You could have saved a shoe picture to buy later without knowing the model or brand. In such cases, how to find shoes from pictures? The most effective way is to use Google Lens.
You can also ask on query sites, post on Facebook groups dedicated to sneakers, look at an online sneaker database, use shoe-finding apps, ask a shoe salesman, and send a picture to customer service if you know the brand.
Most of these methods require the use of technology and so we will give you a detailed guide in each case. So you don’t have to fear not being techy enough to pull this off. Just keep on scrolling!
How To Find Shoes From Pictures – Ultimate Guide To Finding The Right Shoe Model
Technology has made finding things from pictures much easier. There are now many easy ways to identify shoes from pictures. Here are the best ways.
- Use Google Lens
Google Lens is a great tool for visual searches. In my experience, it provides superior results that doing a reverse Google image search. I would recommend you use your phone for doing a search on Google Lens. It definitely provides a better experience.
Here’s how you use Google Lens on your phone.
- Start up your Google app or Chrome Browser.
- Take a look at the search bar. You will find a camera icon. Tap that.
- Your camera will start up and you will see pictures from your gallery. Choose the picture of the shoes you want to look for by scrolling down through the options of pictures.
- The search results will come up. You can find the model name on any of the e-commerce sites listing the shoes for sale.
- Ask On Query Sites
You will be surprised at how much help you get with all kinds of questions on sites like Reddit and Quora. There are a lot of sneakerheads on these query sites who can help you out.
Here’s how you can post questions on Quora:
- Sign up for Quora or log in to your account. Once done signing up, go to the homepage. Click on the ‘Add question’ option.
- Choose the create post option and ensure that the privacy option is set to everyone.
- Type in what you want to say and add the image by clicking on the image icon.
- Tap on ‘create post’ when done.
Hopefully, you will get someone who has the right information to come forth and point you in the direction of the shoe you are looking for.
- Post On Facebook Groups For Help
There is no shortage of communities for sneakerheads to join on Facebook. You can ask about the sneakers you are looking for in any one of these countless groups.
These people love discussing sneakers and are super helpful. So, you will definitely get a lot of responses from people ready to share their knowledge with you.
Here’s how you look for the right groups on your desktop.
- Log in to your Facebook. On the left, you will see an option for Groups. Click on that.
- You can type sneakers on the search bar and press search. Add the filter of Groups from the list on your left to get group suggestions only.
- You can also choose a city and filter your searches. For example: in the image below, I chose New York.
- Click Join and fill out the request form.
- You will be notified when your request is approved.
Afterward, all you need to do is create a post asking about the sneakers in the picture and wait for responses. Hopefully, someone will recognize the shoe and let you know the model.
- Look At Sneaker Database
While looking for sneakers on databases, the search becomes much easier if you can narrow the brand down. For that, you do need the logo to be visible. Plus, you need to recognize the logo. Here’s a website that lists all the famous sneaker brands and their logos.
The Sneakers123 database has an extensive list of sneakers that is easy to look through. The user experience of this database is particularly good. You can search the brand name if you know it by using the search bar that’s positioned at the top left of the homepage.
In case you don’t even have that information, you can scroll through the shoes in their database and cross-check the pictures till you find a match. But that is obviously going to be a very difficult job with little promise of success.
So, I would only recommend this way of searching for the shoes if you have successfully narrowed down the brand name.
- Use Grails or Shoegazer
Shoe-finding apps are also a good option when it comes to finding shoes with just pictures. Shoegazer is an app that is known as the Shazam of shoes as it finds shoes in much the same way as Shazam finds music.
You can also use Grails. Its AI is very good at recognizing shoe details and finding related results. Grails also has a decent database of shoes so you can expect to get excellent results for the more popular brands easily.
- Ask a Shoe Salesman
Well, after you have exhausted all your digital options to find a shoe from pictures, you may want to take the old-fashion route. Ask a salesman who knows about sneakers at your local shoe store.
Shoe them the picture. Give them an idea of where you saw them and any other details such as when they were released. Shoe salesman can help you out with identification as they work with so many brands and their different models.
