This is an expert-made Air Jordan 3s authentication tutorial with images and professional explanations.
You can legit check any colorway Jordan 3 with this guide.
How to spot fake Air Jordan 3
The quickest way to spot fake Air Jordan 3 sneakers is to check out the size tag inside each shoe, as the replica Air Jordan 3 manufacturers never manage to fix the flaws in terms of font weight and text positioning.
1. Size tag
Air Jordan 3 image in order to visualise the flaws in the fake Jordan 3’s.
The fake “US” text is too thin, too wide and improperly spaced compared to the authentic Air Jordan 3s.
Below is the text with the date of manufacturing of the sneakers, which is too big.
The “02” is bigger than the rest of the text.
The same “02” print is also too thin and wide.
The style-code inscription is too thick on the fake Jordan 3s — visible in the middle of the shoes.
The text saying the shoes were made in China is too thin on the fake Air Jordan 3 pair.
The replica shoes have their date of production on the right side improperly kerned between the letters.
This is because the “17” is placed too far away from the slash symbol (“/”).
Note: The style code differs from one authentic pair to another. Nike uses these codes for each different colorway.
In our example, the authentic sneakers are the Cement White Jordan 3s, and the replica shoes are the Cement Black 3s.
Expert Legit Check - Let our team look at your Jordans:
2. Tongue
The fake pair’s hand with the ball is too thick compared to the authentic logos’ arm.
On the body’s arch, the fake Air Jordan 3’s looks too curvy compared to the retail Air Jordan 3s.
The bottom arm’s fingers are too thick on the fake pair. You can’t properly distinguish each finger.
On authentic sneakers, you’ll never notice flaws such as the connected fingers, or the rest.
A quick mention:
The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
The next few steps are still reliable methods…
… but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item
If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.
3. Rear logo
Due to high production and demand, there are many different logo variations even for the real pairs.
We’ll take a look at each, one by one.
3.1. Nike logo
The fake AJ3s have their “NIKE” text too thick compared to the authentic shoes’ text.
The replica Jordan 3s also have their “A I R” text looking too thin.
The same “A I R” logo is also too narrow on the fake shoes.
On the other hand, looking at the authentic sneakers, you can observe how the “NIKE” text appears to be thinner.
The authentic Air Jordan 3’s have their rear “A I R” text looking thicker and wider than the fake shoes’ text.
The fake Air Jordan 3s have their rear Jumpman looking too curvy and small.
The fake “A I R” text is thicker than the authentic pair’s.
Also, the replica “A I R” text is also too narrow and not as wide as the authentic pair’s.
4. Side stitching
The fake shoes have their stitching lines with too little of a gap in-between
This makes them not to be in tune with the authentic Air Jordan 3 sneakers.
If you take a close look at the authentic shoes, you can see how the two stitching lines are placed close to each other.
Shortlist: Tell fake Air Jordan 3 in 30 seconds
Check the size tag inside the sneakers. Most of the time, the replica Air Jordan 3’s have their text improperly positioned and font-weighted
Make sure you check out the stitching on the Jumpman on the tongue. The counterfeit Air Jordan 3 sneakers are most common to have their Jumpman stitched too thick into the sneakers
Verify the logos on the rear side. Both of the releases which have the rear Jumpman and the Nike AIR inscriptions usually look too thick and their text is too boxy and wide
Analyze the sneakers’ stitching from the side. The counterfeit Air Jordan 3’s commonly have too much distance between their double stitching
The 4 detailed steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy sneakers online.
That is why we have compiled this quick 30 seconds solution to authenticating your Air Jordan 3s.
Expert Air Jordan 3 authentication service
If you need help with the authentication of your Air Jordan 3, we’ve got you covered.
All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your sneakers and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your sneakers are fake or authentic.
That brings us to the end of our real vs fake Air Jordan 3 guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.
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About the Author
David is the co-founder and co-CEO of Legit Check By Ch. David's experience: 5+ years of creating educational content in the fashion industry. 6+ years of authenticating luxury items. Currently, David is the Head Editor of the LCBC Library, where 1,000,000+ words have been published, in free guides, for over 1,000 items.
