How to Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake

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Vans shoes aren’t that cheap, so you don’t want to waste your money on anything less than the real article. You should closely inspect everything from the packaging to the logo to the shoe design. If possible, compare the shoes to a pair that you know are real.

Things You Should Know

Use a barcode scanning app to scan the barcode on the Vans box. Make sure the product that comes up matches the shoe you’re looking at.
Look for a dark, well-made logo printed on the insole of the shoe. The shoes might be fake if the insole logo looks faded or irregular.
Examine the quality of the shoe. Real Vans have tight, even stitching and firm laces.

Method 1 of 3:

Checking the Packaging

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 1

To scan a barcode with your phone, go to the app store that corresponds with your phone. Search for barcode reader apps. Some reliable programs include ShopSavvy and ScanLife. When you are ready to scan a barcode, open the app and use the camera on your phone to run it. [1] X Research source
If there is no label, the shoes are fake. [2] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 2

Check the price. Vans are almost always at least $40 per pair. If someone is selling new Vans for less than that, they are likely fake. [3] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 3

Check for package paper. There should be paper inside the box to protect the shoes from getting scuffed up. If there is no paper, the shoes are likely fake. [4] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 4

Cheap imitations often have no locking mechanism. The top will drape over the bottom of the box, with nothing holding it in place. [5] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 5

Compare paper tags. Each pair of Vans shoes should come with a paper tag tied on to it, sporting the company logo. If you have a real pair on hand, compare the size and font of the paper tags. Fake Vans will often have bigger paper tags. [6] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 6

Check out reviews for the dealer. Look up the dealer’s name or business online. See if reviews for the dealer are positive. Be sure that the dealer has published their contact information. If they are unwilling to share their phone number or physical address, they might be fake.

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Method 2 of 3:

Checking the Trademark

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 7

Look for three trademarks. There should be a trademark made of paper on the side of the shoe. There should be another, printed on the plastic on the back of the shoe. There should be one last trademark on the insole.

Checking for Shoe Quality

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 10

The three letter country code should correspond to a code on the sticker on the inside of the box.

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 11

Examine the stitching. Real Vans have tight, even stitching. If there is double stitching, with two stiches in one hole, then the shoes are likely not real. Similarly, if any of the stitching patterns are not straight or the holes are at irregular distances, the shoes are likely fake. [9] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 12

Feel for firm laces. The laces on the shoes should be firm to the touch. Fake shoes will often have very soft laces. [10] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 13

There should also be a slight gap between the rubber collar and the cloth of the shoe. That gap will be composed of a small layer of smooth plastic, like that around the rest of the shoe. On many fake Vans, the rubber collar will extend all the way to the cloth, with no gap. [11] X Research source
Compare the rubber collar to a pair that you know is real. The texture should be similar.

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 14

Check for a red piece of cloth on the inside heel. On the inside heel, there should be a little piece of red cloth. It will be at the very top of the heel, but will not extend more than half an inch past the top of the heel. [12] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 15

Check the angle of the toes. The shoes should bend up slightly, so that the toes face up. If the bottom on the shoes is flat, the shoes are likely fake. [13] X Research source

Image titled Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake Step 16

Check that the toes bend. The toes should be bendable. You should be able to press on the heel and the toe, so that the back and front of the shoe touch. If the shoes are stiff, they’re fake. [14] X Research source

Community Q&A

My Vans do not have a trademark on side of the shoes. Are they fake?
Community Answer

My vans (the original black and white high tops) don’t have a Vans tag on the side either and I got them from and actual Vans store, so really it depends on the type of shoe you have.

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See also Emma Roberts Feet

Does the Vans label on the back of the shoe need to be red to be authentic?
Community Answer

No. Most Vans have red labels, but others don’t. Also, many Vans collaborations do not have red labels on the heel.

There is a flea market in my town and there is a vendor sells Vans and Converse for $30 but they are in their original boxes. So are they fake or real?

Community Answer

It is possible that they are used. Check the shoes themselves to see if they have the distinctive patter on the bottom, if the bend, and if the logo on the inside is clear.

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Look up pictures of real Vans online, or go to the shoes’ website and see if the ones they are selling match yours.

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Consider where you got the shoes. If they were bought at a Vans store or an authorized retailer, they’ll be real. However, if you bought them at a yard sale, flea market, or from a street vendor, that is grounds to be suspicious.

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Compare the shoes with a pair from an actual Vans store.
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Real Vans

How to Tell if Your Vans Shoes Are Fake

Checking the Packaging

Checking the Trademark

Checking for Shoe Quality

Community Q&A

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