How Sneaker Bots Work: A Beginner's Guide

A sneaker bot is software that buys limited products online for you, faster than you could by hand, by automating every step from spotting stock to paying. This guide explains the parts of a bot setup, what happens during a drop, why most attempts still fail, and the rules and risks to know before you spend money.

Despite the name, the same bots now run on far more than sneakers. Many cover big-box retail, trading cards and collectibles too: Stellar, for example, calls itself retail automation software and supports stores like Pokémon Center, Target and Walmart alongside sneaker sites.

What a sneaker bot actually does#

When a limited product goes on sale, many people try to buy it in the same few seconds. A bot does the same steps a shopper does, just much faster and many times at once:

1. Watch the product page or the store's systems for stock.
2. Add to cart the moment the item is available, in the size you chose.
3. Fill in checkout: shipping address, contact details and payment.
4. Pay, and report the result.

Each of these attempts is called a task. A bot runs many tasks at the same time, and Refract, for example, allows up to 2,000 tasks per license instance. More tasks can mean more chances, but each one also needs its own details and connection, which is where the rest of a setup comes in.

Refract's beginner guide sums botting up as combining tasks, accounts, profiles and proxies to buy limited products, and warns that strategy changes all the time.

The parts of a bot setup#

The bot#

The bot is the program itself, usually a desktop app for Windows or macOS, sold with a license that renews monthly, quarterly or yearly. Most paid bots today are AIO bots that support many stores, each through its own module. Our guide to licenses, renewals and rentals covers how they're sold.

Profiles#

A profile is a saved set of checkout details: name, email, phone, shipping and billing address, and card. Tasks fill these in automatically. Stores link orders that share details, so bots like Stellar recommend one unique profile per task. Reusing the same details across many orders is a common reason for cancellations.

Accounts#

Some stores require you to be logged in to buy. In that case each task needs a store account, and the bot keeps them signed in so checkout is fast. Running many accounts can break a store's rules, and stores can close accounts they link to resellers.

Proxies#

A proxy routes a task's traffic through a different IP address, so the store doesn't see hundreds of requests coming from your home connection. Stellar suggests at least one proxy per task, ideally two or more. The main types (residential, ISP and datacenter) differ in how much stores trust them, how fast they are and how they're billed, and our guide to residential, ISP and datacenter proxies compares them.

Captcha solving#

Stores put captchas in front of checkouts and queues during busy drops. Bots handle them in two ways: a harvester, a browser window inside the bot where captchas are solved by you or automatically, or a paid solving service that returns solved captchas for a small fee. Stellar's harvesters, for example, are signed into Google accounts, because trusted accounts get easier challenges.

Monitors and release information#

A bot needs to know what to watch for. Monitors check stores for new products and restocks and send a signal when something goes live. Some bots run their own: Valor's Automations create and start tasks when its server-side monitors spot a launch or restock. Many users also rely on a cook group for release dates, product IDs and early links, and our guide to sneaker monitors covers how monitors work.

Notifications#

Bots report results to a private Discord channel through a webhook, so you can follow a drop from your phone. Some payments still need a person: Prism, for example, sends PayPal checkouts as a link for you to finish by hand.

Where the bot runs#

You can run a bot on your own computer or on a rented server that stays on around the clock. Servers aren't always better: Stellar warns that Target and Pokémon Center can detect server IPs, and Valor says Kasada-protected sites flag servers and machines without a graphics card.

What happens during a drop#

A typical first-come drop runs like this:

1. Before the release, you create tasks with the product, sizes, profiles, accounts and proxies, and start them shortly before the drop.
2. The product goes live. A monitor or the task itself spots it, and every task tries to add it to a cart at once.
3. Protection kicks in. The store's anti-bot system checks each request, may show captchas or a queue, and blocks traffic it doesn't trust.
4. Some tasks cart the item. A carted item is held for a short time, not yet bought. Prism's Footsites guide, for example, puts the hold at about 10 minutes.
5. Checkout and payment. Tasks that reach checkout submit your details and pay. Cards can still be declined.
6. The aftermath. Failed carts return to stock, and Prism notes this happens in waves a few minutes after a drop, which can create a second, smaller chance. Then the store reviews orders, and some are cancelled.

Not every release works the same way#

• First come, first served: stock goes to whoever checks out first, so speed matters most. This is where bots have the biggest effect.
• Draws and raffles: entries are picked at random, so speed doesn't help. Bot support differs: Stellar's Nike module covers first-come releases only, while Valor runs Nike draws through a separate module.
• Queues: many stores put a virtual waiting room in front of big releases. Valor's docs say a task's place in the Pokémon Center queue is tied to its IP address, so changing proxies mid-queue can send it to the back.
• Restocks: stock that returns after a sellout, often with little warning. Monitors and tasks left waiting matter most here.

Why most attempts still fail#

Owning a bot doesn't mean owning the shoes. Common reasons tasks fail:

• Not enough stock. Limited releases can sell out in seconds, with many bots and people competing for the same pairs.
• Store protection. Stores use anti-bot systems such as Kasada, DataDome, Akamai and Incapsula. Valor's docs, for example, name DataDome and Incapsula on Pokémon Center. When protection changes, a setup that worked last month can stop working.
• Proxies and accounts. Flagged IPs, banned accounts or too many tasks on one proxy can stop a task before it reaches checkout.
• Payment problems. Declines, failed card verification and payment limits.
• Cancellations. A checkout isn't the end. Refract's docs say most cancellations come from the store's own checks, not from bot settings.

That's why no honest bot or group promises results, and why the costs of a setup are worth adding up before you start. Our guide to what a bot setup costs does that.

Are sneaker bots legal?#

In the US, there's no federal law specifically against using bots to buy sneakers or other retail products, as far as we found when this guide was last reviewed:

• The BOTS Act covers event tickets. The FTC's guidance describes it as barring people from getting around ticket sellers' security measures and purchase limits for events, not retail products.
• A retail bill has been proposed, not passed. The Stopping Grinch Bots Act of 2025, which would address getting around online retailers' purchase controls, was introduced in the House on December 17, 2025 and sent to committee. We found no record of it becoming law.

Legal isn't the same as allowed, though. Stores set their own rules, and many don't allow automated buying. Nike's US Terms of Sale, for example, say Nike may cancel orders placed with automated ordering software, and that buying for resale isn't allowed. Expect that bot orders can be cancelled and accounts closed, and read the terms of any store you plan to use a bot on. This guide isn't legal advice, and laws outside the US differ.

Before you start#

• Pick your stores first, then check that a bot supports them, including the release types and region you need.
• Add up the full cost: the license and its renewals, proxies, a cook group, and possibly a server.
• Start small. A few well-set-up tasks teach more than hundreds of copied ones.
• Buy only from official sellers. Bots and keys are a common target for scams, and our guide to spotting bot and cook group scams covers the warning signs.

To compare bots by the stores they support, their prices and their refund terms, start from the bots hub.