There are a few easy and successful ways of distinguishing between real and fake A&F™ clothing on eBay...
Assuming you've found a listing and are wondering of it's authenticity, there are a few things you want to check.
- Look at the seller's other items. If there are lots of Abercrombie™ items, all in various sizes and styles, then most likely the seller has a shipment of the counterfeit clothing and is trying to sell it on. It will be fake. If, however, the seller has no other Abercrombie™ items or is not selling large amounts of designer clothing, then it will most likely be an individual, and has less chance of being counterfeit.
- Look at how the listing is set up. If it has a dedicated store page, which is clearly a template for selling lots of Abercrombie™/designer clothing, then it's most likely going to be counterfeit. If, however, it looks like an individual effort, and not with a storefront and template for the listing, then it is less likely to be counterfeit.
- Look at what is included with the item. If it has an Abercrombie™ bag with it, and the receipt included, and maybe the listing says that it was bought from the store, but was the wrong size or something similar, then chances are that it will be authentic. So going by this, it is good to look out for included Abercrombie carrier bags (these are large (or small) paper bags with fabric handles), receipts indicating when and where the item was bought, and whether the item smells of the Fierce cologne (the cologne that is sprayed around the stores rather liberally). So if the piece of clothing had genuinely been bought new fairly recently and not washed, then it should still smell of the cologne.
- Look at how the item is presented. Is it in a plastic bag? If so, then it's definitely not from a retail shop, so it must be from the online website. So thus they should have a receipt from their order, or at least a packing slip. If there's not one, and they did not purchase it from a retail store or the online store, then be wary.
- Check the seller's feedback. You should probably do this with all things you buy off eBay, but just to make sure, check the seller's feedback, ideally it should all be positive, and there should be no comments that suggest that the items that the seller is selling are counterfeit.
- Ask for close up pictures of the item. If these are possible to get, then you know that they're not just using stock images of the product, but they could very well still be counterfeit. Pay attention to the detail section in the quick guide to spot features that may distinguish the item as counterfeit.
- And in the rare case that you accidentally buy an item and later discover it is counterfeit. Then take pictures of it (especially the features that indicate that it's counterfeit) and return it. If the seller is unwilling to return it, tell them that they did not sell the item that they described as it is counterfeit, and that you will take the matter to eBay and Paypal. If they still hesitate to let you return it, then contact Paypal and file a dispute, and talk to eBay and tell them that the item is counterfeit. Last of all, leave NEGATIVE feedback. You want other people to know that this seller is selling fake clothing, so that they don't fall into the same trap.
- In general, keep your wits about you, and if anything seems slightly suspicious, then don't buy it.
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