Trump Sneaker Presales Flood eBay Exposing Buyers To Scam Risks & Violating Listing Policies
Donald Trump announced a new line of sneakers to mixed reactions at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia this weekend and predictably, the preorders are already flooding eBay at insanely inflated prices on listings that violate presale policies and put buyers at risk for scams.
The shoes range from $199 to $399 at retail and are expected to be released in July 2024.
Alexandra Marquez
In his brief remarks at the sneaker launch, Trump indicated the line could be an effort to reach out to younger supporters, saying, “We’re going to turn this country around fast. We’re going to turn it around. And we’re going to remember the young people, and we’re going to remember Sneaker Con.”
He was met with a mostly enthusiastic crowd, though some occasional boos permeated through the cheers.
The line, called Trump Sneakers, is available for preorder online.
It features three different pairs of tennis shoes: a pair of high-tops, a pair of red laceless athletic shoes and a pair of white laceless athletic shoes.
The high-tops, which are gold and emblazoned with a “T” on the outside of each shoe, are called the “Never Surrender High Top Sneaker” and are priced at $399 online. The athletic shoes, which feature a “T” and the number 45 on the sides are priced at $199.
Sellers are now flooding eBay hawking supposedly "confirmed" presales at outrageous prices and eBay doesn't appear to be doing much to prevent them despite the fact it is absolutely impossible for any of these listings to comply with presale policies which require items to ship within 40 days.
Presale listings must clearly state that they are "presale" in the title and description, and guarantee shipment within 40 business days of purchase.
In order to protect buyer and seller guarantees, presale listings must follow eBay policy, including listing the date the item will be available to ship.
What is the policy?
- Presale listings must guarantee that the item will be shipped within 40 business days of purchase
- The date the item will be available to ship must be clearly stated in the listing
- Listings must clearly indicate in the title and description that the item is being offered for presale
- Handling time details should include the time it will take the seller to acquire the item, in addition to the time it will take the seller to deliver the package to the shipping carrier
Some users are even creating new accounts to make "parody" listings pointing out the fact the eBay refuses to enforce their policy and buyers will likely be left holding the bag for thousands of dollars when July rolls around and their shoes are never shipped.
the following description along with the post is completely satire. These shoes will not be shipped to you. All proceeds will be benefit the seller 100%. No refunds will be issued EVER. You are paying for photos of the shoes ONLY. You will receive photos of the shoes only. Have a beautiful life.
NOTE: This is NOT a confirmed Preorder from the Trump Sneakers Site. I will NEVER ship as soon as I have in hand
The presale policy used to be 30 days, but eBay changed it to 40 days in 2022. We had hoped at the time the change would also come with increased enforcement to protect consumers from scam listings that simply take their money and run, but unfortunately that has not been the case.
Sellers are also discussing the Trump sneaker presales, lamenting that eBay is not taking the issue seriously and only appears to be removing a few reported listings.
Trump sneakers not available before July, 2024..................
Ebay is going to need alot of takedown muscles.......
There's going to be one unhappy buyer when they find out they paid $2000 for a printed photo of the shoes..
They better start soon. They have all sorts of "actors" selling these including quite a few dormant buyer and seller IDs that should realistically have "selling limits" below the selling prices shown. Gotta love the AI 'must have' some of them are using as well.
Though the claim is only 1000 made, I would venture to guess we will see more for sale here than were ever produced.
I reported around 10 listings for the shoes, half were removed the other half, they didn't see anything wrong.
I called to ask the question how how can you sell something you don’t have in your possession that seems to be against Ebay policy and they told me that it was just fine so I said if it’s OK with you then I suppose it’s OK with me. Those sellers listing them will be long gone by the time these are released in July .
Presale violations have long been a source of problems for unsuspecting buyers who are duped into paying for an item thinking they will be covered by eBay buyer protection if they don't receive it - but eBay's Money Back Guarantee often expires long before the expected actual release date, so by the time the buyer realizes they've been had, it is too late to file a claim.
Liz Morton
We have seen in the past the eBay will occasionally grease the squeaky wheels and provide a "courtesy credit" to make the buyer whole even after the Money Back Guarantee timeframe has run out.
However, there's always a risk with extended presales like these Trump sneakers and we recommend just simply steering clear of them all together.
If you do make a presale purchase that is never delivered, your best bet is to report the listings to eBay, file a credit card chargeback and maybe even send a report to the FTC as well.
