Danger of counterfeit toys: 5 tips for spotting a fake LEGO

LEGO continues to grow in popularity, particularly with the arrival of the Lego Masters competition on M6 and the festive season when parents are delighted to give their children the famous LEGO figurines and bricks. So it's absolutely no surprise that we've seen an increase in counterfeit/imitation products. Many of you have probably heard of so-called LEGO scams, which have been appearing more and more frequently on the Internet. These include copies of entire LEGO sets, individual figurines, but also personal creations that the Danes have not yet come up with. That's why we wanted to share with you how to spot fake Lego and why you shouldn't buy it. It's perfect for those looking to resell Lego as well as those simply buying Lego for friends, family and youngsters. It's not always easy to spot counterfeit LEGOs but there are clues that can make them look suspicious.

Logo

The first thing to look for when checking the authenticity of your LEGO toy is the Lego brand logo on the toy itself. After all, every child knows that every legitimate Lego brick has the name "Lego" printed on the top of each of its little studs. If you're wondering whether your LEGO brick is counterfeit, simply check that the LEGO logo is nowhere to be found or on a single stud of the brick.

However, some counterfeiters manage to reproduce the brand's logo, which can be found on every nail of a LEGO brick. Even so, you should still check to see if it's a fake brick, as they reproduce them quite badly and the brand's writing may be twisted or incomplete. Try comparing the logo with official photos on the Internet or if you already have LEGO bricks at home, which is probably the case.

On the left are fake LEGO bricks that don't have the logo on each nail of the brick, on the right a real LEGO brick with all the complete and official logos.

Size differences

All you have to do is compare the LEGO toys you want to buy with the ones you already have. This is because fake LEGO bricks will not at all match the other bricks you already own in terms of size. Unlike some legitimate toy manufacturers and established brands (such as Mega Bloks or Oxford) who make similar brick toys of their own design that are compatible with Lego, illegally produced Lego imitators may not match the bricks and sets your children already have at all. This means that they won't fit together when you're building and will be completely useless to you.

The reason is that the haphazard manufacturing process of many LEGO copycat manufacturers can lead to wobbly or incorrectly sized pieces, with some consumers reporting that they do not correctly match the Lego bricks or even other pieces in the same set.

On the left is a fake LEGO brick, on the right a real LEGO brick.

Colouring and stickers

Counterfeiters are getting better and better at reproducing LEGO toys, in particular by copying stolen LEGO drawings and plans. However, even though they are becoming increasingly sophisticated, there may still be visual signs that the product is not authentic. In particular, colouring that may be pale or inconsistent, as well as incorrect or slightly wonky printing on minifigures may indicate that the whole LEGO toy is a copy. Especially in the case of some Star Wars, Avengers, Harry Potter or other licensed LEGO sets. But in these cases, if your kids are fans, they'll probably be able to tell if their favourite character is just a cheap imitation of the real thing.

Not least in the images below of two LEGO Star Wars figures. The figure on the left is a LEGO knock-off, and as you can see, the helmet is less well rendered than the figure on the right. The drawings are more pronounced and thicker (particularly on the belt) and the lightsabre appears more translucent and in a different colour to the original.

On the left a fake Star Wars LEGO figurine, on the right a real Star Wars LEGO figurine.

Moulding artefacts

To find out if your LEGO toy is genuine, take a closer look at the moulding artefacts and dents that remain on the edge of the toy. Indeed, a common complaint from many victims of counterfeiters has been cheap LEGO clones that still have obvious traces of the unfinished manufacturing process. Often these can be small dents or rough plastic labels that are still attached to the edge of the brick or minifigure. These artefacts are usually left over from the injection moulding process, but while legitimate manufacturers take care to smooth out the rough edges and remove these dents completely, cheap manufacturers don't invest the same care in producing the finished product.

On the left a fake LEGO figurine with unfinished edges, on the right a real LEGO figurine.

The price

And of course you should be wary of prices that are too low when you're about to buy your LEGO toys online. Even if fake online LEGO shops and counterfeiters sometimes use the brand's logos and colours, it's just a matter of common sense not to be fooled by the price on sale. A Bugatti Chiron LEGO for €126 instead of €380 (as you can see from the images below) or a UCS Millennium Falcon for €90 instead of €800 are simply too good to be true. These ridiculously low prices should tip you off to the fact that this is a scam.

On the left a fake Bugatti Chiron LEGO for 126€, on the right a real Bugatti Chiron LEGO for 380€.

The dangers of counterfeit toys

Counterfeiters are notorious for making products that put consumers at risk. This is particularly worrying when you consider the idea of children coming into contact with these fake toys. The rules and regulations that impose a high level of safety on genuine companies are completely ignored by counterfeiters.

The biggest red flag here is the toxic materials commonly found in counterfeit toys. Heavy materials such as lead and phthalates put young children at serious risk. Phthalates are known to cause irreversible damage to vital organs, as well as being directly linked to cancer, among many other risks.

Many unknown online sellers are in fact counterfeiters, even though they appear on legitimate search engines, social networks and online ad sites. But between the low barriers to entry on these websites and the ease of creating convincingly accurate accounts, it can be extremely difficult for shoppers to know whether what they see online will lead them to counterfeit goods. For this reason, follow our guide to checking the authenticity of the LEGO toy you want to buy online.

Secure your online purchases with Obvy

The nature of counterfeit toys, particularly in the emerging e-commerce landscape, makes them difficult to combat. The health and safety risks are uncomfortable knowledge for those in the know. Brands faced with serious problems of injuries caused by counterfeits of their brand are faced with worried consumers who boycott the brand altogether.

The solution is to raise awareness of the risks associated with their apparently "good quality" counterfeit toys by helping them to identify what is fake and what is genuine. But one of the most important solutions is to use a secure payment method between individuals. Obvy is undoubtedly the best secure payment solution for your purchases and sales on classified ad sites. Rather than buying cheaper LEGO toys that may turn out to be fakes, a good alternative is to buy your second-hand toys from a private ad site. Check that they're in good condition and that they're not fakes, using our guide and the photos provided by the seller. With Obvy as a payment solution between private individuals and professionals, you can buy your LEGO toys with complete peace of mind, because you can turn around and recover the amount of the transaction if the seller tries to rip you off. Happy shopping with Obvy!