John Kim 
The last few key online releases were cancelled by Nikestore, drawing the ire of sneaker buyers who depend solely on the official brand web-store to purchase kicks. Nike’s official statement on the matter was that it was a means to take bots out of the game and to ensure an un-compromised purchase experience of consumers. Nike’s latest step toward battling the bots is still in the works, but there’s a new development that’ll help re-shape the in-store buying purchase; in a nutshell, hopeful consumers would access the drawing through one of Nike’s official Twitter accounts and the selection process begins there. The selection process requires a number of steps, after which Nike would randomly select winners. Successful entrants would have to purchase the shoes in person at the associated Nike retail location (it’s starting this weekend at Nike Chicago). This, of course, presents many online shoppers with the dilemma of actually having to go in-store to pick up the shoes, but at least you won’t be entering a losing battle. Keep in mind that this applies toward in-store Nike launches, so we’ll wait for a true solution to defeating bots online. We know you have a ton of in-depth questions; luckily Nike has a nice FAQ page available here.
