11 Ways You Can Check Products to Detect If They Are Fake

Counterfeit products have always been an issue for the world market and especially in 2022, their sales were increased even more. Only in 2020, 66 million fake items were seized by authorities in Eurose. However, it’s not only about clothes, shoes and accessories anymore, but also about food and drinks. These criminal networks find smart ways to operate and get their products everywhere in the planet without being detected.

1. How to spot fake gold.

Real gold is not magnetic, but several other metals are. Use a strong magnet (it needs to be stronger than a fridge one) and place it near the piece you want to test. If your piece is attracted to the magnet, is it fake.

2. How to know the difference between authentic, replica, and knock-off.

Authentic means it’s genuine, not a copy but an original; a replica means the exact or close copy of the actual item in appearance and shape. Imitation is a synonym for replication. Knock-off is another word that confuses a lot of people. Although people use knock-off and replica interchangeably, their differences are quite clear. Knock-off means fake. In other words, it is to mislead people into believing the product is genuine.

3. How to spot fake airpods.

• There’s another tiny detail that can help you spot AirPods Pro fakes. This detail is located in the front part of the earbuds’ case: an LED light. The indicator light in the authentic AirPods Pro is not very bright, and it’s focused and contained. The LED itself is covered with a thin layer of transparent plastic, which makes the hole in the place where the indicator is located unnoticeable. Most fakes miss this detail, which results in a brighter and less focused LED light. You might feel as if it’s illuminating the plastic around it. There is also usually a visible small hole in the place where the light comes from.

• Look inside the AirPods Pro case. You’ll see a serial number printed on the top of the case flap. Every case has its own unique number. You can check the originality of the headset on Apple’s official website by inserting this number in a special line. Many fake buds will have no serial number at all or they may have a number that will be spotted as a mistake on the Apple site.

4. How to spot fake The North Face jackets.

The products from the American brand The North Face are highly valued among winter sports aficionados. They are very popular all over the world and are often duplicated by unscrupulous manufacturers. There are a number of differences you can use to tell if it’s a replica before paying for it.

• All of the letters of the logo on the original items are embroidered separately and there should be no threads between them.
• All embellishments on genuine models are high quality. The zipper must have the letters YYK and puller rings should have The North Face logo in the shape of 3 curved stripes.
• Inside the jacket, there should be informational tags with a hologram confirming the authenticity of the model. If there is no hologram, then you can be sure that this is a replica in front of you.

5. How to spot fake Tommy Hilfiger clothes.

• The first thing you need to look at is the seams. They should be smooth and neat. Protruding threads and crooked stitches are sure signs of a fake.
• Embroidered logo. The combination of colors plays an important role in this: it is blue above and below, and it is white and red in the middle. Sometimes the manufacturers of replicas confuse the arrangement of the colors. The edges of the embroidery should be neat and straight.
• Top tag. The tag of a genuine piece has a triangular shape in 90% of cases, except for certain collections. The triangle has an acute angle and clear boundaries, but in replicas, this detail often looks sloppy.

6. How to spot fake beauty products.

One feature fake products often lack is information about the company that produced the product along with contact details. If the company doesn’t provide an address, email, website, or phone number in order to receive feedback from the customer, it’s a matter of concern. It would probably be best to avoid buying products from such suspicious companies.

7. How to spot fake Balenciaga shoes.

Before buying any name-brand product, go through the pictures first and pay attention to logos and hallmarks. Usually, brands put their logos in specific places, using unique fonts and sizes. Fakes are not generally as precise, and you will easily be able to determine whether or not the product is real.

8. How to spot fake Adidas sneakers.

• Before you buy a pair, always check the serial numbers on each Adidas sneaker — they are on the inside of the tongue. The left and right sneaker serial numbers are different. If you have identical serial numbers, this is a fake pair.
• Look closely at the Adidas logo. The original sneakers brand them on the sneakers, while manufacturers of fakes have glued-on logos.
• The original Adidas sneakers have very good seams. If you see even the smallest curves or traces of glue, this is a fake pair. Also, on fake models, the tip of the thread might be loose.
• Aside from the laces on the sneakers, original Adidas usually have extra laces in the box. Fake ones are usually sold with only one pair of laces.
• Pay attention not only to the extra laces but also to the pack. The original sneakers have a very good pack for the laces, while fake ones are usually just lying in the box.

9. How to spot fake purses.

When buying clothes and bags, pay particular attention to the stitching. On authentic products, the stitches will be neat, beautiful, and straight, which means the patterns will be even. However, on fake products, stitching is usually poorly done, and patterns appear uneven and crooked.

10. How to spot counterfeit sneakers.

The quality of original and expensive items also differ. The stitching will be much cleaner and tighter on authentic items, unlike their counterparts. Original clothing and shoes often have more stitches per square inch. The lines won’t be as straight either because they likely use less material as it costs less.

11. How to tell real from fake iPhones.

When it comes to appearance, a fake iPhone can really trick people if constructed well. However, there are differences that only someone who knows each model will recognize. For example, in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the colors seem to be different than the ones Apple provides and the phones’ thickness tend to be slightly different. Not only that, but the cameras look a bit different and their quality isn’t even compared to the original ones.

Have you ever purchased an item thinking that it was original only to find out later that it was just a cheap copy sold way more expensive?