How to Spot Fake Birkenstocks: Poshmark Miramar Case Study (11 Red Flags)

bogus birks

Why I’m Sharing This: A Cautionary Poshmark Story

I wrote this blog about a year ago and have waited to post it.  To be honest, I was too embarrassed to divulge that Gina Mama received a counterfeit pair of Birkenstocks from a seller on Poshmark.  However, I now realize that the information that I have to share is very important to my readers.  I have nothing to be ashamed of since it was not my fault.  I hope this blog will help you better distinguish authentic vs counterfeit Birkenstocks.


Last year, I had spent months scouring the internet to find a pair of Miramars to give as a gift to a friend.  She desperately wanted a pair, but Birkenstock had sold out of her size.  If you are a fan of Birkenstocks, you know that the black and cognac oiled leather Miramars sold out fast last year.  And Birkenstock has since retired that style in those colors.  So, when I found them on Poshmark, in her size, I snatched them.  No second guessing on this purchase, they would be the perfect gift for my buddy.


I was so excited when they arrived.  I rushed to the door to grab the box.  As I leaned down to pick up the delivery, something was odd.  The box reeked like toxic rubber.  I wondered what the seller used to package the shipment.  It smelled so bad that I did not even open the box inside, I took it straight to the backyard.


Upon opening the package, I spotted something that did not measure up to the listing.  The blue Birkenstock box was smashed and the sticker on the box indicated that the Miramars were narrows.  I did not order a narrow Miramar, I was fairly positive that I purchased regular width.  I needed more data, so I continued my investigation.…

Authentic vs Counterfeit: The 11 Red Flags

Counterfeit Birkenstock Warning: Smashed Box & Fake Width Label

This box is a dead giveaway—authentic Birkenstocks never arrive smashed, taped, or mislabeled with conflicting narrow vs. regular width icons.

The Miramars were wrapped in stinky plastic.  Birkenstock has never shipped me a pair of shoes in plastic wrap.  Something was not adding up.  Authentic Birkenstocks are always wrapped beautifully in custom Birkenstock tissue paper.  Perhaps the seller lost the tissue paper and used plastic to prevent the buckles from scratching the leather during transit?

Then, as I unwrapped the sandals from the plastic, I quickly put two and two together.  It was not the plastic wrap that created the odor, it was the “Miramars” that reeked!!!  In fact, the plastic wrap smelled like roses and sunshine, compared to odor of the sandals.  The seller shipped me FAKE BIRKENSTOCKS.  The straps were rubber!!! ​

Fake Birkenstocks Arrived wrapped on plastic not tissue paper with Birk logo

These are the Miramars in question

The straps were not only rubber, they were foul-smelling and thin.  A non Birkenstock connoisseur could have been easily misled by these fakes because these were “good” fakes.  Meaning they looked like a pair of Miramars….IF you have never seen an authentic pair of Birkenstocks in person!!


For a regular Birkenstock wearer, once you had these phony Miramars in your hand, you would know that there was nothing genuine about them!!  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  Zero.  100% fake!!!  For those of us who wear Birkenstocks regularly, we know that Birkenstock straps are thick, durable, and made of the highest quality materials, not rubber.  (Unless, of course, you order a pair Birkenstock  EVA Essential sandals).


You might be asking yourself, Gina Mama, how did you know that they were knock offs?  Well, the signs were as easy as pie to identify.  Let’s take a gander at the fraudulent Birkenstocks and compare them to an authentic pair that I own.

Strong toxic odor vs neutral leather/cork smell

1. They STINK!!!

Warning Sign: Toxic Odor from Fake Birkenstocks

Authentic Birkenstocks never reek of chemicals—if your sandals arrive smelling toxic, it’s a major counterfeit red flag.

Box/label mismatch (narrow icon vs “regular” text)

2. The box has a fake sticker.  The label says that the sandals are regular fit, but the picture shows a filled in foot, which, in the Birkenstock world, indicates a narrow footbed.

Spotting Counterfeits: Misaligned Birkenstock Footbed Stamps

Compare the authentic silver-stamped footbed to the fake white stamp with wrong font, spacing, and alignment—an obvious red flag. Box is smashed and taped.

Footbed stamps: wrong font, color, spacing, alignment

3. On the knock-off Miramars, the positioning of the foot symbol, the size, and the width  are incorrect.  Plus, the font, the color of the lettering, and the spacing are wrong as well.  To top it off, the imprint of the wording is misaligned on the footbed.    You can compare the differences here:

Side by Side Comparison of footbed label genuine v counterfeit Birks

This is an authentic Miramar with proper footbed labeling/embedding in silver.

This is the counterfeit Miramar with improper labeling in white. How many differences can you spot?

Sole pattern: oversized “Birk” imprint on fakes

4.  The EVA soles on the fake Birkenstocks look similar to my authentic pair, but the “Birk” imprint on the knock-off  pair is larger in size compared to the authentic sole.

