What to look for when buying your next Authentic jersey.

Hi Pierre and welcome.

It's fake I'm afraid. The numbers shouldn't be shiny and bubbly like that. A real jersey has flat twill numbers as they are glued together and then stitched. The fakers just stitch theirs. I'd pass on it if i were you.

Out of interest, how much were they looking for it?

He wanted to off load it for £20.. I had my suspicions when i saw the bubbling on the numbers.. Thanks for the confirmation.. I saw another Moss jersey on ebay the other day.. I can't remember the number but when I asked the seller for a picture of the hologram he sent me a pic of the tag with the helmet hologram.. Was I right to tell him that he is trying to sell me a fake since Moss only transfered to the Pats in the 2007 draft and the hologram was from earlier?

klartlefou wrote:

He wanted to off load it for £20.. I had my suspicions when i saw the bubbling on the numbers.. Thanks for the confirmation.. I saw another Moss jersey on ebay the other day.. I can't remember the number but when I asked the seller for a picture of the hologram he sent me a pic of the tag with the helmet hologram.. Was I right to tell him that he is trying to sell me a fake since Moss only transfered to the Pats in the 2007 draft and the hologram was from earlier?

You were probably right, just keep in mind that Reebok always have blank jerseys hanging around and when people order customised jerseys from NFLshop and others that they sometimes use older blank jerseys. I had to take the pics out mate as they were just too big, feel free to resize them and add them back or make them clickable.

Cheers

Billsfan

Just making sure.. A new swing tag shouldn't have an old circular helmet hologram. Correct?

You are correct, it should be square on the new thin grey tags now.

Its shocking the amount of fakes out there!

Well it's inevitable really with the sports popularity increasing. The NFL and Reebok have got themselves to blame as they outsourced production to the far east to increase profits and they charge too much for the jerseys.

Does this Cowboys EQT look like the real thing? I haven't found much info on EQT jerseys... Please advise.

Thanks very much!

BoysFanatic wrote:

Does this Cowboys EQT look like the real thing? I haven't found much info on EQT jerseys... Please advise.

Thanks very much!

Welcome to the site, You are ok with EQT's as they don't seem to bother faking them at all. I've never seen or heard of a fake EQT yet.

It would be just my luck to be the first!

Thanks for the help!

It would be just my luck to be the first though!

Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the site, and I have a quick question. I was told that ALL authentic jerseys have a black NFL Players logo on the tag at the bottom of the jersey where the size is displayed, and the ones that have a red NFL Players logo are fakes. But when I go to places such as Dick's Sporting Goods and NFL.Com, all of their authentic jerseys have red NFL Players logos. I was just wondering if I could get any insight on this. Thanks!

P.S. FANTASTIC site by the way!

TomlinsonFan wrote:

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the site, and I have a quick question. I was told that ALL authentic jerseys have a black NFL Players logo on the tag at the bottom of the jersey where the size is displayed, and the ones that have a red NFL Players logo are fakes. But when I go to places such as Dick's Sporting Goods and NFL.Com, all of their authentic jerseys have red NFL Players logos. I was just wondering if I could get any insight on this. Thanks!

P.S. FANTASTIC site by the way!

https://nfljerseyfanparadise.forumotion.com/reebok-hem-tag-timeline-f34/reebok-authentic-jersey-hem-tag-timeline-t179.htm

Take a look at this...

TomlinsonFan wrote:

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the site, and I have a quick question. I was told that ALL authentic jerseys have a black NFL Players logo on the tag at the bottom of the jersey where the size is displayed, and the ones that have a red NFL Players logo are fakes. But when I go to places such as Dick's Sporting Goods and NFL.Com, all of their authentic jerseys have red NFL Players logos. I was just wondering if I could get any insight on this. Thanks!

P.S. FANTASTIC site by the way!

Welcome to the site, glad you are finding the site useful.

As you can see in the link Saxons provided. The NFL players logo is red, since 2007, before this the logo was multicoloured with a black background. The counterfeiters know this and do use a red one too, so it is not a good indicator. If you can get a close up look at it and compare to a real one then you can see little differences. The best indicators are the numbers as the fakers use substandard materials, so they are shiny and bubbly.

