‘Disgusting’ - Sheffield United fans hit out as promotion shirts sold online for 650% mark-up

Some Sheffield United fans have been left fuming after missing out on the club’s limited edition promotion shirts - only to see them appear on eBay, for up to 650 per cent of the retail price.

The attractive shirts, featuring a smart gold pinstripe and a subtle Yorkshire rose pattern, were released after the Blades sealed their place in next season’s Premier League, with only 620 units made by Errea.

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That number was diminished further when United’s players wore the shirts on their open-top bus parade from Bramall Lane to the Town Hall, with many fans and shirt collectors left disappointed when the jerseys sold out soon after going on sale.

That disappointment turned to frustration and anger in some cases when the shirts began to appear for sale on eBay, for vastly inflated sums of money. Sellers with usernames suggesting they are United supporters listed shirts either for auction or with huge buy-it-now prices, with one shirt attracting a hammer price of £450 - a 650 per cent profit from the £60 sale price.

The lowest price on eBay for a sold shirt, at the time of writing, is £150 - still more than twice the RRP. Blades fan Andrew Birch tweeted: “Absolutely disgusting that a season ticket holder for many years like myself cannot get one of these shirts. Cannot even get hold of the black away shirt.”

Gaz Hannaby described the situation as “disgusting”, adding: “I got me and the lad one but would never try to rip our fans off if I was to sell - which I’m not.”

Blade Kieran Fairhurst went further, suggesting: “This sort of person needs to be banned from Bramall Lane next season.” But some defended the profiteering, including Dan Priest, who said: “If someone is willing to pay that, then that’s up to them.”

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Releasing the shirt in limited numbers has driven some supporters to order fake shirts from websites and sellers based in China, for a fraction of the retail price. Counterfeit examples of the promotion shirt have already appeared for sale on Facebook’s Marketplace, potentially duping Blades fans into thinking they have an authentic jersey.

Fans who did get their hands on the authentic promotion jersey have reported a higher quality than the regular shirts produced by Errea in their debut season, which was marred by issues including badges falling off the shirts of players during games. United have pledged to address that problem from next season onwards, introducing a new method of stitching badges to shirts.

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