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Advice and tips on buying and selling between private individuals

How can you spot fake Timberland boots?

Timberland boots are a must-have in the world of footwear. For over 45 years, the brand has been known primarily for its flagship model: the Yellow Boot. Women, men, children, this pair of shoes is popular with everyone. How can you spot a fake Timberland boot?

Stage 1: General condition

The first thing to do when you hold your pair of Timberlands is to check their overall quality. Feel and bend the leather to test it. As the material used is top-of-the-range, the leather should be thick and rigid.

Also, check the weight of your pair of shoes: the materials used to make them mean that they will be a little heavy on your hand.

A real pair of Timberlands

Step 2: The logo

Look at the logo on the outside of your Timberland boots. It is always located above the heel of the boots. Make sure there are no imperfections. To do this, visit the official Timberland website to check the logo displayed on officially certified products in great detail. Certain errors recur on counterfeit Timberland products. The logo is often engraved far too deeply, it is too thick and often badly placed on the shoe, so be careful. However, on genuine Timberland shoes, the logo is smooth, clean, thin and well positioned. Also check the same points on the logo on the outsole of your pair of shoes.

On the left, the real Timberland logo, on the right the fake Timberland logo.

Step 3: Suede

The material used for Timberland boots is of very high quality. On counterfeit boots, it is easy to spot when the material used is the wrong one as the quality is so poor. To spot if the suede is correct, try rubbing the pair of boots with your finger. If the suede becomes darker and leaves dark marks on your fingers, it is good quality suede.

On the left, traces left on a real pair of Timberlands, on the right a copy of Timberland, the traces left are difficult to spot.

Step 4: Seams

As a guarantee of authenticity on a pair of Timberland boots, don't forget to check the condition of the stitching on the visible side of your boot. Firstly, all seams on Timberland boots are made with white thread. The main seams to check are those just below the laces. There are four of them, one above the other, and they are perfectly parallel. On fake pairs of Timberland shoes, the seams are irregular, often too thin and the stitches too small. Look out for the slightest defect.

On the left, the stitching on authentic pairs of Timberlands, on the right, the stitching on an imitation Timberland.

Step 5: The laces

Another very important point to check is the laces. Generally speaking, the laces on pairs of Timberland shoes designed by counterfeiters are far too thin and not as voluminous as the laces on original pairs of Timberland shoes. Original Timberland laces are very strong and durable.

On the left, laces on a fake Timberland, on the right laces on a real Timberland.

Step 6: The label

Finally, check the inside label of your pair of Timberlands. This step is very reliable. Some counterfeiters are careless at this stage, so it's very easy to tell whether it's a copy or not. The letters are often too thick, the spacing is not right, there may be spelling mistakes... On authentic Timberland boots, all the characters are printed at the same thickness. There can be no defects.

Buy your Timberland boots with Obvy

Buying your second-hand Timberland boots with Obvy, our secure payment solution for transactions between private individuals, will not only save you money thanks to the prices applied, but will also help you avoid scams.

With the Obvy system, you can trace the transaction. In the event of dissatisfaction, if you discover that the item is a counterfeit thanks to our tips, you can return it to the seller.