I think an authentic NFL jersey from nfl shop should be as good quality as you would find in the jerseys worn by the NFL players themselves. They are a heavyweight fabric and have all the graphics sewn on, including the numbers, and should last for years. You can also get authentic customized NFL jerseys. You select the name and number of the NFL player you want on the jersey and this is custom ordered for you exactly how you want it.
Coach outlet has a printable coupon for 20 percent off your entire purchase at the Coach Factory outlets Stores. The coupon is good now through March 7, 2010 and in Coach Factory outlets stores in US, Canada and Puerto Rico only. It cannot be combined with any other offer and is subject to quantity limitations per customer.

Thanks a lot for a bunch of good tips. Im looking forward to reading more about the information for the nfl shop on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This topic is going to be great resource. Love reading it
Coach has a printable coupon for 20 percent off your entire purchase at the Coach outlet store online . The coupon is good now through March 7, 2010 and in Coach outlet stores in US, Canada and Puerto Rico only. It cannot be combined with any other offer and is subject to quantity limitations per customer.

jer320 wrote:

Thanks a lot for a bunch of good tips. Im looking forward to reading more on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This topic is going to be great resource. Love reading it

Glad you are finding it useful.

Billsfan wrote:

Unless you buy from NFLshop.com or the teams proshop, and hey everyone likes a bargain don't they?, you are going to come into contact with the bootleg jersey. Some are obvious and others are so good that even Reebok admit that they can't tell the difference. eBay is a wonderful place for a bargain and so it attracts counterfeiters.

That being said I believe that most of the UK based sellers are not sure of what they are selling. Reebok does not import the Authentic jerseys and so we don't see them in the stores and therefore have no idea what to look for and up until a few months ago I was one of those unknowing fans. In a few short months I have undergone a master-class of jersey collecting and spotting from our American cousins.

I have been caught out by people I trusted and have fake jerseys in my wardrobe which I bought as genuine, but at that ridiculously low price. I don't want to debate the rights and wrongs of counterfeiting products. We all know it's against the law.

So, firstly then.
Price
Most Authentic jerseys in retail stores cost $200 to $250 on average. That's £100 to £125 in our money. So can you sell a genuine jersey for £19.50, like some sellers on eBay. Yes if you are clinically insane or so rich that you do it for the love of the sport. The real reason..... fake jersey made somewhere in the far east and bought for £10. Remember if it looks too good then it's got to be just that.

Photo's
How many close up pictures are there in the listing. An honest seller, even if he/she is not aware that the jersey is a fake, will supply as many pictures of the jersey as the customer wants, hey they are after your money, no? Beware of sellers who only have one far away shot of the jersey and won't email you any more.

Numbers
An authentic range jersey will have one to three layers of tackle twill numbers zig zag stitched onto it. Never one layer tackle twill and then embroidered with the other colours.



These should be almost stiff and almost cardboard like and flat. There could be some bubbling to single numbers, like the Giants or Steelers but mostly it should be flat.

Construction
A few of the worst fakes are the replica bodies with numbers sewn on, these are easy to spot as the back is longer than the front, known in the trade as the droptail. These also have dazzle material side panels
Others have inferior quality materials and stitching, which is why the seller won't send you a close up picture. Now Reebok also use factories in the far east and South America and their stitching can also leave a bit to be desired. I know for example that the Bears jerseys nearly always have the wrong font on the shoulders. That's Reebok for you.
Authentic jerseys have spandex sidepanels, just like the game jerseys made by Ripon in Berlin, USA ( the Reebok logo is stitched on afterwards on a gamer by Ripon). Fakers know this and put it in so it's only a guide.

Patches
Many fake Reebok jerseys on eBay have patches attached, etc anniversary or captains patches. These patches are not put onto genuine jerseys by Reebok. Some are available to buy on their own and added to the jersey. Mitchel and Ness jerseys do come with patches. The rule of thumb here is be very wary of patched jerseys, unless the seller is trusted or states that the patch has been added after purchase.



Country of origin, tags

Most genuine jerseys are made in El Salvador or Korea, some have been made in China also. Fakers are putting on tags with the correct country of origin so you can't rely on this.

Tag Hologram

The hologram on the tag can also give it away as a fake. There are a couple of holograms out there.
1st - the helmet hologram - helmets surrounding the NFL shield. Genuine holograms show different coloured helmets. Fake same colour.
2nd - footballs hologram - There are 2 kinds in 2006 it went to LEATHER color footballs. Then in 2007 the footballs are different colors and it has the AFC and NFC logos in the background. Some sellers like to show the hologram on the fakes. If you see one with a helmet perimeter on a 06-07 jersey...you know it's a wrong un.







