THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO REPLICA SNEAKERS FOR DUMMIES

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NOTE: This guide may not be 100% accurate so if you see any misleading information, please do tell me so I can fix it! Also this guide is meant for starters so if you are an experienced user, you do not have to read this guide as you can easily do your own research on which batch you think is the best in your own opinion.

Welcome to the world of replica sneakers, for all you broke ass people including me or if you just don't wanna pay resell for that grail you want because resell prices can be rape and you'll end up losing your house if you do so unless you a rich boy.

Before you proceed any further just want to let you know that this guide is very long and I am not shitting you, so take some time in reading this before asking any questions which might already be answered if you read the whole guide. Hope you all enjoy.

This guide will be broken down into multiple parts:

• Introduction to replica sneakers
• Replica sneaker "grade" level
• Replica sneaker shopping​
• Instagram sellers
• Taobao guide
• Getting called out
• Ending

Introduction to Replica Sneakers

What are replica sneakers exactly? Well, replica sneakers are basically an "imitation" of sneakers made by companies such as Adidas and Nike for example. Replica sneakers have been in the market for a long time now and they are getting better recently.

Why are there replicas anyway? To be honest, I don't know why replicas are even made in the first place but for real though, copyright laws in China are not so strict compared to other countries so meaning to say if you set up a factory somewhere in China and make replicas of a certain shoe, they won't give a fuck about it unless the police decides to raid your factory.

​Why do replica sneakers vary in price? It's because the quality used to make the shoes are different, hence you can see some shoes priced at $20 while the same shoe is priced at a higher price like $120 for example.

Replica Sneaker "Grade" Level

There are different "grades" of replica sneakers available in the market, ranging from (AAA,SP,SMP,UA,1:1)

Grade AAA - The lowest/worse tier. There will always be a lot major flaws that is easy to spot in a shoe. Don't even get me started in the comfort of the shoe, they have the worse comfort ever and I bet the shoes won't even last a month if you plan to wear em everyday. (I personally own a pair of AAA Jordan 4 "Fear" pack and holy shit it's like there's no insole at all.)

Super Perfect (SP) - Low tier. Unlike Grade AAA, SPs have lesser flaws and better shoe comfort but of course the quality of the shoe is still bad and may last 1-3 months depending on usage.

Super Max Perfect (SMP) - Mid tier. Now SMP shoes still have major flaws but it's minimum. 2-3 flaws mostly but if you wanna get a pair of reps and don't want to spend much on buying "UA" or "1:1" I would rather buy SMP shoes. The quality used in making SMP shoes are twice as better than "AAA" or "SP" so they might last you 6-12 months depending on usage.

Unauthorized Authentic (UA) - High tier. Like the name itself, Unauthorized Authentic or "UA" for short uses the same materials as the original shoe and usually has all major flaws fixed while leaving some minor flaws. No one will be able to call you out if you wear a UA shoe unless that person is an expert in legit checking.

1:1 - Highest tier. It's basically the same as UA, uses same materials like the original shoe, has no major flaws, but the only difference is that it has only at least 1-2 flaws. Of course there are flaws to prevent a "lawsuit" from the original company but those flaws are minor and it's not that obvious.

*(BONUS) True 1:1 - God tier. Same materials as original shoe (probably the same factory too), shoe is flawless and this can easily pass as retails or you can even call it retails but of course, true 1:1s will never happen. Or will it?

* True 1:1 is just satire, no rep will ever be a true 1:1 due to reasons (see 1:1) unless you have an insider in the factories who can replicate you the shoe.
​

Replica Sneaker Shopping

You can purchase reps anywhere, even in your local shopping mall. My local shopping mall sells those "very rare Yeezys with LEDs 1:1 very comfortable shoes"

​For starters, when you want to get reps you usually check Amazon or eBay and sort the prices from lowest to highest well here is a tip, do not use Amazon or eBay when buying reps and use DHgate or Aliexpress instead. Why DHgate/Aliexpress you ask? Well, they usually have more selection of reps and it's usually cheaper than Amazon/eBay. (When buying from Amazon/eBay, no agent is needed unless you live outside a country where Amazon doesn't ship to/eBay seller doesn't ship to. But eh, who buys reps from those sites? You will get rekt anyways.)

