Company New Balance, which launched its production back in 1906, is today one of the leaders in creating high-quality and functional shoes. Bright and original sneakers attract the attention of both young girls and boys, as well as older people.
You can purchase original shoes from New Balance in online stores. An excellent choice in this case would be the site https://www.sneakers.net.ua/.
Distinctive features
Recently, quite often, various unknown manufacturers counterfeit shoes from well-known world brands. Many people do not care about this, but are only happy because they can get a product with a popular logo at a low cost.
But it is worth understanding that in appearance such options differ significantly from the original New Balance, and this is almost always visible to the naked eye.
If you decide to buy real shoes, but identifying a fake is not an easy task for you, you need to familiarize yourself with some features.
There are many distinctive qualities that are worth paying attention to:
- seams. In real shoes, the stitching is always even and neat, the threads do not stick out;
- presence of glue. This feature is typical for fakes, and marks are always visible on the surface;
- label. It is located on the inside of the tongue, and allows you to familiarize yourself with all the useful information.
When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the logo sewn on the outside. On the original models, this element is carefully and accurately drawn, and never departs from the material.
An important point is the insole. High-quality dense materials are used to sew it, ensuring comfort and convenience while wearing.
Particular attention should be paid to the soles of shoes. In original sneakers, it always has softness and increased shock absorption properties.
There are several more nuances that allow you to distinguish original shoes from fakes. When purchasing, pay attention to:
- box. The logo is always drawn on it and detailed information about the product is posted;
- manufacturer country. It is worth noting that New Balance has factories in Vietnam and China, so there is no need to immediately consider the shoes as a fake;
- price. Original shoes always have a higher price.
If you decide to replenish your wardrobe with sneakers from New Balance, it is best to go shopping at the company store. Also, the product can be purchased on the official website of the company representative.
Nowadays it’s very easy to stumble upon a fake, but you don’t want to. Of course, good sneakers will cost accordingly, so many focus on price, but this is also not entirely correct, because there may be a large number of high-quality fakes for a high price, but they will not last more than half a year, at best one year.
Cardboard box
High-quality, original New Balance sneakers are packaged in a durable box with the brand logo on the top and side of the lid. Carefully and immediately check the box for any inconsistencies or errors in brand logos, font alignment, spelling, as well as imprint and overall quality of paint application. It is also worth taking into account that original shoe boxes may contain counterfeit shoes.
Label on the box
On original sneakers and boxes, the label is located on one side only and contains information about the model name, size, color code and barcode. Important! Check that the barcode number matches the number under the tab.
Insole
The original New Balance logo is always found on the insole. Unfortunately, it wears out quickly, so used sneakers may not have it. You just need to make sure that the logo and font matches the official brand logo.
Tongue
Next, make sure that all product information located under the tongue of the shoe matches the information on the box. The long serial number on the tongue must match the long serial number on the box below the barcode.
Sole
The official New Balance (NB) logo must appear on the sole at the heel. Also make sure that there is a small registered trademark circle (R) next to the logo and that the finish on the logo is clean.
True, all this is a very superficial analysis of sneakers, how to distinguish an original from a fake, but these are some of the most important qualities. Nowadays, fakes are made so perfectly that it is very difficult to distinguish them from the outside; the most important thing is to pay attention to how well the inscriptions, logo, and other things are made.
The Village spoke to experts to find out how you can tell the difference original item from counterfeits using the example of the Celine Trapeze bag, Timberland boots and New Balance sneakers.
- Tanya Reshetnik October 16, 2013
- 88578
- 88
Bypassing official distributors and buying an item on the Internet for a price several times lower than the real one is a sure chance of getting a fake for the money. A truly high-quality item from a well-known brand cannot be cheap, and something that is not very expensive is not very expensive, so it will hardly cost a penny. To find out how to distinguish a fake of a particular brand, The Village turned to experts and studied three items from different price segments.
Celine Trapeze
Phoebe Philo, creative director Celine formulates the main principle of the brand as follows: “Beauty plus intelligence.” Proof of this is the Trapeze bag, which has become a Celine bestseller over the past few years. The model received its name for its unconventional trapezoidal shape. Another interesting solution designer - a combination of leather and suede.
Each season the bag comes in different shades, from solid pastels to three-color combinations. The material also changes: it can be crocodile leather, pony hair, felt, fur, suede.
Where do they sell it?
The cost of an original bag in Moscow is from 100 thousand rubles, and there are practically no discounts on this model. Prices in dubious online stores with the obligatory words outlet and super sale in their names start at $200. Naturally, such a bag will be made from cheap artificial materials, and uneven stitching will immediately give it away as a fake. Expensive replicas are more difficult to distinguish, so it is better not to try to save money and buy only from official distributors.
