An examination conducted in shopping centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sevastopol, and Chelyabinsk showed that among 1,300 pairs of Nike and Adidas sneakers, not a single original pair was found. From September to December, independent appraisers from the “Forensic Expertise and Appraisal Bureau” checked stores that claimed to sell original goods.
The checks were carried out at the request of customers who are suing the sellers. The experts worked according to the technical regulations of the Customs Union and GOSTs: they compared the products with standards, studied the materials, and visual and tactile features. Most often, a crooked last, construction errors, poor seams, incorrect marking, cheap materials, and a strong chemical odor were detected. According to the experts, the number of complaints about counterfeit sneakers has increased exponentially over the past year.
The Chinese marketplace Poizon previously reported on the systemic nature of the problem in Russia. In November 2024, the service checked 11,725 pairs of shoes and clothing from well-known brands and recognized 27.3% of the goods as counterfeit. In 84% of cases, the counterfeits had complete packaging and QR codes, and more than half differed in price from the official websites by less than 40% (The Moscow Times).