Counterfeit Sole Pattern: Oversized “Birk” Imprint on Fake Sandals

These are authentic soles and feature a consistent, smaller “Birk” logo pattern, while fakes exaggerate the logo size.

These are the soles of the fake Birkenstocks. Very similar, but not authentic.

Buckle hardware: too shiny, light; mismatched flimsy staples

5. ​The forged big buckles look very much like the big buckles on the real pair of Miramars.  But, the counterfeit buckle is too shiny and feels light and plasticy.  The real giveaway here is the poor quality of the staples.  The genuine pair of Birkenstocks uses high quality staples, the fake pair uses very flimsy and sharp metal, in the wrong color (the staple should match the buckle) to secure the buckle to the shoe.

Buckle & Staple Quality: Tell-Tale Signs of Fake Birkenstocks

This is the authentic big buckle. Solid, matching hardware.

Shiny Buckles & Flimsy Staples: Tell-Tale Signs of Fake Birkenstocks

This is the counterfeit big buckle. The staples are sharp, don't match. "Birkenstock" is wrong size and spaced incorrectly. Extra holes on the leather. Very shabby work.

Strap material & thickness: rubbery, ~2mm vs real ~3mm leather

6.  I wish you could  feel the fake Miramars.  By touching these, one can easily determine that they are rubber vs touching the authentic pair that is made of thick, highly durable leather.  Here are a few pictures, using a ruler, to illustrate the difference in the strap thickness.  There is about 1mm difference in the thickness between the two pairs.

 Real vs Fake: Leather vs Rubber Strap Thickness

Authentic Birkenstock straps measure ~3mm of durable leather, while counterfeit straps are thin, rubbery, and cheap at ~2mm.

Authentic Pair measures about 3mm

Knock-off pair measures just barely at 2mm

Flex test: authentic cork footbed shouldn’t fold heel-to-toe

7. The counterfeit Miramars are very flimsy.  The footbed of Birkenstocks are made with cork and should be sturdy.  The footbed of an authentic Birkenstock should bend only a little bit.  If you can bend the shoe from toe to heel, then it is a counterfeit.  (This rule, of course, does not apply to Birkenstock EVA Essentital sandals).

Authentic cork-latex footbeds are sturdy and don’t bend excessively. Fakes fold like flimsy foam.

These are the counterfeit Miramars

These knock-offs really bend!

The authentic Miramars barely bend.

Another view of the real Birks, not very bendable.

Tag attachment: plastic loops are not used by Birkenstock

8. The phony pair of Birkenstocks arrived with a plastic loop securing the Birkenstock card.  Any Birkenstock wearer knows that Birkenstock never uses plastic to secure its tags to its shoes.  Birkenstock is all about being environmentally friendly.   

Tag Loops = Fake Birkenstocks

Birkenstock tags, on authentic Birks, are never attached to the shoe with a plastic loop. .

Weight check: counterfeits often weigh more

9. ​The weight of the authentic pair of Birkenstocks is less than the weight of the counterfeit pair.  Just for fun, I used my scale to weigh each pair.  The knock-off weighed an entire ounce more!

Counterfeit Birkenstocks Weigh More Than Authentic Pairs

Bogus Birks weighed 1lb 1.9oz

Genuine Birks weighed 1lb 1oz

Side logo: wrong font, uneven/poorly embedded

10. The logo on the sides of the knock-off pair is the wrong font, with incorrect spacing, and not evenly embedded on the shoe.

Counterfeit Birkenstock Logo: Wrong Font & Poor Embedding

This is the counterfeit Birkenstock logo on the phony Miramar.

This is what an embedded Birkenstock logo looks like on a real pair of Birks.

Size translation: no half sizes; EU 41 = L10/M8 (both shown)

11. The most glaring piece of evidence that demonstrates that this is a counterfeit Miramar  is the sizing translation.  A Birkenstock size Euro 41 equates to a ladies 10 (L10) or a mens 8 (M8). The knock-off footbed simply reads L10.5.  This screams “BOGUS BIRKS"!!!!

Birkenstock never uses half sizes. Authentic size 41 should read L10/M8—not “L10.5.”

Sizing is incorrect. Birkenstocks should always list a Ladies and Mens size and never half sizes!

This picture from Sandy's Birkenstock Boutique shows how a size 41 should read on a genuine Birkenstock (circled in black)

What To Do If You Receive Fake Birkenstocks

There are probably a few other tell tale signs that the Miramars from Poshmark are knock-offs.  Can you find a few that I missed?  I think that the eleven aforementioned points provide plenty of clues for you to better understand the difference between genuine and phony Birkenstocks.

Before I sent my complaint to Poshmark about receiving counterfeit Birkenstocks, I checked the seller’s listing.  Do you think that the shoes pictured in the original listing were the same as the ones shipped to me?  Negative.  The seller must have used someone else’s photos for their listing and then mailed me the fakes.


