What you can Expect from a Fake, and the Sellers of Fakes
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The typical Reebok counterfeit is made to mimic the AUTHENTIC jersey (with sewn, hand-stitched, embroidered numbers, names, and logos). I am unaware of counterfeits trying to copy the less expensive EQT or SCREEN PRINT versions. The way sellers price the fakes, however, often confuses people into thinking the fakes are genuine, middle of the line Reebok models. An EQT is NOT fully embroidered, however, so fakes are all supposed to be copies of AUTHENTICS. In this article, the term counterfeit represents a fake jersey intended to be passed off as an AUTHENTIC. How can you try to figure out if the jersey you are looking at is genuine or not? Time for C.S.I. "Fake Jersey".

Price

About 99% of the time you can be sure of this: if you aren't paying big bucks for it (they're letting them go cheap), they AREN'T genuine Reebok. They are fakes. The only chance you have to get a sweet deal on a genuine jersey is if someone is selling their personal jersey or something like that. Sellers putting out hundreds of "authentic" jerseys for $40 (example) and high shipping are not selling the real deal.

Availability

Sellers on eBAY seem to have an endless supply of any name, any team, and any size you want. Right now at the end of March, NFLShop.com (who dips from the same inventory as Store.Reebok.com and most other major online stores) has very limited availability on many of the top players. During a recent sale, they were providing 30% all NFL jerseys. I wanted to get a Tomlinson authentic. But the only sizes available were in the 56-60 range. Absolutely nothing in 48, 50, or 52. Same with Philip Rivers, Merriman, and their other top players. The only limited availability was for Gates, a great player, but not one who's jerseys sell like these others. But on eBAY? Hundreds available all day long for $40. That should tell you something. MOST true AUTHENTIC selling on eBAY are older versions, oversize models, and traded players. If they are current, big names, they will not be selling under $120, and likely not under $200.

Also consider, how many AUTHENTIC Pro Bowl jerseys do you see on authorized Reebok seller websites? SuperBowl logo AUTHENTICS? Honestly, I haven't seen any...only Replicas. What about eBAY? Authentics all over the place, and for $40? Something wrong there. Another hilarious one I saw in March 2007, Authentic Joey Porter jerseys for MIAMI. He only recently signed with Miami (from the Steelers), and the only way you could get one up to today (4/2/2007) would be to order a custom jersey from an Authorized shop. Yet, they are already all over eBAY!

The Logic - Constrasting the Sellers

Hypothetical - you bought a jersey from a seller that swears they are AUTHENTIC. They sell for $30 + shipping. You got it fast and it looks great. All sewn, beautiful. Oddly, however, you see thirty other sellers offering the same jersey at or around the same price. They don't look exactly like your jersey, but bear a strong resemblence. There are hundreds of jerseys, all with slight differences. This should turn a lightbulb on in your head. This should make you question what you are seeing. This isn't a case of one seller selling real ones and the other passing off fakes as real. If it were, and you still believe you got a real one, then you must realize that you think you won in the lottery. Out of the dozens of sellers that sell fakes cheap, you just happened to chose the honest one? Not likely. Your chances of getting lucky on eBAY for an authentic are very slim, and there isn't a seller out there selling those lucky chances in VOLUME. Trust me. You can snag genuine Reebok replica jerseys at a very low price sometimes. But no AUTHENTICS. Sorry.

Here's another common sense issue. Look through sellers feedback. Often, you will see NUMEROUS feedback from SELLERS (not from buyers). Upon checking the items won, you will find these same sellers are buying bulk numbers of jerseys from overseas factories (Korea, Indonesia, China, Singapore). So, they are buying fakes and reselling them. This even happens within the U.S. A seller will buy closeout tops from another U.S. seller, then resell them on eBAY. Man, those margins must suck. Just cut out the middle man seller and buy your fakes direct! LOL!

Details/Quality

Pictures in listings are usually low resolution digital photos. This makes it tough to determine a fake from an authentic. Sellers of any product generally do not take the time to provide quality closeups. With jerseys, its all proven in the details, so anyone selling a fake will likely avoid closeups of stitching and other specifics that will prove their jerseys as fakes. Since the typical consumer doesn't know the difference, some sellers of nicer counterfeits will post better shots because, in reality, some fakes are rather impressive. The majority will choose to avoid the details. Hypothetically, if YOU were selling AUTHENTIC Reebok ($250) jerseys on eBAY, what would you be sure to do? It doesn't take a business degree to know you would maximize your chance for profit and credibility by providing proof: closeups of detail, stitching, and tags of your beautiful product. And if YOU were selling fakes? You'd hide those details or post false pictures. Several sellers purposely crop the sleeves out of their pictures, or fold the sleeves over so you can't see the most incriminating detail. The transition of the sleeve to the chest, the colors, and shape of the sleeve and cuff are often your best indicators.

