Fakes and Counterfeit Vibram FiveFingers

“Imitation is the sincerest (form) of flattery.” – Charles Caleb Colton

If Mr. Colton’s statement is in fact true, then you’ll probably agree that Vibram FiveFingers has been receiving A LOT of flattery lately. Imitations, fakes, and flagrant copies are popping up daily. Most of these counterfeits are distributed via Ebay and (over 20) forged websites that, to the untrained eye, look very similar to the real Vibram FiveFingers website (www.vibramfivefingers.com) with use of stolen imagery and text. Unsuspecting customers realize that they’ve been taken advantage of when they receive heavy, non-breathable, inflexible, and shoddy product--and sometimes they receive no product at all! Furthermore, innocent consumers are entering their personal information and credit card numbers into unsecured web shopping carts.

We’re working diligently on prosecuting the companies and people behind these forgeries. In the interest of protecting all our fans from getting taken advantage of, here’s our list of tips for spotting fakes:

You know that “FiveFingers®” products are fake if:

• The url utilizes a spin-off of Vibram or FiveFingers. Hyphens, underscores, and declarations of “authentic” or “real” products are a dead giveaway.
• There are all sorts of crazy colors offered that you’ve never seen on www.vibramfivefingers.com.
• Brands not named Vibram are offering their own “FiveFingers” products. Vibram is the only company legally allowed to produce FiveFingers products.
• Confusing or poorly written product descriptions and low-quality or low-resolution product images.
• Discounts! FiveFingers products being sold at discounts of 20%-50% or more are almost always counterfeit.
• Discount incentives and options to buy in BULK.
• Fabrics and materials that appear different should be a tip-off. Many fakes are using a lycra-like material that has a thicker, less-elastic knit texture to it. 
• The “retailer” offers no contact phone number or the contact number immediately directs you to voicemail.
• The “retailer” can’t be found on our store locator http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/productsupport/store_locator.cfm (all authorized web retailers of FiveFingers® products MUST have a brick-and-mortar presence).

Please remember this advice when purchasing FiveFingers® products on the web to avoid wasting your money on poor product, or worse, having your personal and financial information compromised. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/info/contact.cfm) or ask your fellow fans. Probably the best thing to keep in mind is the old adage, if a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Cheers,

Team VFF

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