Tatiana
TSUM consultant
Most Celine models use soft leather, even if it appears textured or rough. Therefore, you must definitely hold the bag in your hands and try the material by touch.
Also, the outline of the bag should not deform or collapse under the weight of the contents, be it a cosmetic bag or a volume of the Soviet Encyclopedia.
Before buying online, you should study the desired model on the official website of the brand and try to remember all the details: the shape of the zipper, rivets and other little things that most often look sloppy in fakes.
Original parts do not fade over time, and the coating on the metal does not come off. The bag must be accompanied by a receipt and official documentation.
Timberland boots
Classic Timberland boots, appearance which have not changed over the past 30 years, have gained such popularity due to their convenience and practicality. The shoes keep your feet warm even in extreme cold, does not suffer from reagents, is waterproof, durable and fits almost everything. Now the brand produces many models, but high red boots are considered classic. They are presented at the British Design Museum as an example of manufacturability.
Where do they sell it?
You can buy shoes in one of the official Timberland stores in Moscow, where the price for a classic men's model is 10 thousand rubles. The popularity and laconic design of boots has become the reason for frequent counterfeits, so you should not trust stores that offer huge discounts and prices lower than the official ones. It is also worth paying attention to the number printed on the tongue of all Timberland shoe models. Any other markings or their complete absence is a sure sign that the boots are not real.
Dmitriy
consultant
Timberland
When checking the originality of classic Timberland boots, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the box in which they are packaged. Timberland shoe boxes are made from recycled materials and feature the brand's logo on the lid and side. In addition, a sticker indicating the size, model and color should be affixed to one of the corners of the box.
The shoe itself should have the Timberland logo on the side and on the sole. The registered trademark symbol ® must always be present next to the tree icon. This model is made of soft leather. As for lacing, the classic male model has seven holes, women's - six. The laces should be yellow-burgundy.
The sole of the original boots cannot be too hard; the foot should be comfortable.
New Balance sneakers
The history of New Balance began in 1906 in the USA in the city of Belmont, where the English emigrant William Riley developed a special instep support that creates support for the heel of the foot on three points. This technology brought him recognition, and the company received its first official name - New Balance Arch Company.
Now New Balance is the fourth largest sports shoe company in the world. Unlike competitors who produce sneakers exclusively in Southeast Asia, New Balance remains the only company that continues to develop production at its own factories in the USA and England.
Where do they sell it?
Prices for New Balance from official representatives in Moscow start from 5 thousand rubles. But we must remember that the cost of the models depends on the country of production: the sneakers included in the New Balance budget line will be “Asian assembled”, but also original.
Most often, the fake copies the color scheme and shape, but the materials used are completely different both in the main part and in the insert at the lacing point. The original New Balance is made of nylon and natural suede, which is replaced in copies with cheaper material. The sole is characterized by slight springiness and good fixation of the foot.
Maria Gruzdeva
PR Manager FOTT
You always need to look at the quality of the material. Feel free to look at the sneaker, twirl it or, ultimately, smell it if it helps you determine whether it is leather or leatherette. Don't try to save money. Good things are worth the money. In general, as Pushkin’s character says: “You, priest, should not chase after cheapness.” Make sure that the familiar letter N on the sneaker is depicted correctly. “And” - as you understand, is an obvious fake. Buy from reputable stores that you trust.
On many models, the New Balance logo appears under ultraviolet light on labels affixed to the inside of the tongue where the model, size and barcode are indicated. All information indicated on the tongue of the sneakers must be duplicated on the shoe box.
Do not be afraid of the Made in China inscription, this is not evidence of counterfeiting. Some New Balance models, such as the 710 and 574, are made in China and cost less than those made in the UK and US. There are no significant external differences between them.
One of the oldest successful American sports shoe companies is New Balance. This company was founded back in 1906.
Fans of high quality and comfort choose New Balance. This brand was the favorite shoes of the genius of our time, Steve Jobs.
Like all such well-known manufacturers, New Balance has many fakes. The brand found a way out of this situation. Each of us can now check sneakers for authenticity at home. This requires ultraviolet light. Shine such a flashlight on the label on the inside of the tongue - the New Balance logo will be visible in the original. The only exceptions are models made in the UK.
But there are other features by which you can distinguish a fake pair of shoes.
The main differences between the original shoes
Real sneakers must be packaged in a branded box. The brand logo is applied without errors, evenly, on the top and side of the box.
There must be a label with all the information about the product:
- barcode;
- model name;
- size;
- color code.
The barcode must match the code on the inside of the tongue.
Now look at the sneakers themselves. The most important thing is that a model of exactly this color should be presented on the manufacturer’s official website.
Pay attention to the quality of seams, suede and fabric. Crooked seams, glue drips, threads that have come out - all this simply “screams” of a fake. The color should be uniform and without streaks. The photo below shows typical differences that are found in almost all counterfeit products of this brand. On the left is real New Balance, on the right is fake.
