envied merch.
In addition to all the techy stuff, changes in the buying process of some rare shoes with high resale value have eliminated the traditional checkout process altogether.
Winning in Raffles
Raffles have been the most common anti bot strategy, and as a sneaker fan or reseller, this is something you absolutely need to know, and we’re glad to share tips here.
Once you follow boutique brands on Instagram or on their newsletters, you will begin to see chances to win a pair of shoes that will be worth top dollar, but to do so you’ll probably have to mildly embarrass yourself by tagging three friends in the comments below a photo as well as the size you desire, along with following their account and likely their email list as well.
Fortunately, there’s a brand that lets you forgo all this nonsense, and simply win them straight from the source.
Nike is the best company to become familiar with this raffling process of winning shoes from them, because nearly every shoe worth getting from Nike will end up being raffled through these methods that you will now become familiar with.
Regular shoes don’t have a drawing for them, so for collectors and resellers, seeing that a shoe is on a Nike raffle is a good indicator that those kicks are valuable.
When you win the raffle, you don’t win the shoes for free, but you win an automatic purchase of the shoes, which is pretty awesome especially when they’re instantly worth more than you got them for.
Here are the 2 ways that you can get shoes straight from Nike:
1. Nike SNKRS App
Download Nike’s SNKRS App, and create your Nike+ account. Make sure you have push notifications enabled, and every now and then you’ll get notified that there’s a draw for a limited shoe that is probably worth money on the aftermarket, whether your intention is to collect or sell.
Over time, you will win a release. When this happens, your payment method will automatically be charged. You’ll have already entered all of your payment info and address ahead of time, so there’s basically no checkout process.
It’s pretty awesome, and Nike is one of the fastest retailers when it comes to shipping, I’ve gotten shoes in as soon as 2 days after I placed the order.
2. Nike Launch drawings
For a better user experience for those who still prefer desktop browsing, going on Nike’s official website is the option of choice. You’ll have to know where to go though, you need to get to the section of their website that allows you to register for Launch Drawings for rare releases.
It seems like they intentionally make it hard to find at first, so we’ll make it easy for you and give you the direct link to Nike’s Launch Drawings right here (this is the US Link, but if you’re not in the US and the link doesn’t automatically route you to your country’s website, simply google the phrase “Nike Launch Drawing”).
You’ll also have the option to pick up the shoes that you won from a store near you in person so you can get them in hand right away.
If the draw is a location exclusive that you don’t live near, there is an advanced workaround for this that’s discussed in our reseller’s field guide.
Both of these above methods require that you have a Nike account.
PRO TIP: USING MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS
Having one account is great and I and many others have won profitable drops without more than one account.
Multiple accounts give you as many more chances of getting the shoes as the number of accounts you have.
If you have 5 Nike accounts or even 10 or 15, you can greatly increase your odds of getting one pair and you’ll also put yourself in a position for getting multiple pairs for insane profits.
Many people sell Nike accounts across social media and eBay, but because of rampant scams, you might as well cut your risk and learn how to make your own accounts.
Advanced strategies like multiple Nike accounts and more are discussed in the highly reviewed 5 part Hypemaster Playbook.
You can also keep browsing the blog for other articles, like this inspirational post on how much you can make in just one month off of flipping shoes and streetwear.
Check out the Hypemaster Playbook today, and get a piece of the Billion Dollar Shoe Pie.
Click here to get it now!
A Tutorial On How To Enter Nike SNKRS Reservation Or Draw
Updated on June 22, 2021.
Nike uses an array of techniques to thwart bots from obtaining its most coveted drops, and it’s go-to platform is its SNKRS app where it employs a few different methods to enable everyday sneaker lovers greater access to its shoes. Before we go any further, it should be noted that at least in the United States, Nike has successfully shut down bots’ ability to succeed on the site.
This tutorial is designed to help first-time U. S. -based Nike sneaker lovers who are attempting to cop a shoe via a SNKRS, but have no idea how either works. SNKRS is used to sell Nike shoes and more recently apparel, but also Nike brands Converse and Jordan.
