Hi there,

The Background

In order to get ready for my first ever braves game earlier this year, I knew I had to get myself a jersey so that I could represent.

Now I hope you can accept that as fervent and true my support for the Braves is, I could simply not justify spending the full price demanded for an official replica. Since I'm in the UK the cost per likely game attended meant it was unlikely to pass the wife's value for money test, and even i balked at it.

So i turned to the amazon of counterfeit goods, aliexpress.com

I own two different Jerseys now, this was the result of me failing to properly read the listing details, so I would encourage you to learn from my mistake. I was super keen to get the white cool base jersey with Gattis on the back and I ordered one not realising the lead time was 80 days which would mean it would never get delivered in time for the big day.

I then had to try and find a seller which was able to ship within my timeframe, so i ended up having to go with the cream coolbase top from a different supplier just to make sure I had something.

There was very little price difference (in theory, more on that later) between the two so i thought I would share my observations in time for anyone who is interested, to be borne in mind when you think about ordering a 2015 jersey.

The Sellers

Shirt 1: The White One Seller: jerseys_online store Unit Price: $26.00 Total Price £29.46*

Shirt 2: The Cream One Seller: Jay Jersey Store Unit Price: $23.90 Total Price: £17.26

*Explanation: Firstly i can go back to the pages to find the listing in dollars, secondly shipping may vary, and thirdly, i think this store operates a bit ebay style where they list the unit price quite low to show up favourably when just searching through the store, but the high shipping cost is in part to make up for the low listed unit price.

The Review

Whilst I ended up wearing the cream one to the game, since this was the only one in my posession when I went, I would have been far happier with the white one. Overall it is just a much better jersey, but I'll break it down for you:

• The Material - Both seem to be made from a very similar if not identical base material so there is no differences here
• The Stitching - There is a noticeable difference in the overall quality of all the seams, with white definitely ahead. Its hard to describe but its like the consistency of the sewing in all aspects is just plain better with the white one
• The Lettering This is in someways a furtherance of the above but also a separate point. Compare the lettering/stiching of This B(White), vs this B (Cream). The blue outline is part of the lettering and is well-stitched with matching thread, similarly the red inner line of stitching. Whereas the cream one only has a blue outline that is entirely stiched. Same is true on the backs: White vs Cream. It should also be said that a visual inspection of the stitching led to many more examples of errant and inconsistent threading.
• The Overlap - continuing the theme of the overall higher quality of the white one, its the little things like the extent to which the design continues underneath the buttons. it really aids in the overall quality of appearence: compare this where the design bleeds fully to the edge vs this less fullsome approach
• Logos etc - It's pretty much a draw on the MLB logo, but the overall quality of the sitching is very apparent when looking at the majestic logos. In that pic you can also see that the embroidered arm patch has clear threads joining the ATLANTA which is sloppy. Finally the authenticity (sic / lol ) logos are pretty par with the only differences being the quality of the stitching.
• Sizing - they both claim to be the same size however the cream has come up a lot bigger than the white. The white is much closer to the size I was expecting, as the cream is a bit of a tent for me. Worth bearing in mind you intend to shop.

The Verdict

I doubt either of these would pass much sustained interrogation as to authenticity, but the white one is a CLEAR winner. The quality of production is just better in every single way, so it will certainly look real from any distance up to about a foot i reckon. The usual giveaways are the quality of the mlb logo and other tags. plus even with white there are a few errant threads here and there.

If you can put up with the lead times the White one is a clear winner and i would happily order again, especially if I know I am coming out to the great city of Atlanta ever again.

Top tips when doing your own searching, you want to be looking for "Embroidery logos" in the listing, watch the order complete time, don't just get the cheapest and assume they're all the same.

Final Message I love y'all and hope I can come back soon! I did this to help, I'm not suggesting that buying knock off jerseys is good for anyone.

TL;DR: Buying the wrong jersey from aliexpress can give you skin cancer and aids. always buy genuine MLB licensed goods or the FBI will hunt you down. Piracy funds terrorisim