Now if you really want those high quality reps look here, and if you haven't visited those subreddits (aka FashionReps/DesginerReps/RepSneakers) then I suggest you do, but if you have visited them then already you may have heard the names "PK, H12, Tony, David, Mango, etc.." but they don't sell cheap reps unless you buy from the so-called "middlemen" or a Taobao agent called CSSbuy.

​How do replica sneakers fit? Well most fit TTS (True to size) like their original counterparts but there are some shoes where you have to half/full size down/up
"Okay OP, enough talking and just tell us how to buy from the people you mentioned!"
Usually, they have websites where you can buy their shoes from, here's a list (If there are sellers/middlemen/agents that I haven't added to the list yet, send me a PM and I'll add them):

SELLERS LIST WILL BE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT PAGE

​If you need a CC alternative to protect your real CC info from getting leaked when buying from a site using your CC, use Privacy.com. Take note that Privacy.com is only available for those living in the United States. As for the people living outside the US, there are other alternatives to help you hide your actual CC info. Just simply Google "Virtual Credit Card".

Instagram Sellers

I know this is a very very common question. People always ask is this "Insert sellers IG username here" legit? And yes they are. BUT, when I say "Yes they are legit", it means that they are actually just another replica shoe seller.

​Come to think of it, lots of Instagram hypebeasts that wants to join the Yeezy Boost hype train but has no money to buy a retail pair and actually buys "high quality replicas" from these Instagram sellers.

"Do they actually receive the shoes?" You can check YouTube for videos of the sellers as sometimes people actually record their review and experience when they purchase from this seller.

​"So if the seller posts their buyers feedback on their Instagram page does than mean they are reputable?" Most of the time yes but also no. It's easy to "spoof" messages to make it look real unless like I said above, someone made a video review.

"I just bought from this Instagram seller, will I get fucked?" No you won't. Chances are you might get bait and switched, but again please do buy from reputable sellers next time.

​Here is my advice when buying with Instagram sellers. If they have their own website I wouldn't want to risk it as your CC info may get leaked unless you use Privacy.com. If that seller has an Aliexpress/DHgate page then you are safe as you can get your money back with Aliexpress/DHgate's buyer protection program. Like I said before, always buy from new sellers at your own risk, I am not responsible if you do get finessed.

(Skip this part if you know how to buy from Taobao)
​Taobao and Taobao Agents for Dummies

Note: The steps in buying from Yupoo/Tmall/etc... websites are similar to buying on Taobao.
If you are here, I am guessing that you needed more information on how to purchase from Taobao because you want to get into buying some rep Supreme too? Or maybe found the same Ultra Boost and it's cheaper on Taobao.
Well, just keep reading this guide as I will be teaching you on how to use Taobao and a Taobao agent. At first it may seem that this is very complicated stuff but trust me, it's not, because I have been in the same situation as you before when I had 0% knowledge on how do Taobao agents work.

Introduction to Taobao and Taobao Agents

Taobao is basically the Chinese version of eBay which you can find better quality replicas compared to Aliexpress and not to mention that it's way cheaper.
Now moving to Taobao agents, what are Taobao agents? They are basically "proxies" where you pay them the item you want to buy and they will buy it for you.
Taobao agents make shopping on Taobao easy to someone who lives outside of China and wants to shop on Taobao.

Using a Taobao Agent

There are multiple Taobao agents available on the Internet, a simple Google search with the keyword "Taobao agent" gives you a lot of results, but in this guide however, I will only mention the Taobao agent I use to buy my stuff from Taobao. And that agent is CSSbuy.
My experiences with CSSbuy so far is great and I have no problems with the agent. However, keep in mind that their customer support may not always be 24/7 unlike other agents because their working hours are from 9 AM to 6 PM (China Time, GMT+8)
And now here is how you use a Taobao agent:

