100% counterfeit: why you can’t buy original Nike and Adidas in Russia and what to do about it

No original Nike or Adidas: results of an independent inspection

Do you want to buy Nike Air Force 1, Adidas Samba, or other popular lifestyle sneakers — and get the real original, not a fake in a nice box? In 2026, in Russia, this is harder than it seems.

At the end of February 2026, the “Bureau of Forensic Examination and Evaluation” published the results of a large-scale inspection that ran from September to December 2025. Specialists purchased 1300 pairs of Nike and Adidas sneakers in shopping centers in five cities — Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sevastopol, and Chelyabinsk. The price per pair was from 10 000 to 18 000 rubles: a segment where a buyer has the right to expect at least quality parallel imports.

As Lenta.ru reports, each pair was compared with certified samples. In addition to Nike and Adidas, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, and Armani were also checked in parallel — the share of fakes among them was 26.6%, 21%, and 12% respectively. Even for these brands with much lower demand, the picture turned out to be alarming. For Nike and Adidas, it was catastrophic. The number of complaints from buyers suing sellers over shoe quality multiplied over the year.

What experts look at during an inspection

It is difficult to distinguish counterfeit goods without special equipment — and that is exactly what fake manufacturers count on. Nevertheless, fakes have characteristic signs:

• Crooked or uneven last
• Different spacing between lace eyelets
• Poor-quality and uneven stitching
• Cheap materials that do not match the stated ones
• Incorrect or missing labeling
• Strong chemical smell

Notably, all of the listed defects were found in every city inspected — from Moscow to Kaliningrad and Sevastopol. These are not isolated cases of dishonest sellers, but a systemic picture of the market.

Marketplaces: even more fakes, even less control

If the situation is bad in offline retail, then on major Russian marketplaces it is worse. The platforms operate on an open marketplace model: any seller can list anything, and control is effectively after the fact. A seller blocked for counterfeit today registers a new account tomorrow and starts selling again.

A real snapshot of buyer experience is clearly visible in reviews. Under listings marked “original,” “parallel import,” and “100% authenticity,” buyers write the same things: “The sole came apart after three weeks,” “The logo is crooked, the material stinks,” “Compared it with a pair bought abroad — the difference is obvious right away.”

The most alarming part is not the fact of counterfeits itself, but the level of their execution. 84.1% of the detected counterfeit goods had intact packaging and “Honest Sign” QR labeling codes. More than half of the fakes differed in price from official websites by less than 40%. Neither the product description nor the price tag makes it possible to judge authenticity with confidence.

According to Brandmonitor commercial director Kirill Kirillov, quoted by The Moscow Times, the situation with counterfeit sports shoes is “critically bad”: blocking individual listings is ineffective, and sellers immediately create new ones. At the same time, marketplaces are not always interested in strengthening control — counterfeit sellers provide them with turnover.

Poizon — a reliable guarantee? Breaking down the scandals

Problems with authenticity are not only a Russian story. Poizon itself (in China, the reseller operates under the name Dewu) has repeatedly found itself at the center of scandals. The platform received more than 161 000 complaints — mainly about counterfeit goods, authentication errors, and poor service.

The China Consumers Association publicly named Poizon among the platforms with a high level of counterfeits. The hashtag “Poizon sells fakes” got 160 million views on Weibo. Bloggers ran experiments: they sent knowingly fake sneakers for sale — and they passed inspection without any problems. This is reported by Fontanka.ru.

How counterfeit gets onto store shelves

In the summer of 2025, Roskachestvo head Maksim Protasov admitted that the Russian market was overflowing with fake footwear: the share of counterfeit in retail is 25–30%. According to Izvestia, cited by azh.kz, fakes are imported with minimal customs duties and legalized as products of Russian manufacturers.

The scheme includes fictitious factories near Moscow’s Sadovod market, the purchase of “Honest Sign” codes for 3–15 rubles each, and sales through marketplaces labeled as originals at market prices. That is why the presence of a QR code and a decent price are not signs of authenticity.

640 000 pairs at once: the biggest counterfeit case

As reported by RBC, the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened two criminal cases. After a small batch was seized for examination, the rest of the goods disappeared without a trace. Lenta.ru clarified that the seized goods included sneakers from all the most in-demand brands.

International manufacturers are responding through the courts: according to ECOMHUB.ru, New Balance filed more than 670 lawsuits in 2023–2024, Puma filed more than 1000 lawsuits since 2023, and Under Armour filed more than 300 lawsuits. However, counterfeit sellers quickly register new legal entities and continue operating.

The sneaker market in Russia continues to deteriorate

According to The Moscow Times, amid the growth of counterfeit goods, Russian fashion retail continues to shrink: in 2025, more than 20 brands closed offline stores, and 320 stores closed in shopping centers. The share of vacant space in shopping centers grew from 5% to 6.2% by the end of 2025.

The platform economy law, coming into force on 1 October 2026, provides for more thorough seller verification — but quick changes should not be expected. For those who want to wear real Nike or Adidas, not a fake that will come apart at the seams in a month, Russian retail today offers no reliable solution.

How to buy original sneakers: order from the USA via Pochtoy.com

The only way to actually get original sneakers is to order directly from a US online store. That is where, on the official websites Nike.com, Adidas.com, at Foot Locker, Zappos, and hundreds of other outlets, footwear produced by the brands themselves is sold. No “parallel chains,” no “Honest Sign” codes for 5 rubles.

The Pochtoy.com service has been operating for 18 years and specializes in shipping from the USA to Russia. Register on the website, get a personal warehouse address in the state of Delaware (no sales tax — another 10% savings on the price), order sneakers from any American store to this address, and Pochtoy.com will forward the parcel to Russia.

Prices in the USA speak for themselves:

It is also worth watching seasonal American sales separately: Black Friday (November), Cyber Monday, and summer clearance sales in June–July. Finding original Nike Air or Adidas Samba with a 40–60% discount is normal during these periods, not an exception.

This is not a gray scheme and not parallel imports of unknown origin. This is a purchase directly from an official retailer in a country where Nike and Adidas continue to operate in full — with a guarantee of authenticity from the store itself, the original box, and all documents. Delivery is paid for with a Russian card; the service specialists will help place the purchase, check the size chart, and place the order on your behalf.

Right now, a special promotion is available on Pochtoy.com for shipping original sneakers from the USA.