STOP PRESS - I have removed many of my original pictures because the fakers have now perfected many of the original points of difference. You will need to read through the detail to check how to spot a fake pair. There area also a huge number of websites (typically with "UGG" somehwere in the name) that are either selling fakes or are total scams - see the end of this guide for details. I have also received the following tips from somebody (thanks Laura) who recently bought UGG Australia boots on eBay:-

" I recently brought a pair of ugg boots from ebay which I believed were genuine after reading every single guide on the internet. After receiving them I took them to a local authorised reseller to check their authenticity. For the first 5 minutes the manager of the store believed they were real, however after a
little more close scrutiny we found a few differences. 1. The heels on the fake were too low compared to the genuine. 2. The label on the inside was stitched writing; the genuine was printed (not sure they were always this way but the new ones are). These new fakes have no funny smell. The inside feels and looks right until you have a genuine pair in your hands. Also UGG Australia have recently changed the sole - these fakes even had that! I just thought you may be interested in this, as the inner label
thing you can check without seeing a real pair."

As a general guideline however, I offer the following advice. Over 90% of all UGG Australia Boots (made by Deckers Inc) on eBay are fakes. The only ones which you can be fairly sure of as being authentic are those which have no more than 10-20% off UK list price (which is £140 - £200 depending on style) or somebody who has brought the boots from the US into the UK as a personal import.

There are generally no bargains for Deckers Inc UGGS - the authorised stockists are often in short supply so anybody who has loads (and selling them cheaply) is more than likely selling fakes. The presence of a care card is not evidence of genuine boots - how easy is it to fake a piece of paper? Any boots with a label pinned on to it is also a fake - as Decker Inc DO NOT have pinned on labels! I have also been made aware of many websites seemingly selling Decker Inc UGG Australia boots cheaply. These are all based in China and will not have a UK or USA address - regardless of their web address. You do not need to be in the UK to register a .co.uk web address! See my separate guide for more information on off eBay websites that sell counterfeit Deckers Inc UGG Australia boots. A copy is also atatched at the end of this review.

Nearly all of the fakes are made in China (which is indeed where authentic Decker Inc UGG Australia boots are made). UGG Australia DO NOT ship their boots via agents or wholesalers in China - therefore ANY boot shipped to you from China will be counterfeit (fake). Huge number of fakes on eBay are being bought by UK traders and they will either have them sent to you from China (drop shipping) or have already imported large number from Chinese wholesalers. One way of spotting this kind of operation is if the shipment is going to take 10 days to get to you and/or the parcel arrives via EMS from China. If in doubt ask the seller where the boots will be shipped from - if its China (which includes Hong Kong) stay away!

Finally - I know of many fake sellers who get good feedback. This is because the boots are well faked and the person buying them has not seen the real thing. If you do buy a cheap pair then please be sure to take them to an authorised High Street retailer and do a side by side comparison BEFORE you leave feedback! GOOD LUCK!