An Australian Man Paid $20,000 for Fake Air Jordans—And He Can’t Get His Money Back

The sneaker resale market is a booming business, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy one to navigate. A man in Melbourne, Australia, spent 30,000 Australian dollars (about $20,000 USD) on seven pairs of Nike Air Jordan 1s that he now believes to be fake. The estate agent took the 17 year old teen seller and his father to court seeking a refund, but his case was recently thrown out, the BBC reported this week.

“Had the agreement been entered into when [the seller] was 18 years old the result might have been different,” Katherine Metcalf, a member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, wrote in her dismissal. “Whilst the law generally protects minors from the consequences of their own actions, it could be argued that in the present circumstances it is not the minor who needs protection, but rather the people with whom he chose to do business.” The unnamed seller had bought four pairs of limited edition Dior x Air Jordan 1s that were available only via a lottery system when they were released.

On those, he spent 3,800 Australian dollars ($2,549) to 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,708). He also put down 2,690 Australian dollars ($1,805) for three pairs of other Air Jordans in various colorways. Once the buyer received the shoes, though, he noticed “defects,” according to the tribunal, and he reached out to the teen for a refund.

The seller never responded, so the purchaser got in touch with the teen’s father; the duo then went to a local authenticator to sort everything out. However, the authenticator knew the teen as a “fraudster and scam artist.” Still, the dad and son refuted the store’s claims and alleged the sneakers were authentic.

In October, the buyer took his case to the tribunal, but it was recently dismissed because of the seller’s age. According to Victorian state law, an underage person is not legally able to sign a contract or make any refunds, nullifying the buyer’s right to get his money back. And although the father had become involved, that wasn’t enough to make the teen pony up the refund, either.

Tens of thousands of dollars is a lot of money to put down for some fake Nike kicks, especially when you consider that the Dior collab has been ripped off time and time again . If you’re looking for a pair on the resale market, this is a good reminder to do your due diligence beforehand. Tori Latham is a digital staff writer at Robb Report.

She was previously a copy editor at The Atlantic, and has written for publications including The Cut and The Hollywood Reporter. When not….