A German influencer has used an Apple AirTag to track the journey of a pair of sneakers donated through the German Red Cross, revealing that the shoes travelled across several European countries before appearing for sale in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The influencer, known as Moe.Haa, placed the tracking device inside the sneakers before leaving them at a donation collection bin in Germany. The shoes were traced from Starnberg in Bavaria to Munich and then through Austria, Slovenia and Croatia before reaching Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering around 497 miles.
The sneakers were eventually found at a second-hand clothing market in a small Bosnian town, where they were being sold for €10. The shopkeeper told Moe.Haa that the shoes had been imported from Germany, although he did not confirm whether they had originally been donated.
The experiment raised questions about the transparency of clothing donation systems and whether donated items always reach people in need.
Responding to the video, the German Red Cross said some donated clothing is distributed directly to people in need, while unsuitable items may be sold to recycling or resale companies. According to the organisation, proceeds from such sales are used to support humanitarian work.
The experiment has renewed calls for greater transparency in the handling of charitable donations and highlighted concerns about public trust in donation programmes.
