This guide will be an overview to imitation products with future guides exploring specifics in shirts/pants/brands/silhouettes/etc.

First let me say that as of this writing have sold over 4,000 shirts manufactured by Polo Ralph Lauren and the various brands that fall under their umbrella.

For the remainder of this guide I will use PRL to refer to Polo Ralph Lauren. PRL is one of the most commonly recognized brands for quality product, when you see the polo player logo (probably the most well known of the various emblems used by PRL) you know it is a quality item and will last for several years.

Imitations are an inferior product in material and/or workmanship, they are taking advantage of the brand and harm the brand at the same time. They usually do not fit the same and never look as good after a few trips to the washer/dryer.

Lets talk in general terms, what you should look for, and what to expect.

If purchasing from eBay, or other web site, you can not see or touch the actual item. You have to go by the picture, description and the seller‘s reputation. This makes it a little more difficult to decide what is authentic and what is not.

Many people have certain ideas about why a certain shirt on eBay is or is not an imitation.

Lets discuss some of the most common.

1. If it is not at polo.com it has to be fake.

Not necessarily. The polo.com website changes available stock very, very often. If an item is not listed on the polo.com it is not automatically an imitation. It could have been removed days or weeks prior or PRL did not include the item on their site. Department stores will also have items available that are no longer on the Polo.com website

2. It is in a poly bag, it must be real.

False. Next time you are in a department store, go to the men’s department and ask if the PRL stock comes in individual poly bags. Some chains will ship from their distribution center in groups of 5, 10, etc and will bag the entire group in one bag but I am not aware of any store that carries the PRL shirts in individual poly bags.

3. It has tags, it must be real.

False. If you are going to the trouble/cost to manufacture the imitation shirts, you will also manufacture the tags. Sometimes the tags are obviously cheap and poor quality.

4. If the label says made in __________, the shirt is genuine/imitation.

PRL has shirts manufactured all over the world, this is impossible to use as a way to tell if genuine. Again, if you are going to the trouble/cost to manufacture the imitation shirts, you will also manufacture the labels to say whatever you want.

So, how can I tell if the shirt is fake/real on eBay?

Good question, look at what the seller is doing. Completed sales and current stock.

1. If the seller is offering the entire rainbow of colors in all sizes over and over - this should be a red flag.
2. If the seller can continually sell groups of 25, 50, 100, etc. This should be a red flag.
3. If the seller is selling the shirts for unbelievably low prices - red flag.
4. If the seller is having the shirts sent directly to you from the manufacturer - big red flag
5. If the seller is having the shirts sent directly to you from the manufacturer, overseas with free shipping. - REALLY big red flag.
6. Does the seller have numerous complaints in their feedback about imitation shirts?

The above is to help people understand some of the issues faced in buying authentic items.

PRL is one of the most copied brands in clothing. So why doesn’t PRL stop this?

They are trying and actually doing a good job. Until recently you could easily find imitation shirts available at numerous wholesale sites on the web. Many of these sites are now shut down or no longer carry the imitation product.

I hope this helps with some of the issues faced with buying authentic PRL items. Again, this is just a general overview to help you avoid the imitation shirts. Not all sellers are bad and not all shirts are knock offs. Please avoid the obvious and blatant imitations and shop wisely with all others.

Thanks, I hope this helps.