An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Bots are one of the more controversial parts of the sneaker resale world. While some resellers swear by the software applications that expedite ...

Automated purchasing bots, also known as “sneaker bots,” “click bots,” “Instacart bots,” and other names, are ruining the online shopping and gig economy experience for both consumers and workers.

In a nondescript warehouse at an undisclosed location in Northern New Jersey, there sits a garage space full of neatly stacked sneakers—some on shelves, some not—a basketball hoop, an Armenian flag, ...