Are you a fan of football? If you have a favourite team, then you might’ve been trying to buy classic football shirts ever since. Now that you’ve decided that it’s the right time to have the authentic, you need to be careful when buying online.
As you may know, nowadays, there are a lot of online scammers that sell different fake items. Unfortunately, buying and selling fakes are now being normalised so if you don’t have any idea on how to spot them, then you’ll get in trouble.
Who would want to spend a lot of money just to end up with the fake version, right? Besides, it’s not that easy to allow yourself to buy the things you want.
So if you want to avoid being scammed online, then you should check the tips below!
1. A lot cheaper than the actual price
Did you know that price is the number one giveaway when it comes to fakes? It’s not just on classic football shirts, but also with other things. Usually, a fake seller or website offers less than half of the shirt’s original price. They also tend to have the prices of the shirts similar to each other.
For instance, if you come across an online shop that offers a £15 rate for all available shirts, then you should just look for other shops.
It doesn’t just happen for the classics, but also new releases of new seasons. Sometimes, scammers release the latest kits at lower prices even before the actual launch, so you should take note of that for future references.
2. Details are not precise
It’s easier to spot fake classic football shirts in person than online. However, there are still some giveaways to determine if the shirt is fake or not. Some of these giveaways are the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), designs, and logos.
The SKU is the number assigned to a shirt to avoid counterfeiting. So if you ask the seller the SKU number of the shirt and you search it online, you’ll see exclusive information about the specific shirt. Unfortunately, if there is no information attached to the number, then it’s fake.
Another sign that you’re dealing with fake classic football shirts is the product name. Of course, not all authentic shirts are labelled with Nike, Puma, and Adidas. Although they’re famous brands, they also have codes labelled on their products.
For instance, if you’ve encountered a Nike JSY, then it’s probably fake. Instead, you should see something like Nk BRT Stad JSY.
When it comes to logos, you might see a minimal yet noticeable difference in terms of colour, design, and placement.
3. Stitches can be messy
If you’ve seen original classic football shirts before, then you won’t have any problem identifying how neat the seams are. Fortunately, you can see the difference between fake and original when you look at the stitches.
Just like any other fake clothing, counterfeited football shirts are made with cheap equipment and materials. Overall, if you noticed that the product looks cheap, then there’s a huge possibility that it’s fake.
4. Sketchy website
If you’re a regular online customer, then you might have noticed that there are currently a lot of stores to choose from. Although there are some good ones, a lot of fake stores also emerge from time to time.
If you visit a website that you haven’t heard of before, look closely at its header, logo, name, and format. You can easily spot fakes when they look mediocre and inconsistent. For instance, when you look at the pictures of the products they offer, they might just be grabbed from another legitimate website.
In addition, you should also look at contact details like address, contact number, and social media accounts. Reviews are also important so you should check how often people buy from them, and if they leave positive reviews.
5. Poor fabric quality
Fake classic football shirts may look good in online pictures, but you might receive a poor-quality item. Just to be sure, you can ask the seller to send you a picture of the tag which includes minor details including the type of fabric used.
Unfortunately, sometimes, you’ll just need to feel the fabric of the shirt to know if it’s fake or not. That’s why, if it’s hard to identify the fake ones just by identifying the fabric used, then you should look for other criteria.
The more you investigate, the higher the chance that you’ll end up buying the original shirt. So even if it’s hard, you should not just choose a random store.
6. No actual pictures
And last but not the least, if a website or an individual who’s selling you classic football shirts don’t have actual pictures, then they must be fake. While mulling over a possible purchase, it’s not rude to ask for more pictures.
Of course, since you can’t see the actual item, you’ll need more proof that it’s real. Unfortunately, if the seller can’t provide more pictures, then it must be because they don’t have the products that you’re expecting.
Besides, it’s a major red flag if the seller can’t assist you with what you’re asking. So why would you still go for it if you don’t have a clue of what the actual shirt looks like?
Finding the original classic football shirts might be exhausting, but it’s worth it once you’ve found a legitimate store. Furthermore, don’t be lazy when it comes to chatting and doing follow-ups, especially when buying online.
So now that you know the important things to look at when spotting fake football shirts, you should apply these next time. Don’t forget to share with us the shirt you bought by leaving a comment below!
