louboutins on a budget
The overwhelming reason why so many people get tricked into buying fakes are because they're looking for good deals on Louboutins. With so many fake sites out there, it's easy to think that discount Louboutins are the stuff of dreams, but that's absolutely not the case - there are plenty of good deals out there for the frugal fashionista.


end of season sales

See the list of genuine Louboutin retailers and make sure you join their email newsletters so that you're the first to know when their end of season sales start. Often the styles on sale will be outgoing seasonal styles which are rarely worth paying retail for anyway.

online sample sales

Online sample sales such as Gilt and The Outnet are probably your best opportunity to get brand new Louboutins for often hugely discounted prices. Be prepared for disappointment as styles will sell out fast. Make sure you are tactical - filter by size, make sure you are logged in, and make sure you add more to your basket than you will end up buying, as it's inevitable by the time you check out, some of the shoes will have sold out.

Online sample sales are one of the few places you will be able to get classic styles discounted. The classics will never go on sale in Louboutin boutiques, and rarely make it to sale on Net-a-Porter etc.

recommended websites

Pam Jenkins is a great place to find discounted Louboutins - their 'Previous Collections' section often has huge discounts - often at (or below) £200.

Shoephoric is another website to keep your eyes on. They have had contests where you can enter to win Louboutins!

ebay

eBay is still a minefield when it comes to fakes, but there are genuine bargains to be had. The following are all legitimate sellers of real Louboutins:
  • ariail54
  • auntbethscloset
  • Celebshoes
  • eluxuryshoes
  • fashioncircle
  • golfer_golfette
  • jealousoftherain
  • kapriolle
  • lenkainbe
  • luchia*
  • ma_kum
  • mgdinosaur
  • mushroom_city
  • NaturalGasGirl
  • Only_Moda
  • rodeodrivefashionista
  • sale_forever
  • schsummers
  • shoehottie
  • Trenduet
  • tullulahgrace
  • yxiangyxiang

how to spot fake louboutins


Most fake Louboutin websites aren't honest enough to show you pictures of the actual shoes you are going to be buying, most just steal images from legitimate websites like Net-a-Porter and Saks. Here's a guide to spotting fake Louboutins.


the packaging
  • China: China is a hotpot of counterfeit activity, and if the 'Louboutins' you've ordered have come from China (obvious from postmarks/labels on the packaging), it's likely you have got fakes
  • Shoebox and dustbag: The boxes and dustbags used by Louboutin are good quality, so if they feel cheap and nasty, consider whether the shoes inside are fake
  • Smells: If you open the box and a smell of glue hits you, it's likely they're fake
the devil's in the detail
On the left, real Louboutin Clou Noeud peeptoes, on the right, fakes

Compare the two shoes above. The left is real, the right is fake. The attention to detail is what separates Louboutin from cheaper shoes, and here if you look closely you can see the difference. 

You can see on the fake that the arrangement of the studs is different, the studs are not as sharp and the pattern made by them (particularly towards the top) is completely different. On the Louboutin they're neat and tidy, they're equidistant from each other - on the fake, they're not.

On the left, real Louboutin Almeria espadrilles, on the right, fakes

Compare details such as the ends of straps (curved on the real thing, straight on the fakes), and how different straps meet/cross each other (on the fakes you can see where the three straps meet it's far more curved). 

size matters

On the left, real Louboutin Ambertina sandals, on the right, fakes

A lot of inaccuracies in measurements and dimensions are visible at a glance. On the above example you can see how fundamental details such as the distance between the straps vary. Not only is this a massive giveaway to the authenticity of the shoe, but it also totally alters the fit/comfort of the shoe.

misprint
On the left, real Louboutin Tigresse espadrilles, on the right, fakes

Often prints are a huge give away. It's important to note that sometimes the print can vary slightly from shoe-to-shoe and from season-to-season. But a fake is often easy to spot. In the above example you can see the zebra stripes are more dense and run vertically, while on the right the stripes run horizontally.
On the left, real Louboutin Maggie pumps, on the right, fakes

Another similar example. Note the line between the navy and the lighter-coloured upper - on the Louboutin it is straight, on the fake it is curved.

if a job's worth doing...
On the left, real Louboutin Romaine sandals, on the right, fakes

Louboutins have a lot of technical details on them. Detail like this costs money, and it's money that fraudsters don't want to spend, so any corner they can cut, they do. The piped leather straps on the left are nice and cylindrical, while on the fake, right, they're flat, crinkled and lifeless.

