As sports fans, we all love our teams. We show our support by wearing the same jerseys,
shirts and tops as our heroes on the field. But when you look at the price of them, you’ll
say “How much?!” There’s been a recent increase in the amount
of fake jerseys being imported from China mainly because real jerseys are so extortionately
priced. This guide shows you how to tell the difference
between an authentic, replica and Chinese fake jersey, and furthermore, should you buy
one? Now we’re using baseball jerseys as an example,
but this could apply to football jerseys, soccer shirts, hockey jerseys etc.
So here are three seemingly similar baseball jerseys.
They may look the same but they’re all different. And they all cost different amounts of money.
Let’s start with this one, the Authentic jersey.
An authentic jersey is supposed to be the exact jersey that the players wear on the
field. This is usually denoted somehow by the relevant
tags. Now if you look carefully, all the detail
is embroidered in and it’s embroidered cleanly. The lettering is multi-layered twill and zig-zag
stitched, and the material is generally thicker and of higher quality.
The lettering on the back is usually nicely proportioned and once again, multi-layered
and zigzag stitched. In short, every detail of the jersey is pretty
much perfect. But this perfection costs money, and an authentic jersey is usually several
hundred dollars. That’s not the cheapest thing in the world
and most sports fans can’t afford that, so that’s why teams also make
Replica Jerseys. These are usually toned down versions of the
authentic, with not as many features and detail. Usually they will denote this with a ‘genuine
merchandise’ tag, instead of an authentic one.
The details are usually painted on and then sewn to the jersey.
Compare this to the authentic and you can see where they skimp on costs.
The material is usually thinner and not sewn together in the same way.
The same applies to the lettering, which costs less to manufacture, and there are other distinguishing
features that a sports fan can spot as a ‘replica jersey’.
These jerseys cost significantly less than the authentic, but still out of reach for
most sports fans, hence the unprecedented demand for:
Chinese Fake Jerseys. As the name implies, the Chinese like to make
fake versions of … well … everything. And sports jerseys are no exception.
They cost about a 10th of the price of an authentic jersey, but when you look closely,
you’ll see why. Even though the tag says it’s authentic,
it’s nowhere near the same as this authentic tag.
The material is usually paper thin compared to an authentic jersey and the embroidered
details are virtually non-existant. This is evident pretty much everywhere on
the jersey. The lettering is usually the dead giveaway,
as it’ll usually be out of proportion, the wrong colour, the wrong material, cheaply
sewn together, or in this case, all of the above.
Look at the details and you’ll quickly see the difference in quality.
And let’s address the large elephant in the room … IT SAYS THE WRONG BLOODY WORD
ON IT! Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays do have a jersey
with the word ‘TORONTO’ on it, but that’s the grey road jersey.
This is clearly white so the Chinese really have no concept of accuracy.
Don’t be surprised if your jersey arrives in the wrong colour, the wrong size, has the
wrong details on it, or all of the above. Don’t get me wrong, the Chinese have improved
dramatically over the last few years – and there’s a select few that could pass off
as the real thing. But most of them suck … really suck.
So that’s a quick overview on the differences of authentic, replica or Chinese fake jerseys.
But I know you guys have some burning questions.
Ninh, what’s your advice? Are they worth buying?
Generally the answer is ‘no’. If you care about details like embroidery,
logo, material and fit – you might want to avoid these like the plague.
Some of them, particularly the Nike NFL jerseys coming out of china are quite good, but most
of them are terrible. If you’re really on a budget and you really
have no money, but you want to buy a jersey – these Chinese fakes are worth a buy.
Try and find a reputable seller and always look at pictures of the kind of jersey you
wish to buy before you actually buy it. You never know, you might actually get a good
one.
Ninh, if I’m not completely happy – can I get a refund?
The Chinese don’t like the word ‘refund’ and they’ll try everything in their power
to avoid giving you your money back. You might be in for a lengthy battle if you
want to return your item. Consider this before you make a purchase.
I don’t care about all that stuff you jersey mentioned – where can I get me some fake
jerseys? Easy, just go to AliExpress.com and type in
the kind of jersey you want. You’ll get thousands of Chinese sellers selling you fake
jerseys for about a 10th of the cost of a real one, fully shipped.
Buyer beware – they’re not all they’re cracked up to be.
So Ninh, what did you do with that hilariously fake jersey you bought from China?
I actually turned it into a sleeveless jersey, tapered it a little and added a blue t-shirt
underneath. It’s good for workouts and stuff, but I probably wouldn’t wear it in public.
I have my authentic jerseys for that. If you have found this video helpful, please
like comment, share and subscribe. It takes me ages to make one of these things
and good karma is very much appreciated. Follow me on Twitter and discuss this video
on Reddit, and if you like this sort of video – let me know in the comments section ….
… oh yeah, Go Jays! Obviously …
Ninh Ly, @NinhLyUK, www.ninh.co.uk