Taobao skateboard shops are legit right???

[uwedinho]

So I know Taobao sell fakes but there are also official shops like Lakai and Adidas. I have purchased shoes from the Lakai shop and also exact same ones from Taobao Skate shops, I just can't tell the difference. They cost like 50-70% of what I pay in Europe.

This also applies to products like decks, trucks, wheels and bearings from Taobao listed skate shops like Jump, 55, Weyoung, Journey or Shanghai EFREE. Some products are priced the same but some are more expensive. These shops do make videos and one can find them on Chinese Google or YouTube sites. I think they are actually shops and it's hard to believe they sell fakes.

Reds are like usd12 and bones are like usd80. Girl chocolate decks are like usd45. And trucks like Indy standards are like usd45 but for two!!! F4 wheels are 70-90% the price. I got one entire setup from Jump and one from Shanghai EFREE just to see how real they are. And I really can't see how this could be fake... It has to be legit right?

First of all, they don't have everysize of everything in stock. The graphics of the F4 wheels ain't those 5 fake ones people talk about in YouTube, it's legit green swirl 52mm classics and they "bark" at the same pitch as the one I got in Europe when I Powerslide.

If this is all legit, it's crazy cause you can get a legit dope setup for 50-70% of what one would pay in Europe or usa. Anyone else have experience here and heard of those shops???

[SupremePizza]

No experience buying but years ago I worked for a beauty supply reseller and we would sell to a company in China that would list our product on there. Can't speak on the legitimacy of skate goods but I know at least the products we sold there were 100% legit.

[Mbrimson88]

.

People have said before if any product is made in China or similar countries, there is a good chance that the official product is made in quantities greater than what was requested, then the remainder not shipped to the official brand is then offloaded however they see fit, which also includes various other online retail avenues which could include that one.

I am not very familiar with all the different places, including Ali variants, eg Ali Baba and Ali Express, but I would not hesitate to say anything that is NOT made in China or similar places that they operate out of would not be genuine if the product or brand is listed on those platforms.

Spitfire wheels are made in Mexico, previously USA.

Thunder and Venture trucks are the same.

Indy and OJ have been made in China for a while now, but there also have been counterfeit Indy products on the market for a while too, as with Bones Swiss bearings, which are also NOT made in China, but really hit the big time around 2020 along with counterfeit Spitfire wheels and other products.

Shoes and clothes are in a different category, as most of those, if not all of those now are made in those countries as per the first line here, but as I don't know enough about how things work, I only have the words of others to go on.


At the end of the day, if you want to take that chance, go ahead, but when something is so very cheap, it could also be so very fake too.

[oh]

So I know Taobao sell fakes but there are also official shops like Lakai and Adidas. I have purchased shoes from the Lakai shop and also exact same ones from Taobao Skate shops, I just can't tell the difference. They cost like 50-70% of what I pay in Europe.

This also applies to products like decks, trucks, wheels and bearings from Taobao listed skate shops like Jump, 55, Weyoung, Journey or Shanghai EFREE. Some products are priced the same but some are more expensive. These shops do make videos and one can find them on Chinese Google or YouTube sites. I think they are actually shops and it's hard to believe they sell fakes.

Reds are like usd12 and bones are like usd80. Girl chocolate decks are like usd45. And trucks like Indy standards are like usd45 but for two!!! F4 wheels are 70-90% the price. I got one entire setup from Jump and one from Shanghai EFREE just to see how real they are. And I really can't see how this could be fake... It has to be legit right?

First of all, they don't have everysize of everything in stock. The graphics of the F4 wheels ain't those 5 fake ones people talk about in YouTube, it's legit green swirl 52mm classics and they "bark" at the same pitch as the one I got in Europe when I Powerslide.

If this is all legit, it's crazy cause you can get a legit dope setup for 50-70% of what one would pay in Europe or usa. Anyone else have experience here and heard of those shops???

