The 15 Best Authentic Sneaker Websites for Buying Kicks

Sneaker Links is so good because it puts everything in one space for you. As soon as you log on to the site they have upcoming releases lined up for you as well as a section showing past releases. If you’re looking for a specific product, you can type it into the search bar and it’ll give you all the information about the drop including where you can buy it, how much it costs and whether it’s available right now or not.  And if you’re not looking for anything in particular, it has links to different brand sections like Yeezy, Nike Jordan and more. It’s a pretty useful site.

Sole Links and Sneaker Links are unrelated, but they perform much of the same task in giving folks looking for the latest drops the most information about them. When you jump on to Sole Links, they list the upcoming sneaker drops out in a menu on the site. Click whatever shoe you’re looking for and they have all the information you need to cop — the release date, where you can buy both nationally and internationally, and they even have where you can find the sneaker on the resale market. The site also has an app that you can download that sends notifications on upcoming big drops just before they’re about to happen.

Sneakers N Stuff as a franchise is pretty great, but its website is even better. They consistently have the latest and greatest drops in the sneaker world available on their site. It’s not bot-proof, but it does take excess security measures in preventing bots from invading the site with a bunch of security protocols you have to do before it allows you in. Like every other sneaker site, they have a release calendar that shows you what’s coming down the line. They also have an abundance of brand products available on-site from Nike to Kahru. Not to mention all the sales it feels like they always have.

Personally, I was introduced to Sneaker Shouts through its Twitter account. The account shared all of the latest discounts available on different websites and sent tweets out about the latest hype drops that were coming every weekend. Once I learned they had a website? It was over. The website’s landing page has the latest releases and restocks that have dropped from around the industry. Its menus include new releases, sneaker deals and even deals in a general fashion, including everything from. Big Streetwear brands like Chinatown Market to other brands we know like Champion and Patagonia. It’s best used for sneakers, but it’s good to know the site has other functions as well.

Now, this one probably seems kind of obvious and it might also feel a bit dated. But there aren’t many better sites out there to cop kicks on than eBay. Obviously, visiting the secondary market space means that you didn’t cop the shoe that you wanted at retail. But eBay allows you to at least haggle that price before you pay too much more and it also provides expansive consumer protections that save you from being duped by fake products. The best part is that there are a ton of vintage and OG kicks just sitting on the site. Anyone who considers themselves a sneakerhead has been through eBay at least a few times looking for steals on some kicks someone has forgotten about. It’s a real treat when you find something nice.

In recent years, StockX has probably overtaken eBay as the primary tool sneakerheads use to browse through the secondary market and for good reason. The site offers a bunch of tools and protections for both consumers and sellers that keep folks coming back. They treat the sneaker market like the stock market — you get to see the going rate for the sneakers you want over its lifespan. Like eBay, StockX operates on a bidding system where the seller sets the lowest ask and bidders compete to make the highest bid for a product. Having the context of what the sneaker generally goes for helps consumers make decisions on how much they’re willing to pay. It’s extremely useful, even if you’re not going to make a purchase on StockX. 

Now, GOAT isn’t really a website. But it functions in the same way that StockX and eBay do in terms of using a bidding system to purchase shoes on the secondary market. Unlike StockX, it doesn’t have an expansive view of the sneaker’s market. But when you’re making an offer you can see what the highest bid is and what you need to do to beat that bid out. They also sell both new, used and defective sneakers and occasionally provide discounts for their customers to use so no sneaker goes to waste on this app. They also dabble in streetwear, too.

Like Sneaker Shouts, I was also introduced to Kicks Under Cost as a Twitter account. The account occasionally had the latest in drops coming down the line, but its primary function is finding you the best discount possible on the kicks you’re looking for. As soon as you jump on the site, they have a section for the most recent deals. Instead of having a bestsellers section, they have the best selling deals section. It has dropdown menus for shopping by brand, the latest deals and new releases. It’s a pretty simple site, but its function in the ecosystem is essential.

Like eBay, Grailed focuses on the most sought after kicks that have hit the secondary market. Let's say you’re looking for the Nike x Travis Scott dunk that dropped earlier this year. When you click on sneakers, that shoe is included at the very top of the site. You can click on it and it’ll show you every single listing of the shoe with prices to go with it. You can click one and make an offer or you can buy it immediately. Unlike StockX and GOAT, you can also message the seller to try and negotiate a bit or ask any questions you may have. This site’s biggest focus is streetwear, but its system is so good for sneakers even if it’s not as expansive as some other places.

Adidas is pretty obvious here, right? Of course you’d go to a brand site to buy its kicks. But even though this is a layup, there are still things they could’ve messed up. But they didn’t—the site is flawless. It’s so incredibly clean and well organized. They always have their promotions lined up as soon as you log on and they’re only one click away whereas, for some of their competitors, it seems like you can never quite find what you’re looking for. They have a notification system for sold out sizes that is incredibly useful and their essentials section always seems to hit all the right notes—they include actual essentials and not just the latest products.

The best part about Nike’s website is that you don’t really have to travel very far to find exactly what you’re looking for. If you just scroll down a bit as soon as you pop on the first page, they show you the trending shoes of the day, weekly curated picks and new products that have just come in. That’s all separate from the SNKRS app, which shows you Nike’s release calendar and allows you a chance to buy the most hyped shoes they have coming down the line. You’ve got to be quick, though, before it sells out in a matter of minutes.

Amazon isn’t necessarily the place that you’d think you’d be able to buy good shoes, but I’m telling you, don’t sleep on Amazon when it comes to sneakers. Sometimes you stumble upon gems there. For example, they’ve got a bunch of pairs of Adidas FYW 97’s available right now that you can buy from half off that come with prime shipping. Now, given the circumstances of COVID-19’s impact on the company and shipping, it’s not likely that you’ll get them in two days as an Amazon Prime member. But it’s still good to know that you’ll have that option whenever all the dust settles here.

Reactrun is primarily a Nike online shop to keep you up on the latest deals in the sneaker world much like Kicks Under Cost. However, this site is much more expansive in terms of the search options it gives people. They have menus for Jordan deals, Nike deals, the best overall deals and even Nike’s clearance stuff. They also have a menu separating every deal by brand. The best part of the site might be the ability to “upvote” deals made that are made available—sort of in the way Reddit users can do the good posts in their favorite forums. That’s useful when sorting through deals that are still active and inactive.

Foot Locker just became a huge option in finding sneakers that you like because of its FLX program. Through Footlocker’s FLX rewards system, any purchase you make builds up points toward rewards in the future on Footlocker and any of its subsidiary sites including Eastbay, FootAction and Champs. That makes having an actual Footlocker rewards account much more valuable—if you’re shopping at one of these sites you might as well be shopping at all of them. The best part is that when they each have a raffle, you’ll be able to enter for that specific shoe that you want once but that entry travels across sites so it makes it easier to avoid bot clutter.

Finish Line’s STATUS rewards program might not be as expansive as Footlocker is right now, but it’s definitely worth being a part of. The more points you accumulate, the more money you get back that can be used toward another purchase. Every time a user earns 200 points, they get $20 back. Each dollar you spend with Finish Line is worth ten points as a lower-tier member in the program. The higher you get, the more points you earn. It’s a pretty sweet deal for sneakerheads. As your rewards build-up, the easier and cheaper it becomes for you to buy shoes.