text: They are fakes, 99% of all R4's on the Internet now are fakes, but the craftsmanship is so good on them it doesn't even matter nowadays.  The fine stitching, logo, everything is on point.  The only big difference is that the bootleg R4's being sold anywhere online will never have leather, as these don't, like the ones on Ebay don't; whereas back when Nike first sold these shoes I never ran into a pair where the main sidepanel isn't leather.  The R4's are essentially a discontinued line so these bootlegs are the only way to get them now.  If you go check any of the Chinese trading sites (like d****e.com - redacted) and search for R4's you will see merchants selling bootlegs for $60 in the exact same batch of colors and exact sizes (7-12) that the people on Ebay and Amazon are selling their R4's in.  Coincidence?  I will say this - it's obvious someone in China got their hands on the molds for these shoes and setup a factory with professional shoe equipment to pump these out without authorization from Nike.  They might not be up to Nike's quality control standards, but these knockoffs are so good I bet the quality on these things would beat a lot of other real shoe companys' shoes.<br /><br />As I said, the R4's are discontinued.  Nike will re-release a couple colors now and then and places like Footlocker will carry them, but there's no rhyme or reason to it.  If the knockoffs are as durable as the real thing, you have to ask yourself if it really matters that is a knockoff.