Be sure to open SNKRS a solid five minutes before the actual launch because it can be slow to load. The app is compatible with either Apple or Android smart phones. If it’s been a while since you last used SNKRS, provide time to make sure your size and payment info is saved.
Also, have on hand your SNKRS password and depending on your form of payment, your credit card’s three-digit security code or your Paypal password. SNKRS will often ask you to reenter your SNKRS password and also your credit card security code or Paypal password at time of purchase.
A lot of sneaker enthusiasts will attempt to win pairs using SNKRS on their desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone at the same time, but in order to do this you will need separate delivery addresses, email addresses and payment methods for each one. There are a whole host of other methods people attempt to use to game Nike’s system but we will not be reporting on them here.
Navigating Nike’s SNKRS App
Before the drop, start by downloading the SNKRS app and set up your Nike+ account. The app opens on the home screen (shown above), which shows “Feed, ” “In Stock” and “Upcoming” at the top of the app. “Feed” coverage includes background on highlighted silhouettes as well as brand partnerships and events. “In Stock” lists shoes currently available for purchase. Just like it states, the “Upcoming” tab shows a list of coming launch-date shoes.
On the bottom of the home page to the right of the “Home” icon, the “Discover” icon opens a feed with additional Nike-related stories, ranging from employee profiles to info on city-specific SNKRS Pass launches. To the right of “Discover” is “Notifications” where Nike delivers info on whether or not you won (“Got ‘Em! ) the shoe you were attempting to cop. It also includes information on placed orders.
How to Create a SNKRS Profile
The “Profile” icon is located to the right of “Notifications. ” Touch the icon and then touch the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner. Enter your first name, last name and email, followed by your gender and shoe size. If you want to be extra fancy, you can load a profile picture but it’s not required and you will have to grant Nike access to your phone’s images to do so.
Once you’ve loaded your info, the profile home page will show your name and a rectangle in the middle of the page that reads “Nike + Pass. ” When you touch the icon, it will bring up your personal QR (Quick Response) code, which is required to pick up certain types of launches in store. At times, Nike also uses the QR code to access special events and activities in its stores and at other locations.
Load a payment method (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Nike gift cards, Paypal and Apple Pay on iOS devices) along with your billing and shipping address. Just know that even if you pre-load this information, Nike may ask you to reenter size or payment info during your attempt to procure the shoe.
In SNKRS notification preferences, enable notifications and then choose the timing of your preference: one week, one day or 15 minutes before the launch.
Nike’s upcoming SNKRS feed includes a “Notify Me” button, which you can use to stay on top of launch-day product. A lot of the shoes you see in the feed are first-come-first served aka FCFS launches, which means once it goes live and the button changes to “Buy Now, ” whoever is able to purchase the shoes first, takes them home.
How To Purchase A SNKRS Drop
“Upcoming” is where all the action takes place for popular drops. At the time the shoe launches (usually 10:00 AM EST in the United States), the “Notify Me” button will change over to the price of the shoe. Hit the price button and you will be taken to a list of sizes. Choose your size and hit the “OK” button.
Hit the “$200” button, then choose size and hit the “OK” button. Note, the dreaded “Pending” status, which may appear after making payment.
You will then be taken to a page listing the size you selected, your address, form of payment and the total with shipping and tax. Hit the “Buy Now” button at which point you may be asked to enter your SNKRS password and possible your credit card security code or Paypal password. According to Nike, “If you want to use PayPal to order in the SNKRS App, we recommend saving PayPal as a payment method about 30 minutes before the sneakers drop. ” If you want to use Paypal, this is a step you should take for each launch.
