Millions of fake football shirts are sold each year, these are not only made in the United Kingdom but all over the world. Bangkok is a place where you can find millions of fake football shirts, these are made by low paid workers in 'sweat shops'. Undercover reporters once visited Bangkok's Pat pong night market and found football shirts for as little as £2.00. But just exactly how do you that you are going to buy football kits and shirts that are 100% official, apart from the main giveaway of the price?The problem is, you cannot always compare fake and real dependant on the price, some people who make these fake football shirts will try and sell them at the same price as the authentic football shirt. It is easier for somebody who carries plenty of knowledge on football shirts to know when a jersey is fake even if the price is relatively the same.
With places like Bangkok, you would think that they would have been clamped down and stopped by now, but these sellers are clever and have released something very important when it comes to the police, the police offices cannot actually carry out any kind of search after 7Pm as it is too late for them to obtain a search warrant.
So these places often open after 7Pm and carry on their business selling fake goods and fooling English tourists who want to buy football kits. This does not only happen in foreign countries but also the UK. Some sport retailers will sell fake goods in order to make much higher profits; this is a rip off to customers who think they are purchasing the real deal. To find an authentic football shirt there are many things you need to be aware of.
In 2012 two members of the public were found guilty of selling fake Manchester United and Manchester City shirts on the popular selling site of Ebay, the goods were seized and they were fined a large amount as well as having to carry out community service. Selling fake goods is bad and sellers will get caught out sooner or later.
A great way of spotting the difference is by the feel of the shirt, an authentic football shirt will feel much better than a fake, the material will probably be thicker and you will just feel the better quality in itself. Also the material may not be cut as well as a real top, check the edges closely and look for any poor stitching or incorrect stitching.
The club badge on an authentic football shirt is often very well detailed and looks the exact same each year, unless the club announce a change in the club badge publicly like Everton did when they were about to release the new 2013-14 kits. A fake badge will look quite poor, or may be missing some of the details from the real one; basically it may look more simplified than the official badge.
The best way to spot a fake would be to take one of your replica shirts with you when you intend on purchasing, putting an authentic version side by side with a fake is a great way of playing spot the difference  and you will notice the difference in material, logos, printing and much more.
On one occasion back in 2003 it emerged that there was a plot to smuggle hundreds of fake football shirts in to Newcastle City, but this was soon uncovered by customs at Newcastle airport. These shirts had been made in Far East sweatshops and were designed to be sold in places such as car boot sales, markets, stalls and pubs. 88 shirts were seized from Newcastle airport in 2003.
In Bangkok Newcastle United have a huge fan base; these supporters have said that it is hard to resist a fake shirt when they almost look the same as the real deal. For a person over their it would cost them a whole weeks wage to buy a replica shirt that would cost around £40-50 and even £60 pound if you check the prices these days.
So, next time you are looking to buy a football shirt please watch out for these signs, you could end up paying for a shirt that falls apart after one wear, remember you do not know what materials these jerseys are made of, you do not know where they have come from and ultimately you are breaking the law, so take time to observe the shirts in front of you and decide if you think they are real or fake.
If you are looking for a genuine authentic football shirt then get over to Soccer Box and you will find a full range of certified football shirts, this is also a great place to buy football kits for children.
