Quality Guidelines for New Sneakers

Product conditions such as minor stains, scratches and similar can be often found even in items purchased from authorized retail stores. Such conditions may be due to the nature of the materials used, or may have occurred during the manufacturing and distribution process.

For this reason, such conditions will be deemed to be within the range of SNKRDUNK’s guideline standards for brand-new, authentic items.

Please check below for details on individual standards.

・Please confirm the listing requirements in the Sneakers Guidelines

・The descriptions in the Item Condition table are examples. The condition level standards may differ between items.

・Product images on SNKRDUNK may appear different from the actual color tone due to the photoshooting environment etc.

・SNKRDUNK is not responsible for manufacturer warranty. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the functionality of the product, please contact the manufacturer directly.

・Quality standards for luxury brand items (including collaboration items) are different from others.

・Regarding luxury brand items on SNKRDUNK, you can check them by tapping the “+” button at the bottom center of the app screen and then tapping “ハイブランド商品を出品” (“List Luxury Items”).

Minor scratches, dents, and wearing are considered to be within the authentication standards because it has been confirmed that those may occur during the manufacturing and transportation processes.

Large scratches, material damage, and large dents that are considered "B" grade items by the brand/manufacturer will not meet the authentication standards.

Small stains are considered within the authentication standards because they may occur during the manufacturing process or when the item is handled by an authorized retailer. Stains are often seen even when purchased from an authorized retailer.

Items with extensive, non-wipeable stains or marks or signs of wear, even if occurred during storage, manufacturing, or at an authorized retailer, will be deemed to not meet our guideline standards.

As color migration from the item material, box, etc. can occur during production and transportation, minor color migration will meet our guideline standards.

In the case an item should show extensive or excessive color migration, we will consider it as not meeting our guideline standards.

During production, glue stains and excess glue may sometimes be found on the areas such as the midsole and toe box. Since this is often seen even on items purchased from retail stores, we consider items with glue stains, and excess glue to meet our guideline standards.

If excess glue is present in a quantity and/or to an extent that is found to be above individual differences, we will consider the item to not meet our guideline standards.

*Please try wiping with a wet cloth after applying heat to the affected area using tools such as a hair dryer, as this may help to remove the glue.

Minor wrinkles that may occur during in-store fitting or due to the nature of the materials will meet our guideline standards.

Heavy wrinkles such as those that occurred during the manufacturing and transportation processes, or due to multiple trial wears, will not meet the guideline standards.

Minor deformation can occur in the outsole during the manufacturing process and is often found tilt at an angle when placed on a flat surface, this is often seen even when purchased from authorized retailers and therefore meet the product guidelines.

Items that are deemed difficult to wear due to the degree of deformation, such as when placed on a flat surface with one side lifting significantly, will be deemed to not meet the product guidelines.

Shoes with misaligned or unopened shoe eyelets (except for metal/plastic shoe eyelets) will be considered to meet our guideline standards as such conditions have been confirmed even when items have been purchased from an authorized retailer.

Many items that have been purchased from authorized retailers have been confirmed to have creasing or color migration on the shoe size tags.

This happens if shoe size tags are attached to the body of the shoe itself during manufacturing while still folded.

Since the above-mentioned conditions have been confirmed for many instances of items purchased from authorized retailers, minor stains or damage to shoe size tags will meet our guideline standards.

Large stains, or major damage and/or tears to the shoe size tags caused by heat exposure or other factors, will be considered as not meeting our guideline standards.

Twisting in elastic bands that connect the shoe tongue to the footbed in certain products will not meet our guideline standards.

Since many people discard tissue paper when storing items to prevent yellowing, discoloration, and insect infestation, plain tissue paper is not considered a required accessory.

Any tears or wrinkling of plain tissue paper will meet our guideline standards.

However, special tissue paper with designs and similar printed on it is treated as a necessary accessory.

Large tears on the special tissue paper or the absence of it will not meet our guideline standards.

*Since wrinkling and minor tearing on the tissue paper may occur during the handling and transportation of the item, this condition will meet our guideline standards.

