Check the website name.
If the website you’re visiting uses KEEN in its name or displays the KEEN logo, but the site doesn’t look authentic when compared to KEEN’s official retail website keenfootwear.ca, it’s likely a website selling counterfeit product. Through the years, KEEN has found websites selling fake KEEN products using names such as www.cheap-keens.com, www.keenshoesretail.com, www.Ksnnestore.com, and www.keenfootwearsale.com. For a list of authentic KEEN retail locations and store websites, see here. Find a Store If you’re still not sure, email KEEN’s Fan Service Department at info.ca@keenfootwear.com
Investigate further.
Counterfeiters often provide contact information that is hard to trace. For example, instead of a company email, a counterfeiter may use a Gmail or Yahoo account. Another useful strategy to determine if a website is operated by counterfeiters is to review the URL window, or directory pane. On most browsers, if the website is secure and operated by a company selling genuine products, the URL will begin with “https,” and a padlock icon will appear at the front of the website address during the checkout process. This means that the site has been verified by a trusted third-party authority and provides a valid certificate for the URL that you are visiting. The padlock icon means that the connection to this URL is secure.
If you become concerned about a website you are shopping on, read the shipping or refund and returns policy. Most counterfeit websites will have poorly written policies and/or complicated return and refund rules and procedures.
Counterfeiters often offer consumers a number of options to pay for purchased goods, including wire transfers via Western Union and MoneyGram. Why? International wire transfers, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, cannot be cancelled or reversed and it is not possible to track the entity or person receiving the money. Another sign you are possibly purchasing counterfeit goods is the ability to pay using PayPal. KEEN’s authorized online retail partners only use traditional methods for payment, such MasterCard, Visa, or American Express.
One more tip: marketplace sites, such as eBay.com, Walmart.com, Overstock.com, Aliexpress.com, Wish.com, Alibaba.com, MercadoLibre.com, Taobao.com, and even Amazon.com, are common platforms used by counterfeiters to sell fake products. Always investigate a seller thoroughly before purchasing a product.
Spot the knockoff.
Below are several clues to help determine if a KEEN-branded product you purchased is fake.
Packaging
- Counterfeiters typically use inexpensive and flimsy cardboard material for shoe boxes, or will ship products without packaging.
- Product packaging includes wording that is misspelled.
Product
- If you compare the counterfeit product to the images of footwear products on KEENFootwear.com, the fake shoes may appear distorted, “off,” or altered.
-The KEEN logo may be altered, missing, or replaced with other imagery.
- Colors and hues may differ from authentic products, and footwear outsoles may be thin, stiff, or uncomfortable.
- The invoice from the seller may not provide contact information or an address.
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