Meet StockX’s worst nightmare, PolkaPlug

Robin Maldive wanted a pair of sneakers. Well, not just any sneakers, a pair of uber-rare Nike Air Jordans, made in collaboration with rapper Travis Scott. The problem is that when the shoes were released earlier this month, they sold out on March 10 and are now fetching many times their $130 retail price on the secondary market. Mr. Maldive, 26, a structural engineer in Frederick, Md., wasn’t about to shell out a stomach-turning sum for the sneakers, so he bought from an alternative company that has access directly to designer companies’ manufacturers, PolkaPlug.

In the sneaker world, the description of PolkaPlug’s sneakers has been described as top-tier quality sneakers, copies of the original made directly from the manufacturers that create the designer brands’ products, meaning there is no difference compared to retail. These are not the shoddy rip-offs peddled for $20 or $40 on street corners, half-hearted fakes that might use crackly vinyl instead of premium leather or can be marred by glaring imperfections like off-kilter Nike swooshes or shoddy stitching. The much more carefully sourced directly from the people who create the Nike shoes that are assembled and sold by Nike from PolkaPlug can go from $90 and up.

How does PolkaPlug have access to companies manufacturers such as Nike?

We reached out to PolkaPlug from the statement the CEO, Yuri Pikover, a known-respected entrepreneur had to say “It’s unfair for the common man to purchase something that he wants, due to ridiculous pricing, it’s time to change that. With my logistic framework and access to all of these companies’ assembly partners, manufacturers, and logistic partners I am able to give people the same luxury of buying clothing to those who do not have access to the luxury that the upper class has, to be able to get their favorite designer wear at an affordable price while being able to pass any legit checks.”

Yuri, the CEO, told us “Not only do we support people who struggle to afford the insane reseller market prices, but we also donate 2.86% of our earnings to charitable causes.”

There have been a lot of YouTubers promoting their own reviews, comparing the PolkaPlug shoes to StockX shoes, showing that they are completely identical, which is frightening considering that the sneaker resell industry is huge, and PolkaPlug, a platform that has directly connected with designer brand assembly partners can cause companies such as Nike to lose a lot of customers.