BBB: Beware of fake sports memorabilia – WMTV – NBC15

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – With the prices for sports memorabilia rising, especially for authentic game-used or autographed items, the Better Business Bureau is reminding fans to be careful when searching for that new prized possession, especially when looking online.
The BBB warns to be weary of is watching out for items that are “game-used” as opposed to items that are “game-issued.” “Game-used” indicates that the item for sale was actually used or worn by the said sports players. Whereas “game-issued” refers to items that have been issued to athletes but never used. The “game-used” items are often very sought after and sell for a very high price point.
Another thing to be weary of is mass produced signatures. Autopens allow signatures to be duplicated numerous times. That is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the seller is upfront about the item being signed that way. However, some scammers will label an item as being “hand-signed” when it is actually a mass-produced signature. The BBB recommends looking closely and looking for the name of the person who allegedly gave the autograph.
The BBB says that the way these scams often work is that an online shopper may see a high quality looking item at a cheap price point after clicking on an add or doing a web search. After they go through the entire checkout process and hand over their card information, the buyer never ends up receiving the items they bought or, they receive much cheaper items that look nothing like they did in the online photos.
Here are the tips released from the BBB:
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