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Yeezy Boost 350 V2: recognising counterfeits

Nike Air Force 1 Low, Adidas Yeezy Boost, Nike Air Max - once again this year, trainers (or sneakers, to the aficionados) have taken up an ever-growing share of the footwear market. The two biggest brands in the sector are, unsurprisingly, Nike and Adidas...

Although sales of Kanye West's Yeezy Boost 350 have dipped somewhat in the last year, it remains a highly sought-after pair in the sneaker and footwear sector. It remains highly coveted, but is still produced in limited editions. And you know as well as I do, when you say limited edition of a popular pair, you mean counterfeit. Here are a few checkpoints for recognising counterfeit Yeezy Boost 350 V2 from the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Carbon model, the fastest-selling model of 2020.

1. The barcode

Yeezy Boost 350 V2 counterfeiters, preferring to concentrate solely on the shoe when copying a Yeezy, very often forget other important details such as the packaging box in which the shoe is delivered, the barcode, etc. For each size and colour combination, there is a specific code composition. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 imitations do not have the right numbers.

The barcode is located on one side of your packaging box. Find the 13-digit number and enter it on the internet. If the search results indicate a Yeezy size and colour, you are in possession of a genuine pair of Yeezy, otherwise it is a fake Yeezy.

Above, an authentic Yeezy Boost packaging box

2. The labels

Look out for inconsistencies and spelling mistakes on the labels. The Yeezy brand pays close attention to all these details, so if you see any, you're almost certainly in possession of a fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2.

Look for printing defects, typos, anomalies, irregularities... Some copies of Yeezy Boost 350 V2 have blurred text on their labels, spacing problems, some are too big, others too small...

A little tip: on the label of a Yeezy packaging box, just below the barcode there is a text, with either V02, V03 or V10 as the last characters. This number is associated with the number of sizes we see on the left-hand side of the label.

If there are 3 size conversions, it's an American version of the Yeezy. If there are 6 size conversions, it's a European or Canadian box. Next, the combinations are as follows: 3 sizes correspond to V02 or V03, while 6 sizes correspond to V10. If this is not the case, you have bought a fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2.

On the left, a real Yeezy Boost, on the right a fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2 box.

3. The Boost sole

The Boost sole is a fairly complicated element for counterfeiters to reproduce. It's a highly technical detail made from top-quality materials. First of all, the shape of the sole: on a real Yeezy Boost 350 V2, it's very rounded, whereas on a copy, it's slightly more angular.

Secondly, the Boost sole of an authentic Yeezy is also more sparkling than a counterfeit. Finally, the striped dots and circles are better defined on the authentic Boost sole. The stripes are deeper and the pattern is smaller than on fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2s.

For this tip, you should know that Adidas frequently changes the technique used to make these insoles, so the technique may have evolved over time.

On the left, a genuine Boost insole, on the right, a fake Boost insole.

4. Inspect the last of your shoe

For this step, we're going to use the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Carbon. Most counterfeit Yeezy Boost 350 V2s have the tongue opening wider than expected. Take a look at the image below to get a better idea.

On the left, an authentic pair of Yeezy Carbon, on the right, a copy of Yeezy

Buy your second-hand Yeezy Boost 350 V2 safely with Obvy

To avoid scams between private individuals, buy your second-hand pair of Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in complete security thanks to Obvy. Now also available to professionals, our secure payment system was originally created to prevent 100% of retailer-to-retailer scams.

Adidas Yeezy Boosts come at rather high prices, so to be on the safe side, opt for our payment method. In the event of a counterfeit scam, you can quickly and easily return the product to the seller and get your money back. Our payment method has been designed to give you the best possible experience.

We've also written an article on how to spot counterfeit Air Jordan 1 Dior, counterfeit Dior B 23 and counterfeit Alexander McQueen.