Okay, I live in Shenzhen, and started skating in this city, so I actually need to use Taobao to buy all my decks and stuff unless I go to Hong Kong for a day trip, which is more time saving than going to 1985 (a local shop), which is in a totally different district to me. I prefer to go to Hong Kong or Macau to buy stuff because 1. They have brands that they mainland doesn’t 2. I get to skate a bunch of interesting spots afterwards. However, this isn’t always the case. I might break a deck, and need to buy stuff off Taobao in an emergency. Also, Taobao and Meituan (food delivery app) are just essential life here, so with that anecdote out of the way, I hope that this insight is worth your time, and anyone else who’s interested in using Taobao:

Verified dealers:
The majority of Taobao dealers that are legit generally have a verification certificate from distributer. They are just as aware as the customer that there’s a bunch of fake shit, so they will display this on the majority of the product pages. Two common examples that I can think of: 1. Hero skateshop in Guangzhou having a partnership with Kayo corp, so they have the certificate displayed on their Taobao, and therefore when you scroll down on their Taobao product pages, there will be a big scanned version of their Kayo Corp official license. This is also why this particular store has a massive boner for DGK. 2. The majority of Shanghai skate shops. I can’t speak for the skaters in Shanghai, but the scene and culture there is totally different. It seems like they get a lot more foreign product, and as such, they also will generally display these authorized dealer certificates on their pages. I recently bought a Quasi hat (which I also posted about in another forum, if anybody needs proof of that), and the dealer had a full authorization certificate.

Big Brands:
I don’t know what to title this, so take that heading with a grain of salt. But basically, a lot of the bigger brands will have their own Taobao store. Are they legit? Well, you have to know what you are looking at. Polar, for instance, has an official shop. They have their own Chinese models, and also display photos and all that from the Western stores. It’s sick, and really convenient. They are very obviously the official source, as they have memberships, and will advertise screenings for the new Polar skate videos. So yeah, I guess Polar did it the right way, and what’s better is that they also have express postage, so you will get whatever you bought the next day. However, that’s not always the case. Adidas, for example, has like 20 different fucking “official” stores. Look, I don’t know the exact way to tell you what is real and what isn’t, but my best advice is that it will have the name in English, Chinese, and have a 5-star rating + all that verified stuff.

Local stores:
A lot of local stores have their own Taobao dealerships, but you gotta be careful. Some of the local stores are very legit (and I will mention the one’s you’ve listed), and host Go Skateboarding Day with a Vision or Vans partnership. A good example is the aforementioned 1985 skateboard shop. They are the biggest shop in Shenzhen (actual store is straight ass though, and I don’t support them, but more on that later), and so every year they have official Vision or Vans partnership to host a huge Go Skateboarding Day event. This means that their store has all the official Vans product, and they have a lot of certificates to boast. Some products are cheaper, even if they are a foreign brand because they are made here. For example a lot of people in the setup thread mention that Toy Machine and Foundation have boards made in China. Yes, that’s true. If a brand new Frog board in China is about ￥600-800 then I can confirm that Toy Machine is only about ￥200, and sometimes even lower. These are legit products, but the price difference is because all the Frog stuff still needs to be shipped here from the U.S or Hong Kong, whereas Toy Machine is just made here.

So, you can kinda understand that the main thing you should be doing is just checking on the product pages if there is a digitized or scanned version of an authorized dealer certificate. If not, it is free game.

Some stores are official, but they are shady, and I don’t know many, but I will outright name and shame the following 2 stores for different reasons:
1.   55 skateboard shop: they are one of the biggest skate stores on Taobao, but they still sell fake shit and it pisses me off. Bro. How do you fucking sell fake Supreme socks, but still sell legit April boards? What is this? People have called the owner out on this btw.
2.   1985: I want to name and shame these guys here for a different reason. Their products are legit. However, I really have a huge amount of disrespect for their practices, especially on Douyin (TikTok) and other social media platforms. Aside from being very Instagram clickbait-Braille-Revive-Playboi Carti and all that, I really cannot stand for their racism. In one of their recent WeChat videos, they started the video with a Chinese guy saying “Fuck you nigger” in English. I was genuinely speechless. I get that he’s trying to be all punk with the shaved head and eyebrows, but why is the prime skateshop in Shenzhen going around using racist terminology in social media? Look, I know you didn’t click on here for this rant, but it had to be said someone. I have other random shit to flame them about as well.
3.   Journey/Jump: I bought Spitfire Radials from Jump and Thunder trucks from Journey 2 years ago. Both legit. No problems
4.   Shanghai store you mentioned: check if it has an authorized dealer certificate

Finally, a lot of product here is fake, but it is usually noticeable by the price tag. For example, I have seen some Yardsale pants for ￥80, which is extremely suspect. For comparison, legitimate Polar pants are around ￥600-900 here.

