Counterfeit and Relabelled Items in Probably Stolen — How to Spot Them
Updated · Game version 1.0
Direct answer
There are three ways an item lies to you in this game, and each one fails a different check: a relabel fails at the edge of the sticker, a cut or reshaped item fails on proportion, and a reseal fails on continuity. Check them in that order, because it is also the order of speed — label edges take a second to read, proportion takes a comparison, and continuity takes knowing what the seal is supposed to look like.
The three tells
| Fake | First place it shows | How to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Relabelled | The edge of the label — alignment, lift, or residue | Compare the label’s outline against the item’s own wear pattern |
| Cut or reshaped | Proportions that do not match the label’s original item | Compare weight and finish against a known genuine one |
| Resealed | A break that has been closed — continuity of the seal is off | Look for a seal break that does not match the item’s story |
Relabelled: why the edge is the tell
A relabel is applied by hand, and hands are bad at edges. Look at the outline of the label rather than the print in the middle of it: a factory label sits flush and its wear follows the item, while a relabel tends to sit slightly proud, lift at one corner, or leave a faint ring of old adhesive around itself.
The second tell is wear mismatch. A label that looks new on an item that looks old is a contradiction, and it is usually the faster read of the two — you do not need to know what the correct label looks like, only whether the label and the item have aged together.
Cut or reshaped: proportion over print
Cutting keeps the original label and changes everything around it. That is why the print will pass and the shape will not. Compare the item against a known genuine one when you can; when you cannot, compare it against itself — the label was made for a specific form, so any place where the item is narrower, thinner, or lighter than its own label implies is a place to stop.
Cut items are the fake that most often gets sold cheap and honestly, which is the trap: a seller who prices a cut item low is not necessarily warning you, and a low price is not a verification.
Resealed: the break that closed
A reseal is a broken seal made to look unbroken, so the check is not “is there a seal” but “is this seal continuous”. Look for a break that has been closed, a seal whose wear does not line up with the item’s condition, or a seal that is intact on an item that everything else says was opened.
This is the hardest of the three to catch, and the one where buying sealed and never opening is the real defence. You cannot verify a seal from the inside without destroying it.
What each fake costs you
| Fake | If you buy it | If you resell it |
|---|---|---|
| Relabelled | You paid certified prices for an uncertified item | The next buyer reads the same edge you missed |
| Cut or reshaped | You paid for a whole item and got part of one | It is priced as a curiosity, not as the item |
| Resealed | You paid a sealed premium for a broken item | The break is found by the buyer, not by you |
The pattern is the same in all three: the loss lands on the resale, not the purchase. That is why a fake is not a discount you can absorb — it is a margin that disappears one step later, after you have already committed the capital.
The 60-second check
If you already bought one
Where to go next
- The full appraisal sequence → how to appraise items
- Seals and certificates in detail → certificates and seals
- How condition moves the number → item condition tiers
Written against game version 1.0. Fake-item behaviour is checked after each patch; if the patch you are playing is newer than the version above, this page may be out of date, and we will re-check it and update the version line.