Besides camping out at sneaker stores on release day, you can give online stores a shot. Here are some tips to help you get your hands on the latest heat.

Copping exclusive sneakers is always a tricky affair. There might be criteria to fulfill at local retail stores, such as being a member or taking part in a raffle. Your next best bet is to take your chance online; you can camp out from the comforts of home with a beer in hand.

We will teach you how to increase your chances of obtaining the next hot release without a bot, but do note that this does not guarantee 100% success. If you reside in Singapore, try to keep your orders below S$400 to avoid the 7% GST (Goods & Services Tax) charge. Other countries might have their own tax rules, so make sure to read up about them first.

1. Hit up the European online stores

The reason why we choose European instead of American online stores is because of lower shipping fees and 20% Value Added Tax (VAT) exclusions for out-of-Europe purchases. In addition, certain American stores like Footlocker and Finishline do not ship overseas. The most common online sneaker stores are shown below:

Majority of releases are timed, so give yourself 30 minutes to prepare before the shoe drops. Preparation includes signing in or creating an account if you haven’t already, making sure all your shipping and billing addresses are saved, and rehearsing check out procedures for every individual site you plan to cop from.

It’s important to expedite your checkout process because chances are extremely high that someone checks out before you and you end up with a sold-out cart. Sites will most likely start crashing 10 minutes before release but do not give up. Keep hitting the refresh button. It might take up to 30 minutes till you get through.

Some sites, especially END Clothing, go by random release times. The upside to this is that your chances are slightly higher, given that you have time to camp in front of your computer screen. The downside is that you have no idea when the shoe will be released and you might end up waiting for hours. Online stores will send links via Twitter (more on that in the next section) which will lead you straight to the “Add to Cart” page.

It also pays to follow the online sneaker stores’ social media accounts for release dates and prices.

2. Get notified with Twitter

Twitter will be the most important tool in this guide, so register an account and follow any of these accounts:

Tweets from the above accounts will tell you where, when and how much you can get your desired sneakers for, along with where you can find sneakers on sale.

This is how your screen should be set up while waiting for a random timed release: Three Twitter windows carefully arranged as numbered. The individual pages are explained in detail below:

The above page shows live updates, so this is the page you need to pay most attention to. At times, they even release links earlier than the retailers do.

This page displays what you see when you type in a particular shoe model in Twitter’s search bar, in this instance, the Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”. Switch to the “Live” (not “Top”) tab and you will see all tweets related to the Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”, including release links.

Lastly, stay on the Twitter page of the store you aim to purchase your kicks from – they might release links before any other account does. Keep your eyes on all three windows, and get ready to hit the mouse once a link to your desired sneakers pops up.

Again, make sure you’re signed in to your accounts in the online stores before opening the Twitter pages. Switch on notifications for all the abovementioned pages so you can keep up with every single update. It’s not an easy process but neither is queuing up. Don’t get salty if you fail to cop a pair, there’s always the next better release to look forward to.

This wraps up our guide and we wish you all the best for your next sneaker cop. Have a success story to share, or perhaps a tip for fellow sneakerheads? Let us know in the comments section below!