Samples can be found at Nike outlets on the hash wall - but usually those aren't the kinds of samples people are thinking of when they make these posts.
There is only one thing needed to get the types of shoes you are talking about - and that is a willingness to spend recklessly.
The truth is that nearly all of the glamor collectors pay out rectum for stuff, despite whatever nonsense they talk about their connects. You see pics of some of these dudes on Instagram talking about "Thanks for my peoples at _____" I can literally show you emails from shop owners laughing that say, "I don't know what XXXX is talkin' about; he didn't pay one penny below retail." I won't name names and blow spots though.
Meanwhile, on the PE/Sample side, some of the vets had legit, organic hook-ups. Some of them were at one time NBA ball boys, or were collectors who went on to actually work for Nike.
But, make no mistake, nearly every single "shoeperstar" out there pays through the nose for their stuff and then, a lot of them subsequently lie about it to make it seem like they have exclusive hook-ups.
The whole scene is crazy now. Nowadays, people pay $2000 for some Lebron PE that has production numbers in the hundreds. ...Back in the day, you could get actual true PE Jordan retros for less than half that price.
If you're just starting out, don't even pay any attention to that kind of stuff. Crawl before you walk.
If you ask me, a collection full of glamorized PEs and samples isn't worth anything unless it's underpinned by a foundation of GR and vintage items that you truly love.