On the left, real Louboutin Big Lips pumps, on the right, fakes

Another example of just how unconvincing fakes can be. Often you wouldn't know this until the fake box arrives from China, you remove them from their fake dustbag and then when it comes to returning them, the fraudsters will conveniently have problems receiving/replying to your emails.

shapes and silhouettes
On the left, real Louboutin Bianca pumps, on the right fakes

The silhouette of a shoe is often a massive giveaway, but it can also be very difficult to spot sometimes. The above example is a ridiculously cynical attempt to copy Louboutin's popular Bianca pump, and shares very little in common with the shoe it has copied. The heel height, platform style, toe shape, and entire silhouette of the shoe are miles off. Although most examples aren't as obvious as this, if there aren't clear shots of the shoe that you're going to be buying from which to make a comparison, then avoid.

hardware
On the left, the buckle from a real Louboutin Toundra, on the right, a buckle from a fake

On a similar theme to the devil being in the detail, make sure buckles, studs and any other hardware is as illustrated on websites like Net-a-Porter and the official Louboutin website. Look at my list of real Louboutin websites and many have high-quality images you can zoom right in on for comparison

stitch-up

Finally, the stitching on Louboutins is of supreme quality. Each stitch is straight, equal in length, and runs tidily along the edge of seams. On fakes, the stitching will be of poor quality, will be wobbly, and not inline with seams.

but it might not be fake if...
  • The red sole is a different shade: Believe it or not, you cannot tell whether a Louboutin is authentic just by looking at the colour of a sole. It does actually vary from shoe-to-shoe. I have dozens of Louboutins and their soles often vary in colour; some are a more orangy shade, and some a richer, darker shade of red
  • The 'Louboutin' stamp on the sole/insole is different: Louboutins are hand made and often different stamps are used for the indented stamp on the sole (this is never printed, though) and the gold embossed print on the in-sole. The font and even logo can vary, but you do get a sixth sense in time as to what is fake and what is not. The stamp should always be sharp and the ink not smudged, however.

spotting fake louboutin websites


There are thousands and thousands of fake Louboutin websites. Some will be honest enough to say they're selling fakes, many will not. Over 2,000 websites are listed on Louboutin Resource, but it's important to know what elements make it obvious the website you're looking at is selling fakes.

overview
Always check the following...

You get a sixth-sense as to which sites are real and which aren't, but the following is an overview of what to look out for when shopping online for Louboutins


  1. The Website address - only the official site uses 'louboutin' and any using 'cl' or similar are dodgy
  2. Fake websites will overuse the term 'Christian Louboutin'
  3. Scammers will use an inconsistent style of images
  4. Fakers will use stock library images of Louboutins and celebs wearing them
  5. They also gratuitously use company images (couriers, credit card companies) to imply they're trustworthy
website address
Only the official website has the word 'louboutin' in it

The first clue is the website address. The official Louboutin website (us.christianlouboutin.com and eu.christianlouboutin.com) is the ONLY website that has the word 'louboutin' in the website address. Any other website that has 'louboutin' (or CL, or variants) in is a fake. Often there will be subtle spelling mistakes in the website address to get as close to legitimate website addresses as possible.


where the website is registered
Check Whois to see the registered address of the company - if in China, avoid

Type the website address into Whois to see who it is registered too. If the company is registered in Asia, avoid. The contact below uses a gmail email address - not the kind of person you want to do business with, as any reputable company will have a non-web based email account.

Domain name: cheapchristianshoesale.com 
Registrant Contact: wu yitao yitao wu 
cg2391@gmail.com 
0755-29010708 
fax: 0755-29010708 
nanshanquzhongshangongyuanlu10 shen zhen GD 201612 cn


christian louboutin this, christian louboutin that
Fake websites will mention Christian Louboutin repeatedly, often unnecessarily 

It's in fakers' best interests to appear as high up search engine results as possible, so they go to extreme lengths to achieve this. Anywhere they can mention Christian Louboutin, they will.


As you can see in the above image, there are many, many superfluous mentions of Christian Louboutin. Instead of listing 'Pumps', 'Sandals' etc, it will be 'Christian Louboutin Pumps', 'Christian Louboutin Sandals' etc. In the example above, I did CTRL+F to highlight these references, and on only a small page it found 60+ references to Christian Louboutin.

Text on websites will often follow a similar trend - this is from a fake Louboutin website:

"ChristianLouboutinsStores is one of the best online retailer and wholesaler of Christian Louboutin Shoes Store. There are the cheap christian louboutins, such as Christian Louboutin Pumps, Christian Louboutin Boots, Christian Louboutin Sandals, Discount Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale and so on, the best price and quality guarantee. Christian Louboutin Store is a shop dedicated to the best online sale links on christian louboutin shoes sale. Christian Louboutin is a French shoe designer whose signature red-soled shoes have been worn by several celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears. While christian louboutin high heels generally retail for approximately $500, diligent shoppers can often find them discounted online."

