5+1 ways to spot fakes
Those who are about to buy shoes can find themselves in a difficult position when it comes to originality. Especially if the coveted sneaker was released in a limited edition. In most cases, you could find the shoes of your dreams on foreign websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram profiles. Until the appearance of truetosole.hu, there was no reliable Hungarian online webshop in the limited sneaker market.
What can you do to filter out scammers? Get informed, ask for help in groups, watch videos and be careful. During an investigation (legit check), you have to pay attention to every detail, just like in an investigation. That is why we have collected for you the simplest 5+1 ways to tell the difference between an original and a fake.
1. THE BOX
The very first obvious clue will be the shoe's packaging, you can spot it from afar if the box is more crumpled than necessary or decorated with thousands of tears.
What could this mean?A: The courier who delivered the package had a very bad day and vented his pent-up anger on your shoes.
B: The box of the counterfeit sneaker was made of a weaker, more cost-effective material and was sent to the customer via cheaper shipping methods. Thus, its surface is covered with many dents.
One or two tears and bumps do not prove that we are dealing with a copy, but they can be one of the most striking marks.
It is also important to pay attention to the material of the cardboard and the quality and color of the printed surfaces. Cheaper fakes bleed here, because printing is one of the most difficult steps to reproduce. The deviation of the printed colors, fonts and spaces from the original is clearly visible to the naked eye. If you haven't held a similar box in your hands yet, look for a picture of it.
It is also important to pay attention to the material of the cardboard and the quality and color of the printed surfaces. Cheaper fakes bleed here, because printing is one of the most difficult steps to reproduce. The deviation of the printed colors, fonts and spaces from the original is clearly visible to the naked eye. If you haven't held a similar box in your hands yet, look for a picture of it.
2. THE SIZE LABEL IN THE SHOE AND THE BOX
The materials, seams and joints are partially made by hand, in the number of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pieces, which is why we can even find huge differences between two originals. The size label, on the other hand, is printed, so every pair uses the same style, font and spacing.
(European and American labels may differ.) Because of the prescribed form, we must observe this the best, if we find any discrepancies, we can be sure that we have received a fake. It is also valid here, if there is no benchmark, look for a picture online.
3. THE USE OF MATERIALS AND FORM
The counterfeits published in recent years have come closest to the original in two respects.
However, barely noticeable but important differences can be found on all copies. Therefore, this step is time-consuming and requires some practice. If you hold your first Yeezy or Air Jordan in your hand and compare it to another pair, you may be surprised that there are countless differences between two identical models. The explanation for this, as already mentioned above, is high-volume production. There can be big differences between models manufactured in different years and colors, so it is always advisable to compare with a model of the given color with the same release date or with a video or pictures of it.
If the previous condition is met, we turn the shoe around to check its material use and shape. The leather on the fakes is often shinier, thinner and much harder to the touch than its original counterparts. While on the upper part of a fabric, the pattern of the weaving or the stitching of the joints can primarily catch the eye.
4. THE COLOR
Here, we are not primarily talking about the Yeezy 350 knock-offs with the red "Supereme" label that can be purchased in the Blaha subway, because this article does not take this topic so simply either.
Rather, it's about the small difference in color tone that you might only notice during a comparison. Most of the materials get their color by dipping them in paint, but the length of the process and the composition of the paints are kept secret by the manufacturers. Copiers can only imitate the process, so the shade will not be the same as the original. Important: It cannot be checked with a picture or video, because the screens show a different level.
5. THE SMELL
Yes, you read that right the smell, the least known detail on a shoe is the smell of materials and glue.
While the original also has a strong glue smell, this can be tolerated even when leaning close to the shoe. Due to the use of cheap glue in the copies, the strong aroma is unbearable up close and causes a feeling of suffocation. It can best be compared to the smell of Technokol glue.
5+1 LET'S TRUST PROFESSIONALS
If you want to be the surest, trust someone who is never wrong. We don't do it any other way, that's why we hired Ödön, the former drug detection dog, to our team, who can spot fake sneakers even a street away.
Now you have learned the basics of Legit Check. Browse our site and see what your next sneaker looks like, and if you want to see yours during the sale, scroll down!
