Spot a genuine shirt: original or fake?
The market is full of counterfeit shops selling fake shirts – often advertised deceptively well. These signs let you tell before you buy whether an offer is genuine, so you avoid losing money and getting inferior goods.
Compare shirts at trusted shops
1. Is the price too good to be true?
The most common warning sign is a price far below everyone else’s. Current club shirts usually cost 70–100 € new; an “original” for 25 € is almost always a fake. A price comparison shows you the realistic level – outliers to the downside are an alarm bell, not a bargain.
2. Check the shop: imprint, payment methods, contact
Reputable retailers have a complete legal imprint with company name and address, several buyer-protected payment methods (PayPal, credit card, invoice) and reachable customer service. Prepayment only, made-up addresses, cryptic domain names and missing legal pages are typical of counterfeit shops.
3. Cross-check the GTIN/EAN and official article number
Every genuine shirt carries a GTIN/EAN (the barcode) and a manufacturer article number. If the same number appears at official retailers and the manufacturer, that is a strong sign of authenticity. Offers with no article number at all, or one that appears nowhere else, are suspicious. (For exactly this cross-check we maintain an open reference of genuine shirts with open‑shirt‑db.)
4. Workmanship, logos and crests
Originals are cleanly made: straight seams, precisely placed and colour-accurate club and manufacturer logos, embroidered or correctly printed crests. Fakes give themselves away through crooked prints, wrong colour tones, frayed seams, missing sponsors or a slightly off design.
5. Labels, holograms and manufacturer tags
Check the sewn-in labels with size, care and manufacturer details and – depending on the brand – holograms or authenticity tags. Spelling mistakes on the label, missing wash symbols or a cheap-looking hangtag point to a fake.
6. Pay with buyer protection and a right of return
Only buy where you can pay with buyer protection and a statutory right of withdrawal/return applies. That way you get your money back if the item is fake or never arrives. If both are missing the risk is high – no matter how genuine the product photos look.
7. When in doubt: official retailers and a price comparison
The safest route is buying from official retailers and established sports shops. Every offer listed on Trikot Scout comes from regular partner programmes – no shady counterfeit shops. That way you get an original at a fair price instead of paying for the lesson at a too-good offer.
Compare directly at a trusted shop
Popular starting points for the price comparison:
- 1. Bundesliga
- 2. Bundesliga
- 3. Liga
- Regionalliga Südwest
- Premier League
- La Liga
- Serie A
- Ligue 1
- National Shirts
All shirts in the price comparison
Frequently asked questions
- What’s the quickest way to spot a fake shirt?
- Quickest via the price: if an “original” is far below every other shop, it is almost always a fake. Further warning signs are a missing imprint, prepayment only, crooked logos and cheap labels.
- Does the GTIN/EAN help with an authenticity check?
- Yes. If the same GTIN/EAN and article number appear at official retailers and the manufacturer, that is a strong sign of authenticity. If there is no article number at all, or it matches no known original, be careful.
- Are the shops listed on Trikot Scout genuine?
- Yes. We list only offers from the regular partner programmes of established retailers – no counterfeit shops. You buy directly from the respective retailer at the price shown.