How to Check a Football Shirt Is Real When Buying Second-Hand

Second-hand is one of the best ways to find a particular shirt, especially an older one. It is also where most fakes are sold. You do not need to be an expert to protect yourself. You need a routine, and the same one every time.

This guide gives you that routine in four steps, with the questions to ask, the photos to request and what to do if the shirt turns out to be wrong. If you want to know which shirts attract copies in the first place, start with our guide to the most faked football shirts.

Step 1: Before You Message

You can learn a lot without speaking to the seller at all.

• Know the shirt first. Find photos of the genuine shirt from a trusted source, such as a kit archive or a known retailer, so you know what the badge, sponsor, collar and tags should look like. Look at more than one, since a single photo can be of a different version.
• Check the price. Compare it with similar shirts that have actually sold, not just ones that are listed. A famous shirt priced far below the usual level needs an explanation.
• Look at the seller. Read their feedback, check how long they have been selling and see whether they sell football shirts regularly or random items. A seller with many of the same shirt in the same size deserves a closer look.
• Check the photos. Run the pictures through a reverse image search. If they appear on other listings or in shop photos, they are not the seller's own.
• Read the description. It should name the club, season, manufacturer, size and condition. A vague listing is a warning.

Step 2: What to Ask and Which Photos to Request

A seller who owns the shirt can answer in minutes. Send a short message asking for:

1. A photo of the front and back in natural light.
2. A close-up of the badge.
3. A close-up of the sponsor and any lettering.
4. The neck tag and the wash label, clearly readable.
5. A photo of the shirt next to a handwritten note with today's date, which proves they have it in hand.

Then ask three questions: Where did you get it? Is it an original, a reissue or a remake? Are there any flaws? A confident seller answers straight away. One who dodges, copies and pastes a stock reply or goes quiet is telling you something.

A message you can copy

Hi, I am interested in the shirt. Could you send photos of the front and back, a close-up of the badge and sponsor, and the neck tag and wash label, plus one of the shirt next to a note with today's date? Is it an original, a reissue or a remake, where did you get it and are there any flaws? Thanks.

Photo traps to watch for

• Stock or borrowed photos. Perfectly lit shop images are not the shirt you will receive.
• Blurred or cropped tags. If the label is the thing you need to see, a photo that hides it is hiding something.
• Collages. Several shirts in one image make it hard to check any one of them.
• The wrong season. The photos show one shirt and the title names another. Check the two agree.

Step 3: Before You Pay

Compare what you have been sent against the genuine shirt you found in Step 1.

Our guides on how to check if a football shirt is genuine and how manufacturers mark a genuine shirt go into each of these in detail, and the Premier League fakes guide covers English clubs.

Original, reissue or remake

A shirt can be genuine and still not be what the listing implies. An original is a shirt from the time. A reissue is a later release of the same design, and a remake is a modern take on an old design. All three can be genuine football shirts, but they are not worth the same and they do not carry the same tags, so make the seller say which one it is, in writing.

Pay safely

Use a payment method that offers buyer protection, keep the conversation and payment on the platform, and read the platform's buyer protection terms before you commit. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay by bank transfer or move to another app. The section on your rights in the UK below explains how card payments can help.

Slow down. Nearly every bad second-hand buy we hear about started with someone rushing to beat another buyer to a bargain.

- Jamie King, co-founder, Mystery Jersey King

Step 4: When It Arrives

Do not assume the job is done once you have paid. Check the shirt as soon as it arrives, ideally before you throw away the packaging, and compare it against the photos you were sent.

• Does it match the photos? Same shirt, same condition, same tags.
• Hold it to the light. Look at the badge, sponsor print and stitching for the faults you could not see in photos.
• Feel the fabric. It should feel like the genuine shirt: not too thin, too shiny or too stiff.
• Check the tags again. Read the neck tag and wash label in person and compare them with the photos you were sent. If they differ, that is a problem.
• Smell and condition. A strong chemical or damp smell, stains or damage should have been mentioned in the listing.
• Take photos straight away if anything is wrong, before washing or wearing it.

If It Turns Out to Be Wrong

1. Do not wash or wear it. Keep the shirt, tags and packaging exactly as they arrived.
2. Photograph everything and save your messages and the original listing.
3. Contact the seller politely, explain the problem and ask for a return or refund.
4. Use the platform's dispute process promptly if the seller will not help, since protection usually has time limits. Check the terms for your platform.
5. Ask your card provider if you paid by card and the seller will not put it right. See the next section.

Your Rights in the UK

This is general information, not legal advice, and the details depend on who you bought from and how you paid.

• If you bought from a trader (a business or shop), second-hand goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. You can reject them within 30 days for a full refund.
• If you bought from a private seller, you have far less protection. As long as the item was accurately described, you are not entitled to a refund, repair or replacement. That is why the description matters: if a private seller tells you in writing that a shirt is genuine and it is not, you have something to point to, and a seller who will not describe the shirt clearly is a risk.
• If you paid by credit card, Section 75 can make the card company jointly liable with the seller for a single item costing more than £100 and up to £30,000, including where goods are misdescribed. Most PayPal account payments are excluded.
• If you paid by debit or credit card, you can ask for a chargeback. This is a voluntary scheme run by Visa, Mastercard and American Express rather than a legal right, and you should claim within 120 days of the purchase.
• If your claim is refused, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Most football shirts cost under £100, so for many purchases a chargeback, or the platform's own dispute process, is the route that matters. Whatever you use, move quickly, because the time limits are real.

If all of this feels like a lot of work, there is a simpler option. Mystery Jersey King only ships genuine football shirts, drawn from a supply network spanning more than 50 leagues and 53 countries. Our mystery football shirt box sends one, with the club chosen for you, and the retro football shirts collection lets you browse by era. For older shirts specifically, see how to tell if a retro football shirt is genuine. You can find our full range of mystery football shirts on the homepage.

Once you have the shirt, look after it: see how to store and display a football shirt collection and 15 tips to cultivate your football shirt collection.

Sources: MoneyHelper, consumer rights; MoneyHelper, Section 75 and chargeback; Citizens Advice, getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal.

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