If you’re in the market for a new pair of Nike sneakers, it’s important to know how to spot counterfeit Nike shoes right away. There are a lot of scams out there, and it’s not worth wasting your money on a counterfeit product. In this guide, we’ll show you how to tell if a pair of Nike shoes is real or fake.
Nike shoes are some of the most popular on the market, which also makes them prime targets for counterfeiters. It’s estimated that there are tens of millions of fake Nike shoes in circulation, and if you’re not careful, it’s all too easy to get taken advantage of by one of these fake products.
In 2018, U.S. authorities seized over $470 million worth of fake Nike products. That’s a lot of fake Nikes! So, how can you tell if a pair of Nike sneakers is the real deal?
The good news is we’re here to help you learn how to spot fake Nike shoes right away.
Not everyone is experienced when it comes to differentiating real Nike shoes and fake Nike shoes, and being unfamiliar with this may cost you your time and money. So you should learn this skill now than regret your purchase later.
The good thing is that you can easily master the ways how to tell if the Nike shoes you’re planning to buy are authentic or fake, and we’re going to explain everything you need to know about this.
How To Spot Fake Nike Shoes
Doing a thorough visual inspection on your soon-to-be new sneakers is the best way you can tell if those Nike shoes are fake or not.
If you know what to look for, then it won’t be that difficult to differentiate a pair of fake Nike sneakers from the real ones.
Midsole and Outsole
First, you should look at the soles of your shoes, specifically the midsole and the outsole.
The midsole of most Nike shoes is glued, and rarely are they stitched. Also, the easiest way to tell if Nike shoes are fake or not is if there are visible dots on the midsole. Having those dots are a clear indication that the sneakers did not go through a rigorous quality check.
The outsoles of Nike shoes are often made with high-quality rubber that’s also lightweight.
Fake Nike sneakers use low-quality rubber that often feels off and weighs more than authentic Nike sneakers.
Glue Stains
Even though your Nike shoes’ midsoles are glued and not stitched, it won’t automatically qualify them as an original pair.
You should check for glue stains on your Nike’s insole and midsole. Most fake Nike shoes have excessive glue stains that clearly show a substandard manufacturing process.
Check Both Shoes
Nike shoes are made to be almost identical for both its right shoe and left shoe.
The only significant difference between them is the way they are pointing to.
The height of both the right shoe and left shoe should be similar. The same can be said for its shape and weight.
Unless they were advertised to be different, any major difference between them can only mean that the Nike shoes are fake.
This applies to other sneaker brands too, you can spot fake Adidas shoes by doing this specific step.
Heel Tabs
This does not apply to all Nike shoes, but can be a good indication if your Nike shoes have them.
Heel tabs should not look like they were incorrectly stitched since Nike will not release them if they see that the tabs do not look right.
Clear Signs Those Nike Sneakers Online Are Fake
If you often look for convenience whenever you make your sneaker purchases, then you may be already looking for your next Nike shoes online.
Unfortunately, the Internet is the place where you can see fake Nike shoes available for sale.
To help you avoid buying imitations or knock-offs, watch for some of these obvious signs.
Price Is Too Good To Be True
A clear sign that an online store is selling fake Nike sneakers is if their prices seem unbelievable. Similar to other products sold online, a price that is too good to be true is often for fake products, replicas, imitations, or knock-offs.
A pair of Nike shoes can cost anywhere from $60 up to a couple of hundred dollars. If a website selling Nike shoes is selling them for a meager 20 bucks, then it might not be the best place to get your new pair of Nike.
We can only think of two reasons they would sell that low. It’s either they are selling you used Nike shoes or they are obviously selling you fake Nike shoes.
Also, checking the website for other shoes they sell can be a good way to tell if they can be trusted or not. Here’s a great example of an online store selling fake Nike sneakers at very affordable prices.
Copied Photos
One way to tell if a sneaker website is selling you fake Nike shoes or not is if they are using the actual photo of the shoes on their product page.
There’s a good chance that the picture you are seeing on their online store is from the manufacturer of the shoes. And they just copied the photo from their website.
If you’re planning to buy from them, you can request that they can take a picture of the actual Nike shoes that they are selling.
Asking the seller to take a selfie with the shoes can easily prove that he has Nike sneakers with him. If the seller doesn’t agree to take a selfie, asking him or her to place a piece of paper with your name on it on top of the Nike shoes can work as well.
No Reviews / Less Reach
There are thousands of online sneaker shops where you can buy shoes. Especially if you’re looking for Nike shoes, most online sneaker stores would have them in their inventory.
The bad thing about having that many stores is we don’t know for sure if they are selling authentic Nike shoes or fake ones.
That is why we only advise you to get your shoes from trusted and known online sneaker stores. Although, we don’t discourage anyone from supporting startups in the shoe business. Just be wary of those with little to no reviews from their previous customers.
Negative feedback with at least one of the following words on it: fake, rip-off, replica, knock-off, or imitation, is a clear sign to not buy from that online store.
Tip: Check out the Nike Official Store if the pair you want is available before checking other websites
How To Tell If Nike Shoes Are Fake Or Not
If for some good reason, you end up with a pair of Nike shoes you’re uncertain with. And you’ve been wondering whether they are authentic or not. Then doing these steps should tell you if your sneakers are fake or real.