Shoelaces with minor fraying, color migration from sneakers, and stains that are obtained from manufacturing or retailer handling are considered within the product guidelines.

Large fraying or extensive stains will not meet the product guidelines.

Minor cracks, damage or fraying at the tip of the shoelaces, and a difference in bonding coverage between the left and right shoelace tips are common even when purchased from authorized retailers, and will meet our guideline standards.

If the lace tip is detached, or is severely crushed, cracked or damaged, it will not meet the guideline standards.

As with the shoes themselves, glue stains can be found on some parts of the shoelaces during manufacturing.

Since this is often seen even on items purchased from authorized retailers, items with glue stains will meet our guideline standards.

Insoles with small cuts, dents, etc. on the underside are found in many instances even for items purchased from authorized retailers, and for this reason such items will meet our guideline standards.

Area-extensive and/or multiple dents/chipping will be deemed as not meeting our guideline standards.

As accessories and the black tag may have been removed from the tag string at the time of purchase from an authorized retailer, it is within the product guidelines.

Also, plastic bags for shoelaces are not required.

Scratches that show extensive paint peeling or noticeable scratches will not meet the authentication standards.

For items that present light yellowing that can be confirmed to be present at primary distribution stage, or for items that have been in circulation for a long time since their manufacture and have been found in many instances to present yellowing at secondary distribution stage, we consider such yellowing to be an appropriate age-related deterioration and will meet our guideline standards.

Items with a high degree of yellowing or a difference in tone of the yellowing between the left and right shoes will not meet the guideline standards.

Minor peeling that can be confirmed at the time of primary distribution will meet our guideline standards.

If the peeling of the logo is extensive or excessive, it will not meet out guideline standards.

Even if not listed in the examples below, we may determine an item meets the product guidelines based on the characteristics of the product and materials, as well as the conditions found in many individual pieces. Please understand this in advance.

・Minor damage or stains to the box that occurred during the time of purchase from an authorized store/online

*Please refer to "Damaged Box Guidelines" for more information.

・Differences in sewing position and roughness

・Shoelace color migration and different length

・Changing the shoelaces with different stock shoelaces

・Unevenness in color due to the characteristics of the logo, print, or product material

・Differences in leather quality on both shoes and individual item differences

・Insoles with folds, looseness and unevenness that do not affect the wearing of the item.

・Replacement Boxes

*Minor damage or stains on a box received from authorized retail stores, or their online store our guideline standards

*Only replacement boxes by the item manufacturer will meet our guidelines standards

*Replacement boxes manufactured by retailers other than the manufacturer will be deemed to not meet our guideline standards

The following odors can be present in items even from the time of primary distribution and will meet our guideline standards.

・Odors originating from the materials used in the item

・Odors originating from the packaging materials

・Odors that seemingly have occurred due to the natural aging of the item

For items that have been manufactured for a certain period of time, changes in item condition due to aging are expected, even if the item is new and unworn.

Items that have been on the market for approximately more than 5 years have a high possibility of yellowing, color migration, or staining due to long-term storage. Therefore, if the degree of age-related deterioration is small, the item is within the product guidelines.

Please note that the occurrence of shoe crumbling (hydrolysis) can only be confirmed during actual wear.

Therefore, for items that have been on the market for approximately more than 5 years, full compensation will not be provided even if damage occurs during wear.

We do not provide support for initial defects or malfunctions.

If a malfunction occurs, please contact the respective manufacturer's office to discuss the warranty.

We will inform the buyer of the item's condition and confirm whether or not he/she wishes to continue the transaction.

Please note that depending on the buyer's requests, the transaction may be canceled and the item returned to the seller.

In the "Used" section, when items are listed for sale, we ask sellers to post pictures of the items, which show the item conditions, so that we can match buyers who have agreed to the condition of the item.

If you have any concerns about the condition of an item, please consider listing it in the Used section.

Authentication/inspection standards will vary between ‘Brand-New’ and ‘New (used)’ items.

If ‘New (Used)’ items are listed as ‘Brand-New’, we may have to confirm with the buyer whether they would like to continue with the transaction or not depending on the condition of the item. Please note that the transaction may be cancelled if this is the case.