If I explained something poorly, feel free to ask me. I will definitely try my best to clarify. As for anybody who wants to come to Shenzhen to skate, DM me and I’ll try and meet you + film with my very amateur skills on my old VHS cameras.

[JimmyFive]

Expand Quote

So I know Taobao sell fakes but there are also official shops like Lakai and Adidas. I have purchased shoes from the Lakai shop and also exact same ones from Taobao Skate shops, I just can't tell the difference. They cost like 50-70% of what I pay in Europe.

This also applies to products like decks, trucks, wheels and bearings from Taobao listed skate shops like Jump, 55, Weyoung, Journey or Shanghai EFREE. Some products are priced the same but some are more expensive. These shops do make videos and one can find them on Chinese Google or YouTube sites. I think they are actually shops and it's hard to believe they sell fakes.

Reds are like usd12 and bones are like usd80. Girl chocolate decks are like usd45. And trucks like Indy standards are like usd45 but for two!!! F4 wheels are 70-90% the price. I got one entire setup from Jump and one from Shanghai EFREE just to see how real they are. And I really can't see how this could be fake... It has to be legit right?

First of all, they don't have everysize of everything in stock. The graphics of the F4 wheels ain't those 5 fake ones people talk about in YouTube, it's legit green swirl 52mm classics and they "bark" at the same pitch as the one I got in Europe when I Powerslide.

If this is all legit, it's crazy cause you can get a legit dope setup for 50-70% of what one would pay in Europe or usa. Anyone else have experience here and heard of those shops???

[close]

Okay, I live in Shenzhen, and started skating in this city, so I actually need to use Taobao to buy all my decks and stuff unless I go to Hong Kong for a day trip, which is more time saving than going to 1985 (a local shop), which is in a totally different district to me. I prefer to go to Hong Kong or Macau to buy stuff because 1. They have brands that they mainland doesn’t 2. I get to skate a bunch of interesting spots afterwards. However, this isn’t always the case. I might break a deck, and need to buy stuff off Taobao in an emergency. Also, Taobao and Meituan (food delivery app) are just essential life here, so with that anecdote out of the way, I hope that this insight is worth your time, and anyone else who’s interested in using Taobao:

Verified dealers:
The majority of Taobao dealers that are legit generally have a verification certificate from distributer. They are just as aware as the customer that there’s a bunch of fake shit, so they will display this on the majority of the product pages. Two common examples that I can think of: 1. Hero skateshop in Guangzhou having a partnership with Kayo corp, so they have the certificate displayed on their Taobao, and therefore when you scroll down on their Taobao product pages, there will be a big scanned version of their Kayo Corp official license. This is also why this particular store has a massive boner for DGK. 2. The majority of Shanghai skate shops. I can’t speak for the skaters in Shanghai, but the scene and culture there is totally different. It seems like they get a lot more foreign product, and as such, they also will generally display these authorized dealer certificates on their pages. I recently bought a Quasi hat (which I also posted about in another forum, if anybody needs proof of that), and the dealer had a full authorization certificate.

Big Brands:
I don’t know what to title this, so take that heading with a grain of salt. But basically, a lot of the bigger brands will have their own Taobao store. Are they legit? Well, you have to know what you are looking at. Polar, for instance, has an official shop. They have their own Chinese models, and also display photos and all that from the Western stores. It’s sick, and really convenient. They are very obviously the official source, as they have memberships, and will advertise screenings for the new Polar skate videos. So yeah, I guess Polar did it the right way, and what’s better is that they also have express postage, so you will get whatever you bought the next day. However, that’s not always the case. Adidas, for example, has like 20 different fucking “official” stores. Look, I don’t know the exact way to tell you what is real and what isn’t, but my best advice is that it will have the name in English, Chinese, and have a 5-star rating + all that verified stuff.

Local stores:
A lot of local stores have their own Taobao dealerships, but you gotta be careful. Some of the local stores are very legit (and I will mention the one’s you’ve listed), and host Go Skateboarding Day with a Vision or Vans partnership. A good example is the aforementioned 1985 skateboard shop. They are the biggest shop in Shenzhen (actual store is straight ass though, and I don’t support them, but more on that later), and so every year they have official Vision or Vans partnership to host a huge Go Skateboarding Day event. This means that their store has all the official Vans product, and they have a lot of certificates to boast. Some products are cheaper, even if they are a foreign brand because they are made here. For example a lot of people in the setup thread mention that Toy Machine and Foundation have boards made in China. Yes, that’s true. If a brand new Frog board in China is about ￥600-800 then I can confirm that Toy Machine is only about ￥200, and sometimes even lower. These are legit products, but the price difference is because all the Frog stuff still needs to be shipped here from the U.S or Hong Kong, whereas Toy Machine is just made here.

