The single biggest fear when buying pre-owned sneakers is ending up with a replica. The good news: fakes almost always slip up somewhere. Here are the checks we run on every pair — and that you can run yourself.
1. Stitching
Authentic sneakers have clean, even, tightly-spaced stitching. Loose threads, crooked lines or uneven spacing are the fastest giveaway of a fake.
2. Materials & weight
Real pairs use quality leather, suede and mesh that feels substantial. Fakes often feel light, plasticky or smell strongly of glue.
3. The box & label
Check the box label against the shoe's tongue tag: the style code (SKU), size and colourway must match exactly. Mismatched codes = replica.
4. Logos & fonts
Compare the logo, font weight and spacing to official product photos. Fakes get kerning and proportions subtly wrong.
5. The SKU / size tag
Inside the tongue, the size tag should be crisply printed and correctly aligned. Blurry text or a skewed tag is a red flag.
6. Soles & treads
Tread patterns should be sharp and symmetrical. Look for clean moulding with no excess rubber or air bubbles.
7. Smell
A strong chemical/glue smell usually means cheap adhesives — common on replicas.
8. Price
If a "brand new grail" is priced far below market, be sceptical. Pre-loved should be fair, not impossibly cheap.
9. Buy from a seller who authenticates
The safest check of all: buy where every pair is inspected. At SecondPair we verify materials, stitching and markings against retail references before anything is listed — and each order ships with an authenticity note. Browse pre-loved Nike, Adidas and Jordan, all inspected.