With hidden detail, the consumer can still rely on the price evaluation. How do sellers make money on jerseys that cost you $45...either they are stolen (doubtful), or they aren't genuine, no matter how good the undetailed jersey pictures may look. If you find a cheap jersey, and you still can't decide if it's AUTHENTIC, ask the seller to send you closeups of the details. If they have a genuine one, and like making money, they'll do that for you. My guess is, if it's dirt cheap, you won't get a response. A quality AUTHENTIC, equally advertised, will stand out from the fakes like a shining beacon in a storm, although sometimes with better fakes, it takes understanding the nuiances of your jersey and becoming familiar with fakes. I have emailed plenty of sellers of fake jerseys asking for a detailed photo of the Bolt and NEVER received a response. I have also emailed several frankly telling them I know the jersey is fake and never received a response. The same occurred when I confronted the seller I bought from. No response about them being fake.

The counterfeit jersey I purchased on eBAY sold for an uncontested $24.99 + $10 shipping. I'm certainly not the only one that buys these things, though. There are thousands of them at a time on eBAY, all claiming to be genuine. Just how many? Check it out:

So, if the pricing doesn't convince you, lets provide some tips about the details on jerseys that scream "I'm a fake!" You may only see these details once you have a fake in your greedy hands because from a few feet away, some counterfeits look great! Don't spend too much on that first mistake. Your main tips for detecting fakes without closeups are the cuffs, numbers, and logos. Visual examples of each tip below are presented on the main page.

• The #1 way to tell it's fake is to look at the cuffs. AUTHENTIC jersey sleeves have a smooth, sharp taper to the cuff. The elastic/spandex on a fake will often cause the sleeve material to cinch, creating a lot of wrinkles.

• Labels on fakes often have horrible typos that you would not see on an AUTHENTIC tag.

• Number design on jersey may not match AUTHENTIC. Certain angles inside numbers can be square instead or rounded, for example.

• Type Set/Text on tags is not crisp. Character heights inconsistent and letters are often fuzzy.

• Hologram poorly mimicked. Could have grainy texture and inaccurate design (missing helmet logos, etc)

• Inconsistent, uneven stitching. AUTHENTIC jersey stitching is pristine. Thread will consistently, barely overlap outer edge of cutouts.

• Lengthwise, the Jersey holes on AUTHENTICS by shoulder Bolts (Chargers) should run OVER shoulder, parallel to the Bolt. Many fakes have the holes running ACROSS the shoulder, perpendicular to the Bolts.

• Ink reading "NFL EQUIPMENT" (silver ribbon) and logo on collar looks "bleedy", not crisp.

• Cutouts for stitching on many fakes (though not all) tend to fray, are imperfect, and stitching isn't consistent around the edges.

• Embroidered NFL Shield on neck not crisp. Stars don't look like stars. Football has poorly stitched grip.

• If the overall look seems fake, it is fake.

• Every genuine Reebok jersey I have around (replica, EQT, or Authentic) uses a thin CLEAR thread to sew on the Shield. The fakes I've seen have all used white thread. So, if the shield isn't sewn on perfectly around the edge, the flawed sewing WILL show up on a fake, but not on a genuine Reebok product. Look closely. Is the thead clear? I believe Genuine Reebok products also first GLUE the shield into place, then they sew it on (making it easier to sew on). Not sure if the fakes do this, but it would make sense.

• Washing tags may have inconsistencies (see tags below for detail). I understand REEBOK only makes AUTHENTIC jerseys in KOREA and EL SALVADOR. A full list of Reebok producing countries and what they make is available at the bottom of the main page

• The main Reebok tag on the collar of most fakes is the older version (as seen below, left). Also the hologram used is the old version. Current models have the three football hologram and the updated tag. Many current versions also have a third, small tag with a Reebok logo sewn under the washing instructions tag. Aside from the obvious quality/sharpness differences in the text and logos, Reebok will occasionally make updates to these tags to keep the counterfeiters a step behind.

