Is StockX Legit? Everything You Need to Know Before You Start Buying and Selling

As one of the fastest-growing segments of retail, it’s no wonder that StockX— resale marketplace extraordinaire—has been booming in popularity.

With second-hand fashion trending on social media, millions go to StockX to buy and sell designer brands. But that comes with one important question: is StockX legit?

Buying shoes online poses a lot of risks, as you may end up paying full price for a pair of knock-offs.

The same is said for selling designer shoes; what if the buyer requests for a refund but doesn’t return the shoes after the refund is finalized?

This is where StockX comes into play: it acts as a middleman for buyers and sellers to ensure all transactions are fair and secure.

In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about StockX. How does StockX work, and is it as reliable as people make it out to be? We’ll answer that and more, so stick around!

What is StockX?

Founded in 2015, StockX is a multi-billion online marketplace dedicated to selling rare and luxury goods and collectibles, such as sneakers, designer handbags, watches, and streetwear. It also sells electronic products like smartphones, game consoles, and computer hardware.

Much like eBay and Amazon, StockX acts as a middleman between sellers and buyers, ensuring safe and secure transactions for all parties involved.

StockX is the first sneaker-focused resale platform to reach a valuation of over $1 billion, achieving unicorn status in less than three years.

As of 2023, it’s valued at $3.8 billion. StockX has over 35 heavyweight investors, including Mac Benioff, founder, and CEO of Salesforce, Jonathan Treist, founder of Ludlow Ventures, and Tiger Global.

With over 150,000 product listings, StockX is among the largest resale marketplaces for sneakers.

Approximately 75% of StockX’s merchandise is made up of sneakers, though it has seen a growing interest in other categories like gaming consoles and designer clothing.

How Does StockX Work?

StockX works much like eBay and other resale auction sites, with some exceptions. Here’s how it works as a buyer and a seller:

How StockX Works for Buyers

When you find an item you’re interested in, you can either purchase it immediately or place a bid and wait for the seller to accept.

As soon as the seller accepts the bid, you’ll be charged through the payment method you’ve opted into (PayPal or credit/debit card.)

The seller has two business days to ship out the item you’ve purchased at one of StockX’s authentication centers.

Upon verifying that the item is 100% authentic, the item is marked with a “verified authentic” tag and shipped out to your designated location.

You can track the status of the order through your StockX app or profile.

How StockX Works for Sellers

Sellers can utilize the “Sell Now” and “Ask” features to sell their wares. They can sell the item immediately for the highest current bid or submit an asking price and wait for a buyer to accept the deal.

When someone purchases the item, StockX emails the seller with a prepaid shipping label and packing slip.

Sellers are required to send the package to StockX’s nearest authentication center within two business days, lest they get charged a penalty fee of 15% of the transaction price.

Once the product is verified authentic, it’ll be delivered to the buyer. For its efforts, StockX takes a transaction fee of around 10%—though this figure decreases as the seller level increases.

Common Questions to Understand

Here are some questions you might find yourself asking as a buyer or seller:

Are Shoes From StockX Used?

StockX only sells deadstock shoes, meaning that they’re brand-new and unused. Products sold in StockX go through a multi-step verification process to ensure it’s new and authentic.

StockX maintains a handful of B-Grade products on the site, specified within the product’s title. B-Grade shoes have manufacturing imperfections but are nothing less than brand new.  

Is It Okay to Buy Second-Hand Shoes?

It’s safe to buy second-hand shoes, so long as they’re properly cleaned and sanitized.

However, second-hand shoes shouldn’t be used by high-risk patients with weak immune systems as they’re more susceptible to developing infections.

If you’re planning to buy second-hand shoes and sell them to StockX for profit, think twice. StockX doesn’t accept second-hand or gently-used items.

What Happens If StockX Rejects Your Shoes?

If the item doesn’t pass StockX’s authentication process, StockX will return the product and charge the seller a penalty fee of 15% of the transaction price.

If the shoes were sold under $100, the seller will be charged $15. StockX will explain the reason for rejection via email.

Is StockX Legit?

StockX is a multi-billion dollar company that deals with thousands of transactions each day.

