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Replicas vs Authentics


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I have a question concerning replica jerseys and authentic jerseys - more like an informal poll, perhaps...

With the cost of authentic jerseys being $200 - $400 these days, are you inclined to purchase a replica jersey? Do you feel "dirty" for paying $50 for a replica jersey from the far east? Are those jerseys' quirks and errors just too much for the purists out there?

I have a sizable jersey collection, but with 2 tuition and a mortgage, I just can't afford authentic jerseys (unless it's the Indians or Saints - I hope they make no changes in the near future :blink: ). All my baseball jerseys are authentic; and I have a handful of hockey jerseys that are too. But, I have a few football and hockey jerseys that are replicas, but not official replicas (the tackle twill is not screened, the patches are sewn/embroidered). And I can see the difference, to a degree. But, an authentic Chargers jersey would cost me $300, and the one I have cost me $45. Sure, you all could probably tell the difference, but not the average man on the street (as if they would care).

So... is it wrong for me to sneak around and buy these replica jerseys?

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, but not the average man on the street (as if they would care).

So... is it wrong for me to sneak around and buy these replica jerseys?

Well I have been lucky with the "discounted" jerseys. And not only does it "fool" the average Joe. It also fooled the folks at a local "authentic" jersey shop in Baltimore. This past August my wife and I went in and we were in our Ravens jerseys. I took one off the rack that was listed at $300ish. The sales person came over and was asking us if we got ours there. We both said yes, he then when into a rant on how the ones on e-bay were "jokes and all wrong" well I could not tell a single difference other than we saved over $300. I would say buyer beware. But if you find a good supplier you will get a good product. Ours are 4 years old and worn every game day during the season and a few other days as well,and they are holding up wonderfully well except for some BBQ stains on the white one. Who knows maybe we got lucky on 2, but we are getting 2 more this month. The MRS. has been hinting at a black Flacco and I want a Ngata one, so we will be dropping $60 instead of $600. And I will give the rest to the first person that can spot the difference.

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, but not the average man on the street (as if they would care).

So... is it wrong for me to sneak around and buy these replica jerseys?

Well I have been lucky with the "discounted" jerseys. And not only does it "fool" the average Joe. It also fooled the folks at a local "authentic" jersey shop in Baltimore. This past August my wife and I went in and we were in our Ravens jerseys. I took one off the rack that was listed at $300ish. The sales person came over and was asking us if we got ours there. We both said yes, he then when into a rant on how the ones on e-bay were "jokes and all wrong" well I could not tell a single difference other than we saved over $300. I would say buyer beware. But if you find a good supplier you will get a good product. Ours are 4 years old and worn every game day during the season and a few other days as well,and they are holding up wonderfully well except for some BBQ stains on the white one. Who knows maybe we got lucky on 2, but we are getting 2 more this month. The MRS. has been hinting at a black Flacco and I want a Ngata one, so we will be dropping $60 instead of $600. And I will give the rest to the first person that can spot the difference.

Don't come anywhere near Anne Arundel, then...or you might be coming off some merchandise. And I could use some new jerseys for my collection... B)

*Disclaimer: I am not an authoritative expert on stuff...I just do a lot of reading and research and keep in close connect with a bunch of people who are authoritative experts on stuff. 😁

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There is a new brand of Steelers fakes that I've been seeing a lot lately. They have poorly sewn-on yellow numbers outlined in white and northwestern stripes on the sleeves which order like white-black-yellow-black-white. I've seen both Jack Lambert and a few Terry Bradshaws like it's some throwback. Seeing the guys trotting around in these like they're cool because they got an "authentic throwback" drives me nuts. How can you call yourself a fan and not know that the team never even came close to wear that?

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Agree with Hedley, i'm a nit-picker, and somewhat of a purist, but have several Replica Sox and Panthers jerseys, I prefer the sewn twill numbers, the screen printed ones look cheap to me, so having a sewn replica is just fine with me....

The only time I like authentics, are when they're cut like the actual uni's...IE game worn style....Authentics that have giant sleeves and look like dresses are funny to me...

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I will buy a replica, but I will not buy a knockoff. If I did, I certainly wouldn't brag about it on a board that has designers as members - designers who get robbed every time someone purchases an illegal fake. If you support anything that this board is about, I'm not sure how you can buy a knockoff and feel good about yourself.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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I will buy a replica, but I will not buy a knockoff. If I did, I certainly wouldn't brag about it on a board that has designers as members - designers who get robbed every time someone purchases an illegal fake. If you support anything that this board is about, I'm not sure how you can buy a knockoff and feel good about yourself.

I think there's a supply and demand issue here. We're in a recession, but people still want football jerseys. Perhaps they shouldn't, but they do. Is $300 a reasonable price for an authentic jersey (no matter what the economy)? Is $75 a reasonable price for a flimsy replica with screened-on numbers?

There are any number of people that think that a nice jersey is a worthwhile purchase, and are willing to spend as much as $50-75 for one. But six times that amount for slightly better quality? And when you're only hurting (in the NFL's case) a multi-billion dollar industry? That's a tough sell for me.

