In this category you are bidding on an object and a claim. The questions are about the claim.
The questions
"Is it match-worn, match-issued or a replica?" The biggest single price difference here, and the most common serious misdescription. Non-answer: "It's authentic."
"How do you know?" Listen to the shape rather than the confidence. "I was there, here is the photograph" is the strongest answer there is. "It came in a lot and I am selling it as unverified" is honest. A flat "it's genuine" with nothing behind it is the weakest, however certain it sounds.
"Who issued the certificate?" A certificate is worth exactly its issuer's reputation. Ask for the name readable on camera.
"Can you show the labels and any numbering?" Maker, size, squad numbers. For shirts this is where the detail lives.
"Has it been washed or repaired?" For a match-worn item, washing changes the object and must be declared.
"Can you show the signature in daylight?" Warm indoor light flatters ink and hides fading.
What protection covers and does not
A replica sold as match-worn, or an item that is not the one shown: seven days from delivery.
A signature you accepted as unverified and now doubt is not, because nothing was misdescribed. That is exactly why these questions come before the bid. What Metzee will not do.
Questions people ask
Is a certificate proof?
No. It is a statement by somebody. Ask who.
Should I ever bid on unverified items?
Yes, at unverified prices. It is a normal listing in this field.
Does a stain lower the value?
On a match-worn shirt it often raises it. Ask what it is.
More: buying memorabilia, provenance.