One of the most well-known internet retailers in South Africa is Takealot, which offers board games, braai stands, and telephones for sale.
The e-commerce behemoth apparently had a number of high-end sneakers advertised on their website at prices that triggered red flags for sneakerheads, according to YoMzansi.
Accused of listing fake sneakers on Takealot
Yeezy Boosts and Air Jordan 3 basketball shoes are two of Kanye West’s Yeezy sneakers that Takealot has offered for sale, according to YoMzansi.
Additionally, the unreleased Travis Scott and Nike Air Jordan 1 sneakers were offered in the web store.
Thursday, July 21 marked the formal release of the footwear.
Hybebeast claims that a pair of the Yeezy Boost 700 V3 Azael would cost $200 (or around R3 300). The sneakers were going for R2,000 on Takealot.
The Travis Scott sneakers, which were on sale for R2 499 on July 21, were made available for purchase in the US.
According to YoMzansi, the sneakers have already been taken down from the website.
Fake sneakers are dominating Instagram.
In 2020, Nick Herbert, proprietor of the well-known sneaker company Shelflife, told BusinessInsider that con artists had started utilizing Instagram to sell counterfeit footwear.
He continued by saying that some con artists failed to provide the advertised products.
“The bulk of fraudulent sellers engage in direct communication with customers through social media direct messages or Whatsapp.
It’s incredibly challenging to recover your money once you’ve been a victim of this, according to Herbert.
“A respectable company with a registered, secure website and possibly a physical location is the safest place to make purchases.”
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Additionally, Nick Herbert revealed to the media that the con artists use pictures from other retailers to market their fake sneakers.
In most cases, they fabricate claims that they import directly or have connections at the brand.
We have seen that this is how most talks have begun over the previous two weeks.
Some individuals do not even have the stuff; they just take your money and block you, the vendor will assure the product is real at any cost to ensure the transaction.