It wasn’t until I started doing Basketball Noise vintage jerseys videos on our YouTube channel (make sure you subscribe by clicking here), I realised there was a huge industry of buying and selling NBA jerseys on eBay. Buying and selling NBA jerseys can be a complex procedure on eBay however, we have put together this guide to explain how to buy a jersey on eBay and how to sell one.
How to buy and sell NBA jerseys on eBay? With any purchase is important to get as much information as possible if you are buying a NBA jersey or give as much information when selling NBA jerseys on eBay. This is to ensure you do not sell or buy fake jerseys.
To help you on this quest buy or sell an NBA Jersey on eBay we have looked at how to take the best pictures, how to write a good description and what keywords to use if you are selling a Jersey. If you are buying a jersey we’re going to tell you the tell tale signs as to whether a jersey is a fake or how you can get help seeing if it Jersey is real.
Selling an NBA Jersey on eBay?
I have recently sold a number of jerseys on eBay. I have made great learning’s from the first jersey I sold compared to the second Jersey I sold. I will share with you what I learned in this process and how to get the best out of your eBay listing.
Take good photos of your NBA Jersey
Taking good photos is the key to selling an NBA Jersey on eBay. Firstly, ensure that you have a clear background when taking a photo of a jersey. This can be taken on a wooden floor to represent a basketball court which is a common theme across NBA jersey listings on eBay or just a plain background. One of the tips I have learnt over the years, was that if you have a white bath you could put the jersey in the bath and it looks like studio picture. However eBay does offer you the opportunity to remove your background to make your Jersey listing look cleaner. However, I find this looks a little bit like the fake jerseys that you find on Amazon and Wish.com. I prefer having a nature back ground to have some authenticity to my listing.
Your first picture should be of the whole jersey laid out on its front and then your second picture should be of the jersey laid out on its back. It is imperative that you take up a closeup picture off the jock tag on the bottom right of the jersey. You must take a picture of the label attached to jersey on the neckline. If there is a unique piece of detail to the jersey, for example current authentic jerseys having the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the back neckline, then ensure you take a picture of this to authenticate your jersey.
The last images you should take is of any damage to the jersey as you will be referencing this in your description. A key to a good sale is to make the buyer aware of any damage so that you don’t get into a dispute following the sale of the Jersey.
Keyword Title for NBA Jersey listing
You want your eBay listing for your NBA jersey to get as much reach as possible to in order a good sale. Therefore, you need to clearly label your title with the jersey that you have. Insert the team name, the players name into the title. Also ensure that you use the word NBA and basketball in your title. If you know the type of jersey that you have (if unsure read Ady’s article here) ensure that you include the jersey type in the title. Below is a picture of my first sale where I made a £15 profit on a vintage Boston Celtics jersey. However, I missed out the words NBA and basketball which are fundamental issues when writing a NBA jersey listing.
Ady gave me some advice as to what to put in the title (essentially telling me to make sure NBA and basketball are in a title). This simple change to the title increased my reach. As I sit here writing the article, the jersey has 1 hour and 9 minutes left on eBay, it has been viewed 163 times, has 21 watchers and 10 bids. My first attempt had one watcher and one bid.
Write a detailed and good description
It’s imperative that you write a good description on your eBay listing, to ensure that the buyer is fully aware of the condition of the jersey. Within the description you should start with what the buyer is actually bidding on and then go on to describe the condition of the jersey. Below is an example of a Kevin Garnett jersey that I am currently selling on eBay. This jersey is old and has wear and tear to it therefore, I reference in my description to a picture which shows cracking on the numbering of the of jersey.
If there is any other damage like slight pulls or has holes in it then you would make it aware in description. You need to be as brutally honest as possible to ensure that there is no come back on your listing. If the boot was on the other foot you wouldn’t want to be misled on a purchase that you are making.
If the sizing is a little off make sure you have referenced this within the description as well. If you know about the history of the jersey ensure you include that within your description Is this may help increase the sale price.
One query which I am asked regularly when selling basketball jerseys and I now build into my description is the width of the jersey from armpit to armpit. It’s worth taking this measurement and including it in your description As it may mean that you get an additional watch on your item.