The New Balance inscription on the back should be embroidered, not pasted or painted - the stitching is even, the letters are placed separately from each other.
Look at the insole. In this model, it is neat, and the brand logo is always applied. In these photos you can see a comparison of the insoles of real sneakers and fake ones.
The original model always has a label sewn on the tongue. It contains the model code, size, and country of manufacture.
New Balance makes its shoes in five countries:
- Indonesia.
- Vietnam.
- China.
- Great Britain.
Therefore, any other country on the tongue and box indicates a 100% fake.
Look at this photo. These are fake sneakers. The tongue doesn't even have the brand name on it.
Also, quite obvious differences are always visible when examining the soles of shoes. In the original models, it is made of high quality materials, very smooth and without any defects.
There should also be an imprint of the New Balance brand logo on the sole, closer to the heel, as in the photo.
And finally, the most important thing - if you really want to buy original shoes like this famous brand, then make purchases only in official stores. This is the only way you can be sure of the authenticity of your shoes.
Nowadays, shopping in online stores has become a daily routine for many people. Often it is much easier for us to find the right thing online, choose the size, color, add it to a virtual basket and pay for the purchase using a bank card or Paypal, rather than searching for the same thing in crowded places. shopping centers of your city. Online stores allow us not only to choose an interesting product, but sometimes to save a lot of money. However, is it always worth making savings an end in itself?
Often people, having seen a necessary (and sometimes unnecessary) product for very little money, strive to buy it without delving into the nuances and details. As a result, after receiving the desired package, joy very often gives way to disappointment. A product from a dubious site may not differ in quality, and in general it may only vaguely resemble the thing the consumer needs. Simply put, a person, trying to save as much as possible and without going into too much detail, can buy a fake, a fake of disgraceful quality.
Manufacturers are trying to combat the phenomenon of counterfeits. Currently, even on Chinese trading platforms, certain shifts have begun to occur. Thus, the largest trading giant, Alibaba, announced its intention to fight counterfeit sellers through special barcodes. However, there are still a lot of fakes of well-known brands on sale.
To minimize the risk of such a situation, let's take a closer look at the difference between the original New Balance sneakers and the numerous counterfeits of this brand.
This brand is now very popular both in sports and on the street, therefore, like any other popular manufacturer, NB is counterfeited in incredible quantities.
New Balance - let's talk about the details
1) Overall workmanship
New Balance has both technologically advanced “complex” models and relatively “simple” retro sneakers to produce. Some models may be manufactured in the UK and USA, some in Asia. However, in no case are crooked seams, sloppy stitches or glue sticking out of the sole acceptable for the original.
The general carelessness of the workmanship and the obvious “cheapness” of the materials make it clear to us that this is a very crude fake.
All logo embroidery for all New Balance editions is always done with care. All inscriptions are easy to read. The lines are executed evenly. Something like this. 
2) Materials
The model is made strictly from the materials required by the technology. First of all, this concerns the materials of the sole. So, if you set your sights on a low price, for example, New Balance 998, you can get “sneakers” not with a technologically advanced Abzorb elastic sole, but with a completely nameless heavy piece of rubber or polyurethane. There can be no talk of any comfort when wearing such sneakers. In addition, the name of the technology used to make the sole is always written on its side (for example, for 998 it is Abzorb, for 577 it is Encap). 
Uneven, careless embroidery, as mentioned above, clearly indicates that the product is not original. We also see a fabric tongue, which is not used on the original new Balance 998. 
3) Logos and embroideries
All New Balance logos indicating the manufacturer and model are applied to the front side of the tongue. For example, if this is a model 998, then that’s how it is written in the language - 998 new balance. All inscriptions are even. 
The model is never indicated on the backdrop. If you see something like this, this is a fake.
Also for English editions, the inscription "Made in UK" is embroidered on the tongue. Also in this case, an image of the British flag can be applied to the tongue and back. 
However, if you see the English edition of New Balance without the flag, this does not mean that it is a fake. For example, in some editions of the 577 model there is no flag, but in front of you are sneakers made in England. 
Also, the model name is duplicated on the back of the tongue on the label, along with the size indication in American, English, European and sometimes Japanese sizing guides. The country of origin must be indicated on the label. 
The clearest proof that we are looking at the “free creations” of Chinese shoemakers is the incorrect image of the logo, the addition of details that do not exist in the original products, and sometimes simply a distortion of the name of the original manufacturer.
For example, the seller was “embarrassed” to even post full photos of their goods, limiting themselves to just the sock of a shoe. However, even with such scant information, a crude fake can be easily identified - the NB logo on the toe of the sneaker. And the overall quality of materials and workmanship is, in principle, understandable. 
