I had this post up on my site as of almost a year ago, but due to some website issues over the summer, it miraculously disappeared, however with the power of Google cache (and remembering various things) I have resurrected it. Enjoy…
I recently had the lucky experience of purchasing a fake Abercrombie & Fitch polo shirt off of eBay. While not intending to buy a fake shirt, I did have my suspicions about buying A&F over eBay, though I have successfully bought some stuff before! Being a nice eBay citizen and everything, I thought that I should at least write an eBay guide as to how to spot fakes and the main differences between real shirts and fakes, but eBay has a rather odd (and in my opinion stupid) photo policy where they wouldn’t allow any of my Flickr photos to be linked to, so scrap that, I’m gonna post a guide on here and see if anyone finds it useful!
The purpose of this guide is to complement the other ‘How to spot fake Abercrombie clothes’ guides available on eBay by providing a photo comparison between a fake polo shirt (bought here on eBay), and a real one (bought in the A&F at The Grove in LA). The fake shirt in question is the Broadhead Trail polo shirt in grey, with “A & Fitch” written on it. For the purposes of this comparison I’m comparing it with a Broadhead Trail polo in Blue (saying “Abercrombie 92”), which I think is a fair enough comparison – so the only differences should be in the motif, the colour and the serial number. But this wasn’t necessarily true!
Firstly, I received this from the seller in a plastic bag, which is hardly A&F style presentation – so that doesn’t bode particularly well from the start. Once removed from the plastic, the feel of the shirt is very thin and definitely feels cheaper than a real A&F polo shirt. It also does not exhibit any of the ‘worn-in’ look of the real shirt, this is shown in a few pictures below. Look particularly at where the buttons are, this is clearly more worn on the blue (real) shirt.
Some of the other guides mention about the buttons being different and looking odd on the counterfeit shirts, and this, while subtle, is true! Notice the writing on the buttons and the placement of the writing on the buttons is different on each shirt. The real one has the ‘Abercrombie’ slightly away from the centre of the button, while the fake one does not! There is also a different font on the buttons, with the real buttons on the blue shirt appearing to have more bold writing on them! When looking at the side angle of the buttons, it is clear that they are different in that the fake one is obviously more of a two layer button and has a differently coloured underside.
The sewn in label also exhibits the different fonts. Looking closely and comparing the two, the ‘Established 1892’ and the ‘Unparalleled In Quality’ differ between the two shirts, with the fake one being more blocky. The writing of the ‘Abercrombie & Fitch’ is also different between the two, though more subtly, look at the base of the letter ‘b’. The tags below the sewn in label stating the size are also different dimensions and say different things – pretty odd for the same range of clothing.
The ‘Muscle’ tag also exhibits the same font difference, but it is also a different tag, with the fake one being wider.
As I mentioned before, the fake one is clearly less worn in, this is shown further around the hem on the bottom of the shirt and around the cuff…
The spare buttons are also worth mentioning in that there are two with the real shirt, and only one with the fake, and their placement in relation to the care instructions tag is different. The colour of the thread used to sew them in differs too, with the fake one having a thread that shows up on the outside of the shirt, while the blue (real) one does not.
The fit of the shirt is also worth mentioning as it obviously shows up as being fake when it does fit the same way. The cuffs are way too loose and long, and the shirt is generally too baggy. The collar, while having fairly thick material, is not thick enough to feel like the real Abercrombie shirt.
Finally, probably the most obvious difference is the incorrect tags and the tags just generally being odd. I was (and still am) pretty sure (actually I’m definitely sure) that this was a Polo shirt and not a short sleeve Henley, so then why does the tag say that this is a Henley? When I google the item number (24013206) I get an Abercrombie Henley, so it clearly isn’t the right tags. It also has the wrong price, it says $49.50, when this Polo shirt is actually $59.50. The thick ‘Abercrombie and Fitch’ tag is also obviously different too.
Anyway, it seems like I’ve gone into a fairly obscene amount of detail on this, but I just wanted to provide adequate photographic evidence of the kind of fake clothes available on eBay. If you have any questions, then please ask. Good luck on spotting fakes!
Further Info
Also, for more advice, try checking out http://fakeabercrombie.blogspot.com/ for some more info and guides to spotting counterfeit clothing, and my new article on labels in depth
Legit Sellers
Added 2013: And it turns out not all Abercrombie and Fitch clothing on eBay is fake. Holliwear sells authentic A&F/Hollister apparel on eBay. How do I know? I’ve got some myself, verified it, seen the receipt, and trust the seller. Check it out!
i bought s dress shirts on line (ebay) and im pretty sure they are “real” but i cant find anywhere to compare so i bought 2 from there online store (still waiting for them as i write this). could you tell me what to look for? also i bought jeans and a hoddie with zipper, and it came in a see through plastic bag. so i dont think the plastic bag can tell you if the product is fake!
