How to spot fake Nike Trainers - What To Look Out For Chinese Fakes, Thailand etc

Hi guys,

in today's post we will look at how to spot the signs so we can tell if a pair of Nike trainers are real or not. There are a lot of fake shoes popping up all over the place for sale on Ebay, Amazon and other places by sellers looking to make a quick turn around on cheap knock offs that are nowhere near as high quality as the real Nike shoes.

Video for spotting fake Nikes:

 

It may fool many people that you have bought the latest pair of Nike Air max shoes worth about £120 a pair or more, but someone who has the genuine article will be able to tell with no doubt that they are totally fake. Even if you hid the cost of them from someone who has already owned a pair that they cost only £30, they can tell from owning the genuine article anything that may be a bit askew or off on your pair. Its the little things that give the fakes away and we are going to have a look from different sources on the Internet how people have spotted the tell tale signs of a fake.

Don't get burned, if your looking to get the best from a manufacturer either with shoes or clothes, don't judge them on the quality of cheap fakes that are out there, visit the genuine shops and Internet retail sites that are authorised to sell the branded merchandise to compare them to the ones you want.

As usual if its too cheap and to good to be true.....it always is and is a fake!

This is actually first on my list of things to watch out for:

1. What price are the Nikes? If someone is selling a pair of Nikes which have a retail price of £90 RRP and are selling them for around £20....I would bet good money they are fake. Unless it was from a well known chain store closing down or shop clearance such as JJB, Podium for Sport, Decathlon, Sports Direct etc, I would not trust them to be the genuine article. When you buy an authentic and genuine Nike product you are paying for the quality and durability of the materials used. These two qualities are a worthy investment as they will last much longer than cheap pairs of shoes made with inferior materials.

2. The time it takes for products to arrive. This may not strike suspicion with someone ordering a pair of Nikes as to whether they are fake or not, however, products for instance ordered from Official Nike websites either in Europe, USA, Asia, South America etc will take about 3-5 business days to arrive at your home. If they take around 7-18 days to arrive....chances are they are coming from China which would ring alarm bells in my ears! Most Nike websites will deliver fairly quickly as they have large fully stocked warehouses full of products and makes it much cheaper to have them there in the country they are sold in than paying shipping to send a pair of shoes or t shirt half way around the world per order.

3. US sizes are usually not listed on most counterfeits. Most counterfeit Nike trainers do not have a USA size of 13 and up for men or size 9 and up for women. If you can see all other sizes listed on the website, its usually a sign that they are authentic Nike's.

4. How are the shoes packaged? Some sellers sound quite sincere like they are looking out for your best interests when it comes to shipping. Some may say they can do the postage cheaper if they do not send the Nike trainers in a box. This however is a bit of a ploy as to avoid you inspecting the cheap and flimsy boxes that the Nike trainers come in. You of course will accept not sending the box to maybe save a few dollars or pounds which everyone will do these days. Nike trainers come in very strong and sturdy cardboard boxes that can take a bit of strain before bending or breaking. Flimsy cardboard boxes with skinny walls are definitely a sign of a fake!

 5. What do the soles look like and what are they made of? If you have bought a real pair of Nike shoes, they will use BRS 1000 rubber. When looking at photos of them on websites online, it may be hard to tell whether or not they are made of this material, especially if the seller has touched up or photo shopped some of the photos to make them look more appealing. Soles that look plasticy, slippery or very shiny means there is a very high  chance they are counterfeit. Sporting people using these for running, jumping etc may need to take care as they may be made using sub standard products and actually cause people to slip now and again as they will not have as good a grip on the ground as the authentic shoes.

6. Do the SKU numbers and print match on the box and the shoe itself? On the outside of the box should be a label with the SKU number. Check the tag on the shoe itself to make sure it matches the SKU number on the outside of the box. Sometimes the counterfeit sellers will put on an SKU number which may actually relate to a totally different pair of shoes, making them appear authentic when really the SKU number means nothing to this particular pair of shoe. If the box or shoes is missing the SKU number altogether.....run for the hills from that website!

Always buy from trusted sources, I buy from Amazon every time as nothing sold by Amazon themselves or the Official Nike retailers is fake:

          

The main source website I used for collecting the majority of this information was at: http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-spot-fake-nikes.html It has been rewritten in my own words.


Here is some more articles to spot specific types of Nike shoes being fake and other tips:

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5923790_tell-fake-nike-shoe.html 
For Nike Air Max Shoes 24-7

http://www.leifwild.co.uk/how-to-spot-fake-nike-air-max-tell-tale-signs 
For Nike Air Max Comparison, Real Vs Fake Post

Thanks for reading,

Henry