15 Easy Ways to Spot a Fake Item

We don’t tend to think too much about the damage fake items cause, but it’s pretty significant actually. In 2020, it was more than 26 million dollars only for clothes. Many people don’t decide to buy those products, but they get scammed and waste their money on products of low quality, which is why it’s so important to know exactly how to recognize counterfeit goods.

1. Nike shoes

• Nike Air shoes have a texture that counterfeit makers can’t really imitate. That’s because the materials they use are different and so are their devices. So, in real Nike shoes, you will notice a hardness on the leather that the fake shoes will be missing.
• You will also need to examine the symmetry of the shoes. If something looks asymmetrical, then you might be dealing with a fake product.

2. Fake certifications

Certifications are signs that prove a product fulfills the claims it makes. It’s important to take a thorough look at labels. This way, you make sure that you aren’t falling for false promises. The most popular certifications that you can trust are Fair Trade, USDA Certified Organic, GOTS, Bluesign, and many others.

3. The North Face jacket

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.

4. Expensive watches

Flea markets can be a great place to find rare luxurious watches. But it’s important to know how to detect frauds.

• The most expensive watches have smooth mechanisms, meaning there should be no ticking sounds. Put the watch close to your ear and if you hear any sound, it’s better to leave it.
• Engravings on fine watches are generally sharper.
• Fake watches are usually made with cheaper and lighter materials than the original ones.

5. Burberry scarf

• The authentic scarf always has well-defined lines and a dense texture.
• The fringe yarns in a scarf should be well rolled and spaced apart, they do not fall apart when touched.
• The brand name on the label attached to the article must be written in capital letters. Also, the label must contain information about the country of manufacture and the composition of the scarf.

6. Dior Lady D bag

This elegant bag has its name for a reason: the first Lady Dior leather model was made especially for Princess Diana, who later carried this accessory at almost all social events. Thus, the handbag became closely associated with Lady Di and after so many years, it is still very popular among fashionistas. But this popularity has a downside — too many replicas.

• The original bag was made by hand from 130 pieces of lambskin and it took about 8 hours to finish. The stitches of the iconic cannage pattern should be even and neat.
• In a fake bag, the handles always wobble from side to side, while in the genuine one they are rigid and structured.

7. Adidas Yeezy shoes

• First, you need to check the wave pattern, which on original Yeezy’s should be sideways with irregular wave prints.
• Then you can check the tongue of your shoes. Original Yeezy shoes’ tongues look curvier, while the fake ones’ tongues look way straighter.
• Check the inside of the shoe and see if the Adidas icon is the same size on each shoe. On some occasions, you might notice that the size of it on each shoe differs.
• You need to also check the stitching on the inside since it might look suspiciously amateur.

8. New Balance sneakers

• New Balance sneakers have brand symbols on the back, tongue, the side of the sneaker, and the side of the sole, on the sole itself, and the insoles. The logo in the shape of the letter N on the side of the sneaker is made in the form of a patch.
• The original slippers have a soft sole, made of foam material, easily compresses and quickly returns to their original state. The sole protector is made of rubber. The insoles of authentic New Balance shoes have a perforation, logo, size, and information about the model.

9. Designer clothes

Always check the tags. They can say a lot about whether a brand is fake or not.

• Fake manufacturers usually use lower-quality factory equipment so the tags and labels may be stitched badly.
• Pay attention to details. The size tag will be a different color and of poor quality compared to the original piece, and the letters on it may have different spacing.
• Oftentimes, there’s a serial number on the size tag for more expensive brands.

10. Toms espadrilles

• The first things you need to check are the insoles of your espadrilles. If they can be removed, then your shoes are probably counterfeits since original insoles are stitched to the bottom.
• Then you can move to the back of the shoe and take a look at the logo. The letters of the original brand are perfectly balanced and squared off. However, the fake brand’s letters are pointy and unbalanced (notice how the letter “O” is weirdly shaped). Also, the stitching around the tag looks thicker on the fake ones.
• You might also want to check the sides of the shoes to see if any glue is visible. A respectable brand would never allow something like this to happen, but a copy would likely have glue all over the sides.

11. Guess watches

• Straps for Guess watches are made of metal, silicone, or natural leather. A lousy product smell, uneven color, cracks, scratches, and wear on the strap indicate that we are dealing with an imitation.
• The back should contain basic information about the watch: a logo with the brand name, the material of the watch body (as a rule, it is steel), and data about the watch mechanism with the engraving Japan Movt (as Guess uses only high-quality Japanese mechanisms).

12. Yves Saint Laurent bag

Yves Saint Laurent bags have long become the dream of thousands of women around the world. Each season, designers create new models which immediately build a fanbase. Genuine branded products are of the highest quality, what can’t be said about replicas.

• The genuine bag has single parallel stitching. It should be smooth and neat. If you see a double stitch or even notice a slight unevenness in the stitch line, then you have a fake bag.
• The strap is removable, which is different than that of a replica — the difference is clearly visible when the bags are compared side by side.

13. Levi’s jeans

• The arcuate design on the back pockets of a pair of Levi’s jeans might just be the most recognizable feature of the brand. It’s either a simple arch or an arch that has the shape of a diamond at the center of the pocket. This feature is usually copied in a noticeably wrong way on counterfeit jeans.
• Also, the color of the stitching is traditionally orange on the original jeans, while many fake ones will use white thread.
• The third sign of a fake pair of Levi’s jeans is the red tag on the back pocket. An original pair has the name “Levi’s” written on the red tag along with the “R” symbol. Only 1% of Levi’s jeans are missing the word “Levi’s” due to the ribbon of the sewing machine being changed once and again. So, if your Levi’s jeans have the word “Levi’s” on the red tab, but are missing the “R” they could be fake.

14. Fila shoes

• If you take a look at the letter “F” on your Fila shoes, you will notice that there is some irregularity with the stitching. This is perfectly normal with all original Fila trainers. What isn’t normal is when the letter “F” is really pointy at the top 2 edges. In the fake shoes, these edges almost touch the square around the logo, something that shouldn’t be happening.
• Then notice the toe cap details, especially the holes at the front. There should be an equal distance between each hole, but if this isn’t the case, then you’ve probably bought fake trainers.
• Also, the back heel logo might be completely different. On the original shoes, that logo is the same as the tongue logo. However, on fake shoes, the word “Fila” might be sewn on another piece of leather that is red and blue.

15. Adidas shoes

• Take a look at the back stripes of your Adidas shoes. The original shoes will have stripes with the same width between them, while the fake ones won’t.
• Also, at the back, the stitching will be closer to the strap sides, while the counterfeit won’t.
• Now take a look at the bottom of the shoe, the outsole. If there is a shoe number (the size), it means that the shoe is fake. If there isn’t a number then the show is the original product.