Have you ever wondered how the fakes of football kits get in the world? Likely not, with fakes having been present since ever there have been products being sold to fans.
However, there are also fakes of jerseys that you would not expect somebody to fake - football shirt collector ShirtlockHolmes (@ShirtlockH) has made an investigation of how fake soccer jerseys of small international teams make their way on eBay and Co.
How does the largest international football shirt #fake ring operate?
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It all starts with the Australian owner (Luke) of @amsclothing1 and a second company called "Palm Tree". Probably for his company he needed a supplier in mainland China...— ShirtlockHolmes (@ShirtlockH) April 28, 2020Fake Football Shirt Ring For Less-Known International Kits
In the case of the fake international shirts of teams such as North Korea and it all starts in Australia, where a guy named "Luke" started a business for fake football kits of lesser known international clubs and countries (he also owns AMS clothing, a company focused on the African market).
"Luke" contacted Asian-based manufacturers of sportswear products (mostly fakes) and asked them to produce some jerseys for his niche. He gets them for around 6-10 USD / shirt.
"Luke" himself sells the kit through his channels while also providing other fake sellers from around the world with the stuff. The prices start at around 30 USD. The kits offered range from San Marino offer North Korea to various smaller and bigger international clubs.
In the end, the fakes are being sold through various different eBay accounts and websites. What makes it hard and almost impossible to identify them as fake is that some sellers are selling both authentic and counterfeit products, and that sometimes the product images are made from authentic products.
The same process also applies to the fake soccer jerseys of bigger teams, which make their way from /mostly) Asia to the world. There are fakes of almost everything you could imagine, with counterfeits of iconic classic jerseys gaining in popularity.
Have you ever bought a fake without noticing it before the shirt arrived? Share your thoughts in the comments below.