Hi Boris,
The plastic bag may or may not be a sign of genuine Abercrombie – I just figured that most of the sellers on eBay selling ‘real’ shirts would have probably bought them from the store itself, as opposed to mail order, and so then why would they be in a clear plastic bag?They could also possibly smell of the Fierce cologne if they were shop bought.
As for the dress shirts that you bought, check that all of the writing and logos and labels etc. look correct. There shouldn’t be any misprints or botched letters. If they have tags, then make sure that they correspond to the correct item and that the price and the product code (if you can check it) are correct. Obviously it will be easier to compare with the shirts that you bought at the official online store. In which case you can compare all of the buttons and other small details (e.g. zips should say A&F not A+F as some of the fake ones do…)
Let me know how the comparison gets on.
Thanks,
Mo
I bought a A &F t shirt for my daughter but am now unsure as to whether or not it is the real thing. Where are A&F products made as on the supposed A&F label inside the shirt, it says made in Brazil!
Any advice?
hey, kate, a & f products are made in countries all over the world,like, china, vietnam, brazil, mexico, india and more! i bought a couple of things from A&F and they all have a lot of different coutries on the tags. 🙂
hello:) I’m from Poland. I dont know too well English, so sorry for mistakes:) please let me know if this shirt is authentic? http://www.allegro.pl/show_item.php?item=726440877&msg=Tw%C3%B3j+e-mail+zosta%C5%82+wys%C5%82any.
@ Kate — I would have to agree with Ari in that A&F products could be made anywhere in the world and so it is not really a telltale sign as to whether an item is authentic or not.
@ Paulina — After having a look at the item, it doesn’t seem to have a typical A&F thick cardboard tag, and it also isn’t in the Abercrombie online store at the moment (it may be an older item) and the seller has lots of designer items for sale (all new) which indicates to me that it is not authentic. Tho I can’t be 100% sure. Good luck.
Mo
Nice guide. Thanks for the information.
Just one thing. I’m a brazilian and I’m living in Mexico right now. I’m almost 100% sure that there is no Abercrombie clothes made neither in Brazil nor in Mexico…I think all their production comes from south-east asia.
Luiz,
That might be true, but the shirt that I’m wearing at the moment (an authentic one—I bought it in Edmonton) says ‘Made in Brazil’. But most of the other clothes that I have are from all over; Northern Mariana Islands, Peru, Vietnam, Macau. So I’m not really sure if origin of clothing is really a deciding point when spotting fakes… Perhaps there’s a list of factories somewhere to be found.
Anyway, thanks for the info.
Mo
Hey Mo,
Actually I didn’t have any concrete info about this, it was more like a general opinion based in what I knew about ‘sweatshops’ and in ‘Made in’ tags of Abercrombie clothes I have. Gosh, if it is so, they have factories all over the world…
Good to know that, maybe I’ll try to discover where is their factory in Brazil and buy second-hand stuff, since it’s almost impossible to find Abercrombie over there and people at auction websites are so out of their mind.
Anyway, thanks for info you too =)
Back to spotting fake clothes, thanks, they is going to be really helpful from now on!
This is great! im just gutted i didnt find this sooner. i have just been seriously dooped and have no way of knowing how rubbish the jeans i’ve ordered are! fyi dont trust a site thats something like 7abercrombie.us or something. Yday paid 55 pounds for jeans from this site that looked stupidly legit!didnt recieve an e mail conformation so started to worry, and have found several forum where the same site has ripped others off!! was wondering if ne one had pics of fake abercromie jeans they recieved so i know what im in for??? Thank god for links like this, hopefully never hapen to me again now!!
Hi, I bought an Abercrombie coat on eBay and everything feels like its good quality etc…I am just worried because the label on the inside says ‘small- made in china’ and the poppers that attach the fur to the hood don’t have any writting on them. Do you think it’s genuine? I asked the seller before buying and they confirmed it was, but I just don’t know…I paid £100 for it :-s
Please get back to me if you can, Nicole
Heya,
I’m not sure whether the poppers on the Abercrombie coats have writing on them (they could say A&F etc…) so I don’t know if it’s possible to verify its authenticity that way. However there are a few other ways like I mentioned. What about the seller on eBay, did they have a lot of Abercrombie items for sale? That wouldn’t be a good sign. Did the coat smell of Fierce (their cologne that’s sprayed in all of the stores) when it arrived? Did it come with a bag/receipt etc? Are the labels on the coat mis-spelled? Any of these little things can help determine authenticity.
