How to Tell if Nike Dunks Are Fake: Panda, Size Tag, Box Label

To tell if Nike Dunks are fake, read the size tag inside the tongue: the style code (DD1391-100 for the men's Panda Dunk Low) must match the colorway, the production dates must fall before the release, and the box label must repeat the same code and size. Then check the toe box, swoosh and heel. As of November 2026, used Panda Dunks sell for about $20 to $65 and new pairs for about $70 to $115.

Nike has restocked the Panda so many times since its March 2021 release that genuine pairs now sell below the $115 retail price. So a "new" Panda at $60 is not automatically fake, and a replica at $60 is a bad deal, because a genuine used pair costs about the same.

Quick answer

• Style codes: DD1391-100 (men's Panda), DD1503-101 (women's), CW1590-100 (grade school). The code must match the size tag, the box and the colorway.
• Production dates on the size tag should sit before the release. A date window after the release is a red flag.
• Used Panda Dunks: about $20-65. New in box: about $70-115. Retail is $115 now; it launched at $100 in 2021.
• A photo legit check costs about $3-6 (Legit App, CheckCheck). eBay's Authenticity Guarantee inspects eligible sneakers sold for $75 or more at no extra fee.

How do I check if my Dunks are real, step by step?

1. Find the size tag inside the tongue. It lists the sizes, the country (China, Vietnam and Indonesia are all normal), a production date range, a barcode and the style code.
2. Read the style code. The part before the dash is the model, the last three digits the colorway. DD1391-100 is the men's Panda, DD1503-101 the women's, CW1590-100 grade school. Search the full code: it should return your exact shoe. A men's code in a pair sold as women's, or a code for another color, is a concrete problem.
3. Check the production dates. The tag shows a window such as 09/12/22 to 10/20/22. Because the Panda has been restocked repeatedly, a 2024 date is fine on a pair bought in 2024; the window must end before the pair went on sale.
4. Match the box label. It should show the model, WHITE/BLACK-WHITE, the US size and the same style code as the tag, in clean, even print. Boxes get swapped, so a mismatch calls for questions but is not proof on its own.
5. Look at the toe box from above. The perforations should be evenly punched in straight rows. On many fakes the toe box is taller and boxier, and the holes are uneven or only partly punched.
6. Check the swoosh. The curve should be smooth, the tip should point toward the upper eyelets, and the stitching around it should be even. Fakes often have a thick, stubby swoosh or a tip that sits too high or too low.
7. Look at the heel. From behind, the heel should taper slightly in the middle. The NIKE embroidery on the heel tab should be evenly spaced, with clean letters that do not touch. Thick, blobby letters and a straight, boxy heel are common on copies.
8. Pull the insole. The stitching underneath should be neat. Rough, wandering stitches and heavy glue smears are warning signs, though some glue is normal on genuine pairs.
9. Smell and feel. Many replicas have a strong chemical glue smell, and cheap copies use stiff, plasticky leather.

Real vs fake Dunks, check by check

What do fakes get right?

Better replicas copy the size tag, the box label and the code exactly, often from a real pair. So these prove little:

• A correct style code. Almost every fake carries one. It counts only when it agrees with the colorway, the dates and the box.
• The box. Replica boxes are good, and genuine pairs are often sold in the wrong box.
• The overall look in a phone photo. A mid tier Panda copy looks right at listing size. The toe box and heel, seen straight on, give more away.
• Receipts. Easy to fake.

Restocks also cut the other way: genuine pairs from 2021 and 2024 come from different factories with small differences in leather and shape, so compare against a confirmed pair from the same period. The same tag logic applies to other Nike shoes in our Jordan guide.

What does a legit check cost, and what does eBay cover?

A photo legit check costs $3 to $6 per pair as of November 2026. An in-hand inspection comes built into the sale on eBay, StockX and GOAT.

eBay's program covers sneakers sold for $75 or more on eBay.com, new or pre-owned, when the listing carries the blue Authenticity Guarantee checkmark. eBay charges no fee for the inspection on eligible sneakers; US buyers pay a flat $14.95 shipping fee. The authenticator checks that the pair matches the listing and inspects structure, materials, tags, logos and packaging; pairs that pass get a tamper-evident QR tag, and a pair that fails is refunded to the buyer automatically. Customized, signed and sealed pairs are excluded, as are local pickup and offline payment.

The catch for Panda buyers: most used Pandas sell under $75, which puts them outside the program. For a cheap pair you rely on your own checks or a $3 photo opinion, and a photo opinion cannot feel the leather, smell the glue or weigh the shoe.

What are Dunks worth?

Used men's Pandas sold mostly for $20 to $65 on Poshmark, with new-in-box pairs at $72 to $99. Mercari agrees: used men's pairs at $25 to $71, used women's and GS pairs mostly $15 to $45, new GS pairs at $56 to $65, and other used general release Dunk Lows mostly $30 to $80. Yahoo Auctions Japan closed listings back up two rows: eight new GS Pandas at 11,000 yen (about $72) and ten used non-Panda Dunk Lows at roughly 3,250 to 8,400 yen (about $21 to $55). The used women's and GS row rests mainly on Mercari, since Yahoo Japan showed only two used GS sales, at about $26 and $33. StockX gives the release date as March 10, 2021 and retail as $115 (it launched at $100), and third-party tracking of StockX sales in mid 2026 put the average deadstock sale near $70. Rare SB Dunks and collaborations are worth hundreds or more and are copied far more carefully, so a professional check pays there.

