StockX Review – Your Place to Invest in Sneakers (Really)
Joy Wallet is advertiser-supported: we may earn compensation from the products and offers mentioned in this article. However, any expressed opinions are our own and aren't influenced by compensation. To read our full disclosure, click here.
As a sneakerhead, my friend always looks for new and retro kicks — from iconic Air Jordans to the freshest pair of Yeezys and Nikes. To me, sneakers are just “a pair of shoes,” but to him, they’re collectibles — beautifully crafted culture as streetwear.
And he’s not alone in this belief. While shoes are life necessities, the industry’s numbers far exceed the need. The global footwear market hit $377.7 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit $440 billion by 2030.
For him, it’s sneakers, but if you’re more into luxury handbags or trendy jackets, you may find the internet lacking in places to buy and sell with confidence. How do you know if a pair of shoes is counterfeit? What if they’re a good fake, and you just can’t tell from a listing photo? Enter StockX, a sneakerhead’s (or trading card aficionado’s or handbag enthusiast’s) best friend.
Jump To
What is StockX?
Based in Detroit, StockX brands itself as a “culture marketplace” — a stock market of things, like eBay or Amazon, except with a twist. While eBay and Amazon allow buying and selling a little bit of everything, StockX focuses its online marketplace experience on only the hottest items — on-trend apparel, valuable collectibles, and designer accessories. The site's overall mission seems to be to help enthusiasts and collectors obtain the authentic items they covet. The site has recently received some negative reviews in the news but still manages to pull off a 4.1-star rating on Trustpilot.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
How does StockX work?
To get started with StockX.com, click the “Sign Up” button at the top right-hand corner of its website. Signing up is simple and free — just type in your name, username, and password.
You can further tailor your account profile and preferences for browsing, but you don’t need this information to get started.
Once you’re in, you can buy, sell, and peruse what’s trending.
Buying
StockX has both a bid and a “Buy Now” option like eBay. Bidding enters you into an auction where others can also present an offer to the seller. However, StockX adds an extra step to the buying process. After you buy, but before it’s shipped to you, it’s shipped to StockX to authenticate—no more fear of purchasing fake shoes or scam luxury watches. With StockX, be assured all brands and designers are legit. If the item checks out, it’s shipped from StockX to you.
Selling
You can place an ask or list a “sell now” asking price as a seller. Once it sells, you ship it to StockX. Your item is authenticated, sent to the buyer, and you get paid. Like other marketplaces, you determine the price of your item and can alter it in real time since the demand for hot items changes fast.
How much does StockX cost?
StockX is free for buyers to use. They pay item purchase costs, obviously, and shipping.
StockX has a tiered pricing system for sellers, making it an accessible online marketplace for everyone, whether you just want to sell a single Louis Vuitton purse, have a side gig buying and selling trading cards, or are a full-time collectibles reseller.
There are five levels (plans) available to sellers, depending on how many sales you’re making and your sales income, which is calculated quarterly. All levels pay a 3% processing fee plus a transaction fee for each item sold. The transaction fee varies from 9% at Level 1 to 7% at Level 5. Sellers are also responsible for shipping costs; however, shipping is free within the U.S. Here, you can see shipping rates for sellers.
Those at Levels 4 and 5 are eligible for additional benefits like discounts on seller fees, bulk shipping, early payouts, and VIP account management.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
StockX features
Authentic goods
The most differentiating feature of StockX is its proprietary authentication process. Every item goes through the wringer — a multi-step verification process. Authenticators (people and machines) look at:
- Condition: The marketplace only allows deadstock, which means every item is brand new and never worn.
- Construction: Authenticators look at the construction of items to spot fakes and scams and ensure collectibles are legit. They have more than 100 data points they’re using to evaluate items.
- Packaging: You wouldn’t want brand-new shoes in a crushed shoebox, so an item’s packaging must also be up to snuff.
Finally, items go through Quality Assurance to be sure they’ve accounted for every minor detail. The team claims a 99.95% accuracy rate.
Global marketplace
The world is your oyster for finding the trendiest streetwear or that video game console sold out everywhere! You’re not limited to your backyard (like Craigslist) or even the U.S. With flat-rate and bulk-rate shipping, you can buy and sell goods worldwide. Who knows, you might be the one to set a new trend.
Autonomous and transparent pricing
As a seller, you set your prices, react, and alter your prices based on bids and demand. As a buyer, you place your highest bid and can track market trends right onsite. It’s a live auction house all the time.
Who is StockX best for?
Those who care about brand names
Authentication is StockX’s cornerstone, so if you’d be pissed if you ordered a Rolex watch on eBay only to have a “Rolecks” show up on your front porch, StockX might be the missing piece in your e-commerce experience. Every product is verified.
Those who follow global trends and high fashion
StockX has a pulse on the hottest trends and adjusts its data for pricing based on supply and demand. You’ll find the latest gotta-have-its here.
Who shouldn't use StockX?
