"Unfortunately, some people buy these sneakers simply because they're blinded by the hype. Most of them don't know the stories behind the shoes or the inspiration for the design."

One sure-fire way to ensure that a sneaker is genuine would be to buy from the brand store or authorized retailers. The problem is that the highly sought-after shoes, or what Zhu calls "quick strikes", are often sold out within hours of their release.

Quick strikes are those that are released in limited numbers, updated classics, country-specific releases and those that feature a collaboration between a renowned designer and a shoe brand.

The upper hand

Getting quick strikes from the authorized stores is also difficult for regular consumers because of the magnitude of the scalping problem.

According to Zhu, many of the people who queue outside the stores for limited releases are huangniu, or scalpers, who are well aware of the resale value of such sneakers. Take for instance the Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott, which was created in collaboration with US musician Travis Scott. Although the shoes retailed for just $175, its average trading price on StockX is nearly six times the original at $970.