Anyone who’s tried to buy a limited Jordan release or a Pop Mart Labubu figure knows the frustration. You refresh the page at exactly 10:00 AM, click “Add to Cart” within two seconds, and somehow it’s already sold out. What gives?
The short answer: you’re competing against people with better tools. The longer answer involves proxies, automation software, and online communities most casual buyers don’t even know exist.
Why Drops Sell Out So Fast
Brands intentionally create scarcity. Nike doesn’t accidentally make only 5,000 pairs of a Travis Scott collaboration. They know exactly what they’re doing.
A 2024 YouGov survey found 31% of shoppers across 17 countries are more likely to buy something labeled “limited edition.” That psychological pull is real, and companies bank on it. Collectors who participate in sneaker raffles understand this game well. The randomized lottery format gives everyone a theoretical shot, but serious resellers don’t rely on luck.
They stack the deck with technology.
The Proxy Problem (And Solution)
Here’s something retailers figured out years ago: if someone makes 50 purchase attempts from one IP address, they’re probably not 50 different people. That activity gets flagged and blocked immediately.
Proxies fix this. When you buy proxy ipv4 addresses, you’re essentially renting alternate identities online. Each request appears to come from a different location. Run 200 checkout attempts through 200 different IPs, and to the retailer, that looks like 200 separate customers.
Datacenter proxies cost less and run faster (we’re talking sub-50 millisecond response times). The tradeoff? Retailers can often identify them because they originate from commercial hosting companies like AWS or DigitalOcean rather than home internet connections. Residential proxies cost more but blend in better since they’re attached to actual ISP accounts.
Geographic location matters here. Trying to buy from a German retailer using American proxies adds latency and sometimes triggers geo-blocks. Experienced operators keep proxy pools across multiple countries.
Automation Software Does the Heavy Lifting
Bots aren’t new, but they’ve gotten remarkably sophisticated. Programs like Nike Shoe Bot and Wrath AIO monitor product pages, detect the exact millisecond items become available, and complete checkout before you’ve finished reading the “Add to Cart” button.
F5 Labs documented one operation that made $2 million profit from a single sneaker drop. The group created accounts weeks ahead of time, pre-saved payment details, and executed purchases within milliseconds. Against that kind of setup, clicking manually is like bringing a bicycle to a Formula 1 race.
These bots support over 100 retail sites and handle CAPTCHAs automatically. Monthly subscriptions run $50 to $350, though popular bots often resell for thousands because they’re released in limited quantities themselves (ironic, right?). Running them effectively requires a proxy server infrastructure underneath.
Cook Groups and Discord Communities
Nobody figures this stuff out alone. Private Discord servers called “cook groups” have become the real competitive advantage for serious buyers.
For $20 to $50 monthly, members get release calendars, restock notifications, bot setup tutorials, and sometimes early product links leaked before official announcements. People share what worked on last week’s drop and warn about new retailer countermeasures.
Research from Harvard confirms that understanding demand patterns gives operators a genuine edge in scarcity-driven markets. These communities pool that knowledge. Some even negotiate group discounts on proxies or arrange bot rentals for members who can’t afford the upfront cost.
Low-Tech Prep Still Matters
You don’t need $500 worth of software to improve your odds. Basic preparation goes further than most people realize.
Create accounts on retailer sites before drop day. Save your payment info and shipping address so checkout takes three clicks instead of thirty seconds of typing. Find product URLs ahead of time (forums often leak these) so you can navigate directly instead of hunting through a homepage that’s crashing from traffic.
Running multiple browser profiles with different accounts and payment methods multiplies your chances without any automation at all.
Retailers Fight Back
Nike’s SNKRS app now uses device fingerprinting and randomized draws instead of first-come-first-served queues. Shopify stores run bot detection that analyzes how fast you click and whether your mouse movements look human.
It’s a constant back-and-forth. Bot developers patch around new defenses, retailers implement stricter measures, and the cycle continues. Staying competitive means staying current with both sides of that arms race.