Good question, if you’re successful you’ll see a “Got’em” message on SNKRS and will receive an order confirmation email. If you want, you can DM us your NikePlus email and we can check on our end if you were successful. (@nikestore) April 5, 2018
If you’re lucky, you will receive the famed “Got ‘Em” message in “Notifications” shortly after you make your payment. According to @nikestore (above), “If you’re successful you’ll see a “Got’ Em” message on SNKRS and will receive an order confirmation email. ”
If you didn’t win a pair, you may or may not receive a notification that you weren’t selected. In the case of the Jordan an Off-White drop on July 25, 2020, multiple people received a “pending” notice, which remained long after the shoe sold out.
How Long Does SNKRS Takes To Notify?
The answer is it depends on the launch. The two most common types of SNKRS launches are Draw or DAN and Let Everyone Order or LEO. For a Draw launch, Nike officially states it will notify within 24 hours, however, notification normally takes place with 15-30 minutes. For a LEO launch, you may be placed in a queue but as soon as you’re selected and your payment is processed you will be notified within two-10 minutes after launch time.
Types Of SNKRS Launches
1. Draw or DAN Launch: This is a system that makes use of a timed entry. When the launch goes live, the icon changes from “Notify me” to “Enter Draw. ” Nike will provide a countdown clock showing anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to hit the reserve icon.
If you haven’t saved your sizing and payment info, you will be asked to provide that. You may only enter a reserve draw once. If you attempt it a second time with the same account, you will be informed you’ve already entered.
Once the “Draw” ends, according to Nike you will be notified within 24 hours (though it’s usually within 15 minutes to an hour after the draw ends) whether or not you were selected to purchase the shoe. Nike will then process the payment and send you a notification through the app about when you can expect to receive the shoe.
3. Exclusive Access: SNKRS will sometimes notify members on the app or desktop that they’ve been given early access to a drop. Usually the push invite will come before or after a release, but it can also be provided randomly. Nike recently provided a tutorial on increasing one’s chances of receiving Exclusive Access.
According to the press release, Nike uses over 50 variables to determine which members are awarded Exclusive Access for a given product. Variables include prior SNKRS launch entries, content engagement and poll responses, among others. While the variables are combined in different ways for each Exclusive Access, Nike says its goal is to reward the most deserving members.
In a nutshell, turn on notifications and engage with SNKRS on a daily basis. If the app is inviting you to participate, whether through a poll or a heart button, do so. In the Discover part of the app, watch the videos and share them. For upcoming drops, tap Notify Me on the silhouettes you’re interested in. Of course don’t buy shoes you don’t want, but just know, Nike is tracking who is actually buying and those individuals will have a better chance of winning the very coveted drops than those who only open the app when a very high heat item drops.
Below is a video entirely dedicated to how one can gain Exclusive Access.
4. First Come First Serve or FCFS or FLOW: Nike rarely use FCFS with SNKRS launches. This is a launch type usually associated with non-SNKRS launches and just like it sounds, whoever submits their payment information first wins the item.
During a FCFS launch, you may receive a “You’re in line” or “Waiting for your turn” message. This is because Nike is processing the orders of the people who purchases the item before you and it is making sure it can fill the size you want once those orders are filled. You can close the SNKRS app and Nike will maintain your place in line, however, if you close the website, you will be removed from the queue. If you win on SNKRS, Nike will briefly hold the pair for you.
For FCFS, you will be notified immediately after the payment clears. Confirmation will be sent in the SNKRS Inbox under notifications and also via email.
It’s worth noting that just because the launch isn’t featured on SNKRS doesn’t mean it’s not coveted. Nike has used FCFS with Fear of God launches as well as the recent Naomi Osaka capsule. Sometimes Nike also employs FCFS when it launches surprise restocks.
3. Let Everyone Order or LEO: Other than DAN, this is Nike’s most popular type of SNKRS launch. This is akin to a FCFS serve launch in that everyone can order, however, behind the scenes Nike uses a secret sauce during processing to select winners. There is a lot of debate around how Nike processes a LEO launch with some saying purchases are cut off two minutes after the drop with Nike then going back and using various algorithms to make selections from the queue of shoppers. However, nobody knows for sure and it’s a good bet Nike is constantly refining how it makes selections.
