Today we’ll a special edition of our legit check, we’ll quickly learn how to identify the Fake Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low. The shoe is performing pretty well on third party marketplaces , in the mid $250’s thanks to the popularity of the show on Netflix. So it is no surprise that the replica industry has produced their own counterfeit versions. In this side by side comparison courtesy of Snide , I’ll show you how exactly what to look for to expose the fakes. Areas of our focus will include the toe, the back, the side panels, the tongue, the outsole and the box.
How To Tell If Your Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low Is Fake?
From Above Differences
Color/aging: The authentic pair has a slightly deeper, creamier off-white that reads “aged,” while the fake looks brighter, flatter, and almost chalky white.
Toe box: The fake’s toe box is puffier and more bulbous; the real toe is slimmer with a cleaner taper.
Ankle liner: Padding looks denser on the fake—thicker, more stuffed—and the textile appears tighter, see yellow boxes.
Overall stance: From above, the fake looks a bit bloated through the forefoot, which throws off the proportions you see on the legit pair.
Toe
On the real pair, the first toe-box perforation sits tighter to the forefoot overlay—there’s a small, tidy gap between the stitch line and that first hole. On the fake Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low, that same perforation is pushed a bit farther back, leaving a noticeably wider space between the overlay edge/stitching and the first hole, see red dash.
The authentic toe leather has a heavy, consistent crackled/grainy finish, deep creases you can see and feel. The fake toe is much smoother with only light, shallow texture; it looks almost pressed rather than naturally crackled, see red boxes.
Back
Heel “NIKE” print: the fake is faint and mushy, almost washed-out; the real is sharper and easier to read despite the distressed look, see red arrows pointing down.
Back leather panel: the authentic shows deeper, more natural crackling; the fake is smoother with a flatter, uniform grain, see red shapes.
Midsole: the real has a slightly yellower, “aged” patina; the fake looks cleaner/brighter, see red arrows pointing up.
Tongue
Edge piping: the authentic has thicker, ribbed navy binding with tighter, straighter stitch lines; the fake’s piping is thinner/smoother with looser, wavier stitching. This makes the edge on the fake look flatter and less structured, see yellow arrows pointing down.
Tongue label alignment: on the fake, the “E” in NIKE sits noticeably closer to the right edge of the tab, while the Swoosh on the left side is pushed farther away from the edge, see yellow dashes.
Tongue padding panel (red box): the authentic shows a brighter, more vibrant knit with a tighter weave and cleaner seam; the fake’s knit looks duller/greyer and the horizontal seam is more raised and lumpy.
Lateral View ( left pair)
Crackle leather: the authentic’s crackle is denser and more pronounced across the quarter, vamp edge, and heel wrap; the fake’s crack pattern is flatter and more uniform, with larger, smoother “islands”, see red circles.
Swoosh: the real Swoosh has a deeper royal-navy tone and heavier texture; the fake is a lighter, duller blue with softer texture, see red arrows.
Mini tag window: the border stitching around the “Nike 1987” window is crisper and more evenly boxed on the real; the fake shows looser spacing and slight misalignment.
Midsole/aging: the authentic midsole reads more “tea-stained” with visible stitch impressions/ghost lines; the fake is a brighter cream with fewer visible stitch marks, see yellow boxes.
Outsole
Real pair: the “aged” look comes from a subtle brown cast that tints the blue rubber evenly (you can see it in the pivot circle and along the forefoot grooves). It looks like intentional discoloration, not wear.
Fake pair: instead of a uniform brown tint, you get lighter scuff/drag marks and streaks that look like abrasion.
Packaging
The corrugation shows through on the fake—those rippled lines are stronger and very vivid on the fake Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low box, see yellow boxes.
The small paragraph of copy (yellow arrow) prints bold/legible on the authentic box; on the fake it’s faint and washed out, as if under-inked.
Also visible, the fake box is much shorter than the real box, see yellow and green vertical lines
Bradley’s “Thank you for shopping” sticker: noticeably larger and more saturated on the real box; the fake’s is smaller, duller, and the inner type looks softer.
“PAID” sticker: cleaner print and slightly larger on the real; the fake’s is lighter and looks under-inked.
Base color: authentic leans deeper red-orange; the fake skews brighter/orangey.
“1987 / NIKE / STRANGER THINGS” strip: font on the fake is a touch smaller and thinner, with softer edges; the authentic is bolder and crisper.
Nike legal copy under the Swoosh: sharp and legible on the real box, blurrier and slightly washed out on the fake.
You can clearly see the lines on the fake box, it is quite obvious.
On the real pair the printed map graphic is a lighter grey/black with more tonal range; the fake’s print is darker, heavier, and looks “filled in.”
There you have it folks, hopefully you’ll be able to spot the fake Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low with these tips. I’ll update the post as soon I come across more detailed tips to look for, stay tuned and check the post regularly.
I’ll also invite you to check my authentication post on the Air Jordan 11 Gamma Blue and Jordan 5 Tokyo as both pairs were released not long ago and fakes of both have flooded the market.
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Where To Buy Legitimate Pairs
You can buy it on eBay from our featured sellers via authenticity guaranteed
Quick Recap: How to Spot a Fake Stranger Things Nike Dunk Low
Overall color/aging: real pair looks slightly darker and naturally aged; fakes are brighter, whiter, and “newer” looking.
• Shape: fakes often have a bulkier toe box and a denser, puffier ankle liner.
• Toe leather: crackle texture on the real is sharper and more pronounced; fake looks smoother and more uniform.
• Perfs placement: the first perforation near the forefoot overlay sits closer on the real and a touch farther away on the fake.
• Heel details: “NIKE” stamp on the real is clearer; leather below it shows deeper aging/crackle; real midsole looks more aged/yellowed.
• Tongue: piping shape/finish differs—real piping is tighter and cleaner; on the tongue tag, the “E” in NIKE sits closer to the edge on the fake and the Swoosh is pushed farther; the tan tongue fabric on the real shows richer, more vibrant texture.
• Lateral side: underlay panel crackle is bolder on the real; quarter-panel stitch line differs; Swoosh is a deeper royal blue on the real; midsole shows truer aging and visible stitch lines on the real.
• Outsole: real pair shows brownish aging in the grooves; fakes show random scuff-like marks instead.
• Box (outside): sticker badges are wider and more vibrant on the real; fake box is a brighter orange; “STRANGER THINGS” font runs smaller on fakes; the tiny Nike legal text looks blurry on fakes; the small vertical text block on the back is bold/legible on real and faint on fake.
• Wrapping paper: map print on the real is a lighter grey/black with better tonal range and finer detail; fake is darker, heavier, and often off-center.
Quick tip: verify three spots first—the toe crackle (sharp vs flat), heel “NIKE” clarity with aged midsole, and the tongue tag alignment. If two of the three feel off, proceed cautiously or pass.