• So far, without fail, the plastic anchor on fakes I've seen have been attached ALL THE WAY THROUGH the sizing tag or Reebok tag on collar, while all genuine Reebok jerseys have only been attached through the back side, and NOT through to the front (anchor sits in between folded tag). See picture above of how fake might be attached vs. Authentic. Just another attention to detail from Reebok -- this way, you don't make a permanent hole in the front side of a tag. To go a step further, the ends of the anchors are usually flattened on Authentics, while the fakes have a generic, rounded/cylindrical raw end. Though not necessarily an indicator, also check for retagging, which will mean two tagging holes are visible.

LOOK AT THE CUFFS - this will answer most questions. If the seller hides them, avoid the listing unless you get more pictures. You now know that when you go to eBAY, nearly ALL of the "authentics" being sold are fakes.

One last confusion for some: On occasion, Reebok is known to make jersey changes. They also try out fresh alternatives (ie, Storm). While new ones come out, the staples should stay the same. There are also defective jerseys that get sold at a discount into the market. Some cheap jerseys might be genuine Reeboks, though I RARELY see anything other than screen prints with defects. HONEST sellers will disclaim flaws (sometimes with photos and/or text) and denote factory seconds, happy to sell a disclaimed jersey at a discount. And as customers, we would be happy to buy them so disclaimed. If you care about buying genuine Reebok products, is to avoid the people selling A LOT of Authentics, because they are probably fakes.

Sellers and the eBAY Element

I've been a registered eBAY user for almost seven years. Of those seven, I've been a Power Seller (and a Power Buyer if there were such a thing) for five. I understand many intracacies of "the system". If you decide to buy a fake, or you still aren't convinced the cheap ones are all fakes, avoid sellers with HIGH SHIPPING costs. Usually shippers will not refund your shipping costs on returns, even if the item is defective. If you buy what is very common, a $10 - $20 jersey from Singapore, China, Thailand, or Indonesia, your shipping will often be $20 - $30. You would pay $15 of your own just to return it. Not only would you pay the full price of your purchase, but you'd be out a fake jersey. You may think you don't mind getting a fake, but stay tuned: you're not even guaranteed to get what you see. Note again, that AUTHENTIC jerseys are made in Korea and El Salvador. They don't ship them to China, Singapore, or Indonesia afterwards so they can sell them on eBAY. One of my favorite listings ever on eBAY: seller is selling "authentic" Reebok All Pro jerseys from China, yet the tags say the shirts were produced in Berlin, WI (Wisconsin). Doh!

If you decide you want a fake, realize that what you see online is not necessarily what you'll get. These sellers get fakes from a lot of different places, and your jersey could be the worst version while the pictures shown are the best fakes. I especially like how all the sellers of fakes criticize other fakes and screen prints. Pure sign of shamelessness. AUTHENTICS speak for themselves with good pics, and often even with bad pics. I purchased four jerseys from the same seller. Every single one has a different personality. I guess they are, well, unique. But the pictures used in each listing were exactly the same. Not even the tags were similar, or where they claimed to be made. To other sellers' credit, however, the seller I bought from apparently buys the cheapest ones he can find all over eBAY, one at a time, then tries to resell them to make a few bucks here and there. I think I'd rather (fill in the blank).

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to feedback and Power Sellers on eBAY. The feedback system is often tauted as this amazing, self-controlled system that accurately describes sellers. Where there is some truth to that, when it comes to helping you determine who sells fake jerseys, you're out of luck. Almost all sellers of fake jerseys on eBAY are Power Sellers, and they usually have feedback scores of over 99%. You have to do more than just check feedback scores to find good sellers. Feedback has become a game on eBAY. A lot of sellers out there with counterfeits (not limited to jerseys) use the power of retaliatory feedback (posting only after you post) and threats to keep their ratings up. Though they may accept returns, etc, they deflect any questions accusation of selling fakes by offering a refund, but almost never a shipping refund. Also take a moment to see how many feedback statements have been MUTUALLY WITHDRAWN from these sellers feedback profiles. Also, because many consumers are o.k. with buying fakes, and they know these are fakes, a lot of positive feedback comes from customers that simply know what they are getting and are happy with it.

