How to identify fake soccer jerseys? Tips, links, pictures, etc?

I was hesitant to post this in the sports section but I think this is the only section on NT that can truly help me. Lately, I've been looking at soccerjerseys on Ebay but I still do not have a firm grasp of what an authentic soccer jersey looks like. Can anyone who has a Barcelona Jersey post pictures of it?Or pictures of the stuff that separate the fake replicas from the authentic replicas. If you do not have any pictures, links, or websites at hand where theyshow you how to spot fake jerseys, can you guys at least throw me some tips besides the obvious ones. If anyone can shed some light, I'd highly appreciateit.

jerseycentral.org

there should be a thread about this in the Soccer section.

^ Thank you.

I remember I wanted my sister to buy me a Man U jersey when she was living in London and she came back with this thing that looked strait until I saw the teamcrest, %!%% was horrible, like they didnt even try.

theres a great thread about this in general.

which exact jersey you lookin for? i can help you find one. it'll be hard for me to explain it though.

I just went to jerseycentral.org but it seems like the site is down.

Socluis90 - I'm pretty much interested in all of the home jerseys since the time of Ronaldinho. I'm also really interested in the light baby blue onebut from the pictures of the sites that sell authentics, I can't tell the difference between those on ebay and the ones that retail for $70 +. I guess whatI'm looking for is certain things on the jersey that will give away whether they're authentic replicas o if they're fakes. Thanks!

I guess it'd be easier if I provide pictures. These pictures are so called from an "authentic" replica yet on another authentic replicas, the LFPpatch is not ironed on but stitched on the jersey. For example: here we have one jersey that's called authentic with the patch being ironed on while theother set of pictures depict a different version of the jersey, where the patches are stitched on.






VS.

Quick question, did they ever make this in a black/red/white colorway? I know nothing about soccer..

Originally Posted by Raylon22

Quick question, did they ever make this in a black/red/white colorway? I know nothing about soccer..

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Thing is, this is now a discontinued jersey. Man U just got new kits for the 09-10 season.

it's hard to tell the difference between fake and authentic soccer jerseys on ebay. unfortunately at least 80% of the soccer jerseys on ebay are fake (mostof them come from the far east- esp. thailand)

one thing that could help you is read the description CAREFULLY. most fake sellers rarely put the name of the brand (e.g. nike, adidas etc) and the word"Authentic", "Genuine" in the descriptions. however sometimes they do use phrases like "authentic replica" . so watch out.

the other thing that could help you is the price. a lot of them are ridiculously cheap (between 10-30 USD for one with name on it, while they usually costaround 80-90 USD in retail shops)

you could also look at the jerseys itself, but most of them don't provide high quality pictures so it's hard to tell. usually try to look at thestitches on the badge and the word nikefit on the bottom. on authentic jerseys the letters, numbers around the badge are stitched separately letter by letter.on fake jerseys you can see that the letters/numbers around the badge are stitched together (there is a really tiny line that connects each letter)

i have the same barcelona jersey that you posted but the home version. the LFP badge is stitched. so the first jersey you posted is probably fake. i don'tknow about the second one, but you could probably tell if it's real after reading my post

good luck!

Got a Barca jersey also in blue and it has the patch stiched on and not iron on. Its really hard to tell if a jersey is fake or real. Thats why i just buy fromthe stores, i stay away from ebay

Originally Posted by Rukawa0320

it's hard to tell the difference between fake and authentic soccer jerseys on ebay. unfortunately at least 80% of the soccer jerseys on ebay are fake (most of them come from the far east- esp. thailand)

one thing that could help you is read the description CAREFULLY. most fake sellers rarely put the name of the brand (e.g. nike, adidas etc) and the word "Authentic", "Genuine" in the descriptions. however sometimes they do use phrases like "authentic replica" . so watch out.

the other thing that could help you is the price. a lot of them are ridiculously cheap (between 10-30 USD for one with name on it, while they usually cost around 80-90 USD in retail shops)

you could also look at the jerseys itself, but most of them don't provide high quality pictures so it's hard to tell. usually try to look at the stitches on the badge and the word nikefit on the bottom. on authentic jerseys the letters, numbers around the badge are stitched separately letter by letter. on fake jerseys you can see that the letters/numbers around the badge are stitched together (there is a really tiny line that connects each letter)

i have the same barcelona jersey that you posted but the home version. the LFP badge is stitched. so the first jersey you posted is probably fake. i don't know about the second one, but you could probably tell if it's real after reading my post

good luck!

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Thanks for the response. Yes, I do have seen that the majority of jerseys posted on ebay are fake because they usually give you combos like *2Barcelona jerseys for 19.99 plus shipping* or *Barcelona Jersey with Shorts* or they simply sell the players jerseys at ridiculous prices and not to mentionthat most of these jerseys come from south east Asia.

The type of jerseys that I just mentioned are easy to spot but then again you get auctions with pictures like the ones I posted and they promise these jerseysto be authentic and they're official nike merchandise. My problem is that most of the fakes that retail for 19.99 look really similar to the ones beingsold for $60+; I'm talking about the lettering, the patches, even the inside tags, etc. It's even harder when you have never had an authentic jersey tocompare it to, but here's where your tips came in handy. I had no idea about the quality of the stitches on the jersey and little things like that can comealong way when you're buying jerseys on ebay. Thanks for the tip

ebay = fake, 95% of the time

Avoid ebay, especially sellers from southern Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.

Buy from reputable websites. Paying extra money to get peace of mind is better than wearing something you believe may be fake.

Also, why not find a local store and just buy from them? They may be $10-$20 overpriced but atleast you can see it in person and know what you're getting.

