Well be using pictures of real and fake elements on a football shirt to help us as we dig deeper into the subject. These pictures have been provided by various members of the community, so many thanks in advance to those who have contributed to this discussion!
On the left, we have a swoosh from a recent player issue Nike shirt. Despite the camera angle making the tick look a little chunky, you can see the similarities between this and a swoosh from an older replica Nike shirt from the mid 00s (right). Crucially, the edges of both are sharp despite the different application methods and materials used.
The two swooshes below are examples of passable Nike logos. At first glance or from a distance, you could easily assume these were real, and if I saw these pictures on an eBay listing I would need to see other areas of the shirt to be certain whether I was looking at a real or fake kit.
Modern Nike shirts will usually have some sort of authenticity tag (also called a jock tag) at the bottom right of their shirts. The style of this has changed over time, including the recent introduction of a round patch for some Nike shirts, but each tag will have some sort of long combination of letters and numbers.
The quality of fake authenticity tags seems to be particularly high in comparison to other areas of fake kits, but the codes themselves are a good indicator. Product code searching is typically a bit more straightforward from experience, but add a jock tag check to your process for extra piece of mind.
NOTE: Since this article was published, a number of people have got in touch to say they've received genuine Nike shirts with tags attached the collar. As such this is no longer a consistent sign of a fake, but it is still worth comparing pictures when researching if a particular shirt is fake or not.
As Head of Content, Phil is the creative playmaker of the team, covering every angle of football shirt news in our blogs and weekly Newsletter. Whether it's telling your fakes from your authentics, or deep dives into the newest football shirts designs, Phil will have all your football shirt content needs covered.
The Authenticity Guarantee service is free for a limited time. As part of the Authenticity Guarantee service promotion, eBay covers the cost of authentication, as well as provides sellers with a free FedEx shipping label to use for sending items to our authentication center.
In order to properly protect you and the buyer, our authentication process is more stringent about how items are described, and the item condition selected. You should review your items listed in sneakers categories and double check that you have accurately described and depicted the item, including photos of any defects or cosmetic imperfections of the sneaker, the box and accessories.
A brand new, unused, and unworn item in the original packaging (such as the original box). If using stock images or screenshots, all original accessories (laces, keychains, bags, etc.) must be included. If taking your own photos, everything pictured will be assumed included.
A brand new, unused, and unworn item that is not in original packaging or may be missing original packaging materials (such as the original box). For example, new shoes (with absolutely no signs of wear) that are no longer in their original box fall into this category.
A brand new, unused item. Possible imperfections range from color variations to scuffs, cuts or nicks that occasionally occur during the manufacturing or delivery process. This also includes natural yellowing due to age. The item may be missing the original packaging materials or accessories (such as original box or laces). New factory seconds and/or new samples may fall into this category. Ensure all defects are photographed and noted in the description.
An item that has been used, worn or showing signs of wear to the outsole, insole and/or lining of the shoe. The item may be missing the original packaging materials or accessories (such as original box or laces). Ensure all wear is captured in the photos and noted in the description.
We have automated protections for sellers who send their item to the authentication center within their stated handling time. Once the item is inspected and has been forwarded to your buyer, you are fully protected against any negative or neutral feedback, the Item Not Received cases will be removed from your Service Metrics dashboard before your next evaluation cycle. Should an Item Not Received case be closed and a refund issued to your buyer, you will not be responsible for that refund as long as eBay has tracking confirming delivery to the authentication center which can be found in the View Order Details.
As we continue to refine and expand our Authenticity Guarantee eligibility criteria, your items may become eligible after you have listed. If your item has an Authenticity Guarantee badge on its listing page and not eBay shipping, we recommend that you revise your listing to enable the free eBay shipping label.
We want to provide a consistent experience for our buyers. Since eBay is providing the shipping label, we ask that you limit handling time to 0-3 days to ensure that buyers receive their order quickly and we are able to estimate their delivery date accurately.
As we continue expanding the Authenticity Guarantee service, we are opening new authentication facilities to optimize for a seamless end-to-end customer experience. This will ensure your item reaches your buyer as efficiently as possible. As of March 2023, we have authentication centers in Nevada and New Jersey. Please ship to the authentication center shown on your order to ensure a smooth and seamless customer experience.
Only select listings on eBay.com are eligible for the Service. eBay reserves the right at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice to you, to alter or amend the eligibility requirements for Eligible Items, including, but not limited to category, and/or value of items and/or transactions.
Upon purchase, you are required to ship the Eligible Item, with appropriate insurance coverage if not using an eBay provided free FedEx shipping label, to a facility located within the United States, as directed by eBay. Items must be sent to the facility individually unless part of a multi-item order. If using an off-platform label, the cost of shipping to the Authentication center is not covered by eBay.
If buyer or seller circumvent or do not comply with Sections 7.a or 7.b of these Terms, or if buyer or seller violate or are found to be non-compliant with the Terms, eBay reserves the right to take immediate action such as, but not limited to, account restriction or suspension and/or the transfer of fees and costs associated with Authenticity Guarantee.
You acknowledge and agree that if our team of authenticators detects fraud or suspects that an item is counterfeit, the item will be removed from marketplace circulation. In addition, eBay will work with the proper authorities as needed and reserves the right to confiscate and destroy any items determined to be counterfeit.
eBay has the right, but not the obligation, to alter, amend, replace, suspend temporarily, and/or discontinue permanently, the Authenticity Guarantee service, the name of Authenticity Guarantee, any of the Services provided, features, and/or functionality offered under Authenticity Guarantee, and/or the service providers used to provide any or all of the Services under Authenticity Guarantee, at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice to you.
eBay may amend these Terms, including applicable fees, at any time by posting the amended terms on the eBay site. Except as stated elsewhere, all amended terms shall take effect immediately and automatically when posted on the eBay site.
Authenticating Nike Air Max 97 sneakers might seem like a challenge unless you know these methods: start by examining the overall look followed by the backside method. Checking the heel counter is also a good idea as you might find a lot of differences. Observe the stitching and other minor details too. Finally, finish your legit check process by examining the sizing tag.
The very first thing that we notice is how curved the tip of the fake sneaker is when it needs to be as smooth and almost straight as it is on the authentic model. Even though the fake model might not look that bad, it still is different from the original look. Remember: we are searching for the differences, and not for what looks good and bad.
We should mention the Nike swoosh too which is embroidered exquisitely in the left picture while the counterfeit swoosh is shaped differently and made carelessly with the lack of professionalism (the same issues can be found with the fake Gucci Print sneakers).
Counterfeiters always fail to do the stitching successfully and this model is no exception. Sewing on the authentic pair is symmetrical, tight, and seamless, whereas the stitches on the fake sneakers are much thinner, sloppy, asymmetrical, and unclean. Such sewing can not hold the pieces together for a long time.
Counterfeiters failed to copy the same embossed look that the original Nike details have, which takes the specialty of the design away from the pair (check out Nike Air Max Off-White 90 for similar issues).
Nike shoe boxes are typically made of high-quality hard paper with eye-catching colors and outstanding logos. The boxes come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, but the most common ones are orange, red, and brown. The barcode, style name, size, serial number and SKU (if applicable) should all be printed on the box.
The SKU number on the interior labels should match the one on the box. The counterfeit Nike factories frequently attach sizing labels that are years out of date. An item manufactured in 2013 may have a label stating that it was designed in 2010, for instance. You can also check the official releasing date of that products as well. The fake may claim that they were created in 2008, whereas in reality, Nike produced them for the first time in 2010.
3a8082e126