How to search for originals and copies of brands on AliExpress

Counterfeits on Aliexpress Cloth

AliExpress during its existence has established itself as a platform where you can buy almost everything. It is also possible to find clothes or shoes from world-famous brands here. In order for the user to be sure that he is ordering a branded item, and not a fake, Aliexpress has developed a special system with the marking of original goods.

Aliexpress
Aliexpress is a global virtual marketplace.

Categories of brands on AliExpress

According to the rules of the trading platform, the sale of items that violate copyright is prohibited on the site.

Nevertheless, on Aliexpress you can find both original goods and fakes of Chinese and Western brands of different quality.

Famous Chinese brands

AliExpress sells original clothes, shoes, accessories and gadgets of medium and high quality recognizable Chinese brands. Here you can find products from manufacturers such as Xiaomi or Huawei.

There is no need to count on a big difference in price. The cost on Aliexpress differs little from other online sites, but can be significantly lower than in stores in your city, due to the absence of an intermediary margin.

Read also: Michael Kors how to distinguish the original from a fake

With white label

China is not only a source of cheap and low-quality goods that fill the entire mass market, but also a market with relatively low labor costs. Many global brands manufacture products in Asian countries due to the lower cost of the product. Then the companies add their brand names to clothes and shoes sewn in Chinese factories and the price increases several times.

Products
Products go on sale without logos.

Products from these factories periodically enter retail chains without logos. Such products can also be found on Aliexpress. All parameters of these products are preserved, and their quality will be at the same level as that of the brand. To distinguish such a T-shirt, backpack or sneakers from branded ones will only be the absence of a company logo or a beautiful tag. The price will decrease by several times.

Read also: Do they sell fakes? wildberry?

Fake

Finding copies of famous brands on the marketplace is easier than finding originals. The quality of such products varies significantly: from terrible fakes to good replicas, which are difficult to distinguish from branded items from photographs.

AliExpress is actively fighting sellers who illegally use brand names and symbols: it blocks and deletes stores.

So every day there are fewer of them.

Original

Original products from European and American companies are also found on the site, such as Puma or Adidas. Although Aliexpress has developed a reputation for being a low-price online store, the cost of these items will not differ much from other online marketplaces. But perhaps you will pay less than in a company store in your city due to the lack of surcharges that cover the additional costs of the company for storage, shipping, paying customs duties, etc.

Read also: how to check apple earbuds for originality

Availability of original brands on AliExpress

The site does not have all the brands of the world, but it is possible to find branded items on Alixpress. True, for this you will need to spend time checking the seller and reading comments on the goods. In addition, the complexity is represented by a large number of fakes.

Guaranteed Authenticity
The “Guaranteed Authenticity” mark will help distinguish a fake.

To distinguish stores that sell originals, the sign "Guaranteed Authenticity" will help.

With this symbol, AliExpress marks only sellers who are official representatives of manufacturing companies or have a license to sell branded goods.

Search Instructions: Tips and Tricks

To find a branded item, you need to enter the brand name and type of product in the search bar (for example, “t-shirt”, “bag”, “watch”). Since the names and descriptions of the products are machine translated, it is better to enter the request in English. A basic level of knowledge is enough for this, but you can use a translator. If such a search did not return results, you need to add the words brand or premium.

Read also: original sapphire glass - how to distinguish from a fake?

Sellers who do not have a license to sell branded goods may use abbreviations instead of company names, they shorten the name to the first letters. This is done in order not to fall under the ban of Aliexpress. However, when searching in this way, there is a high probability of getting fakes or replicas, because their sellers use the same method.

You can find stores that sell original goods in the Brand Focus discount section. Most often, it is filled with household appliances and kitchen utensils from Chinese manufacturers, but it is also possible to meet other well-known brands. For the convenience of users, the products in this section are sorted into the categories “Fashion”, “Technology”, “Beauty and Health”, etc.

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When searching for branded products, follow these rules:

  1. Choose a seller with a high reputation, preferably with the "Guaranteed Authenticity" sign.
  2. Do not trust the photos, read the product cards carefully. For providing false information in the description, sellers lose their reputation and may be banned by Aliexpress.
  3. Read product reviews and see photo reviews before buying.
  4. Write to the seller with a request to send photos of the product from all sides, a dimensional grid or help choosing a size, etc. Stores that sell quality goods are willing to make contact with the buyer.
  5. Original products with a logo cannot cost 2 times cheaper than in a company store. Therefore, when searching, it is better to include a filter by price in order to weed out obvious fakes.

Buyer's actions if they sent a fake

If the goods sent turned out to be a fake or did not match the description of the seller, it is necessary to open a dispute. AliExpress protects its reputation, so you will receive a refund, including the amount of shipping. This is especially true in cases where the product has been marked with the “Guaranteed Authenticity” sign.