Worn Pandas lose value fast: creased toe boxes, yellowed midsoles and dirty white leather each cut the price.

Where to sell Dunks, and what it costs

• eBay charges 13.6% on athletic shoes that sell for under $150, and 8% with no per-order fee at $150 or more, according to its fee page as of November 2026. A Panda that sells for $60 nets you about $51 after the fee and the $0.40 per-order charge, before shipping. Pairs at $75 and up go through the Authenticity Guarantee inspection, which buyers trust and which costs you nothing extra.
• StockX and GOAT suit deadstock pairs in the box. They inspect every pair, but at Panda prices their fees and shipping eat much of a sale.
• Poshmark, Mercari and Facebook Marketplace are where most worn Pandas sell. Show the size tag and the box label in the first photos; buyers ask for them anyway.

What not to do: do not machine wash or bleach Pandas before selling, which yellows the soles and loosens glue; use a soft brush and mild soap. Do not list a pair in a box from a different size or colorway without saying so, because a mismatched label is the first thing a buyer or authenticator flags.

Say you buy a pair of Pandas on Facebook Marketplace

Say a seller offers "brand new" men's Pandas in size 10 for $60. You ask for the size tag and the box label. The tag reads DD1391-100 with production dates in late 2023, and the box repeats the code, size 10 and WHITE/BLACK-WHITE. The toe box is low with even holes and the heel tapers. Everything agrees, and $60 is fair. If the tag had read DD1503-101 on a pair sold as men's 10, or the toe box had been tall and boxy, you would pass. The pair is also under $75, so eBay would not have inspected it: your own checks are the only check.

What settles it

The size tag and the box label rule out most replicas on their own: a men's code on women's sizing, production dates after the release, a box label that does not repeat the code, a tall boxy toe box with half-punched holes, a stubby swoosh and heel letters that touch. What photos cannot prove is that a pair which passes is genuine. Better replicas copy the DD1391-100 tag and box exactly, and the glue smell, the leather feel and the weight, which catch them, never reach a screen.

The step that settles it is an in-hand inspection. On eBay, a pair sold for $75 or more with the Authenticity Guarantee checkmark is inspected before the buyer receives it, at no fee, and refunded on a fail. StockX and GOAT inspect every pair as part of the sale, and a sneaker consignment shop looks on the spot. A photo opinion from Legit App or CheckCheck, at about $3 to $6, is a filter, not an inspection. The catch for Pandas is price: most used pairs sell under $75, outside eBay's program, so on a $60 pair from Facebook Marketplace your own checks and the seller's returns are the whole check.

Common mistakes

• Assuming cheap means fake. Price only flags a fake when a "new" pair is offered well under $50, or when the seller has every size in stock.
• Calling glue marks proof of a fake. Genuine pairs from every factory show some glue.

How WorthPic reads Dunk photos

WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From clear photos it reads the size tag and the box label, identifies the model and colorway, and checks whether the tag, box, toe box, swoosh and heel agree with that release. It notes creasing and yellowing, gives a resale range with a most likely figure, and names the photo that would settle a doubt, usually the size tag straight on. It cannot smell the glue, feel the leather or weigh the shoe. WorthPic identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise, and a photo check never proves a pair is genuine.

What to photograph

• The size tag inside the tongue, flat and sharp, for each shoe.
• The box label on the end of the box.
• Both shoes from the side, outer and inner.
• The heel straight from behind, at sole height.
• The toe box from above.
• The insole lifted out, and the stitching underneath.
• The outsole, showing wear.

When should you pay for authentication?

For a used Panda under $60, careful home checks are enough. Pay for a check, or buy through eBay's program or StockX, when the pair is new and priced near retail, when it is an SB Dunk or collaboration, or when the checks above disagree. More general sneaker checks are in how to tell if sneakers are real, and New Balance pairs from the same bundle are covered in our New Balance guide. Our sneakers and clothing overview covers the other brands we check, what resale is worth and where fakes most often turn up.

Sources

• eBay: Authenticity Guarantee for sneakers: the $75 threshold, eligible brands, what the inspection checks, the fee policy, the $14.95 US shipping fee and refunds.
• eBay: selling fees: 13.6% on athletic shoes under $150, 8% with no per-order fee at $150 or more.
• Legit App pricing: sneaker checks from $3 (30 minutes) through $4 (15 minutes) to $5 (10 minutes).
• CheckCheck: checks paid in credits, starting at $6.
• StockX: Nike Dunk Low Retro White Black (Panda): style code DD1391-100, $115 current retail, March 10, 2021 release.
• Poshmark sold results, Dunk Low Panda: used sales mostly $20-65, new-in-box $72-99.
• Mercari sold results, Nike Dunk Low: men's Panda, women's and GS Panda and other general release Dunk Low sales, checked November 2026.
• Yahoo Auctions Japan closed listings, Nike Dunk Low Retro: realized prices for new GS Pandas and used general release Dunk Lows, checked November 2026.