Nike Air Jordan XII (12) Retro

First, make sure the shoes are manufactured with the factory codes LN3 (China) or FT1 (Taiwan) stamped on the tag. Also make sure the box has the same manufacturing country.

Make sure the style number on the box matches the one on the shoe tag.

Another thing to look for on the box is spelling errors. Many of the fakes have the word "RETRO" spelled wrong. They print it with the last letter as a "D" instead of an "O"... "RETRD". If you see that on a box, it's definitely a fake.

Next, look at the color of the outsole and the midsole. On the authentic jordan 12's, there should be a subtle tone difference between the two. Notice on the fakes, the colors are exactly the same. Almost all the fakes look like that, whether they're white, blue, red or any color but black.

Note: the black ones should have a matte finish but little difference between the midsole and outsole.

Next, look at the two lace tabs at the top of each side of the shoes. The jumpman should be of high quality and centered between the sides. Notice on the fake one, the edges are not sharp and the jumpman's foot is slightly too far from the edge.

Next, check the jumpman on the tongue. Look at the real one and compare every detail with your shoes. The fake one on the right is an example of a very poor fake but some are much better.

Next, if you have "Taxi"s, the midsole should not be glossy. They should have a matte finish. If they are glossy like the fakes above, they're fake.

Next, look at the thickness of the tongue. The tongue on the fake above is much thicker than the real one.

Next, if you are buying the shoes new, the jordan 12 retros do not come with a hang tag. If you are looking at shoes that are being sold on the internet and it has a hang tag like the one above, don't buy them.

Real ones also don't come with any kind of shoe trees. So again, if you see any with them in the shoes, don't buy them.

Next, look at the production dates on the shoe tag. The left arrow shows the start date and the right arrow shows the end date. It should read:

07/10/13
09/09/13

In the picture above, the start date actually reads "015/08/13". "015" is not a month, so you know they're fake.