Well, there are several guides and internet forums etc which can give a clue as to whether or not you are buying the genuine article but I thought I had to post something just on experience alone.
If you want to know 100% sure you have a genuine, authentic A&F piece of clothing etc then go to the A&F store. Here on Ebay there are people who are selling authentic new and pre-owned A&F items but its a minefield.
I have purchased loads of the stuff quite recently and the different price tags, inside and outside labels, poly bags, clothing stitching, material thickness is enough to shock and confuse you. I read somewhere that around 70% on Ebay was fake but personally I think this figure is much higher.
Many sellers will not use the word "Authenitic" in their listings and a vast majority will use the clothing image directly from the A&F website as their item's photo. I am not saying that "all" are dodgy because this would be untrue but believe me there are a huge amount of sellers on Ebay who buy fake items to sell.
If you like the item you are about to purchase on Ebay and decide to buy it then my advice is to assume its likely to be a fake. Most of the fakes are very good indeed and you will never really be able to tell so accept it for what it is.
A&F have factory's all over the world so just because an item is coming from India, Hong Kong etc etc its doesnt mean it is a fake. A&F do not sell wholesale so if you see internet sites selling wholesale then assume they are fakes. Some of the well known wholesale sites will have it written on the webpage that the items are not genuine or good quality copies whilst others do not. Generally these sites also sell all the other main designer brands too!
Many of the poly bags I have been receiving have small stickers on them. The sort you see on food, you know the ones with the price on that used to be stuck on with a gun type thing. I found that if I googled some of the numbers along with the words "Abercrombie wholesale" it took me to global trading sites. Then if I looked at various feedback from buyers to sellers on these sites I actually came across Ebay sellers ID's. How about that? You can actually see the stock they had purchased, when, general purchase price and then to cap it all you bought it and had it in your very own hands!
So, you may not think that an A&F Tee-shirt you purchased for £15.00 plus postage is too expensive but when you realise that the items in "minimum quantity" costs the seller about $10.00 each (exc shipping), naturally less in bulk, you aren't really getting such a good deal. Plus the fact that you dont actually own a genuine A&F Tee as well is a bit harder to swollow.
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