How To Tell the Difference Between a Fake and an Original

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While the big brands are at war with illegal copies, customers still can’t resist the temptation to buy fake products — for less money than the originals,
of course. However, the worst thing is when crooks sell a cheap item for a high price, convincing buyers that it’s original.

We made a list of the 7 most faked brands along with some recommendations on how to avoid being deceived.

Michael Kors bags
© Princessina/itao
The hanging metal logo that defines many styles of Michael Kors bags should match the color of the other metal parts. At least, that’s true for original bags. Besides, you can tell if a product is authentic by the weight of the locks, the chains, the zippers, and so on. Original bags have very high-quality metals, which are quite heavy.

The bags are manufactured in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Turkey. Crooks might tell you that the bag was made in Italy, France, or the US. Don’t believe them.

Since 2015, the company has put a tag with a 10-digit number inside . It can tell you the model number and the shipment number. You can check this code on the official website. There is also a leather tag in an inside pocket that matches the bag’s color.

Louis Vuitton bags
© ioffer.com © louisvuitton
Examine the bag carefully: masters of the brand never sew the bag so that the letters LV are not visible. Other details may, but the letters never disappear.

Take a look inside the bag: the colors inside the pockets, the rings for keys, and other details of the interior must be a perfect match to the color of the bag itself.

All Louis Vuitton bags have a stamp on a leather tag. It has the country of the manufacturer (there are only 5 options: France, Italy, Spain, USA, and Germany). Every bag has a special code of 2 letters and 4 numbers. The letters are another indication of the manufacturing country, which often doesn’t match the country on the outside.

Timberland boots
© ebay © timberland
The manufacturer always attaches a nubuck leather tag to the right boot of a pair of Timberlands. On the original leather tag, there is a logo and the “Guaranteed Waterproof“ inscription. Fake models often have paper tags. It’s also very important to examine the logo itself, which is made by burning the outside part of the boot.

Timberland is an American company, but all its official factories are located in China and the Dominican Republic. Crooks often write ”Made in USA" inscriptions on their products. Be careful: Timberland boots are not manufactured in the USA .

Another feature of original Timberland boots is a unique serial number on every pair. You can use the number to find the pair on the internet and check if it actually exists.

Adidas sneakers
© blog.jiji
Examine the box carefully. All inscriptions should be even and correctly spelled. The serial number on the box must match the number on the inside part of the tongue. The serial numbers on the right and left shoes must be different . If they match, the product is fake. 

The logo on genuine sneakers must be embossed. On fake ones, it’s either glued or just drawn. And examine the lace holes : on many classic models, there are no holes at all, and all fake ones have them. In this case, check the product on the official website. 

A clear sign of a fake product is a tiny triangle of leather on the back of the shoe. There should be no triangle on original models.









Nike sneakers
© Nike
Check the sneakers. If you’ve had Nike sneakers before, compare your new pair to the old one . The style and position of the elements should be pretty much the same. If you notice that some key elements are missing or there is no name of the series, unfortunately, you have bought a fake pair.

Real Nike sneakers are not as bright as fake ones. This is because Nike products are made with
genuine materials . So if you spot some very bright colors, it’s a fake.

Examine the SKU number. The number on the sneakers themselves must match the number on the box. Fake sneakers almost never have matching numbers.

iPhone
© deposithotos
The safest way to avoid buying a fake product is to check the serial number on the Apple website. In order to check it, you need to find the serial number in the settings. You need to make sure that it matches the number on the SIM card slot and the box. Then enter the code in the field on this website . If the product is genuine, the website will give you information about the model, how much warranty is left, and other important information.

Another method of checking if an Apple product is original is iTunes synchronization . The program automatically sees the connected device, shows all the information about it, and can quickly detect a fake product. So when you are going to meet a seller, just take a laptop with you with iTunes installed and internet access.

                        What is Apple's Photonic Engine?

Beats headphones
© doctorhead
Original boxes have a serial number printed on the sticker, which is located on the bottom of every box. Fakes don’t have stickers, and the number is usually just printed on the box itself.

The description on original boxes is in 5 languages : English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. If there are more or less, it’s definitely a fake.

On the headphones, there should be the name of the brand: Beats. It must be on both the headphones and the wire, and it must be engraved and easily read. Fake products often have a cheap inscription or don’t have one at all.





Preview photo credit Nike

Source: brightside.me

Have you ever bought a fake product? How did you find out about it later? Tell us your stories in the comment section below!

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