Surely a masterclass in search engine optimisation.

chinglish
Look for a poor standard of English

The majority of websites selling fakes are Chinese, and English and Chinese are notoriously incompatible languages so you can expect to find a very poor standard of English on scammers' websites.
As well as the above, here are some genuine examples I found while researching this article:

"Christian louboutin's sales very stylish, very attractive. So when you go to buy a pair of shoes and enjoy shopping now!"

"Do you always see a flower shop in the street of a crossing corner in which always put many blue roses? Do they give a deep impression on you? Do you ever imagine that one day you became the owner of these lovely flowers? Us christian louboutin sale finds a shortcut way to the blue heaven for you."

"French designer Christian Louboutin high heels, high heels and is a well-known brand christian louboutin pumps uk, red-soled shoes are Christian Louboutin's signature logo. No matter how you like women, need to set foot on the red carpet wearing of christian louboutin pumps Kogan shoes."

"Charstian [sic] Louboutin's for more than 3 years of the Luxury Institute Luxury Brand Status Index of the year (LBSI), the brand of the product is listed as 2009, 2010 and 2011, the most prestigious women's shoes."

"Christian Louboutin Online is the most important, not only more comfortable, but also very beautiful, sexy, make a notification. These girls are wearing chlorine [I love that, 'wearing chlorine'...] can experience in a more comfortable, beautiful shoes in the foot."

inconsistent photography
Pictures will have different backgrounds, be at different angles, and of poor quality

Look on a legitimate website and you can see super-high-quality images of shoes, all from the same angles (generally front-side angle, side and reverse), with the same background.

On scammers' sites, the pictures will be poor quality, often sourced from Google Images, will be inconsistent in style (as they steal from numerous legitimate sites) with different backgrounds, different shadows and shoes at different angles.


  1. Looks like one of their fakes, picture also doesn't match description
  2. Picture stolen from Saks (with the grey gradient background)
  3. Note the reflection under this shoe, not seen on most of the other pics
  4. Another style with the box behind to imply that it's legitimate (it's not, of course)
  5. Yet another background with the grey background, this one stolen from Neiman Marcus who use this background
logos and images
Logos of reputable companies used to convince you everything's legitimate

Just because a website has logos on it, doesn't mean that it is necessarily endorsed by that company. I could say this blog is by appointment to Her Majesty The Queen but it doesn't mean it's true. Legitimate websites don't need to use logos for their couriers, antivirus brands etc and don't. Scammers will.
They will also use library/stock images of Louboutin. Legitimate websites will normally do their own photography, whereas scammers will just raid Google Images. Example below:



inconsistent claims
Details such as refund policies, shipping costs vary from page-to-page

The faker's website will have inconsistent information on it. On one page shipping will be free, on another page refunds will exclude the cost of shipping (which was apparently free). Check the small print as this will often highlight these inconsistencies.

payment via western union, paypal or tax free scams
Real websites don't use Western Union, Paypal or offer to send shoes as a 'gift' so you don't pay tax

On the scammers' FAQ page they will often claim they take payment via Paypal and Western Union (they're desperate for your money), and also claim that you do not pay tax on their shoes.

No legitimate website takes payment via Paypal or Western Union, nor will they offer to send shoes as a 'gift' in order to avoid paying tax. This practice is illegal, so don't do business with companies who break the law.

refund policies
Scammers' websites will often not refund full amounts

They might say they will, but they won't. Look for get-out clauses like "we need to deduct 30% for credit card handling charges" or "full refund excluding cost of delivery" which will be an exorbitant charge you thought was free when purchasing the shoes. It is VERY unlikely you will ever see your full amount refunded. Many will even say that they won't refund if you complain your shoes look different from the picture on the site, which is basically a carte blanche to say they won't ever give your money back.

online and high street louboutin retailers


It can be a daunting prospect trying to work out which retailers are legitimate and which ones are selling fakes. Here's a list of retailers, both online and high street, that sell the real thing.

As well as the below retailers, Christian Louboutins can be bought from official boutiques which are located at many cities worldwide. Click here to visit the official Louboutin boutique locator.

Barneys
Bergdorf Goodman
Bluefly
Browns Fashion
Coco Pari

Cricket Liverpool
Ekseption
Flannels Fashion
Foot Candy
Gilt
Harrods of London
Harvey Nichols
Joseph Stores

Luisa Via Roma
Matches
Mytheresa
Nathalie Schuterman
Neiman Marcus
Net-a-Porter
Nordstrom

Pam Jenkins
Saks Fifth Avenue
Selfridges
Savannahs
The Outnet