Also, I have a few newish Abercrombie things that are from China, so no need to worry about its country of origin as a deciding factor.
Cheers,
Mo
Hello, i recently bought 1 shirt on e-bay and is not sure if it,s a real 1 or not. Based on the buttons u said, the real shirt it’s button will not have a different colour at the bottom as compare to the front? TKS!
Is this fake? Thanks 😉
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Cotton-Womens-T-Shirt-Blue-Shirts-A-F-POLO-shirt-/160435649295?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_CSA_WC_Shirts_Tops&var=&hash=item6b1a5fa857
Yeah, I reckon it’s fake. First of all, the seller’s based in Hong Kong, and is selling many items on eBay, and some of the shirts that they’re selling are black. A colour that A&F doesn’t make shirts in…
Also, check out http://fakeabercrombie.blogspot.com/ for more detailed explanations of determining what’s fake and what’s not…
hi thanks for your web advice….! brilliant!
purchased hoodie in a medium on ebay ( i know ! ) can barely get it over my shoulders and all other stuff from abercrombie purchased by me in new york fits perfectly..the item has no garment care tag althou the price tag looks genuine but those plastic tags are easily applied im sure…. the inside of hood is like a grey cheesecloth material but stitching on outside of hood poor and the letters fitch across the front of chest are visible on the inside with grey felt and white stitching..my other legit hoodie doesnt…seller adamant purchased on line at legit a&f store for £50+…what do you think?
lisa
I recently purchased a sweater from ebay claiming to be Abercrombie. I have never really purchased from there before but I could tell it was fake instantly. I work at another similar store and I know the extreme measures in detailing these stores go through to ensure that the clothes they are selling are of great quality. This sweater was very lightweight, cheap fabric, the buttons were flimsy, and it didn’t have the mounted logo or even any care instructions on it. I am returning it today to the ebayer who sold it to me. They swear they bought it at the store so it’s not fake, but I know that’s not the case.
I wouldn’t trust someone who sells fakes online with a credit card and 2. You aren’t going to get the quality with a fake, the point of a fake isn’t to have good quality, it’s to look like you have something that’s looks like it’s of a certain brand.
What is your opinion on this one, is this a fake?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/abercrombie-fitch-muscle-polo-large-/280641944205?pt=Men_s_Clothes&hash=item4157903a8d
Yeah, pretty sure it is. Never seen any wrapping/bag like that before, especially in a different typeface to the actual Abercrombie font. Also, the seller has like 5 of each shirt, and 10 different shirts, which pretty much means he bought them wholesale and therefore are probably counterfeit.
Hi Mo
I have just bought this t-shirt on a danish webside “Trendsales” and I think the fabric feels different than the other (100% real) A&F t-shirts I have…and when I lokk at the tag inside it shows sign of 2 tags. I have only cut 1 of and the other was already cut off. And the other tag is made from some manmade materiel, very pin and hard, feels kind of cheap. I have taken some photo’s – will you take a look and give me your opinion? If you have the time…Thank you for a VERY useful site!!!
Sorry, here’s the adress:
http://www.123hjemmeside.dk/Isitfashion/
Bettina 🙂
click on ” mit fotoalbum” in the left upper corner, no 2
Heya,
Thanks for your message. I had a look on Trendsales, but couldn’t really understand much as my Danish isn’t particularly up to scratch… So I can’t comment on the store, but to be sure of authenticity in the future, then I would recommend buying from A&F themselves. However, it seems odd that there were/are two labels. The label that’s remaining (looking at your photo) seems like a authentic label (they’ve changed the style of labels in the new Hollister and Abercrombie shirts so they have more languages, so that’s why it might look different from my pictures. However, if the shirt doesn’t ‘feel’ right, then it might not be authentic. Additionally, the printed label’s text is a little off centre, but that’s probably not a determining factor. Anyway, hope that helped.