You'll see all sorts of different sellers. Great ones and crappy ones alike. If sellers allow return and 100% guarantees, make sure that includes the refunding of your shipping costs. But also note that really good return policys from sellers of low cost fakes, being passed as authentics, is another indication that they know perfectly well they are selling fakes. It's another way to avoid negative feedback for selling counterfeits, and many have mastered this game. Although feedback scores now mean nothing to you, I would still suggest avoiding sellers with low feedback, especially, though not limited to, sellers under 98%. My personal threshhold on common items is much higher, like 99.5%. I often think of feedback on eBAY like grading a test on a curve. 99.5-100 is an A. 99-99.5 is a B. 98-99 is a C. 95-98 is a D. Anything else (based on a large sample of feedback, not the newbies that get those unwarranted ones) is an F. Imagine, 5% of transactions from a seller they could totally rip you off! Imagine if FEDEX only delivered 95% of their packages. They'd be gone.

If you want AUTHENTIC, do a little homework and know the real sellers from the fake ones. I have a list of preferred sellers if you want to email me for a list. I do not sell jerseys, so there's nothing in this for me. While some sellers of fakes are totally shameless (making MSRP claims, repeatedly calling their product authentic, and using fake photos), others seem to have some amount of decency. I've seen several sellers mention a fake "has Reebok logos", but they don't specifically say its a Reebok or an AUTHENTIC (though most will still use Reebok in the listing title). Also, many fakes being sold seem to be in a constant cycle of resell, going from one fooled customer to another. These duped customers are embarrased to, but still willing to, resell their wasted purchase on eBAY to the next unsuspecting customer. Meanwhile, those selling hundreds at a time are full-time sellers that feel a little shame or fear liability of what they're doing. Anybody met a seller with a common American name selling from a foreign country? A very quick estimate says John Doe can move to Korea and earn upward of $300,000/year selling fake jerseys back to the states ($30 profit per jersey, 10000 jerseys). What a life.

You may ask yourself, why does Reebok or eBAY allow this to go on? Doesn't America stand against fraud, theft, and deception and protect the innocent consumer? Well, eBAYs main interest, among many, is to make money. Most legal liability is passed onto the sellers through disclaimers. So, eBAY just waits for other members or companies to report issues, and then the bureaucracy begin. Reebok doesn't seem to pursue as much as Nike or Adidas (oddly, the owner of Reebok). However, quite a few counterfeit sellers eventually disappear, going "UNREGISTERED" on eBAY, despite their high positive feedback and volume of sales. So eventually, some are caught or simply suspended. But it's so easy to open a new account and go at it again - the shameless will never stop. I hate to be negative and say eBAY doesn't care. To a certain extent, they do, and I know they wish they could make as much money as possible without any crime going on. But it is expensive and laborious to solve the problem, and nobody is up to the task. If customers didn't fear retaliatory feedback, I believe the problem would be largely self reparing.

For $25 and $10 shipping, maybe the only thing to complain about a fake is that it's a fake! Counterfeits may fray quickly, but really that depends on the quality of the fake. Buying a counterfeit is a tempting option when the real deal costs half your monthly McDonald's paycheck. Though Reebok provided a middle-price alternative in the EQT, $109 is still a lot to pay for anything you wear casually. Some people would never buy a $100 shirt.

Purchasing Tip: I keep mentioning I paid $35 for my jersey. If you decide to buy fakes on eBAY, do not pay more than $45 including shipping, because you can ALWAYS get them at that price or better. Some sellers buy them cheap and resell them a bit higher (eBAY sucker alert!) to make a little money. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be the one that gets suckered by a listing starting at $39.99 with a high BUY IT NOW. They're just trying to get lucky once in a while and get away with an extra $100! Seriously! Any seller of AUTHENTICS will not start a listing that low without a reserve because they'll want to protect loss of money on a sale. When the best you see at a Reebok sale is about 20% off, that's about the best you should expect from an online seller. There are occasional exceptions, but often the selection during those sales is very limited. Also, if you want a genuine Reebok jersey, but want to get it cheap (tough to do), consider the time it will take, and possible lost money if you buy a fake. By the time you find that good deal and have the jersey in your hand, you may have been able to work 20 hours at Taco Bell to make the money you needed to buy AUTHENTIC in the first place. Don't waste too much time searching for the deal if you have a suitable alternative (opportunity costs - that's what it's all about)!

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