It’s 100% legit, with over 1,000 employees and at least nine authentication centers across the globe.

• Backed by reputable investors: StockX has over 35 big-name investors, most of which have a comprehensive multi-million portfolio. Examples include Dragoneer Investment Group, Tiger Global, Gilbert, GV, and Battery Ventures, as well as Mark Wahlberg, Scooter Braun, Eminem, Ted Leonsis, and Jon Buscemi.
• Catalog of over 150,000 items from over 500 brands: StockX is one of the biggest secondary marketplaces in the world, up there with eBay and Mercari. Thousands of buyers and sellers use the platform to buy and sell authentic and brand-new products.
• More than 10 verification centers in four different continents: To support StockX customers, StockX has launched multiple verification centers across the US, the UK, Germany, China, Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Canada, and Australia.
• 4-star rating on TrustPilot: At the time of writing, StockX has a TrustPilot score of 4 stars. It has nearly 75,000 verified reviews, 60% of which gave a 5-star rating.

Is StockX Reliable?

StockX is one of the most reliable second-hand marketplaces to date.

With more than 10 authentication centers around the world, each product goes through rigorous, multi-step verification with machine learning to guarantee the authenticity of the product.

The item goes through a checklist of 100+ data points before it’s deemed acceptable for resale.

To weed out deceptive sellers, StockX charges a 15% penalty fee for products that fail the verification. In some cases, the seller’s IP is completely banned to prevent future attempts.

StockX doesn’t accept purchase cancellations, either. The reason is simple: to stop people from buying or selling items without maintaining their side of the deal.

All product purchases are final unless a special circumstance occurs—though these circumstances are rare.

Is StockX Safe?

Yes, StockX is safe for both buyers and sellers. Unlike eBay and other second-hand marketplaces, StockX verifies the product before shipping it to you.

This way, buyers can rest assured knowing that they’re paying for authentic brands.

The website itself uses a multi-factor authentication (MFA) method when taking a payment.

Upon entering your bank information, your financial institution will provide you with a one-time SMS message or ask you to confirm related information on your card.

What Are Users Saying About StockX?

When researching the legitimacy of a company, it’s worth going through the first-hand accounts of customers. Luckily, StockX has numerous positive reviews.

What Trustpilot Reviewers Liked About StockX

StockX has a TrustPilot rating of 4 stars, collected from nearly 75,000 verified users. More than 60% of these users gave StockX a perfect 5-star rating.

Here’s what Trustpilot reviewers liked about StockX:

• Transparent communication: As a buyer, StockX allows you to keep track of pending purchases, past purchases, and current offers placed. You can track the status of your order from start to finish, from its authentication to its final shipment.
• Fast delivery: Though longer than your average Amazon delivery, users found that StockX almost always delivers the item on time. Sellers are required to send their items to StockX’s authentication center within two working days to ensure timely delivery. StockX delivers your item within 7 to 12 business days, depending on where you live.
• Legit products: Reviewers praise StockX for its comprehensive authentication procedure. Save for a few exceptions, the products received are 100% genuine and unused.

What Social Media Users Liked About StockX

After spending several hours reading reviews on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, we’ve found that the majority of users had this to say about StockX:

• Seller convenience: Shoes sold on StockX are deadstock, so sellers aren’t required to upload photos or write comprehensive descriptions to sell their products. StockX has all the information ready for you: shoe model, release date, colorway, and retail prices.
• Anonymous seller and buyer profile: Unlike other secondhand markets, StockX doesn’t share the buyer’s and seller’s identities on the platform. Both parties’ privacy is protected, therefore preventing bribery and market competition.
• Free market value: StockX adheres to the free market, allowing sellers to list their products at a fair price and buyers to find pocket-friendly deals for the item they’re looking for.  

Why Are People Worried About Using StockX?

Like most companies, StockX has its fair share of problems and disadvantages. Here’s what dissatisfied users say about StockX.

What Trustpilot Reviewers Worried About

A fair number of Trustpilot reviewers shared their concerns about StockX’s customer service, selling fees, and refund policy.

