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Many teenagers buy imitation branded sneakers – to wear the same style as their idols and to impress friends. This is a huge business for illegal traders.
It’s not uncommon for strictly limited sneakers to cost several thousand euros. They are particularly popular with young people who cannot afford the expensive originals. The market for counterfeit branded sneakers is booming. “You definitely can’t go wrong with fake sneakers because you save money and basically get the same quality.” For Ali from Korschenbroich on the Lower Rhine, shoes are a status symbol.
Because the particularly sought-after sneakers are often too expensive, the 18-year-old has been buying so-called fakes for years. He just wants to keep up, he says: “All young people like unusual things, and the role models all wear such expensive shoes. That’s why we buy them.”
Regardless of whether they are rappers like Travis Scott and Ye (formerly Kanye West) or sports legends like Michael Jordan: Many celebrities wear and market their own, very expensive sneakers, usually in cooperation with large shoe manufacturers such as Nike or Adidas. In doing so, they trigger a sneaker hype among their fans. The black market for counterfeits is large.
Recognize fake shoes by smell
Jens Ahland from the main customs office in Cologne works every day to search for counterfeit clothing. He and his colleagues randomly check postal parcels for goods subject to duty. A classic find: fake sneakers. In 2022 alone, the main customs office in Cologne removed fake sneakers with an original value of three million euros from circulation. “I can now recognize fake shoes by their smell.”
If the customs officials are not sure whether they are dealing with a counterfeit, they ask the manufacturer: “We work closely with them. I take a photo of it, send it to the rights holder, and they write to me within minutes back, something like: ‘This combination doesn’t exist.’ This can be revealed by the seams or a detail on the interior. There are so many possibilities.”
Lucrative, but illegal
Nevertheless, many fakes slip through the cracks of customs. The number of unreported cases is high. This can be seen, for example, in Yanik from North Rhine-Westphalia. His actual name is different, he wants to remain anonymous. Yanik is a high school graduate and also deals in fake sneakers. He’s not afraid of customs: “When I place an order, I can see where it is. And when I see that it’s in customs, I of course have a bad feeling: If it goes through, it’ll get stuck “But there are also transmission lines that go around customs.” He doesn’t want to explain how exactly this works.
Yanik orders his goods from China. He pays 20 to 30 euros for a pair of fakes and sells them for 150 to 200 euros. A profit margin that conventional retailers can only dream of. “In total, I make 8,000 to 12,000 euros a month.” A lucrative but illegal business. It is clear to him that Yanik is committing a criminal offense by selling counterfeit shoes. If he were caught, he would face a prison sentence of several years.
Buyers also have to fear penalties
But buyers of counterfeit branded shoes can also face problems. Jens Ahland from Cologne Customs urgently warns against ordering counterfeit goods: “We inform the rights holders and they can take action against the purchasers with their lawyers. And that will be expensive.” In addition to the rights holders’ claim for damages, there would be costs for storing and destroying the shoes. This could quickly add up to several hundred or thousand euros.
Nevertheless, many young people are not deterred by the threat of punishment. Ali also remains calm: “To be honest, I’m really not afraid of it at all,” he says with a laugh. “I definitely know a lot of people who have been busted there. But most of the time it’s the case that they send you a letter home and then you just don’t respond to it. Then often nothing happens anymore. That really tells you Anyone who knows a bit about the industry.” You are too small a fish for the lawyers of the big brands. So Ali will continue to take the risk and buy cheap fake sneakers.
What should you pay attention to when buying sneakers?
But even customers who want to buy the original can end up with fake goods in their hands. Experts recommend buying only from well-known, reputable dealers. This can be recognized by a reputable payment method and return policy. You should also look at reviews from other buyers. If a pair of shoes from a retailer is significantly cheaper than the usual market price, this is often an indication of counterfeit goods.
You can also have your order checked by large online retailers. Carlo Bellmann is responsible for the sneakers business at eBay. He explains: “We check every sneaker over 100 euros. This starts with the box, with the labels. The shoe is examined very carefully. Sole, seams, logos. We also carry out an odor test, among other things. There are So countless checkpoints before we say: we can let the sneaker pass.” Other platforms such as vinted or stockx also offer such product testing.