7 Ways to Spot Fake Designer Shoes ...

The shoes are brand new, they retailed for well over $1000 and somebody is selling them for $200? Now, is it just me or this “fabulous” offer has FAKE written all over it? Think about it, ladies! Would you sell your brand new Louboutins for pennies knowing that you could get a much better deal? I guess not! Manolos, Jimmy Choos, Louboutins and others cost well over 200 bucks and although shopping sales or bidding on eBay could save you a Ben Franklin or two (and maybe even three or four), it’s unreasonable to think you’ll actually get an authentic item for only 10 or 20 percent of its retail price.

Louboutin Beauty pumps never came in chocolate brown and all those photos found on many sites selling fake designer items are actually stolen from net-a-porter and Photoshoped! Alexander McQueen fold over/ zip up booties (yes, the ones with a skull zipper) shouldn’t have fur inserts or crystals so in case you see something like that, rest assured you’re looking at a counterfeit item! In order to know how to spot fake designer shoes you’ll need to carefully study authentic ones and ask for as many detailed photos of the actual item so you could make a comparison.

Although some fake Louboutin shoes are made of real leather you’ll often notice the quality of that leather is not as nearly the same as the one used for crafting authentic items. Low quality leather is rougher and harder to work with which leads to crooked seams, odd, ugly looking wrinkles that shouldn’t be there and, of course, a very bad overall appearance of the shoe itself. Pay attention to these details ladies because they speak a lot about the shoe’s authenticity! Some girls don’t even bother to enlarge the photos and inspect this carefully… you know – if it’s stamped Louboutin (McQueen. Marc Jacobs, Charlotte Olympia… you name it), has box of a Louboutin and looks like Louboutin, then it must indeed be Louboutin! Wrong! If you really want to know how to tell fake designer shoes, you simply must consider this! After all, why on earth would you want to blow 300 to 500 bucks on a poorly crafted shoe when you can get a much better-looking, less expensive pair of shoes that might not be so hot or stamped with such a high profile brand, but turn out to be more comfy (not to mention guaranteed authentic)?

Some eBay sellers try to cover up the fact that they are pushing fakes by selling a “our shoes come directly from the factory” story which is, by the way, a total fiction. Hell, some will even give them a “test drive” and offer them as pre-loved and 100% authentic just so they could justify the absence of all those precious papers which means you’re not safe even if you’re buying the item from “a friend of a friend’s friend”. I’d personally be very suspicious of these offers because, although some ladies don’t really baby their shoes, I seriously doubt they would willingly throw away the receipt for shoes that cost so much! I mean, come on girls, in store repairs don’t exactly come cheap so why would you ditch a piece of paper that could help you get some customer services for free? Now, in case the shoes do have their original package (read box and dustbags), you’ll need to check them out as well as neither one of those should be cheap-looking! Louboutin boxes are actually quite easy to fake so it’s best to ask for a clear shot of the sticker with barcode, price, little black and white photo of the model in question.

I was very close to buying a well made fake myself believing the shoes sold on eBay are authentic Louboutin Pigalle120 pumps. Luckily, I was smart enough to do my research first and that, my ladies, has saved me a lot of money and nerves! So, before you rush to offer the highest bid try to listen to that tiny voice inside of you telling you something feels odd. It might be just a loose or crooked stitch, the fact that those, supposedly brand new Louboutins don’t come with spare heel taps neatly packed inside a small red pouch, the fact that those Vivienne Westwood+Melissa Lady Dragon pumps look messy instead of glossy, have a sickly smell and/or suddenly the size you normally wear isn’t right. Definitely scan the insoles as well because bootleggers rarely get them 100% right and even if they do, they often make a mistake of not centering the leather insole perfectly which makes their overpriced, illegal fakes much easier to spot!

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to say there aren’t any honest, reputable sellers located in China, Singapore or Hong Kong although you should be very careful when buying items that are being shipped from these locations as they are known hotspots for fake designer items. So, if you notice seller is using stock photos, says nothing about the bag being authentic or tries to make some of the previously mentioned “excuses”, take your business elsewhere or try to talk yourself into waiting for the sale. Believe me ladies, those fake things won’t really fool anybody and if you’ve already decided to treat your feet to a pair of extravagant designer shoes why not give yourself a quick course on how to spot fake designer shoes and make sure no additional costs or stress should occur during that wonderful shopping experience!

Did you know that there is a website selling fake Louboutins that looks just like the official one? Yes, ladies! It takes a really careful eye to figure out that it’s not the best place to shop for authentic items even if you know everything there is to know about how to spot fake designer shoes! But, that’s not the only shameless example of exactly how far are some people willing to go just to trick people into buying their items! These crooks are known for using keywords in a way that could make a reckless reader believe the auction is for an authentic item while inspecting the text more carefully reveals the thing you’re bidding on is actually an “inspired” design.

Well, ladies, now you know exactly how to spot fake designer shoes and in case you’re still wondering what’s the big friggin’ deal and why am I so openly against fakes, I’ll remind you of something I like to point out very often – fakes are not only illegal but bad for us, as a society. And, believe me ladies, I mean that in the most positive way which, actually, has nothing to do with brands or fashion. Money from illegal businesses such as these is used to fund illegal organizations! I’ve told you how to spot fake designer shoes, fake Dior and Chanel bags and I hope these tips will help you avoid being tricked into buying an item that has most likely been produced in a factory where(often underage) workers are mistreated beyond any imagination! Did you ever think about that?

Top Photo Credit: we-make-money-not-art