Cheers, Mo
Hi there ! I’m sorry if I’m bothering you but I’d like to buy a AF jacket …I found a seller on ebay but I have some doubts and I think the jackets are fakes ones :
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Womens-Hoodies-Sweatshirts-Lady-Fur-Hoodies-/320742438634#ht_5155wt_1270
What do you think ? And is that kind of website safe or not ? http://www.abercrombiefitch4you.net/
Thank you and sorry again
I would think that it seems a little sketchy. Stick to their official website or a retail store…
i brought a abercrombie hoodie off the internet looked what i thought was a genuine site when it came you can tell it is fake as my son has a genuine one he brought whilst in new york mine is shite
Hello, I found your article quite helpful
I am pretty sure that the shirt I just recieved is fake…
http://viewitem.eim.ebay.gr/NWT-Abercrombie–Fitch-Mens-Muscle-Fit-Classic-ShirtS/270746244529/item?variant0=S&transId=777097764017
Also, I don’t know about the other two I am waiting for…
http://viewitem.eim.ebay.gr/Abercrombie-Mens-Muscle-Polo-Shirt-Northside-Trail-NWTS/180711660367/item?variant0=S&transId=702220017008
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300569527389#ht_500wt_1413
I am very suspicious about the hoodie
hello,
I bought 3 abercrombie products
could you please tell me if they are fake?
I have to mention that the hoodie had the metal studs with the engraved writing A&F and it smelled perfumed, but didn’t have the bag of abercrombie. The seller of the shirt, who happens to be chinese, sent the item from US, sent me a scanned copy of the receipts from new jersey outlet where he buys abercrombie. Some facts indicate that they are fake, other that they are original. I don’t know..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300569527389#ht_500wt_1413
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-Abercrombie-Fitch-Mens-Muscle-Fit-Classic-Shirt-/270746244529?pt=US_CSA_MC_Shirts&var=&hash=item84b7d4a0b3#ht_4542wt_905
Hi, I don’t know if my previous comment was delete or I just forget to post it.. lol.. but I’m really interested in matter of fake A&F clothes.. Recently I found some Abercrombie clothes on Amazon.co.uk, so my idea was… is it possible that site like Amazon can sell fake clothes?? can any one have a look and leave some comments on that ??? … cheers !! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abercrombie-Fitch-Mens-Henley-Small/dp/B005N0FQK6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&m=A3KVJF22889LK2&s=generic&qid=1318947296&sr=1-12
Hi, Thanks for your comment, and apologies for my delay in replying. That’s very interesting that Amazon are selling A&F clothes, not themselves as such but through their marketplace. The seller seems to sell quite a selection of A&F, Hollister, Aeropostale stuff, which implies that they might be importing it from the US and then selling it on for profit. However, they only have 68 feedback and have only been around since July this year, so they’re still very new. If they were selling fake merchandise, then most likely there would be more negative comments (of which there are currently none), and Amazon most likely wouldn’t allow it and shut them down, but then again they’re pretty new so there’s time for this still. I would err on the side of caution, possibly contacting them to see where they are getting their stock? As I’ve said before, the only way to guarantee authenticity is to buy it yourself from a retail Abercrombie store or off their official website.
hi mo do you know anything about quicksilver and hilfiger
like how to find a real one from a fake ??? i actually bought two
of them on ebay id like to verify them so please post how to find a
real one on ur site
Heya,
I’m afraid that I’ve not had that much experience with Hilfiger or Quicksilver counterfeit clothing. I’ll try and have a look, however I imagine some of the same rules apply: if you’re purchasing off of eBay, then sellers with many similar items are generally best avoided, and official outlets, both online and in store, will be guaranteed real. There may be some good eBay guides on this topic too, I would suggest looking there.
Best of luck,
Mo
Dude thanks a lot for the post, very useful
Leider handelt es sich bei “http://www.abercrombiefitches.co.uk” um keine authentische A&F Seite.
just for futher questions, this uk page is not a trusted one, i contacted the “real” AF support (Abercrombie.com)
Someone made a comment that Abercrombie doesn’t ship their clothing in bags that does not have Abercrombie logo on it. This is not true because I have purchased Abercrombie from thier official website before (Abercrombie.com) and not any of the items I purchased had their logo on the plastic bag. The only thing it had on it was the Sku label with the item number, size, color,etc.
I am really inspired along with your writing skills and also with the format in your blog. Is that this a paid subject or did you customize it your self? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to look a great weblog like this one these days..
I found a very new appearing mens dress/casual shirt. It is a muscle shirt. The inside label is turquoise with white lettering. Label says Genuine Brand Abercrombie & Fitch Registered Trademark Since 1892. 100% cotton Made In Hong Kong. The Muscle label is not the thicker one like in the pics of the fake. The buttons are plain white, not layered. Has the moose on the pocket. Two extra buttons on the inside. Any advice if you think this is a real or fake one? Thanks
do not buy ever from abercrombie-store.co.uk
the r based in china.they dont except refunds,they overcharged me.i would castratevthem for cheekyness!the clothes are fakes,poor copies of abercrombie.shocking is noonehas closed down the site