How To Tell If You Have A Fake Basketball
Basketball players and those that buy basketballs, must be the most paranoid purchaser's of balls there are. Not a week goes by without me hearing someone say 'How do I know if the Molten BG3000 Basketball is a fake?' I do not hear that comment from any other sport. So, why would basketball buyers be so different from buyers of other sports?
We did hear of a fake basketball appearing on the market in the UK last year. But this ball was purchased from a reseller on EBay. If using retailers or websites that only buy from the UK distributor, then you will be buying the real deal. Be wary if the price of the ball is drastically cheaper than the average online price. As yourself why? As the chances are it is likely to be too good to be true. Especially if from a reselling site. One caveat though is when a ball becomes end of line and is priced to clear. Do not compare to the RRP though, as these are often inflated to suit some marketing deal. These deals are often agreed between the manufacturer and a league. As this makes the deal look like it's worth more money.
What Are The Tell Tale Signs Your Basketball Is Fake?
A tell tale sign a ball may be a fake is with the barcode. As companies that manufacture fake balls tend to look at the feel and asthetics of the ball. Often missing the finer details such as using the correct barcode. They sometimes have the same barcode across all 3 sizes. Obviously a product must have a unique barcode. So a size 5 ball would have a different code to the size 7 ball.
We don't have fake balls in our warehouse but we do have the genuine balls. I have now started a video series on YouTube to help tell a genuine basketball from a fake. Helpfully, I film a genuine basketball and show all the markings so you can now compare with your ball. I point out the parts of the ball that will have embossed text and the areas that may only have flat printing with heat applied text (stickered). I also list the correct barcodes for each size of ball for you to check.
Should I Be Worried If I have A Fake Basketball?
The 1st video in this series is based on the Molten BG3000 basketball. I explain the graphics and show what is embossed and what has a sticker on this size 7 basketball. I also give the barcodes for the size 5 and 6 balls for you to check. Just in case you don't have a size 7 ball. I also weigh the ball as this can also be a sign of a fake. The manufacturer that is making fakes will use cheaper lighter materials to save on costs. As they aren't worried about quality, only how much money they can make.
I truly hope your basketball is genuine and the video is able to reassure you. If the barcodes are different though contact your retailer or the distributor within your country. This ball was purchsed directly from the Molten distributor in the UK and barcodes may differ in other continents.
