Yes, they are out there and if you search for Gymboree clothing on ebay, you may come across them.  How can you tell if the item you are looking at is an authentic Gymboree item or if it is a replica?  This guide will hopefully help you to identify the fake items so that you do not get ripped off. 

As a mom and fellow Gymboree buyer, I know how valuable your money is.  You want to get the best value for your dollar while still being able to dress your little ones in adorable clothing.  The last thing anyone wants when buying on ebay is to get taken advantage of.  Gymboree has become SO popular over the past few years and with this Gymbo craze comes all of the scam artists who are trying to make a buck on the "new" Gymbo addicts.   If you have been buying Gymboree for a while, it should be somewhat easy for you to pick out the fakes, but what about these new buyers?

Hopefully this guide will help Gymboree buyers decipher which pieces are true Gymboree pieces and which pieces are fakes. 

1.  CHECK THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.  A lot of buyers assume that all of the fake items come from other countries.  While the majority of fakes that I have seen on ebay have come from overseas (Australia, China, Korea, etc.), there are fake items being sold from within the US as well.  A few years back, I purchased a shirt on ebay from California and the item turned out to be a fake.  Don't assume that just because the item comes from the US it is a safe purchase. 

2.  ASK THE SELLER QUESTIONS.  Most of the fakes I have seen will not have line names listed.  If an item looks fake and you cannot identify the line, contact the seller.  Ask the seller if they know the line name, the year that is printed on the inner Gymboree tag, if you get an up close photo of the inner Gymboree tag, where was the item purchased, etc.  If the item is a fake, more than likely you will either get no response from the seller or a response that does not answer any of your questions.

3.  KNOW THE LINES.  I know there are a lot of lines to remember, but with time, naming them will get easier.  The majority of lines have coordinating colors and patterns that should help you in identifying the line name.  There are line identification websites such as gymbohaven.com and namethatline.biz that can help you if you are unsure of an item's line.  There are also Gymboree groups at, Yahoo.com, MySpace.com, Gymborebel.com, and here on Ebay that could help you with any additional questions you may have.

4.  GYMBOREE OUTLET.  Gymboree has a chain of Gymboree Outlet stores that have started opening across the US.  They are remaking past Gymboree lines with some of the same peices and some new pieces.  They are changing colors and are also changing and adding different designs to the pieces.  These items ARE from Gymboree and are not fake items.  The tags for the outlets are different from Gymboree tags.  Examples of the Gymboree Outlet tags can be found at the bottom of the page.

5.  KNOW THE TAGS.  Gymboree has changed their inner labels often throughout the years.  All non-vintage (1998-PRESENT) labels will have the year printed on the tag.  The Gymbo fakes that I have seen have not had a year printed on the tag.  Knowing what these tags look like can be very important when trying to identify an item. 

OUTLET TAGS

EXAMPLES OF FAKE GYMBOREE ITEMS: