Counterfeit Skate Gear Thread

[manysnakes]

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got a set of Swiss off parade for $50 via holiday sale a couple weeks ago. they arrived today from a shop in Miami called Andrew. seems like more streetwear than skating. I'm looking at the bearings and most things seem pretty legit, but I'm not sure. Date is 1981. bottom of box reads bonesbearings.com with no full address, just Santa Barbara, California U.S.A. not really sure what's going on.... any thoughts?

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this counterfeit gear crap is so frustrating. I'm pretty sure these are fine, but it's still like what the fuck. never had to do a quality check on new bearings before...

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Only buy Bones bearings from dealers listed on their website. No one else is getting authentic product.

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yeah, that's the bullshit with that stupid parade site. you don't know where it's coming from. shame on me for using parade I guess

Ahh yeah, good point. Well, check now and see if they’re listed. If not, maybe start a return.

[Allen.]

The counterfeit bones are ass. Seize up very quickly. Not worth it.

[manysnakes]

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got a set of Swiss off parade for $50 via holiday sale a couple weeks ago. they arrived today from a shop in Miami called Andrew. seems like more streetwear than skating. I'm looking at the bearings and most things seem pretty legit, but I'm not sure. Date is 1981. bottom of box reads bonesbearings.com with no full address, just Santa Barbara, California U.S.A. not really sure what's going on.... any thoughts?

[close]

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this counterfeit gear crap is so frustrating. I'm pretty sure these are fine, but it's still like what the fuck. never had to do a quality check on new bearings before...

[close]

Only buy Bones bearings from dealers listed on their website. No one else is getting authentic product.

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yeah, that's the bullshit with that stupid parade site. you don't know where it's coming from. shame on me for using parade I guess

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Ahh yeah, good point. Well, check now and see if they’re listed. If not, maybe start a return.

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they're not listed. I sent the shop an email asking what's up. I'm also going to contact parade world and see what's up. I opened the package to check the bearings and don't know if they'll take it back. which would be weak as fuck, seeing as the shop isn't an authorized dealer.

There are some posts a few pages back that detail how to tell whether or not yours are fake. If they are, I'd contact Parade World and complain, or put a stop on your credit card. I don't think you're on the hook if you bought through a retailed like Parade, though.

[user18081971]

Don’t slander Parade. There are kinks to be worked out for sure but they’re worthy of continued support (as far as I know/feel) and I’ve had nothing but great experiences using them. My only gripe is that they don’t let you see what shop you’re buying from anymore. Why remove this function?? It only says what state the product is in.

[Mbrimson88]

My only gripe is that they don’t let you see what shop you’re buying from anymore. Why remove this function?? It only says what state the product is in.

People were getting really good at checking where it was and then buying it directly from that shop, so not using the Parade service, so they cut it out.

[rocklobster]

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My only gripe is that they don’t let you see what shop you’re buying from anymore. Why remove this function?? It only says what state the product is in.

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People were getting really good at checking where it was and then buying it directly from that shop, so not using the Parade service, so they cut it out.

Often the shops will have their own discount codes for their webstore that you can't apply on Parade.

This thread should include a "which shop is this" which identifies shops on Parade so buyers can shop directly.

[Mbrimson88]

I guess though that Parade are only as good as the shops that they represent, so they would not know if a shop is selling fake product or not (just to keep it relevant to this thread) but also I think that shop would be cut off pretty quickly if it was reported that they were selling fake product.

That other well known shop (three letters, including a T and a G and an M) that sold a fake set of Spitfire wheels not that long ago still has genuine product from all the big distributors, so who knows how they ended up selling a set of fake wheels, but as per some other shops, genuine product can often be confused with fake stuff and vice versa.

[Mbrimson88]

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I guess though that Parade are only as good as the shops that they represent, so they would not know if a shop is selling fake product or not (just to keep it relevant to this thread) but also I think that shop would be cut off pretty quickly if it was reported that they were selling fake product.

That other well known shop (three letters, including a T and a G and an M) that sold a fake set of Spitfire wheels not that long ago still has genuine product from all the big distributors, so who knows how they ended up selling a set of fake wheels, but as per some other shops, genuine product can often be confused with fake stuff and vice versa.

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I contacted the shop and asked about where the bones come from, as they're not a bones dealer. Have yet to hear back. I will give it a few days and contact parade. If parade does nothing, I will file a PayPal claim. Not too pumped

Yeah that never seems like a good ending when they don't reply.

