I'm considering buying a Beckham home jersey off Ebay, but am wary due to the possibility of fakes/imitations floating around, the price triple what its probably actually worth. Is there any way, short of actually wearing the jersey myself, of telling whether one is the genuine article or not? I'm really anxious to know, because I want to get one by this Thursday for the LAG vs. Chivas game I'll be going to. Questions: 1. Whats with the stars on top of the team emblem? I realize teams get a star for winning the MLS cup, but the only home jerseys available for purchase on the MLS shop are the ones without the stars-does this mean they are fake or something? Or is it just an authentic copy of the actual jerseys worn on the field? 2. Check out the following picture of the Jersey, taken from the MLS shop: Notice the small black line on the bottom right-hand side of the jersey; what is that? Is it a proof of authentication or something? And here are two typical photos of jerseys being offered on Ebay: What is that weird silver figure 8-shaped thing on the lower left hand side of the jersey? And does the Adidas logo (the small grey one in the back) look real? Pay particular attention to the heart-shaped white background from the one offered directly from MLS. I realize the lighting in the auction photos are not ideal, but does anything look "shady" to you guys? Any helpful feedback would be greatly appreciated.
"the small black line on the bottom right-hand side of the jersey" - it's a Climacool logo: Adidas logo looks real. But i don't think anyone can tell from ebay photo if jersey is authentic or not. Two stars look suspicious.
It looks like a fake/imitation. That small black oval is the "Clima-cool" logo (some sweat and ventilation technology) and if you look at the MLS/adidas image it lines up with the outer boundary of the thick banana curve. On the eBay pic its nearer the center. The Herbalife logo is clearly a fake... the lettering on the MLS authentic is more compact, whereas the eBay version is taller and thinner. Plus the distances among the adidas logo, Galaxy crest, and Herbalife logo are too small on the eBay jersey. And the two championship stars are only on "MLS Authentics" (exactly what the players wear) and cost a bit more than the "MLS Replicas". In short: don't buy that jersey. You can buy a quality replica from adidas/sports authority.
First, make sure you know the official Adidas terminology. The company makes both "authentic" and "replica" jerseys, and both versions are "official." With the global interest in the jerseys, those terms are getting confused. You'll see ads for "authentic" Galaxy jerseys where they are actually replicas, and the sellers really mean "official," meaning not a knock-off. "Authentic" versions are more expensive and come with more of the elements that are on the jerseys the players actually wear than do the replicas.
Your right-going by the World Soccer Shop photos, you can also tell its a fake since there isn't a little dot below the "E" in the Herbalife logo (I'm guessing it stands for TM). Thank you-I'll just save up the money and buy it either at the HDC (I'm presuming they have a gift shop yes?) or through WSS or Soccer.com. Ok so far here is what I've discerned from extensively looking at the different pictures, both on officially licensed vendors like World Soccer Shop and Soccer.com to the offerings on Ebay (both real and fake): Ways to tell its fake: 1. The distance between the LA Galaxy emblem and the Herbalife logo: Real: & vs. Fake: The "tip"/point of the shield for the authentic jersey points right between the letters "I" and "F" (imagine an invisible line); on fake jerseys, the the tip points right down to the letter "L". 2. The absence of a Climacool oval logo at the bottom-right side of the front of the jersey. Fake: http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=500319&image=61585167&images=61585165,61585167,61585163&formats=0,0,0&format=0 3. The Herbalife Font/Lettering: Again, look at the posted pictures-the authentic one, like Amavel mentioned, has a more compact/closely lined construction, whereas the fake ones are rather thin and spaced further apart. 4. Lack of the "black spot." Under the sponsor logo "Herbalife", at the bottom of the last "E" there should be a tiny black spot, probably standing for "TM" or the Copyright symbol. Fake jerseys don't have it. 5. Adidas Logos. Compare the real and fake jerseys-see how the back logo is mushed and blurry (might just be the camera), and the front logo is a bit off-center in the fake one. The back logo should be encased in a heart-shaped white background. Also, notice the distance between the Adidas logo and the yellow "banana" curve-the authentic one is more distant while the fake one is bunched closer to the curve. 6. The thin yellow loops. On the real jerseys, the "loops" bend at a slightly more acute angle. On the fake ones, the loops are wider and seemingly thinner. Hope that helps others in their search.
Hushx, how cheap are you going to get a jersey off ebay? jersey from mlsgear or sports authority cost $80-90. Santee alley shops sell them for $75 (no sales tax if you pay in cash)
Thats probably the cost I'll probably end up paying for the genuine article. For some reason I really want the authentic one (two stars)
hey guys! i have an authentic long sleeved beckham galaxy jersey i ordered from worldsoccershop.com. here is the thread https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=12372649#post12372649 the adidas authentics have "Formotion" material instead of the climacool patch on the both of the jersey. one other note....both adidas authentics and replicas do not have that cheesy hologram on the bottom left of the jersey!....fyi
I can vouch for this statement: Last year I was given an actual 2006 authentic jersey from the team as a gift and it does have FORMOTION written on the side of it, versus a replica that I have that only has the CLIMACOOL tag. I'll also add, the CLIMACOOL jersey doesn't feel quite as silky as the FORMOTION jersey.
at www.mlsgear.com authentic jerseys have Formotion logo: http://mlsgear.com/product_detail.asp?CAT=cat-jerseys-authentic&SKU=1010478 official replicas have Climacool logo: http://mlsgear.com/product_detail.asp?CAT=cat-jerseys-officialreplicas&SKU=1010334
Serious question if you want some Beckham jerseys send me a PM. I have a bunch in my closet that I feel silly wearing now that he's no longer on the team.