Yeah I agree... stick with reputable websites/resellers... not worth the trouble of the possibility of a fake just to save a few bucks... you can ask for allthe high-rez photos you want from the ebay seller, but sometimes that won't be enough. Ebay's just too risky IMO.

I wouldnt trust alot of the soccer jerseys on ebay. I have found a couple, but for the most part they are fake.

Also, most soccer jerseys are not stitched. I dont know alot about Barca jerseys but all the EPL names/numbers are pressed on. You can buy the officialnumbering/lettering online.

This guy has a really good store with a ton of legit soccer jerseys
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Premier-Jersey-Heaven


Eastbay.com sells Barca jerseys w/o any names on them. or just stick to trusted sites like

WorldSoccershop.com or onionbag.com

Originally Posted by Raylon22

Quick question, did they ever make this in a black/red/white colorway? I know nothing about soccer..

Click to expand...

@ wanting to buy a Utd shirt and not knowing anything about soccer,that's what EPL on ESPN in America now is doing to people.

Those Barca jerseys , the 1st one like theirs have the BIGGER LFP patch ironed on, so that is correct, not sure if it's authentic or not, but that'show it's supposed to be. Legit Barca replicas that you find at club shops, soccer stores, etc, have the smaller patch that's stitched on like the longsleeve. But 95% of the ones with the TV3 patch are usually fake and come with them. You can mainly spot fake jerseys when they're like LFP that come withTV3 patch which is sort of hard to get, or like a Lyon jersey with all the patches and sponsors on it. Also, the TV3 patch is not stitched on like in the 2ndone, it's an ironed on patch, so that 2nd one I can guess is fake as well.

^ Man, thanks for the tips. Yeah, I think I might just have to go to Niketown and buy it from them. The only thing is that there are some jerseys that are hardto get and I thought that ebay would be an option to getting those jerseys. Thanks everyone!

they also only makes fakes in a M and XL

Originally Posted by Jada2001Retro

@ wanting to buy a Utd shirt and not knowing anything about soccer, that's what EPL on ESPN in America now is doing to people.

Click to expand...

Soccer fans always complain about how people in America don't care about the sport but when someone starts showing interest, you insult them.

Correct me if im wrong but Code 7(official game worn gear) jerseys have the badge ironed on for performance reasons as opposed to replicas which have themstitched on... I read this in another forum but im not 100% sure since I dont own a player worn code 7 jersey.

I buy all my stuff from either kitbag.com, worldsoccershop.com, or onionbag.com...

A few things, firstly we need to properly label jerseys/kits.

Replica does not mean fake. Replica means its not what the player wears on the field. A replica jersey can be authentic. A replica jersey + authenticname/number = you're good to go. Lets just compare it this way. Replica soccer jersey with official printing = authentic NBA/NFL jersey. Match issued/Code7 soccer jersey = Pro-cut Authentic NBA/NFL jerseys.

Lets go by tiers:

Match issued/Match worn/Nike Code 7: Club badge is printed or ironed on instead of stitched to avoid chafing. Materials are generallylighter and more emphasis is placed on performance instead of durability. For example, Adidas uses climacool on their replicas and formotion technology ontheir match issued. These are generally the most expensive because of rarity. Although, I've seen an influx of formotion Chelsea and Liverpool jerseys fromauthentic sellers.

Replica jerseys are the general sale release versions of jerseys. This is the same jersey you buy at a general athletic retailer likeeastbay.com or a purist soccer site like subside. These are the ones that retail for 69.99. Usually 80-90 with authentic printing.

Yes, theres a "real" step down from Replicas. They are called kick off jerseys. They are technically real but retail for less andare of lesser quality than a standard replica. I believe the badge is printed/ironed on here as well. Subside offers kick off jerseys. These types of jerseysare usually released in foreign countries (Even Germany according to Subside^^)

Printing

English Premier League (Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc.) : This league has a standard printing style that all teams use. Although, theprinting may vary in color. There are two types of premiership printing.. Authentic Player Sized printing: The numbers the players use, made out of Lextrawhich is a velvet/felt material, large so that the numbers/name can be seen by television cams. The other is replica printing. This form of printing is madeout of a plastic like material. It is smaller than the player sized authentic printing. Beware, Kitbag uses this print. Some people prefer this printingbecause its durable. I prefer the other kind because I want my kit to be similiar to what the player is wearing and I like the larger number/name.

Spanish Primera and Italian Serie A is different. They dont have a universal printing font that all teams use. Instead, teams select their font. Based onexperience, Real Madrid and Barcelona engrave their logo into their lettering. The material is a fine/thin vinyl.

I recommend these websites, its all i remember for now:

http://www.subsidesports.com/us/
http://www.kitbag.com/stores/kitbag_4_5/default.aspx
http://www.onionbag.com/
http://www.mmsports.com/
http://www.nikys-sports.com/index.asp
http://www.soccerplus.net/
http://www.soccer.com/ (same as worldsoccershop, bigsoccer, eurosport, etc.)
http://www.marcapersonal.com/productcart/pc/home.asp
http://www.chicagosoccer.net/
http://www.classicfootballshirts.co.uk/

more sites I recall:
http://www.soccerevolution.com/
http://soccershopusa.com/
http://www.soccernucleus.com/

Buy a jersey from eastbay (50% cash back) or from footlocker using the friends/family then contact onionbag to arrange the printing, it should cost about 20bucks, you can mail it to them. They use player sized printing for premier league. Holiday and end of season sales are great.

I have nothing to add coz everything's been said here, but what's up with collared jerseys this season...?

I hate them

i need to buy a Drogba this season, i just hate how they change the jersey every year and i never know how long a player might be on the team