You can also contact Skate One directly, as I have done in the past too, as they will tell you very quickly if they are on the good list or not.

https://www.skateone.com/


The biggest tell on the Bones swiss seems to be the lettering round the bearing shield, the real ones being more rounded in the SS part, the fake ones a lot more squared off, but again this could always be updated.

[Mbrimson88]

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I guess though that Parade are only as good as the shops that they represent, so they would not know if a shop is selling fake product or not (just to keep it relevant to this thread) but also I think that shop would be cut off pretty quickly if it was reported that they were selling fake product.

That other well known shop (three letters, including a T and a G and an M) that sold a fake set of Spitfire wheels not that long ago still has genuine product from all the big distributors, so who knows how they ended up selling a set of fake wheels, but as per some other shops, genuine product can often be confused with fake stuff and vice versa.

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I contacted the shop and asked about where the bones come from, as they're not a bones dealer. Have yet to hear back. I will give it a few days and contact parade. If parade does nothing, I will file a PayPal claim. Not too pumped

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Yeah that never seems like a good ending when they don't reply.

You can also contact Skate One directly, as I have done in the past too, as they will tell you very quickly if they are on the good list or not.

https://www.skateone.com/


The biggest tell on the Bones swiss seems to be the lettering round the bearing shield, the real ones being more rounded in the SS part, the fake ones a lot more squared off, but again this could always be updated.

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thanks for that skateone link. I didn't realize that was a thing.

the bearings look really, really good. sticker on the cellophane/plastic wrap in the right place and everything. the color of the red might be off though, not really sure. the SS part looks legit too. I don't know... I'm gonna email skateone.com right now.

sent that email thanks!

I think they probably are legit and that shop just has poor customer service (no reply and all that) so you should be ok.


One thing I didn't say is people (shop accounts) can buy Bones products from the middle tier distributors, so they might not be on a list of "Authorised Distributors" from Skate One.


The most frustrating thing is all the fake ones out there make us doubt the original product, which has happened too.

[s0sa]

Bought these last night but now thinking that these spitfires look a lil suspect? very odd packaging and couldn’t find these in any catalog.. unfortunately parade removed the option to see what skateshop the item is coming from.  https://www.paradeworld.com/products/spitfire-classic-swirl-wheels-blackwhite-56mm-90-6661680726070/

[TwisT]

Bought these last night but now thinking that these spitfires look a lil suspect? very odd packaging and couldn’t find these in any catalog.. unfortunately parade removed the option to see what skateshop the item is coming from.  https://www.paradeworld.com/products/spitfire-classic-swirl-wheels-blackwhite-56mm-90-6661680726070/

Looks like they come from this spot
https://www.skateshopinhouston.com/products/spitfire-classic-swirl-wheels-black-white-56mm

[Mbrimson88]

middle tier meaning like eastern supply or something, correct? that makes sense. thanks

Yes, that is it.

[xrossings]

for anyone in South Australia the shops that get bones bearings from the Australian distributor are

Da Klinic

MV2

Fast Times

[Lou Strux]

I think Brimmo may be spot on about the secondary distros like Eastern, South Shore, Atlantic, etc. here in the States.
Gotta go factory direct to get that coveted “authorized dealer” status & accompanying listing on the website. It’s part of the incentive, since their order minimums require you buy a whole bunch of THEIR brands, they might as well give you a reason to do so.
With the secondary operations, you can load up on stuff across a spectrum of companies, but no fancy window sticker.
And regarding those Spitfire Classic 56s in the swirlathane: thems just the OG formula, so they’re a bit less expensive & (apparently) less packaged as well.
If it makes you feel any better, I can tell you that I have purchased from Geometric online (through Parade, coincidentally) & received genuine product.
Stay savvy while shopping, PALS.

[Mbrimson88]

I think Brimmo may be spot on about the secondary distros like Eastern, South Shore, Atlantic, etc. here in the States.
Gotta go factory direct to get that coveted “authorized dealer” status & accompanying listing on the website. It’s part of the incentive, since their order minimums require you buy a whole bunch of THEIR brands, they might as well give you a reason to do so.
With the secondary operations, you can load up on stuff across a spectrum of companies, but no fancy window sticker.
And regarding those Spitfire Classic 56s in the swirlathane: thems just the OG formula, so they’re a bit less expensive & (apparently) less packaged as well.
If it makes you feel any better, I can tell you that I have purchased from Geometric online (through Parade, coincidentally) & received genuine product.
Stay savvy while shopping, PALS.

