First off, and this might sound obvious, but where are you buying them from? If you’re snagging them off some sketchy website that looks like it was designed in 1998, and they’re selling for like, a tenth of the retail price? Red flags, people. HUGE, waving red flags. Authorized retailers are your friends. Period. Even reputable resale sites are safer, but still, gotta be vigilant.
Then there’s the whole detail thing. Now, I’m no expert, but I’ve seen enough fakes in my time to know a few telltale signs. Stitching is a big one. Real Balenciagas, the stitching is, like, meticulous. Like, someone spent serious time making sure it was perfect. Fake ones? Often sloppy. Loose threads, uneven lines, the whole nine yards. They just… look cheap.
And the leather! Oh, the leather. Real Arena shoes, that leather is *supposed* to be luxurious. Supple, smooth, high-quality. Fakes often use some cheap, plasticky stuff that feels like it’ll crack if you even look at it wrong. Run your fingers over it! Does it feel like you’re touching a cloud, or a garbage bag? (Okay, maybe not *that* bad, but you get my drift, right?)
Branding is another key area to investigate. The Balenciaga logo should be crisp and clear. Not blurry, not crooked, not like it was printed on by a kindergartener. Also, check the font. Believe it or not, counterfeiters mess up fonts all the time. Compare it to pictures of authentic shoes online. Tiny differences can be dead giveaways. I saw one once where the “a” in Balenciaga was, like, slightly tilted? Hilarious.
And speaking of online pictures, that brings me to my next point. Do your freakin’ homework! Before you even *think* about buying a pair, scour the internet for legit pictures of the exact style and colorway you want. Look at every angle, every detail. That way, when you see the shoes in person (or in pictures online), you have a baseline to compare them to.
Another thing – and this is more of a gut feeling thing – is the overall quality. Real Balenciagas have a certain… weight to them. They feel substantial. Fakes often feel flimsy and lightweight, like they’re about to fall apart.
Oh, and don’t forget the authenticity card! Real ones come with a card (or sometimes multiple cards) that prove their authenticity. But even then, don’t rely solely on the card. Fake cards are a thing too. I’ve seen some that looked like they were printed on a home printer. It’s a mess out there, for real.