5. Reserve Launch: SNKRS can be used on any device but if the launch is a “Reserve” requiring an in-store pick up, you will need to use a device that allows your location to be accessible. “Reserve” launches are FCFS so it’s a big help if your location is turned on and you have your size and payment pre-loaded and ready to go as soon as the drop is live.
Nike began using a SNKRS “Reserve” system in 2015 (starting with a Jordan 1 silhouette) for its very coveted launches. For store pick-up “Reserve” launches (more info from here), the icon at launch time will change from “Notify Me” to “Reserve. ” In order to be considered, your phone’s location will need to be turned on. Push the “Reserve” icon and then choose a nearby pick-up location. Some but not all “Reserve” drops offer the option of shipping. Because of the pandemic Nike has backed off of he use of “Reserve” through 2020.
If you missed out on a “Reserve” launch, sometimes it pays to visit the store stocking the shoe because pairs that aren’t picked up after a certain time are made available to purchase FCFS.
6. SNKRS Pass is a location-specific launch for a select city or group of cities, which at the moment are mostly limited to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles or New York. Nike will often employ this type of launch in association with very limited edition, sometimes referred to as “Friends & Family” launches, which are then followed up by a wider launch of the same shoe. Often this type of launch is announced with little warning akin to a “Shock Drop” (see below).
If the shoe is an in-store, pick up drop, Nike will process the payment and let you know details on when/where to pick up in “Notifications. ” In order to take the shoes home, you will need to show your SNKRS QR code plus provide official photo identification that matches your winning SNKRS account.
7. Shock Drop: Nike will sometimes surprise drop its most coveted launches prior to a previously-stated, official launch date. It will also Shock Drop shoes that aren’t included in its “Upcoming” calendar.
Nike’s default launch posture is secretive to the extreme and it won’t confirm or deny any rumors about upcoming Shock Drop launches. Until the drop is announced on an official Nike social media platform, in Nike’s eyes it simply doesn’t exist.
Once in a great while, Nike will Shock Drop a shoe that can only be accessed by completing a task. In the case of Nike, Off-White and Serena Williams‘ “Shock Drop, ” the silhouette was featured in the app’s “Discover” feed with a “Behind the Shoe” story. In order to cop the shoe, the user had to rub an image featuring a blank version of Off-White’s signature plastic hang tag (above left) to make the copy appear. Once the copy appeared, the user was granted access to purchase the shoe.
To stay on top of coveted drops, there are numerous Twitter accounts that will notify you of Exclusive Access notifications and Shock Drops. Two of them even have their own apps: @solelinks and @j23app. You can also follow Nike’s @nikestore account but be aware it doesn’t announce every single launch.
Keep in mind that the SNKRS app is far from perfect. It can be glitchy and if you visit the @nikestore feed you can see it’s filled with people complaining about usage issues. Most of the time Nike recommends signing out and signing back in or reinstalling the app. If you’re still having problems and there is stock available, you can also call 800-806-6453 from 4:00 AM-11:00 PM PST seven days a week.
May the cop gods be with you!
Frequently Asked Questions about nike entry limit exceeded
How many times can you enter a Nike draw?
One entry per person per launch product. We reserve the right to cancel winning entries. Once submitted, entries cannot be modified. Winning entries are valid only for the consumer information, product and size.
How long do Nike draws last?
If you attempt it a second time with the same account, you will be informed you’ve already entered. Once the “Draw” ends, according to Nike you will be notified within 24 hours (though it’s usually within 15 minutes to an hour after the draw ends) whether or not you were selected to purchase the shoe.Dec 22, 2020
Is Snkrs random?
While the selection of recipients seems completely random, Nike reveals some factors that help its internal algorithm make its selections. Here they are: 1. Exclusive Access invitations extend personalized purchase offers to members of the SNKRS community based on their engagement with the SNKRS app.Jun 17, 2021