Every week I get dozens of emails from readers who spot great deals on top range boots, only to have to inform and disappoint them with the fact that the sites they are looking at offer fake/counterfeit boots. Unfortunately it is a growing trend, and Google are not helping things by allowing these sites to rank in their search results (specifically when it comes to images). Although their boots look tempting and the prices are a knock down, my advice is to strongly avoid these sites for two reasons: (1) your payment details are not safe and (2) the boots are knock-offs of top releases.
Imagine going to your local shoe repair shop with some leather and piece of plastic, and asking him to create a boot for you. I am sure he could create a great looking boot, but what true soccer knowledge and actual player testing has he done to create it?
My advice to you is simple – stick with the tried and trusted sites that keep your information safe and more importantly, offer returns if there is a problem with your boots. One of the reasons I post so many deals and special promotions on SoccerCleats101 is to give you guys safe places to get extraordinary deals. And in some cases, the deals posted are cheaper than the fake sites.
It is getting even more confusing now, considering these sites are now attempting to replicate the top sites, using layouts that are extremely similar – don’t be fooled. There was even a site with the same layout as ours a few months back. These sites are usually created in China, where the counterfeit boots are manufactured. A tip, there is a site called Compete that allows you to see some basic trends of a websites history. If the site you are looking for comes back with very limited data or there is no profile for it, it is a definite fake.
To help you out, here are the big 5 “tried and trusted” sites that I advise readers stick to:
Rather than glorify the boots that these sites promote, please see this post as an example of the “what not to buy” boots. I know you guys are smart, and some of the images are pretty obvious (like the Pink Superfly pictured below.) If it looks different to current releases on the market and is offered at a ridiculous price, then it is probably counterfeit. Do yourself a favor and stay well clear!
all of them look so terribly fake.
lol agreed man, my first impression of them was wth??? they all are fake. since there are no 8 holes on mercurial, they are fake
. oh wait i didn't actually read this article… well lol
They all look sooo fake. Not only are the cleats knock-offs, but the companies making them can be sued for using logos such as the Nike 'swoosh' or the Adidas 3 stripes!
*companies/individuals, not just companies. My bad.
Thanks for the warning Brian, I have actually seen websites like this, with things like Micoach F50s for fifty buck, and immediately left.
has anyone actually tried a pair of these "fakes" to see if they hold up?
i've seen mixed reviews saying that they feel fine and that they feel real
however ive also got the mix of reviews that they fall apart easily the most occuring rip was the sole from the sole plate… i suggest you dont get them..
one way you can tell mercurial superflys are fake is if the bottom carbon fiber looks as if its just printed paper and also if they skip a lace hole when they lace it like it is in the pictures brian posted
I have and they feel around the same as my Vapors, but there is still some difference that I just can't pinpoint. They just feel different, but they give the same performance.
I actually have, they're not comfortable.. the sock liner falls out easily. but they're light, and cleats are cleats. I would buy some fakes than some $300 cleats.
Soccerpro.com is legit and has nice deals
Very true – will add them up also!
Sometimes other fake colors are nice, and wishd real ones would come in some of them. Anyways I never buy cleats from Soccer.com b/c they jack up their original price and do $100 off and still cost like $150+ for vapor level cleats. Ridiculous. Soccerpro has best sale price out of all them.
For me personally, Wegotsoccer.com has been the best for prices and service. I am in the military overseas and soccer.com and worldsoccershop.com both took literally a month and a half to get the cleats to me when they were "in stock" in my size. They even sent e-mails saying they shipped the day after which had to be a lie. I got a Man City Jersey, some SG predator x's from worldsoccershop and I got Laser IV's from soccer.com. From WeGotSoccer I got Maestri II's for $107 and it took one week, so just as fast as Amazon for shipping
. So to anyone overseas, I definitely recommend wegotsoccer. I just got the new adizeroes in red and blue (brand new ones) for $160 including shipping. I guess I'll see how long it takes to get here I just got them during the last day of the President's day sale.