I immediately requested a refund from Poshmark for the counterfeit Miramars.  In fact, I requested a refund on the double!!  But, in true Posh style, they took their sweet time reviewing my complaint.  It took Posh nearly two weeks to review my complaint.  In the end, they agreed that the Miramars were bogus and I was refunded my money.


Thank you Posh for the refund.  However, I wish you had a speedier way to handle such situations, or even an 800 number for users to call to receive immediate assistance.  The nice thing about eBay is that they have telephone assistance and their agents are actually really helpful (hint, hint).


I have not used Posh to buy or sell Birkenstocks since this experience.  I did log on to Poshmark just the other day and noticed that there are tons of fake Birkenstocks on the app now.  It is sad that the number of knock-offs has been growing steadily over the last few months.  Buyers really need to be cautious and know what to look for when buying Birkenstocks secondhand.
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Infographic: 11 Red Flags of Fake Birkenstocks

11 Red Flags of Fake Birkenstocks (Infographic) — Use this authentication checklist from Gina Mama’s I Love Birkenstocks to tell counterfeit Birkenstocks from authentic shoes: odor, labels, footbed stamps, sole pattern, buckles, strap thickness, flex, tags, weight, side logo, and correct sizing.

How to Buy Authentic Birkenstocks (Safely)

If you’re shopping secondhand or hunting sold-out styles, start with my master checklist in Spotting Fake Birkenstocks for the must-know tells of counterfeit Birks—boxes, labels, footbeds, soles, logos, and hardware—then dive into the photo-rich update in Part 2 and what to do next in Part 3.  Not every surprise is a fake—Birkenstock changed the Original Footbed logo from yellow to black (Soft Footbed stays blue); details here. New to Birks? Get your size and width right first and stick to authorized retailers (Birkenstock, Zappos, Nordstrom) in my blog post titled Birkenstocks: Stepping Into Your First Pair​. 

If you’ve ever wished you could spot fake Birkenstocks at a glance, I’ve got you covered! I created a Fake vs Real Birkenstocks Checklist — a quick, printable guide that breaks down every authenticity clue, from box labels and logos to stitching, soles, and those sneaky “Made in Germany” stamps.  Download it, print it, or save it to your phone — and never get fooled by a bogus Birk again!  


And, if cheapy knockoffs tempt you, read why the authentic cork-latex footbed, EVA outsole, and repairability win for comfort and value in my article Knock Off Birkenstocks.  Bottom line: buy from authorized sellers, confirm box/labels match the shoes, verify footbed/sole/hardware details—and if anything feels off, return them.

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Why Birkenstocks Matter: Personal Stories, Honest Reviews, and Timeless Comfort

Buying real Birkenstocks from authorized dealers is just the start—these sandals unite generations, fit every fashion trend, and become part of life’s milestones.  In My Birkenstock Buddy, I share the touching story of two moms whose friendship and recovery journey was supported by the Bali sandal—proof that Birks can be more than shoes, they can be part of healing.  In I Got My Dad to Wear Birkenstocks—Finally!, I celebrate a 25-year victory convincing my dad to trade knock-offs for authentic Arizonas, with the EVA version becoming his perfect everyday fit.  Birkenstock & Men tackles outdated stigmas head-on, showing how men—whether dads, trendsetters, or celebrities—wear Arizonas, Milanos, and Gizehs with confidence.  In Wearing Birkenstocks Does Not Make Me a Hippie, I break down old stereotypes, proving Birks are for everyone from preschoolers to fashion lovers.  And in Young & Old Love To Wear Birkenstocks, I highlight the wisdom of a 90-something German woman who has worn Birkenstocks her entire life, showing how these sandals bridge generations with timeless comfort.


While these experiences reveal Birkenstocks’ personal impact, I also write about the brand’s best successes—reminding us why so many of us remain loyal fans.  In I Love Hoka, I step outside cork and latex to explain how Hokas helped me conquer heel pain.  When Magic Happens celebrates Birkenstock’s best moments—quality craftsmanship and inclusive sizing done right. In 10 Birkenstock Myths That Influencers Keep Getting Wrong, I bust bad internet advice with real experience.  And in 100 Reasons Why I Love Birkenstocks, I reflect on why, even with flaws, the love runs deep.  Don’t miss my Videos page for reviews, recrafts, and even some fun experiments

How to Spot Fake Birkenstocks: 11 Red Flags from My Poshmark Miramar Case Study

The original Instagram release of this blog was posted on May 19, 2019.

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Yes, even Gina Mama once got fooled on Poshmark. I unboxed what I thought were authentic Birkenstocks… only to discover they were counterfeit. Sharing my story so YOU don’t make the same mistake.

Birk Tribe, assemble! Want fit tips, legit-check help, cleaning hacks, and zero drama? Join my private Facebook group: I Love Birkenstocks. Tap picture for the link.

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