1. Head over to CSSbuy.com and click the register button on the top right. You can also click this link to register on CSSbuy
2. After you registered, add your address in the Address Book here
3. Then once you are done, you can now proceed to recharge your account here
4. After you recharge, the funds should be in your account within 1-2 minutes in which you can see the balance in the User Center here
5. Now off to buy some stuff! I have created a document with Taobao store links which helps you find some dope stuff for you to start with here
6. Once you pick your desired item, copy the link and paste it on the green outlined box on CSSbuy and you should be redirected to the Quick Buy page in which your item should show up
7. Now, pick your size and color for the item you want and once you are done, you can click the Add to Cart button
8. You will get a notification that it has been successfully added to the shopping cart. Click on the shopping cart text of the notification and it will redirect you to your shopping cart.
9. Now if you want to checkout, just click that Submit to Buy button. But if you still want to add more stuff in the cart, you can.
10. After you submit to buy, you should be in the confirmation page that you want to buy this item, be sure to tick "Take Picture" so you can get QC (Quality Check) pics for the item you are buying and making sure that it's not badly flawed. You can also tick "Drop Shoes Box" if you are buying shoes and don't need the box to save shipping.
11. Once you submitted your order, the waiting game begins. The item you have bought should be in the warehouse within 1-7 days so be patient, you can check the status of your item here
12. Once it arrives in the warehouse, head over to the "In Warehouse" tab and it should be there, now tick the little checkbox on the left and click submit to ship. Of course you can also click "View Photos" if you want to see the QC pictures first before submitting it to ship.
13. Now as you are in the submit to ship page, select your address first so you are able to select your courier. I would recommend you pick DHL as the courier unless you are living in a country where shipping your item with DHL means that customs can seize your item
14. Make sure that you actually have enough balance in your account to pay shipping, if you don't you can recharge it and go back to the submit to ship page.
15. Once everything is done, click "Submit to ship" and you should be redirected to the "My Parcels" page where you can see your shipping information.
16. Tracking number should appear within 2-3 days on that page and you can start tracking your parcel!
17. When your parcel arrives, be sure to click "Confirm" on that "My Parcels" page so CSSbuy knows you have received the parcel and you will be given points in which you can build up to buy a coupon which you can use to reduce shipping costs
18. And that's it!

Note: If you do not receive your confirmation e-mail from CSSbuy, check your spam section.

Browsing Taobao and Finding Reps

So you want to venture to the wild and find your own reps instead of using other people's links because they might be outdated? Well keep reading as I will show you how to use Taobao to it's fullest without having any problem.
When you visited Taobao for this first time, did the url say http://www.taobao.com? If it did, then you can just type whatever rep you want to find in the searchbar but if the url says http://world.taobao.com then keep reading as I will tell you how to switch World Taobao to Mainland China Taobao.
How to switch World Taobao to Mainland China Taobao:

1. Head over to world.taobao.com
2. On the top left, there should be a region changer so hover over that (use Google Translate if you must) and once you hover over it it should look like this
3. Click Chinese Mainland and your Taobao page should change into the original Chinese Taobao site
4. Type whatever rep you want to find (i.e. Supreme 16fw box logo) then just hit enter and you're done!

Now the great thing about Chinese Taobao is not only the selections are not as limited compared to Taobao World but also you can use reverse image search in Taobao, and here is how to do it:

1. Head over to Google Images and search for a picture of the item you are looking for and save the picture to your PC
2. Now go back to Taobao and click the little camera inside the search bar, it should look like this
3. After uploading the image, you should get results now based on the picture and that's it! Enjoy your Taobao shopping!​

Getting Called Out

This is probably the most asked question when everyone buys reps. Just remember, you will not get called out if you know the replica you are buying are the top ones in the market and if you are still paranoid about getting called out, don't buy them easy as that.
Getting called out in public has a <30% chance and if you do randomly get called out, that person is jealous that you own one of their grails, or they will shout that your shoe is fake and if they did that, ask them for the flaws and if they can't answer that then move on.
But like I said earlier, its a below 30% chance of getting called out, and most of the time you will get compliments. Of course I am referring to reps that are actually top quality in the rep market and not those $20 led hip hop yezzy from Aliexpress
Wear your reps with confidence people, if you feel like you will get called out for wearing PK's batch by some kid who doesn't even know his shit then don't wear your reps. Remember, most of the time it's in your head that you think people can call out a good replica batch.

Ending

Congratulations! You have finally reached the end of this not-so-accurate guide!
After reading everything, by now you should have already learned the following;

• A little introduction to replica sneakers
• Sellers/Middlemen/Agents
• Best Yeezy Boost batches
• Knowing how to use a Taobao agent
• Using Mainland China Taobao instead of World Taobao
• Using Taobao's reverse image search to find reps

If you still have any doubts or questions, send me a DM on reddit.