In a world of high priced, yet attainable sportswear, the fake will have to share the same space as the authentic. It pays to know the difference. Since the Mitchell and Ness craze of 2004, and like Louis bags and Tiffany bags populate call centers, Nike and NFL knock-offs hide among the real in arenas, on street corners, and on college campuses.
Nowadays, fake jerseys and Air Jordans are pretty easy to detect, so we'll take this time to show you how to identify a knock off New Era Fitted baseball cap.
Here are 5 things to consider:
5. Where The Hat Is Sold...
If you see a row of fitted caps in a Kiosk (booth in the mall), pretty good chance they're fake! New Era is a corporation same as Reebok, Nike, or Majestic; therefore, they have licensed distributors that move their product and resellers with contracted accounts. Resellers include Foot Locker, Lids, and Finish Line. Acquiring one of these accounts is extremely difficult for these Uber Retailers, so imagine how tough it would be for that guy at the mall.
4. How Much Is It?
So, you have a fresh pair of kicks and need that certain fitted to go with it! So you run a search and see a great looking one listed for $15.99 (half what you would pay at the Foot Locker website), and you're like YES, I got a deal right now!
Pump your brakes and look at a few things. Did you read their About Us page? What kind of payment methods do they accept? Are all their words spelled correctly?
International counterfeiters use enticing pictures and pricing to move their product. They don't have access to legitimate credit card payment services so they use Western Union, Moneygram and Bank Transfers. Their grammar sucks so they spell words incorrectly and sound stuff out. And again, New Era wouldn't dare give them a reseller contract, so the product is probably made in some hole in the wall third world sweatshop.
Distributors and resellers purchase product from New Era at a discounted rate, but not low enough to sell it at half of the suggested retail price.
3. The Design Looks Too Hip Hop...
Okay, Hilfiger, Timberland, and Polo have all crossed over into Hip Hop culture, so why should New Era be any different, right? Well, there are limits...If there are too many NY's on the fitted, if the colors are a little too bright, or if you've just never seen it before, chances are it's not real!!! Do some research before you purchase. Google the hat and see if a legitimized retailer sells it. Go to the New Era website and see if you see it there. If you don't get a hit on the hat, it's not authentic.
2. What's It Made Out Of?
In the late 2000's, New Era decided to move it's MLB line away from the 100% wool formula it stood by for so many years and went with a high quality performance polyester. Because this is the official hat of Major League Baseball, the material is supposed to repel sweat from the wearer and optimize on field performance. So the black brims and bands are actually a wicking material and not a fashion statement. Bootleggers haven't exactly got the memo; heck most fitted connoisseurs don't even know...LOL!!!
1. QUALITY!!!
At the end of the day, a good knock off is still a knock off; therefore, it won't be made with the same workmanship as an authentic New Era fitted baseball cap. Is the MLB logo accurate? Are the words on the brim sticker clear, and legible? Are the 59/FIFTY logos within the cap faded? Is the front logo protruded, and embroidered correctly? Even if the answer is yes, wear it a few times, then revisit the above questions.
Look, it's your money and if you want to walk around with an unauthentic Yankee fitted on with your $200 Jordan's, so be it! Here's the deal, it'll melt in the rain eventually and you don't want to be that guy who gets called out while parkin lot pimpin'.
Here are some trusted websites that sell official New Era Fitted Caps
www.neweracap.com
www.hatclub.com 
www.ecapcity.com
D-Con
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