Buyers who aren’t sure
StockX doesn’t allow returns or exchanges, so if you’re the type who orders three colors and two sizes and sends back everything that doesn’t fit or work, this isn’t the marketplace for you.
Those who have used items they want to sell
StockX only authenticates deadstock, so if you have many used designer items in your closet to consign, you may need to turn to ThredUp or Poshmark instead.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
Buyer pros and cons
Pros
- Real merchandise. No fake shoes here with the authenticity guarantee.
- Global access. Explore new trends internationally. Nowhere is inaccessible.
Cons
- No returns or exchanges. If you buy the wrong size, your only option is to resell.
- Shipping and authentication take time. This is no Amazon Prime. You’ll wait about two weeks to receive your purchase.
Seller pros and cons
Pros
- No legwork. You don’t have to take photos, write product descriptions, or negotiate.
- Adjustable prices. No automatic pricing by the site. You can set and adjust based on the market.
- Multiple ways to get paid. Once you make a sale, you can get paid via PayPal, bank transfer, Venmo, or debit card.
- Perks for big sellers. You get some perks like lower transaction fees and free bulk shipping if you sell a lot.
Cons
- High fees. For each item, you sell, plan to pay between 11 and 14 percent of your sale.
- Must have new items. You can't do it here if you have used items you want to sell.
StockX vs. competitors
Company | Features | Cost for Sellers |
StockX | Authentication, niche, deadstock | 11-14% fees on transactions |
Amazon | General merchandise, fast shipping, fulfillment services, easy-to-use, new and used items | 99 cents per item or $39.99 per month (unlimited), plus sale-related fees from 6% to 45% |
eBay | General merchandise, deals, easy-to-use, new and used items | $0.30 per sale plus 3% to 12.9% of the sale price. Listing is free unless you list more than 250 items, then you pay 35 cents per listing |
eBay
eBay is an online marketplace where sellers post listings and product descriptions, and prospective buyers view and bid on items. eBay does have some level of purchase protection but does not authenticate items. Items are shipped directly from seller to buyer. It’s Craiglist in an auction house but with a global reach.
Amazon
Amazon ’s roots run deep and wide as an e-commerce platform. It sells in almost every industry and provides fulfillment services for sellers who pay for them. Amazon thrives on the variety of products offered and fast shipping — want Banana Pajamas tomorrow, you got it! Buyers count on inexpensive products at their fingertips, but smaller businesses pay steep costs for the exposure. You won’t find many designer items on Amazon, though many brands with storefronts do sell on Amazon in addition to their sites.
Other sites that might be compared to StockX could be Poshmark, ThredUp, TheRealReal, and Depop, though these sites do not focus solely on deadstock, and most operate off a consignment or do-it-all-yourself model. TheRealReal is the only other from this list that authenticates brands.
Use Motley Fool's Stock Advisor To Invest
- Over 100 Stock Picks with 100%+ Returns
- Averaged Stock Pick Return over 593% (vs. 165% for the S&P)
- 2 New Stock Picks Every Month
- Investment Community With 700,000+ Loyal Members
- 30-Day Membership-Fee-Back Guarantee
- Joy Wallet Reader Deal: The Motley Fool is offering 50% off its top stock-picking service for new members (Limited Time)
FAQs
What’s for sale?
StockX sells new sneakers, electronics, gaming consoles, apparel and accessories, trading cards, and collectibles.
Can I return items I buy on StockX?
No. According to its return policy, items cannot be returned or exchanged.
Who covers shipping costs?
Both the buyer and the seller. The seller ships items to StockX to authenticate. StockX ships the items to the buyer after the purchase passes muster. Shipping costs vary based on size and weight and the country they’re being shipped to.
The bottom line
StockX is a prime option for buyers looking for name-brand streetwear, especially if you don’t want to think twice about whether an item is counterfeit. For buyers, there’s not much to lose. For sellers, costs are on par with other online marketplaces and e-commerce hubs, and it’s nice to have everything you’re selling in the same place. The platform serves its unique purpose: to be a cultural marketplace.
Joy Wallet is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor, financial advisor, loan broker, insurance producer, or insurance broker. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide investment advice. Joy Wallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Featured estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market. We are compensated by our partners, which may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on our site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice. Our editorials are grounded on independent research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.
We value your privacy. We work with trusted partners to provide relevant advertising based on information about your use of Joy Wallet’s and third-party websites and applications. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing information about your web browsing activities with Meta (Facebook) and Google. All of the web browsing information that is shared is anonymized. To learn more, click on our Privacy Policy link.
Images appearing across JoyWallet are courtesy of shutterstock.com.
Writer
A veteran wordsmith and research nerd, Brittany Wren spent a decade working in higher education where she helped people overcome challenges to chart a path forward. These days, she writes about personal finance, careers, parenting and education. Her content has been published by a wide variety of brands including T-Mobile, Intuit, LifeLock, Reliant Fund Administration and CURO Financial Technologies Corp.
Share this article