Check the box
The box of your Nike shoes can easily tell if you received fake ones or not. Nike shoe boxes always come with proper labels and tags.
If a tag or label looks suspicious or wrong, then it could be an indicator that you’ve bought a replica or imitation.
If you’ve received your Nike sneakers without a box, then you should start looking for ways how you can return your recently bought shoes. The only possible reason why your Nike shoes did not come with a box is it’s not a brand new pair and the owner misplaced their box.
Also, Nike sneakers don’t always come with orange boxes, depending on your shoes, they may come with a red box or a brown box.
Get a good feel of your Nike shoes
Since you already have your new Nike sneakers with you, it would be best to try them on first.
Fake Nike shoes are usually smaller than the original ones, and they feel narrow when you wear them. Most Nike imitations are heavier than authentic Nike shoes since they are not using the same quality and lightweight materials that Nike is using.
If you’ve experienced any of those, then we don’t like the chances that you have an authentic pair of Nike sneakers.
Check the tags
This could be the first step or the only step for this guide, but for the sake of having other proof to check the authenticity of your new Nike shoes, we decided to make this the final step.
The tag inside your Nike shoes which is usually located inside of your shoes tells you the following information: the country where it was made, its product number or code, your shoe size in different sizing systems, and the date range of when your Nike sneakers were manufactured.
The product number you’ll see should be the same on the box. Also, a simple Google search using the search term “Nike + your product code” can tell you if you have an authentic pair of Nike shoes or fake ones.
If the result of your search shows you a single pair of Nike shoes with only one color, then congratulations, you have original Nike shoes.
If it shows you several different shoes with a variety of colors, then it’s a clear indication that you have a pair of fake Nike shoes.
Check for irregularities in the stitching
Another way to spot a fake Nike shoe is to check for irregularities in stitching—particularly around areas like the toe box or swoosh logo. On authentic shoes, stitches are always straight with even spacing between them.
If you notice that stitches are crooked or placed too close together, you’re likely looking at a counterfeit product. In addition, genuine Nike shoes will never have loose threads hanging from them anywhere.
Verdict: Authentic or Fake Nike Shoes?
After doing those steps, you should be able to tell if your new Nike shoes are fake or authentic. No need to consult an expert. You can do it all by yourself, you just have to follow our guide here.
Nike Authentication Checklist
Now that you know how to tell if Nike shoes are fake or not, no fake sellers should be able to victimize you into buying counterfeit shoes.
How To Spot Fake Nike Shoes Checklist
| Questions | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Are the Nike shoes priced correctly? | ||
| Is there a difference between the tag inside the shoes and the one on the box? | ||
| Is the product posted on a reputable website? | ||
| Can I see the actual pictures of the Nike sneakers? | ||
| Are there any evident defects? |
Any “No” answer requires further investigation to determine if the Nike shoes are real or fake.
Solution: Buy Nike Shoes From Trusted Sellers
Tired of buying fake Nike shoes?
It might be the best time to get to know our favorite sellers that only sell 100% authentic Nike sneakers.
No imitations. Just original Nike shoes.
If you’ve been looking for the best websites to get authentic Nike shoes, here are our top recommendations:
Fake Nike Shoes FAQs
With so many fake Nike shoes in circulation, it’s more important than ever to know how to spot one before making your purchase. Here are some of the most common questions asked by those looking to buy new Nike shoes soon.
What’s the easiest way to tell if Nike shoes are fake or real?
The easiest way to tell if Nike shoes are fake or not is by looking at their tag. A simple Google search using the shoes’ product code or number can tell you if the Nike shoes are authentic or fake.
How do you know if Nike shoes are original without seeing them personally?
The best way to verify if the Nike shoes you want to buy online are original is by asking the seller to take an actual picture of both the Nike shoes and their box.
If you can validate that they have the same information on the shoes and the box, then all you have to do is search for your Nike shoes on Google using the shoes’ product code.
Again, if it only shows you one pair of Nike shoes with a single color, then it’s 100% authentic.
If it shows you a variety of Nike shoes with different colors, then it means they’re fake.
Can I return fake Nike sneakers?
Sellers of fake Nike shoes can make it hard for buyers to return their already purchased pair. And there is no assurance that they will give you your money back, or they can send you the original Nike shoes the next time.
A great way to avoid this type of inconvenience is by verifying first if the shoes you are about to buy are authentic before paying for them.
Tip: We strongly advise you to use Paypal if you’re purchasing your Nike sneakers online. Paypal usually withholds the payment you made, so it would be easier for you to make a dispute if you were sold a fake pair of Nikes. And no, we’re not affiliated with them.
Are Nike shoes that are made in China fake?
Nike has more than a hundred factories in China, according to its Manufacturing Map, which helps it manufacture hundreds of thousands of shoes per year.
A pair of Nike shoes indicating that they were made in China is not a good way to tell if the sneakers are fake or not.
Nevertheless, China is also the place where most fake sneakers are made, so we can understand if you’re being cautious because of this.