What price should I set for my Jersey
EBay will include a list of prices of your product which have sold recently. EBay will also suggest a starting point for your jersey, you can choose this point of entry or ignore it. However, the lower entry point in terms of price generally brings in more bidders. However, you do not want to sell a jersey cheaply therefore, if you know your jersey is worth a considerable amount you may want to opt for the buy it now option rather than the auction option. If you really think your jersey is worth more then what is being sold on eBay then try selling the jersey on various Facebook groups fans of those jerseys. I’ve listed a few of these Facebook groups below for your reference we have no affiliation with these groups we just look at all the nice jerseys in there.
If you’re unsure of your jersey but you want to sell it on eBay the go to the basketball jersey forum on Reddit. You can ask the forum whether a basketball jersey is legitimate and if you’re totally unsure just be honest and people may even give you the background to the jersey.
Postage and packaging
Items which have free postage packaging usually do better on an eBay auction. However, if you are charging postage and packaging make sure you check the pricing as no one likes being ripped off on the postage. A particularly rare item you may want recorded delivery to show that the Jersey had been shipped. Always remember to pack the goods how you would like to recieve them.
How to buy a NBA jersey on eBay
If you are buyer looking for an NBA jersey you will need to ensure that you can get the best jersey you can for your money. Again you need to decide what sort of jersey you are looking for. Are you looking for an authentic jersey, swingman jersey or a fast break jersey. As mentioned before, if you are looking for an authentic jersey and someone is selling one for 10 pounds it’s most likely going to be fake unless this the person is totally unaware of what they have in their possession.
The first thing you need to consider is who you’re buying from. Both Fanatics and the NBA store have eBay shops which are essentially items from their outlet sections of their websites which they are looking to sell a discounted price. Therefore, the first place I would search for jersey or those two outlet shops to see if you can find a brand new jersey for a reasonable price. However, if you are more inclined to go for a vintage jersey then there’s various things you need to consider before buying one. Your first decision should be what team jersey you’re looking for or individual player jersey. Once you have this you’ll be able to go on the hunt and try and find a bargain.
What to look out for in an NBA Jersey listing on eBay
You want to be able to see images of the jersey, if there are no images of the jersey, runaway. You will also want to know if there’s any damage. If there is damage listed in the description then this should be shown in the pictures. If the jersey listing has a buy now offer and has six already sold then it is most likely to be a fake from Wish.com or something along those lines. An example of this is that Hardwood Classics appear on eBay for £20. Whereas, these jerseys are worth well over £100 and shouldn’t be considered if that low on eBay. It is best to just look at auction listings to get a real idea of what jerseys are out there.
Get the right size NBA Jersey
You will also want to see what size the Jersey is. Be aware that jersey sizes varied over the years in the NBA due to different manufacturers. Sand-Knit jerseys for instance were smaller compared to the current Nike jerseys because the Sand-Knit jerseys were produced over 30 years ago and sizing has changed during this time. If you unsure of what size you would be in a certain manufacturer type then read our article which you can find by clicking a link here that lays out what sizes there are for the different Jersey manufacturers.
It’s important to get the right size as there is nothing worse then getting a jersey and it being too big or too small for you.
Have a budget
It’s paramount on an auction site to have a budget. It’s very easy to get carried away and to start clicking to buy things and upping the price all the time. Therefore, have a limit and stick to it, you can be tactical with your limit and just bid for the item to the top of your limit right at the very end of the auction to hopefully win it. However, just don’t keep going up and up and up.
Know your tactics
There are different tactics to use when bidding you could make an early bid of the auction price to keep track of the jersey. However, the tactic which is used most regularly by most eBay is is to bid the highest bid at the last second. Therefore, you may have to be sitting on your computer and make a last second bid on a jersey in order to get hold of it.
What happens if the Jersey is wrong
If the jersey you receive is not in the condition as described or is shown in the pictures then you can make a complaint to eBay and try and get your money back. It’s very important that you read the description of every eBay listing and look at the the pictures of the NBA jersey very carefully to ensure that you know what you are buying and that you’re happy with the condition that it is in.
Can you make a living buying and selling NBA jerseys
It is possible to buy jerseys from charity shops and vintage shops and sell them for more on eBay. We tried this for our YouTube channel and we had degrees of success with selling the jerseys on. However, it is really difficult to do in less you know what you have and also there are a large amount of fakes in circulation and sometimes vintage shops and charity shops don’t know what they have in terms of product. You may be charged less particularly if you know your jerseys and spot a bargain or you maybe charged more for a fake, so do your homework. If you are fully aware of all the facts with regards to jersey’s then there is an opportunity to make money by buying Jersey’s for cheap and selling on eBay for more.