Man Loses $20K After Buying Alleged Fake Sneakers From Teenager

Unwittingly purchasing fake footwear is easily one of sneaker fans' biggest nightmares, and it's even more troubling when it involves some of the most expensive shoes on the market. That's exactly what happened to an unnamed Australian real estate agent after he spent close to $20,000 on what he now believes to be fake sneakers.

According to a report from the BBC, the buyer purchased seven sneakers for $18,965, including the highly limited Dior x Air Jordan 1 as well as the "Bred," "Chicago," and "Royal" Air Jordan 1s. It's reported that shortly after the sale, the buyer noticed defects on the shoes and took both the seller and the seller's father to a local sneaker store in Melbourne, where a staff member suggested that all the sneakers were fake.

According to the buyer, the staff member's facial expression changed upon learning the seller's name and said he “was a fraudster and a scam artist who had been blacklisted." The buyer also claimed that the father offered $6,773 in compensation, a sum that was rejected by the buyer.

The purchaser took things a step further when he took the seller and his father to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in October. The court later determined that the seller was underage at the time of the transaction and was not liable to make any refunds under Victorian state law.

"Had the agreement been entered into when [the seller] was 18 years old, the result might have been different," VCAT member Katherine Metcalf wrote in the case dismissal that was obtained by the New York Post.