Whenever you try to buy a football kit from a non-official supplier or a 'strange' store, there is a chance that you are not buying an authentic product but a counterfeit. However, if you follow some tips, it is relatively easy to avoid buying a fake football kit. Here is a guide how to avoid buying a fake soccer jersey, with information from Alessio C, an expert in spotting the difference between authentic and fake football shirts.
How To Identify Current Fake Football Kits
Most times, it is relatively easy to identify that an offered football kit is a fake at first glance. There are differences to the authentic kit, and the price tag is often too good. Below are some indicators that make it likely that you are about to buy fake football kit.
Too Cheap: If it is way too cheap compared to the usual market price, it could be fake.
Wong Details: Fake football kits often have slightly differences to the authentic kits
Wrong Tags: Fakers often struggle to get the original ones to copy. Many of those Fakers, who are based mostly in Asia and East Europe, only work on the picture version
Unreleased / Concept Kit: If the kit is not even released yet, it is a fake. Often, fakers also produce concepts
Seller: !The Seller usually is the best indicator to identify a fake before buying it!
- Does your shirt come with free shipping from Hong Kong, Shanghai or other countries were it is produced? Then it is probably a fake shirt.
- If the seller does not have a website and is just selling on eBay or other platforms, you often can get a fake.
- Does the seller have an actual website, but he doesn’t show the physical address of his business, he doesn’t show the VAT Number, and he doesn’t even give you an invoice
The only way to make sure to not buy a fake football kit is to buy from the club's store, authentic third party retailers and the manufactures themselves.
We recommended Kitbag.com, Futbol Emotion, Unisport, other official retailers and of course Adidas.com, Nike.com and Puma.com to buy modern authentic football kits. On eBay and other places chances are high to buy a fake, even (or especially) if it is from a private reseller.
via redcardshirts
How To Identify Classic Fake Football Kits
With fakers being in the battle with other fakers, they have also started not only to produce new soccer kits but also iconic classic shirts. There are some extra tips that make it easy to identify that a classic kit is a fake.
- Classic football shirts are obviously out of production. That means there is no such thing as: “Sorry sir, we don’t have your size now, but the factory is going to release new pieces over the next weeks.”
- The rarer and more wanted a shirt is, the more expensive it becomes. There is no 20 Euro Arsenal 2005-06 home kit while there are good chances to get a classic shirt from a bad season of a club for very cheap".
For more information about spotting a fake football kit you should visit the website Red Card Shirts of Alessio C, an expert in spotting the difference between authentic and fake football shirts. On the website are many examples of fake football kits.
Have you ever bought a fake football kit? Share your thoughts in the comments below.