When it comes to buying a selling shoes there are two methods; shipping them or meeting in person. Earlier this summer a seller was robbed of their Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 in Toronto. This unfortunate event is the inspiration for this article.

Now with good reason some people are skeptical when planning $100+ meetups. When I first did meetups of that nature I made sure I would be safe no matter what and no get screwed over. It’s a lot of money and shoes are a valuable items too. If you’re meeting up with someone you want the meetup to go smoothly and without a hitch. Both you and the other party leaving with what they came for.

Some of these tips are common sense but as you know common sense isn’t that common.

1. Go With Your Gut

When you’re talking to someone online and their behavior is very suspicious don’t meet them. Is the deal too good to be true? Don’t meet them. If you have doubts about them or they make you feel uneasy don’t meet them. Just go with your gut and move on to the next person. There is always going to be other people selling the same sneaker your hunting for or another buyer that won’t have you thinking twice.

2. Fake accounts

Personally I refuse to deal with fake Facebook accounts. If I can’t put a face to their name and they refuse to add me on an account other than one that says “Starting Point Guard in the NBA” or “Works at your mom” I can’t take them seriously. If I can’t report them to anyone and something goes wrong I can’t pursue further action.

3. Location

Keep your meet up location in public. With the presence of many other people around they most likely won’t try to pull anything. Some go-to places I meet up at are subway stations, malls and 24/7 restaurants like McDonalds. If there is security cameras that’s a big plus. I don’t recommend meeting up at your own house or their house for obvious reasons.

4. Time

Try to meet up in broad daylight (or well-lit places) with other people. With passerby and potential witnesses around the other person will have very good reason not to try anything.

5. Power in Numbers

If you are able to have some friend(s) come along bring them. With someone there acting as your bodyguard or backup the chances of anything stupid happening go down dramatically. If things do take a turn for the worst you won’t be singled out and left vulnerable.

6. Handling Money

If you are buying shoes that are over a couple hundred dollars and you don’t feel safe bringing money in fear of being jumped bring a debit/credit card. That way you can take out money from a nearby ATM after verifying the shoes are as described and the seller is legit and not going to rob you.

Keep these simple tips in mind next time you’re setting up a meetup and everything should go as planned!