The very last picture (of the micoaches) are real They will be released later on in the year.
the color may be real (even though I think it is a bit different), but the cleats are definitely fake
Exactly
they've even made copies already of the upcoming vapors
I honestly was dumb enough to buy a pair of “economical” adidas f50 prime. Trust me, dumbest decision of my life, within about a month a stud broke, and when I contacted them, they pretty much ignored me. The cleats were decent in comfort, the technology was not there, and they were heavier.
These are on eBay too! So don't buy shoes from other countries (China, Singapore, etc.) and make sure they know what they are talking about. Some claim they have the new Adizero MiCoach SL. Also usually when they show pictures of the actually cleats and the extra sockliners that usually means that they are real. You can get some really good deals on eBay and some really bad ones. Just watch out. You can always ask them if they are authentic, I have done this and they usually tell you. If they say "Very High Quality" or something like that instead of Authentic, they are fake. So watch out!
I’ve actually experienced something like this with tennis racquets – since everything is built in China, the molds of these cleats (or whatever may be) that the factory uses are usually left unprotected. If the workers/managers are greedy enough and willing, they actually run the factory afterhours and make “fake” cleats with leftover material. It’s usually a hit or miss in terms of quality – I know my friends who bought knock-offs in China are usually satisfied with the quality but sometimes it breaks in a week or two. I would never trust knock-offs with shoes because discomfort in the feet can screw up the way you walk, your back, just pretty much everything.
This is a growing problem from football boots to pharmaceuticals. If someone can make a dollar off of it, it is more than likely going to have a knockoff. China has little to no Intellectual Property laws, so these products get produced in China and have to be stopped at the point of ship in countries that do have these laws in place. In the US, these products have to be stopped at the port, but unfortunately there is no way they can inspect every container that comes through. Until IP laws become common place in all countries across the world this problem will keep happening. Bypasser is exactly right in terms of what happens at factories too.
Bryan-
Can you also add http://www.soccersavings.com
They always have great deal and they’re legit. I’ve bought a pair of cleats from them before.
Yes they have very good prices
http://www.prodirectsoccer.com is legit too.
Yeah they have good deals. I bought a pair of the original adizeros there once. Fast Shipping too!
Bryan can i suggest another great site, prodirect? I use that for all my boots and its useful if you don't live in america as it ships worldwide.
I wouldn't actually mind having a pair of custom made boots, i would like to make myself a pair actually. anyone done it?
I didn't get mine custom made but I did have mine customized. Pro Direct Soccer did it for me and it they're great! Just make sure you know exactly what size you need as they're not returnable. Good luck!
I see kids at the high school level wearing these ( the Vapor model in particular ) and when i ask them how much they paid, it's usually in the $100+ range. C'mon the Copa retails for 90 bucks.
A kid on my high school team had a pair of those red adipowers. I assumed that he'd just gotten them custom made… but after he wore them once, I never saw him wear them anymore.
why are the preds not that bad?
So what out for the so called "economical" versions as sellers try to pass them as official bike products by saying no carbon fiber soleplate even though Nike doesn't make economical versions. There is no such thing as an economical model so it's either authentic or fake.
Meant watch out not what
Economic is another word for FAKE! They try to trick you into thinking they made an economical version for people who don't want to pay for the real ones.
More importantly, these fake boots can do damage to your feet. The fake boots are cheap because they are not manufactured to specifications mandated by the shoe company. They are a result of cutting corners everywhere; the glue could be cheaper and weaker, soleplate may not have the same thickness required to safely play in. Imagine carbon soleplate snapping in half in the middle of the game because it's a fake to begin with and not even carbon fiber. You may also end up doing harm to other players. Not to mention factory workers in China. While larger companies like Nike and Apple have been criticized for sweatshop labor and such, there is absolutely no regulation imposed on factory conditions where these fake boots are made. Every time you buy a fake pair of boots, you let these scums get away with exploiting factory workers. The big companies are made accountable at times and are making effort to audit their suppliers and documenting them to the labor watchdogs, but these scum mills are a different story altogether, I wouldn't be surprised to find out an 8-year old had made those fake boots. Do everyone a favor and stay with legit boots.
well, i kinda like some of them specially the 11pro