However, the seller, wanting to comply with all formalities, did not indicate anywhere in the description of the lot that these were New Balance sneakers; the manufacturer’s name in the photographs was also deliberately cut off.
But here are products presented with a deliberate distortion of the logo and name of the original brand, but with the obvious expectation that a gullible buyer will “buy without looking”, having noticed in general terms the familiar logo and silhouette of the shoes. Here's a New....Barlun :) 
The logo is deliberately distorted, but it clearly resembles the NB logo. Here it consists of just one letter N. 
The logo on the shoes is also different, clearly wider than on the original products. And the very name of the model - 574, was made “mirror” in the photo for the lot. 
I think it’s easy to understand that counterfeit manufacturers and sellers go to all these tricks on purpose. Of course, such products will bring little joy to the buyer, even at a very low price.
4) Packaging
New Balance's packaging is standardized. As a rule, sporty and inexpensive walking models are packaged in a blue and red box, while lifestyle reissues are packaged in light-colored, unpainted cardboard boxes with the words "achieve New Balance" written on them. 
For models manufactured in the UK, the same box with the inscription “made in England” can be used.
On this moment All lines can be packaged in regular blue and red boxes. This is New Balance's most popular packaging type. 
For some publications (for example, some models made in USA), the following box may be used: 
A sticker with a barcode indicating the size in US/UK/EUR grid, fullness and model name is required on the side of the package. 
In addition, the barcode on the box must match the barcode on the label located on the back of the tongue. 
5) Other
Sometimes we can observe specimens that formally do not bear the signs of an obvious fake. For example, supposedly the 574 model is being sold. The manufacturer was not too lazy to reproduce the silhouette of the NB 574, all the details are in the same places as the original, the sole is quite similar to the one of the original. Even for greater respectability, the inscription... Made in USA flaunts. 
However, as we see, the logo was covered up wherever possible, for some reason the sneakers supposedly made in the USA have a label with Chinese characters, and the quality of workmanship itself, if you look closely, leaves much to be desired.
This is what the original New Balance 574 made in the USA looks like. They cost $149 on the manufacturer's official website. 
In addition, it is not at all necessary to buy a rather expensive American or English edition. The Asian-made 574 model is of quite acceptable quality and is relatively inexpensive; it is sold in almost every store where the New Balance brand is represented.
Where to buy?
To 100% rid yourself of problems with counterfeits, it is best to purchase New Balance sneakers (and other brands too) in online stores that specialize in similar products. In principle, all of the above recommendations relate to a situation where a buyer sees a product at a good price from a private seller and is tormented by doubts. In this case, it is worth considering the photographs of the product in detail. Also, don’t be shy about asking for real photos lot, because the description may be standard, and photographs may be from the manufacturer’s website. In any case, if you are not sure about the product and the seller, it is better to refuse the purchase and purchase this product from a trusted store. Here are some of them.
http://www.newbalance.com
Official website of the brand. The store ships within the USA only. However, people successfully order there to the addresses of mail forwarding companies. In addition, only on the official website you can order customized New Balance for yourself, “colored” by you personally in the designer on the website. This option is currently available for models 574, 998 and 993. 
www.endclothing.co.uk
Also the most popular British store with excellent choice New Balance. Very good prices during discounts, automatic VAT deduction and fast express delivery. 
As for sellers on Ebay, you can also find quite decent New Balance sneakers there, and this site is worth looking at first if the buyer is interested in some archival edition that is already difficult to buy in stores.
For example, this seller offers to buy the 998 model in a very interesting moby dick color. The seller gives detailed description product and attaches user photos of these sneakers, has a pretty decent rating. 
Although sellers set quite high prices for really rare models, and it can be difficult with sizes...
conclusions
So, we have looked at the main criteria for the originality of a product from New Balance. There is absolutely no point in remembering all the distinctive features of the original. It is enough to understand the general logic that guides the manufacturer and seller of a fake - to make an outwardly similar logo and silhouette, without going into too much detail and, if possible, trying to save on everything possible.
We often hear the opinion that “everything is made in China.” As we see, this is not so, or rather, not entirely so. Manufacturers of original products in China and Southeast Asian countries produce batches using special equipment from their own materials and using their own proprietary technologies. The task of brand owners is to make money on the quality and popularity of their products, which is typical, taking care of their reputation and the opinion of customers. The task of fake producers is to make money on someone else’s name and reputation, regardless of the quality of the goods produced, the working conditions of workers, or, of course, the opinion of the final buyer. Which products are closer to you - decide for yourself. However, remember that by purchasing a high-quality, albeit not cheap, item, you will experience positive emotions for a long time.
Of course, in this material only a few nuances for individual models were discussed. A more detailed study of the issue is significantly beyond the scope of this article. If anyone has any questions or would like to add further substance to the material, please leave your comments.
So, I would like to wish you the right choice and happy shopping!
