- Crypto bros with stagnating portfolios are turning to “dopamine shopping” to experience the thrill of spending without financial risk.
- The trend, which emerged in South Korea, involves browsing and paying for luxury items on fake storefronts but never actually spending money.
- Sites like Dopamine Shop and FoodNeverComes have attracted millions of visitors, while a crypto influencer proposed a startup that combines fake purchases with real giveaways.
Crypto bros with stagnating portfolios have turned to so-called “dopamine shopping” — pretending to buy luxury goods online — to get their kicks, according to reports that the trend emerged in South Korea earlier this year.
The practice involves going through the process of browsing and paying for high-ticket items like luxury watches, designer clothes, and fancy meals, but without actually spending any real money.
After crypto’s market cap dropped 30% from its all-time high a year ago, budgets for authentic luxury goods remain tight, leading many to seek the rush of spending big without the financial hit.
The aptly titled Dopamine Shop stocks a fake jewelry aisle including a $10,950 Rolex Submariner and a $56,000 Audemars Piguet, with the slogan “Shop freely. Buy nothing.”
A Singapore-based lawyer and crypto influencer poked fun at the trend, proposing a startup that introduces real giveaways into fake shopping apps as a way to introduce variable rewards.
The BBC recently counted more than 2.7 million visitors to FoodNeverComes since June 2026, a “dopamine kitchen” that reproduces an UberEats ordering experience.
Crypto jumped onto the bandwagon when a commentator posted screenshots of fake storefronts to nearly two million views, shouting out his own audience in a reply: “Degens would love it.”
Commenters kept the joke going: “I love checking TripNeverLeaves right after a 45-minute session with FoodNeverComes.”
A fintech worker asked appropriately: “Why do we keep coming up with new and creative ways to gamble?”
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
