13 Details Worth Noting When You’re Trying to Tell an Authentic Product From a Fake

When buying a branded item, many customers are guided solely by the item number — if it’s on the brand’s official website, then it must be authentic. However, this doesn’t always work, as serial numbers are often freely available.

Here at CHEERY, we decided to find out what tricks can help you accurately distinguish between a famous brand and a replica.

Gucci bags

The famous GG print hides a little secret that counterfeiters often forget. There should be 2 dots clearly visible between the logos as if they were a chain linking the parts of the design. If there are more dots, or if they’re not separate, but rather joined together to form a line, you’ve probably got a counterfeit product.

Nike Air Jordan sneakers

To avoid running into fake Jordans, pay attention to the logo of the jumping man on the tongue of the shoe and on the box. There should be four fingers on his free hand with the thumb pointing towards his body. Moreover, there are also tongues on his trainers. Counterfeit makers don’t usually pay attention to these little details.

Tangle Teezer hair brush

A genuine Tangle Teezer can generally be distinguished from a fake one only by touching it. The fake hair brushes are usually lighter, made with a harder, less flexible material and, unlike the original, don’t follow the shape of your head. The same goes for the bristles, which are often too stiff, tearing the hair and scratching the skin.

The Apple Watch

Fake smartwatches usually have a rather wide bezel around the screen. On a real Apple Watch, the sensors take up almost the entire screen. So, if you notice a bezel that’s a different color from the main screen, it’s probably a purchase you shouldn’t make.

Louis Vuitton bags

You can tell the difference between the original and the fake by looking at the color and the pattern. A genuine Louis Vuitton bag should have details that blend well together in a uniform brown color scheme, without going into grays or an off-yellow.

The pattern should consist of the famous logo with the letters LV and the 4-leaf clovers. A different number of petals (for example, five, as in the photo on the right) gives away that it’s a fake.

Balenciaga Triple S sneakers

The sole of the Triple S trainers is made up of many parts, and these are often the ones that give away the fakes. It’s not just the fact that manufacturers of fakes leave traces of glue between the elements. It’s worth paying attention to the material they’re made of. The originals have matte detail, with no shine, unlike the fakes.

Lacoste shirts

When choosing a polo shirt from Lacoste, it’s worth looking at more than just the crocodile logo. Since 2018, the brand has been releasing products with different animals that are on the verge of extinction. They’re all done in green embroidery, just like the original logo.

Particular attention should be paid to the buttons. They must have 2 button holes, positioned vertically. A version with more holes is probably counterfeit.

Canada Goose coats

The original Canada Goose coats have buttons in a matte dark gray color and the brand name is neatly engraved on them. The fakes often have light gray, or even shiny white buttons, which are usually painted, and look sloppy.

Timberland shoes

Genuine Timberlands can be distinguished from fake ones by the quality of the suede. If you run your finger over the shoe, it should leave behind dark traces on the material. This is the brand’s unique manufacturing technique. Counterfeit manufacturers usually use a different material that doesn’t leave a mark.

Burberry scarves

Reproducing Burberry’s famous print is no easy task for counterfeiters. To tell the difference between the fake and the original, look at the edges of the stripes. A real scarf has soft but clean lines, whereas the fake one looks like there are loose threads between the stripes, which makes the scarf look untidy.

Supreme hoodies

One of the surest ways to tell if a Supreme hoodie is authentic is to look at the laces. As it turns out, there are strict rules — they have to be flat and no lower than the top of the logo on the chest. If you come across a version with round, overly long laces, it’s probably a counterfeit.

Chanel shoes

The first thing to look out for is the edging. On genuine Chanel shoes, it is soft, while fakes usually have a ribbed one, which not only cheapens the model visually but can also be uncomfortable.

It’s also worth taking a look inside — a real pair will have insoles that almost seem to be “soldered” into the shoe, whereas a fake one will usually have removable ones.

AirPods

Pay attention to the bottom of each earphone — this is where the wireless charging takes place, and it’s the most vulnerable part in fakes. Genuine Apple models have a white tip with a silver border or a thin silver tip with white streaks. Thick silver ends, on the other hand, can give away a counterfeit.

What tricks do you have for telling an authentic product from a fake?