Some businesses / shops here in AU have even purchased from the second tier distros to get stock here sooner, when the Aussie distro was completely out of stock and not getting any for a while too, which raised a few eyebrows, but it is not a worry to me.

What is interesting is how much they protect their product, even from buying genuine product through alternative channels, things can get messy (legal issues, threats or whatever else) with that business trying to sell them online and getting shut down, as has happened in the past, and these were genuine bearings, before the time of all the fake stuff getting around too.

The fake bearings didn't come in the 30 set box with the manufacturing and promotional material the way the genuine ones did, as well as having a clear distribution path when it did eventuate in legal questions, but that is beside the point.


I think nowdays it is all too easy for some legit shops and others to cut corners and supplement their own genuine stock with some very cheap and in some cases very accessible counterfeit stock which really is getting harder to spot and easier to sell to unwary customers.

[RichardBarkley]

Are these fake ?

http://www.adverts.ie/22052069

[tuesday]

Are these fake ?

http://www.adverts.ie/22052069

Do you have any concerns? Is it the black baseplates? Or the color of the hanger? (Think it's the lighting in the photo.) On the other hand I would think why bother to fake them? Don't think they are that much sought after. Have only seen the Ray Barbee's with silver baseplates, though.
For comparison: https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-trucks-c18/ray-barbee-149-hollow-stage-11-skateboard-trucks-5-75-p38634

[RichardBarkley]

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Are these fake ?

http://www.adverts.ie/22052069

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Do you have any concerns? Is it the black baseplates? Or the color of the hanger? (Think it's the lighting in the photo.) On the other hand I would think why bother to fake them? Don't think they are that much sought after. Have only seen the Ray Barbee's with silver baseplates, though.
For comparison: https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-trucks-c18/ray-barbee-149-hollow-stage-11-skateboard-trucks-5-75-p38634

I dunno his ads seem suspect

[Jowiththeflow]

I don't know if they are fakes, might be legit. Maybe the baseplate is sprayed over?

What I do see clearly is they where setup and ridden (marks on axle and baseplate), if you didn't notice.

If the price is right, you might go for it. On the other side: Always trust your guts! When it stinks=pass.

[tuesday]

Yeah, seems like a rather arbitrary selection of stuff. And those orange Thunder bushings look like shit. But with the Indys, I'd say they seem legit. Even the clipper to the key tag seems to be the same as with other sets: https://www.sidewalkshop.dk/vare/7236-independent-hollow-ray-barbee
Everything else (the bushings and washers for instance), too. Only the black baseplates seem uncommon.

[Mbrimson88]

Looks more like a bit of mix and match.

The originals had cast baseplates with a hollow kingpin, but these have forged (lower) plates which are very common on the forged hollow options, or Ti hanger options, so if someone didn't want lower forged plates, they could have easily swapped them over for the standard cast plates that were originally on those trucks.

The fake versions of those baseplates are as thick as the normal cast, as far as I have seen, so I would be going with the genuine new old stock option for them.

Everything else that he has listed looks genuine too, so I would say that is all good stuff, not fake.

[RichardBarkley]

Thanks everyone

[Mbrimson88]

*** Note:  I posted this so people can spot fakes and avoid buying them.  ***


These ones are being sold by someone on ebay at pretty close to RRP, so it could be a lot easier for someone to fall for them.

Fake Indy forged baseplates for reference, in case I hadn't posted them earlier.

They are cast plates with the forged "print" or stamp graphic of the Indy logo on the bottom, clearly distinguished from the real thing, when you can see what a forged plate looks like.

[Mbrimson88]

*** Note:  I posted this so people can spot fakes and avoid buying them.  ***


Here is another listing I saw on AU ebay that is a pretty good current list of fake Spitfire wheels.


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154812683372


Might work without the AU as well:


https://www.ebay.com/itm/154812683372


And the UK version, seeing as they are UK based:


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154812683372


I am not going to post all the different pics they have on that listing, besides the cover shot of the nine different wheels, although at least one - the normal Classic (Full) is not that graphic.

[rocklobster]

Good on them for attempting to list down the official product names at least.

I've seen a new batch of fake Indys on Aliexpress in sizes up to 149.

Tiago Mid 139
139 Mid
139 "Lights" with the red baseplate - only hollow kingpin with a solid axle, which Indy doesn't produce
149 Std
159 Std

They even come in the plastic wrapper with blue tape to make it look more legit.

Couple more Thunders as well:

147 HL Suciu
147 HL F**K Off Red
147 HL Kyle Walker Blue + Raw
147 HL Black