No, it was 2012. As you said yourself they were listed at $109USD a pair, I pre-ordered 2 pairs, so $218USD and paid via paypal. They kept saying 2 weeks over and over until the 45-day-window for a paypal claim had closed and when they asked for more money I requested a refund directly on their website without paypal being involved.
When their website was seized, I immediately opened a case with paypal but all they could tell me was that shoesbagonsale`s paypal account was frozen and because 45 days had passed by, they couldn`t refund my money no matter how shady shoesbagonsale was. Paypal told me to solve the issue with the seller directly as there was nothing they could do for me, even after numerous phone conversations.
Shoesbagonsale however, kept telling me that they refunded my money. Lying di€$heads.
In the end it was my fault, I should have asked earlier for that refund but all I wanted was these shoes...I got a pair a couple of weeks later from a trusted Aliexpress Seller and am happy with it. Got all the equipment for modding (except your amazing clear soles) but haven`t gotten around to doing it yet.