Sneaker Guidelines

GotSneakers proudly serves more than 100,000 individuals and organizations in the U.S. Our FREE sneaker recycling program extends the life of used sneakers through reuse and recycling and offers financial opportunity to those seeking to raise money for any cause.

We publish these sneaker guidelines to create transparency and guide our sneaker recycling partners toward the procurement of reusable athletic sneakers.

We DO NOT accept non-athletic footwear of any kind including but not limited to: dress shoes, heels, sandals, wedges, water socks, rain boots, crocs, and other non-athletic styles. If you have non-athletic footwear that you would like to recycle, we recommend finding a local charity, homeless shelter, or other organization that will accept non-athletic footwear.

Our team is committed to the highest level of transparency and integrity. We do our absolute best to objectively evaluate every pair of sneaker by style, condition, brand, and measurement. However, it is important to understand that sorting and evaluating used footwear is a highly subjective process. At GotSneakers’ sole discretion, each pair will be evaluated by GotSneakers’ professionally trained staff to determine the proper category and compensation level per the sneaker guidelines below: Excellent, Good, Fair, or Recyclable.

Please carefully read the sneaker guidelines set forth below to set proper compensation expectations for you and/or your organization.

Please click (+) to expand each section below for important details within each category.

Condition:

New and Like New
Shopworn soles are acceptable
No other signs of use

Sneakers missing insoles and/or laces will be categorized as GOOD even if the sneaker is in Excellent condition.

Styles:

RunningBasketballGym & TrainingCleats(rubber only)Lifestyle & Casual(specific brands only)*See belowHiking & Trail(specific brands only)*See below

Measurement:

All footwear is required to measure equal to or greater than 8 inches from heel to toe to qualify for compensation at the Excellent level. If the sneaker measures less than 8 inches from heel to toe it will default to the FAIR category even if the sneaker is in Excellent condition.

Brands:

Adidas, Allbirds, Altra, APL, Asics, Brooks, Columbia, Converse All-Stars, Fila, Hoka One One, Jordan, Keen, Merrell, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, On, Puma, Reebok, Salomon, SAS, Saucony, Skechers, Sorel, Timberland, Topo, Under Armour, Vans

Condition:

Gently used
Minor signs of use but the integrity of the sneaker is fully intact
No holes, rips, tears, separated soles, etc.

Styles:

RunningBasketballGym & TrainingCleats(rubber only)Lifestyle & Casual(specific brands only)*See belowHiking & Trail(specific brands only)*See below

Measurement:

All footwear is required to measure equal to or greater than 8 inches from heel to toe to qualify for compensation at the Good level. If the sneaker measures less than 8 inches from heel to toe it will default to the FAIR category even if the sneaker is in Good condition.

Brands:

Condition:

Moderate to heavily used
Noticeable signs of use such as dirt and stains but the integrity of the sneaker is fully intact
No holes, rips, tears, separated soles, etc.

Styles:

RunningBasketballGym & TrainingCleats(rubber only)Lifestyle & Casual(specific brands only)*See belowHiking & Trail(specific brands only)*See below

Measurement:

Measurement does not apply for the Fair category

Brands:

All brands
The FAIR category also includes all brands NOT listed in the EXCELLENT and GOOD categories brand list even if the condition of the sneaker is Excellent or Good