- Ask Customer Service
If you know which brand of shoes you are looking for, this is an easy way to find out the shoe name and model.
Find out the customer service team’s contact details from the brand’s official website. That way, you can send them a message asking about the shoe in the picture.
Try to contact the team that deals with questions related to products. Big brands have several specific departments when it comes to customer queries. Ensure that you are asking your question to the most relevant one.
How Do I Identify Sneakers?
The best way to identify your sneakers is to look for the sneaker tag. Most big brands like Nike, Puma, etc. have a tag behind the tongue of the shoes. Moreover, there’s another tag on the box.
You will also find a QR code on this tag, which you can scan to get information about that particular pair of shoes.
The model number and name are also printed on the tag. For Nikes, the model number is 9-character long. Reeboks have 6-character long model numbers. Also, there’s the model name on the shoe tag which is much easier to remember.
For some reason, if you can’t spot the shoe tag, you can search the shoe with Google Lens by taking a picture or use any other method above.
Which App Verifies Sneakers?
When buying sneakers from the secondary market, there is a risk of getting a fake pair and taking losses. Due to this need, the CheckCheck app has emerged as a solution to verify sneakers for a cheap price of only $1 for each authentication.
The authentication process has two steps. You have to upload pictures of the shoes and an AI will detect the potential signs of any inconsistency. In the next step, CheckCheck has two of its experts check the shoe and authenticate it.
All this in under 30 minutes and anytime you want. So, it’s a great value for money. Especially considering the speedy and accurate results.
Take a look at the video below to see how the CheckCheck app works and how to best use it. It’s an informative watch.
How Do You Scan QR Shoes?
The QR code on your Nikes will lead you to the official Nike website when scanned. The address www.qr.nike.com pops up to give Nike all the necessary information about the shoe and also to authenticate it. So, this is an easy way to authenticate a pair of Nikes.
You should find one shoe tag in the box and two tags inside both shoes. Most models have the tags underneath the shoes’ tongues. But others can have it along the inside sidewall of the shoe.
To scan the QR code, all you need is to download a QR scanning app on your phone. Some phones have this option built into the camera too. Start the QR scanner and aim your camera at the QR code till you get a clear visual. You may need to start the flashlight when scanning inside the shoe.
Are Fake Shoes Illegal?
Yes, buying counterfeit or fake shoes is illegal in the United States. Bringing fake shoes into the country can be the cause of charging you with criminal or civil penalties.
You will also be supporting other illegal activities that are facilitated by the market of counterfeit goods. For example forced labor, child labor, or even human trafficking.
Fake shoes are a big part of the problem. 13% of seized counterfeit products are footwear, which is the third-highest of all product categories in the US. So, you should never take selling or purchasing counterfeit products lightly.
What Are SKU Numbers On Shoes?
SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit and it’s a combination of numbers and letters that help the company internally to identify a particular pair of shoes.
Usually, it is 8 characters long and differs when the sizing or colorway of a model of shoe is different. That way, a company can keep stock of how many units they have for each size or color of shoes of the same model.
All big brands utilize this number. You can spot the SKU number on top of the barcode. However, don’t confuse this number with the UPC number which stands for universal product code and is longer with at least 12 characters.
This number is different as it is used to identify the product once it’s outside of the company when a sale is completed, during shipping, and reception. So, that’s basically what differs between the two numbers. Their use.
Hopefully, now you understand what the SKU number on a shoe is for.
Here’s a video on how to read the shoe tags on Air Jordans.
Final Words
So, how to find shoes from pictures? The most effective way is to use Google Lens. You can also ask on query sites, post on Facebook groups dedicated to sneakers, look at an online sneaker database, use shoe-finding apps, ask a shoe salesman, and send a picture to customer service if you know the brand.
You should also think about authenticating your shoes when you purchase them from the secondhand market. If you aren’t sure what model you bought then you can’t check the details from a retail site and compare. Use the CheckCheck app to simplify things for you and authenticate as well as identify your shoes.