So, you can kinda understand that the main thing you should be doing is just checking on the product pages if there is a digitized or scanned version of an authorized dealer certificate. If not, it is free game.

Some stores are official, but they are shady, and I don’t know many, but I will outright name and shame the following 2 stores for different reasons:
1.   55 skateboard shop: they are one of the biggest skate stores on Taobao, but they still sell fake shit and it pisses me off. Bro. How do you fucking sell fake Supreme socks, but still sell legit April boards? What is this? People have called the owner out on this btw.
2.   1985: I want to name and shame these guys here for a different reason. Their products are legit. However, I really have a huge amount of disrespect for their practices, especially on Douyin (TikTok) and other social media platforms. Aside from being very Instagram clickbait-Braille-Revive-Playboi Carti and all that, I really cannot stand for their racism. In one of their recent WeChat videos, they started the video with a Chinese guy saying “Fuck you nigger” in English. I was genuinely speechless. I get that he’s trying to be all punk with the shaved head and eyebrows, but why is the prime skateshop in Shenzhen going around using racist terminology in social media? Look, I know you didn’t click on here for this rant, but it had to be said someone. I have other random shit to flame them about as well.
3.   Journey/Jump: I bought Spitfire Radials from Jump and Thunder trucks from Journey 2 years ago. Both legit. No problems
4.   Shanghai store you mentioned: check if it has an authorized dealer certificate

Finally, a lot of product here is fake, but it is usually noticeable by the price tag. For example, I have seen some Yardsale pants for ￥80, which is extremely suspect. For comparison, legitimate Polar pants are around ￥600-900 here.

If I explained something poorly, feel free to ask me. I will definitely try my best to clarify. As for anybody who wants to come to Shenzhen to skate, DM me and I’ll try and meet you + film with my very amateur skills on my old VHS cameras.

Wow, brillaint analysis!

[GBLange]

makes me wanna try ordering some from Taobao..

[moonordie]

And then you're all crying about skateshops closing...

[G_Money]

Which alibaba store makes decks for the big companies?

[rocklobster]

Which alibaba store makes decks for the big companies?

Alibaba is just a market place for businesses (likely resellers / distributors, very unlikely to be woodshops) to reach the consumer audience. I doubt any of the sellers on Alibaba actually own woodshops, they're just middlemen who consolidate orders globally before sending it to the actual factory to produce.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Which alibaba store makes decks for the big companies?

[close]

Alibaba is just a market place for businesses (likely resellers / distributors, very unlikely to be woodshops) to reach the consumer audience. I doubt any of the sellers on Alibaba actually own woodshops, they're just middlemen who consolidate orders globally before sending it to the actual factory to produce.

I was also thinking those resellers or shops on Ali anything are or were more often than not fake product when I went through and did a lot of research back in late 2020 and early 2021.

Of course that is a while ago now and I really don't know what has happened since then, but Baker decks as a fine example are NOT made in China or any of those other places as they are one of the few companies that are still making ALL their pro boards through BBS in Mexico, yet here there were all these old Baker pro boards with dudes names who had not been on the team in years all brand new and fresh as could be straight out of China or similar countries.  That was just one example, but it was pretty clear that there were a lot more fake products than there were legit ones back then.

I am not curious enough to go looking now, but I do wonder if the counterfeit market has dried up a lot or just moved on to other things now, as I don't see half as many fake products popping up on ebay or elsewhere any more.

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Which alibaba store makes decks for the big companies?

[close]

Alibaba is just a market place for businesses (likely resellers / distributors, very unlikely to be woodshops) to reach the consumer audience. I doubt any of the sellers on Alibaba actually own woodshops, they're just middlemen who consolidate orders globally before sending it to the actual factory to produce.

[close]

I was also thinking those resellers or shops on Ali anything are or were more often than not fake product when I went through and did a lot of research back in late 2020 and early 2021.

I am not curious enough to go looking now, but I do wonder if the counterfeit market has dried up a lot or just moved on to other things now, as I don't see half as many fake products popping up on ebay or elsewhere any more.

Counterfeiters realized the hype has died and there is little money in skateboarding, especially hardgoods.