Added 23/11/09. This is the current hologram.



Added 24/06/08 - New style tag (right) alongside a fake tag (Left)
Notice that the hologram is the 2005 style and the edges of the tag are not rounded.



Added 23/11/09. These are the latest swing tags, no new jerseys should have the blue rectangular tags now.


Remember to post your eBay item number in the thread if you would like an opinion before bidding.

I hope that you find this guide useful.

Thanks a lot for a bunch of good tips. I look forward to reading more on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This psot is going to be great resource. Love reading it

Hey everyone. I'm looking for a birthday present for my boyfriend who is a huge Randy Moss fan and want your opinions on whether or not you believe this jersey is authentic. If it is fake, any advice on where I could find a Pro-Bowl or his jersey from when he played at Marshall University would be greatly appreciated as they are very hard to find I've found from searching. I'm not a sports buff in the least bit, but I'm trying to do the smart thing before I buy and the low price seemed kind of iffy. Thank you!

http://cgi.ebay.com/RANDY-MOSS-AUTHENTIC-2008-PRO-BOWL-JERSEY-SIZE-52-NEW_W0QQitemZ260564936621QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3caae167ad#ht_500wt_973

MK1987 wrote:

Hey everyone. I'm looking for a birthday present for my boyfriend who is a huge Randy Moss fan and want your opinions on whether or not you believe this jersey is authentic. If it is fake, any advice on where I could find a Pro-Bowl or his jersey from when he played at Marshall University would be greatly appreciated as they are very hard to find I've found from searching. I'm not a sports buff in the least bit, but I'm trying to do the smart thing before I buy and the low price seemed kind of iffy. Thank you!

http://cgi.ebay.com/RANDY-MOSS-AUTHENTIC-2008-PRO-BOWL-JERSEY-SIZE-52-NEW_W0QQitemZ260564936621QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3caae167ad#ht_500wt_973

Hi,

That jersey is a fake I'm afraid, wrong tags and shiny numbers are the giveaway. I'll try to find you a real jersey.

I was afraid it was most likely a fake, but thank you for the confirmation and also helping me in my search for an authentic one. The only ones I've been able to find are from sites based in China so I'm not sure about those as well, but I would assume most of them are fake. Thanks again!

MK1987 wrote:

I was afraid it was most likely a fake, but thank you for the confirmation and also helping me in my search for an authentic one. The only ones I've been able to find are from sites based in China so I'm not sure about those as well, but I would assume most of them are fake. Thanks again!

Only ones I can find are Pats or Raiders jerseys I'm afraid. Try PMing some of our retailer members, see what they can do for you.

That's all I've been able to find as well. I did find a signed Marshall jersey, but it sold to the person right before me! How do I contact the retail members of the site to get their advice? Thank you so much for all your help once again!

Ok, I have another request. I've been emailing with an eBay member about a jersey he just posted (sent me pictures before posting it). It is signed by Randy Moss, but does not come with a COA. He says that he bid on and won a foreclosed storage unit with tons of sports memorabilia and believes the signature is genuine. Seems like an honest person, has good feedback on eBay - thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-Pro-Bowl-Randy-Moss-Autographed-Jersey_W0QQitemZ220570268766QQihZ012QQcategoryZ27277QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ht_500wt_973

Thanks once again!

I don't know about the signature, but the jersey doesn't look genuine. I'm very wary about signed jerseys without COA's. Athletes will sign anything, so it's not unusual for the jersey to be a fake. It's the signature you are paying for.

Ok, last time I promise! You are just much better at this than I am and like you said, if you put down the money, you want to make sure it's the real deal. I emailed this guy about any other Randy Moss jerseys because the one on eBay I could just not afford. He told me that he did not have any other RM jerseys, but said he would sell it to me for $150 after I told him that was the most I could pay. He guarantees his jerseys are 100% authentic or your money back, but he asked if he could send me an invoice through PayPal to avoid eBay's fees. I'm afraid if I do this and the jersey for some reason is not authentic, I'm stuck with a fake. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks once again!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Randy-Moss-04-Pro-Bowl-Authentic-Reebok-Jersey-52-VIKES_W0QQitemZ180475213987QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Football_Fan_Shop?hash=item2a052938a3#ht_564wt_954

that pro bowl jersey looks good to me

MK, I agree with mark, it looks to be a real one. I've bought from the seller before and the jerseys have been genuine.