Fake Jordans will often have some shoelace tabs that are looser than others. Look for high quality stitching. Inspect the shoes carefully for neat and professional looking stitching. Everything should look evenly spaced, with no unfinished edges or frayed threads.

The story goes that Michael Jordan was fined $5,000 by the NBA every time he wore the shoes during their debut in 1984 because their colors broke the league's uniform rules. The league even wrote an infamous letter to Nike in February 1985 explaining that the black and red shoes were prohibited.

What makes Nike Air Jordans so expensive? Jordan brand brought sports apparel into the mainstream in the 90's. Today its products are expensive because of how it makes and markets them.

Take a good look at the woven label attached to the top of the tongue. Counterfeit Jordans may not have a circle with the registered “R” trademark, while Nike's original shoes use a doubled “R” on that tag. Embroidery should not be too thick or too thin.