Information on Fake Shoes like the Nike Air Jordan XI and other Jordan shoes

This page is here to hopefully help you from getting ripped off by people selling fakes. To sum it up, fakes are HORRIBLE in so many different ways. Not only are they NOT made with the same quality and materials that authentic Nikes are made with, they are also ILLEGAL. Some are worse than others as far as quality and construction goes. If you purposely buy fakes, stop! Not only are you showing your support for counterfeit merchandise but you'd be lucky if you even receive anything at all! Many of those sites quickly throw together a website, take your money, and run. Ok, so here's a quick rundown for those of you who don't already know all of this:
For those that do, Click Here to go straight to the "Tips" section or Click Here to look at a detailed pictures outlining the difference between fake and authentic Jordan XI's.
Can you explain more about fake shoes?
There are many names for them and here are some I've heard: Variants (most popular), Customs, Samples (authentic sample shoes only come in a size 9 for men's, 7 for women's, and 3.5 for kids), and Cosmetics. They are illegal to produce or export because among other things, they infringe upon copyright laws. Long story short, very CHEAP imitations that could fall apart in as little as a few days.
So, how do they do it?
From what I've heard (anyone can correct me if I'm wrong) someone working in the Nike factory steals the molding for a certain shoe and sells it to another random factory who then start using the molding to make the same shoe in mass amounts. The main difference is that they don't use the same high quality material that Nike does so it never turns out the same.
What do they cost the people who buy wholesale to sell them?
Depending on who you deal with and how many are purchased, they can be bought for as little as $20 a pair! In my opinion, they aren't even worth that much. Plus the trouble of actually importing them to the US (customs is hard to get by) and actually getting what you pay for are among other added worries.
What's the difference between fakes and authentics?
There are many differences and those vary dependant on the shoe and the factory they were made in. I have a friend who got ripped off on eBay because he thought he was buying real Jordan XI's. (Not to say every deal on eBay goes sour but you have to be cautious). I took that pair and compared it to a pair of real Jordan XI's and the difference between those were pretty obvious. To see those pics, click here. First, it's the size. They don't run true to size, they run about half-a whole size smaller. Second, the patent leather material we all love is not really patent leather. The fit isn't the same, these were much narrower than the real XI's. The sole barely had any traction. And they didn't have that intoxicating smell of a fresh pair of XI's (most of you know what I'm talking about!), they had a strong stench of rubber glue.
How can I be sure I'm not buying fake shoes?
Be very cautious who you purchase from and don't be afraid to ask questions from the seller. Below are a few tips on how to look for signs that a person or website is selling fakes:

Website Tips	eBay Tips
1) READ THE POLICY! Many (but not all) of the websites that sell fakes do in fact state that in their policy. If it reads something like "...shoes are factory variants/custom/replicas/factory samples, etc." that means they are fakes. But beware of those stating they are authentic when they're really not, read on below...	The eBay tips will be a little shorter as many of the website tips can pertain to eBay as well.
2) Check the sizes. It'll usually be something like sizes 8 or 7-12 or 13 with no half sizes. Also, if they say the larger sizes run half-whole size smaller, that means they're fake. Authentic Nike shoes run true to size. Some sites will purposely put half sizes to make them look authentic, so, this isn't a major factor.	1) Check the Feedback. There have been times where I've come close to placing a bid with someone who's got 200+ positive feedback. But as soon as I click the link to see where that feedback came from, I see it's from purchases and not sales.
3) Check the sizes again! If you think it's too good to be true that there's a full size run of a certain rare pair of shoes, it probably is. Rare, popular shoes that are no longer in production are hard enough to find in any size, much less every size.	2) Check the Feedback again! Make sure it's not something like 0 or 1. Many sellers who sell fakes get their accounts suspended and when they do they just open up a new one under a different seller name.
4) Check the price. If you think a site selling a pair of Jordan IV's for $150 is trying to save you money, They're NOT. What they are really trying to do is rip you off. If you are not familiar with the current market price of a certain pair, do some research and check sites like eBay and other similar websites to get a rough estimate.	3) Try to call the seller. If you're unsure about a product they are selling, get their phone number through eBay and give them a call. If they provide eBay with a fake number they could just as well be trying to sell you fake shoes.
5) Check their stock. A full size run in every pair of Jordans and Air Max shoes ever made is a pretty good indicator that they are fakes. Also, if you see a colorway of a certain shoe that you've never seen before, that can also be a good indicator. There are so many colors that the Jordan XI's have been counterfeited in, some with "Gucci" fabric, some that are grey and black, red white and blue, and so on. Fake.	4) Be wary of private auctions. Some sellers have built a reputation for selling fake shoes or other eBayers simply may know that a certain shoe is fake when you might not. But if you're placing a bid on a private auction, you're identity is kept hidden and therefore there is no way of other eBayers to warn you.
6) See where they are shipping from. Most sites say that they ship their shoes from Hong Kong and/or China via EMS and state that it will take from 7-14 days for you to get your order. That means that you are also stuck with any possible customs fees.	5) If you see a seller who is selling fakes, contact eBay! They will do all they can to shut down the auction and warn and/or suspend the seller of that auction. If you are a victim of a fraudulent transaction, contact eBay as they can probably do more than you think. Help others and help yourself.
7) Check the quantity. If a site is offering wholesale on Jordans for example with a minimum order of say 200 pairs, don't fall for it. I've heard of a few people who have and lost a LOT of money when at first they thought they were going to make money. As heartbreaking as it may seem, (trust me, I feel your pain too) it's simply not possible to buy over 200 pairs of a full size run of Jordan IV's for only $75 a piece.	6) Check the box. Be wary of sellers who are selling a pair of shoes that don't come with a box, especially international sellers (from Hong Kong, China, Canada, etc.) Many factory variants don't come with a box at all. This isn't the case for all fake shoes though, the producers of fakes have caught on and many factory variants now do come with a box and some with even a fake retro card!
8) Check their pictures. Many sites who carry fake shoes don't really carry them at all, they have a company drop ship them from Hong Kong/China. It makes it a little hard to take pictures of shoes they don't actually have so they have to steal the pictures from other sites and/or auctions. Basically, the pictures are not consistent and it looks obvious that each picture was taken from a different site and/or auction and that they did not actually take the pictures.
9) Check the pictures again! Most sites that carry fakes only provide one angle of the shoe as opposed to most sites who carry authentic shoes provide multiple angles and multiple pictures of the same shoe.
10) If you are a victim of a fraudulent transaction from a website, contact the IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) at www.ifccfbi.gov to file a complaint. One of the worse things you can do in such a situation is nothing.

I hope that this information will prove helpful to those of you who read it. If you have read all of the above information and are still having doubts about a website or auction, Contact Us and we will do all that we can to help point you in the right direction. If there's anything you feel we should add, let us know.