Read also: Casio how to distinguish a fake from the original

If they sent a fake
You can open a dispute if you were sent a fake.

The main differences between copies and originals

You can understand whether the original is in front of you or a fake, according to the following criteria:

  1. When you see the Guaranteed Authentication badge, you are a licensed brand representative who has been verified by AliExpress.
  2. If the value of the item from the seller is less than the price in the company store by 1.5-2 times, this is a fake.
  3. In the "Brand Focus" section, all products are original.
  4. Products with a white label can be distinguished from the original by the absence of a logo.

How to find high-quality fakes on Aliexpress: the main ways

If you are interested in a quality item, and not the logo of a fashion design house or a well-known electronics manufacturer, on AliExpress you can find replicas of famous models of clothing or technology.

To do this, use the search by image function. It is available on the mobile app. For this:

  1. Download a photo of the item you want to find a copy of.
  2. Go to the app and click on the camera icon in the top right corner.
  3. Go to the gallery (the icon will be at the bottom of the screen) and select the desired picture.

Read also: what do the fake ones look like? 2000 rubles? Do not deceive us!

After a few seconds of loading, Aliexpress will find similar products. There will be more exact matches if you refine the search category: “Clothes”, “Shoes”, “Bags and Luggage”, “Other”. The search results can be sorted by number of units sold and price.

To search by photo through a browser, you need to download additional applications or extensions. These programs work on a similar principle:

  1. You download an image of a product from the Internet or copy its URL.
  2. Launch the program or extension and open the picture in it (or paste the copied URL).
  3. The program finds similar things on Aliexpress.

In most of these applications, filters are available by price, number of reviews, seller rating, etc.

Read also: counterfeit banknotes or “Are you sure you know what does the dollar look like?”

Additional method

Another way to find a quality copy is to enter a shortened brand name. This method works with products of popular brands of clothing, shoes, smartphones and accessories for them. To do this, in the search bar you need to write the abbreviated name of the company and the name of the item you are looking for (“t-shirt”, “jeans”, etc.).

Read also: identify fake 5000 rubles in 15 sec

Copies of brands that are often ordered on the site

The most popular are Western brands of clothing and accessories. Common abbreviations for these firms can be found in the table.

Brand Reduction
Nike NK
Adidas Adi, adida
Puma PM
H&M H AND M, h @ M, h&m brand, hm brand
Chanel CC
Dolce & Gabbana D&G, DG
Victoria's Secret vs, v secret, victoria
Calvin Klein C&K or CK
Michael Kors mk or michaeled
Louis Vuitton LV
Yves Saint Laurent YSL
Reebok reeboks or rbk
Casio CSO

You can find other brands by shortening their names to the first letters or by leaving one letter from each word in the name.

What to do if you sold a fake?

Where to go if you sold a fake?

Discover!

Andrey Kozhevnikov

Blog author. 7 years of experience as a Merchandiser. Specialist in the definition of quality products. Distinguished more than 5,000 fake goods. My motto: there is no limit to perfection!

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Add a comment

  1. Nicholas

    There are a lot of fakes and it is very difficult to distinguish the original from the fake. Here on Aliexpress you can find a product with a tag that it is a genuine thing and it's true.

    Reply
  2. OmmYGOD

    I never thought before that you can find replicas of popular products on Aliexpress. There was always some kind of consumer goods, and now I found out that you can find an original unique product at a very affordable price!)

    Reply
  3. Lydia S.

    I always thought that on Aliexpress they sell anything but not high-quality things. After the article, my opinion changed. I think I will use this resource in the near future. And what about Joom?

    Reply
  4. dominica

    I always buy all the goods on alik. On aliexpress, you can easily check the authenticity of the goods at least. you will know that you knew, if it's a fake, then it's your own fault because you didn't check it, and with the help of alik you definitely won't make a mistake. in general, in vain that many people ignore alik so much. ok site

    Reply
  5. Irina

    Nowadays, many fakes have appeared, and a person cannot always distinguish
    original from fakes and thanks to those who help figure it out.

    Reply
  6. Boris Burak

    I never perceived Ali as a platform for buying some branded items. Maybe now everything has changed, but if I need to buy something branded, I will try to look in another meta.

    Reply
  7. Lina Sycheva

    Now I can find out everything about it. such good articles are simply the best. now I know even more about the best here. I liked seeing this. such amazing articles help raise an important topic. now I know how to protect myself from fakes

    Reply
  8. Eugene

    Давно не покупал на али. Считал, что али и оригиналы вещи не совместимые. Но времена меняются. Но как там искать оригиналы до сих пор не знал.

    Reply