• Poor customer service: According to reviewers, StockX’s customer service is nothing more than subpar despite being a multi-billion dollar company. Unhappy customers claim to have experienced the “worst customer service experience of any company, ever,” due to unhelpful customer support and late responses.
• High selling fees: Resellers are unhappy about the higher-than-average fees charged by StockX to sell their products. StockX charges a 3% payment processing fee on top of a transaction fee, which can be as high as 10% of the product’s cost.
• Less-than-stellar refund policy: StockX doesn’t offer refunds after placing an order. Reviewers who were unhappy with their purchase—whether because they paid more than the market value or because of a manufacturing defect—are unable to receive a refund. The best StockX could do for this issue is to replace an incorrect item.

What Social Media Worried About

Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have been vocal about their frustrations with StockX. Here’s what they say:

• High shipping fees: StockX’s price shipping fees have left customers speechless. For sellers, shipping fees vary according to the item’s price, type, and size, and can cost upwards of $50 per item. Buyers are also charged shipping fees to send their products for authentication, which can cost between $5 to more than $30 per item.
• Security issues: In 2019, StockX experienced the worst data breach in the online market, exposing more than 6.8 million customer records to the public. Customers that have been affected by this breach are still doing damage control. Other reviewers claim that StockX doesn’t take its security seriously, stating that its security is too lenient.
• Potential to lower the product’s value: Resellers dislike the fact that buyers can place bids lower than the average market value, as it can reduce the value of the product on the site.

StockX Quality & Guarantees

StockX prides itself on its quality assurance. The company only allows deadstock, meaning that every item—except electronics and refurbished watches—is guaranteed brand new and never worn.

StockX will only ship the item to you if it meets the company’s condition standards.

StockX doesn’t have a fraud guarantee, but it takes counterfeiting and market manipulation seriously. If a seller attempts to scam a buyer, StockX penalizes the seller and may even destroy or hand over the counterfeit product to authorities.

To ensure seamless transactions between both parties, StockX doesn’t allow refunds or cancellations.

If a buyer places a bid, he/she commits to the purchase and acknowledges the payment of the Ask Price. This way, both the buyer and seller are required to uphold the end of their deal.

A refund can only be processed if the item is incorrect (wrong size, brand, etc.) or inauthentic.

StockX Customer Service

StockX’s customer service has mixed reviews.

Some customers find StockX’s customer service top-notch, with knowledgeable and friendly representatives. Others find them less than mediocre, taking days to respond to a simple query.

StockX promises a response within 24 hours, but it isn’t a rarity to take upwards of 72 hours to hear back from a representative.

Customers that have received wrong or defective products often end up waiting for more than a week for a resolution.

The frustration is doubled by international customers who purchase items from across the world, as they’ll need to wait longer for a replacement to be sent.

What Customer Service Options Are Available?

Customers can contact StockX customer service via live chat and email. StockX has yet to implement phone support, despite the insistence of affected customers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more about StockX? Check out these frequently asked questions:

Wrapping Up

The answer to the question, “Is StockX legit?” is a resounding yes!

StockX has been around since 2015 and has since become one of the most well-known retailers of designer and luxury brands, like Jordans, Gucci, Prada, Adidas, Puma, and more.

It’s used by millions of customers across the globe as a hub for all things branded. If you’re searching for a luxury brand—whether it be shoes, clothes, or bags—you might find it at StockX.

We hope you found our StockX review helpful! If you did, let us know and share the article with your friends and family. Thank you!

StockX Alternatives: Other Options to Try

StockX is one of many second-hand marketplaces to buy and sell items. Here are some other options to consider before committing to StockX:

Is GOAT Legit?:

Like StockX, GOAT is an online marketplace for buying and selling limited-edition shoes and clothing.

This article goes into detail about GOAT’s legitimacy, as well as its pros and cons.

Is Back Market Legit?:

Back Market specializes in selling nearly new and refurbished electronic devices, like iPhones, laptops, tablets, and game consoles.

Read this article before purchasing or selling in Back Market to ensure you’re getting the best out of your deal.

Is Omaze Legit?:

Omaze is a fundraising-slash-sweepstake company that hands out life-changing prices, like multi-million dollar houses or luxury cars.

Getting the chance to win while supporting great causes seems too good to be true—so how legit are they?