Buying authentic jerseys from the NFL, NBA, NCAA or MLB can be more difficult than you think.  There are many factors to finding false authentic jerseys.  Here are some easy steps to know if your purchase is a true authentic jersey of your favorite team:

1) KNOW WHAT YOUR TEAM'S JERSEY LOOKS LIKE

Some people are "duped" into buying a fake jersey when all along they were just uneducated customers.  The Duke jersey on the left is a real Duke basketball jersey, while the one on the right is a common fake jersey:

<=REAL<=FAKE

Notice how the real jersey has two simple stripes on both sides of the jersey, while the fake has two stripes, but on the same side of the jersey.  Also, the fake jersey has shadowed lettering that the real jersey does not.  Simple things like this can save you money and the hassle of buying a fake jersey.

2) KNOW THE LETTERING OF YOUR TEAM'S JERSEY

Many different jerseys, even ones in the same league, have different lettering on the front and back of their jerseys.  Using the NFL, some teams use the standard font for player names, while others use a more simple, block style letter.  Here are two examples:

Notice on the white New York Jets jersey, the lettering is more traditional, with a Times New Roman look to it, while on the black New Orleans Saints jersey, they use a bigger block letter, more like an Arial font.  *Fake jerseys would have the incorrect type of lettering on the back of the jersey, so make sure you know what your team's letters look like.

3) KNOW THE NUMBERS FOR YOUR TEAM

These may be more subtle, but very important to the validity of the jersey. 

The real USC jersey, on the left, has a number that only curves on 3 of the 5 corners, as opposed to the fake jersey that has curves on 4 of the corners. 

Also, some teams have different style numbers, like the Bears curving numbers rather than the more traditional block numbering, while the Heat jersey uses italic numbers.

4) JUST READ THE DESCRIPTIONS VERY CAREFULLY

Look for phrases like "authentic", but more importantly "tackle twill".  Tackle twill means that if a jersey has more than one layer of colors for a name or number (for example, the Heat jersey above has a black and a white aspect to its numbers).  Sometimes, especially in the NBA, the auctions are labeled as an "authentic jersey", when they are really the "Swingman" jersey, which instead of having multiple layers of number fabric sewn together, they only have one layer and have the rest screenprinted on, which gives the jersey a fake appearance.  Also, all tackle twill authentic jerseys have a zig-zag stitching pattern, so any jersey without that pattern is most likely a fake. 

I hope this guide gave you an insight into purchasing REAL authentic jerseys on Ebay.  Remember, while some Ebay deals are real, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Make sure you follow these steps, and you will not be disappointed again!

Any further questions about authentic jerseys, please email shefield11@yahoo.com.