I don't know how designer contracts work, but I would assume at least some are fee-for-service without points on the back end. I'm happy to be wrong, but if you as a designer don't see royalties on your work, what do you care if your logo is stitched by Chinese sweatshop laborers and sold at insane markups by Americans or stitched by Chinese sweatshop workers and sold at more reasonable markups by the Chinese?

The whole damn system is rotten.

1 hour ago, ShutUpLutz! said:

and the drunken doodoobags jumping off the tops of SUV's/vans/RV's onto tables because, oh yeah, they are drunken drug abusing doodoobags

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I prefer replica's since they are cheaper, unless its say a sping training/batting practice jersey since those only come in authetic.

And hell, sometime I dont mind them not having a player on it! 2 summers ago, when the nhl changed to the egde jerseys I picked up a black flyers replica jersey, $30, but alas I had a $20 off coupon so I only paid $10.

Much better than paying 200 bucks or so (HELL a blank edge jersey is like $115 i believe)

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Personally I would not wear a fake jersey, and I would rather put that money towards a replica or the swingman type jerseys. I get that people can't spend the crazy prices for an authentic, but if you can't afford it wait for it to go on sale, or save some cash, instead of having to go buy a jersey from the Far East. I'd rather have a screened replica in my closet than a knock off.

In the end its your money and if you like the stuff from the Far East, or buying legit jerseys then more power to you.

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I don't mind having replica baseball and hockey jerseys, and I don't really mind replica football jerseys.

The one thing I do like about authentic is the fitment. I find they fit better for my size, usually XL, with the sleeves tighter. I don't like the look of sloppy jerseys and looking like a wannabe rapper. I prefer a much more conservative dress, the the tight arms give it a neater look.

I have an authentic Hines Ward jersey I go as a gift, and my friend got one off ebay, and it is very hard to the tell the differences. But I do not see myself paying the large amount on an authentic just for the sleeve comfort and sewn numbers. I also have a Bettis authentic I picked up on a clearance rack. Nothing wrong with it, but it is a 50/L and fits pretty well. I have tried on newer 50/L that do not fit the same, so maybe the size being off was the reason for the good price.

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If you have patience, you can score some sweet deals on eBay on replicas. I've gotten a black Phoenix Coyotes jersey, a new WITH tags mid-90's red Calgary Flames jersey, and a late-90's blue Washington Capitals jersey, all at different times and each for under $12 a piece.

On 4/10/2017 at 3:05 PM, Rollins Man said:

what the hell is ccslc?

 

 

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I was in Birmingham (the British one) t'other day, and there was a stall in the Rag Market (basically a huge market that sell everything, but mainly fabrics & stuff, hence the name) selling NBA jerseys. Most of the replica & authentic ones looked legit, but there were a few M&N throwbacks that were obviously fake. There was a Bob Lanier Bucks jersey that was actually better made than the real thing - heavier fabric, sewed-on numbers as opposed to screened... For £40 it was tempting, and if it had the proper detailing I'd probably have bought it.

I find it easier to buy blanks and either customise them myself or have someone else do it. I'm currently customising a 1985-86 Bucks home jersey - all in all, it's going to cost around £50.

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I will buy a replica, but I will not buy a knockoff. If I did, I certainly wouldn't brag about it on a board that has designers as members - designers who get robbed every time someone purchases an illegal fake. If you support anything that this board is about, I'm not sure how you can buy a knockoff and feel good about yourself.

Bingo.

It doesn't matter how much money the NFL makes - if you respect the concept of intellectual property at all, then you can't buy a knockoff.

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I never thought I'd buy a knockoff jersey - not because of the ethical dilemma or anything (I'm with Gitlin on that, unless designers on here start posting that they do, in fact, get a cut of merchandising sales) - I'm just a stickler for detail, and those knockoffs always seemed to have something wrong with them I just couldn't abide by. Then, a couple of months ago, I saw this Joe Sakic Nordiques jersey on eBay, and it was too good to pass up. When I got it, it was obviously fake, but here's the thing - the quality was actually better than Reebok's current line of CCM Vintage Authentics. The jersey itself is made of a softer, thicker material, every detail is sewn on with a high-quality zig-zag stitch, it includes the NHL 75th patch, and unlike the vintage jerseys that are pre-customized from the factory, this one's actually done with the correct number font (or something quite close to it.) The only inconsistency is that the "K" on the nameplate is a bit wonky - but for a jersey that cost me less than the all-glued, legitimate replicas, I'll gladly take it.

Overall, I'd much rather wait out for a deal on eBay or a big off-season sale on an authentic jersey than lay out the asking price for any of the current batch of replicas. Price points across the board these days are way too high for what the consumer gets for their money, and I'm sure that the supplier monopolies forged by the leagues over the past decade have plenty to do with that. Oh, and screened twill sucks.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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Yeah I just picked up a Brian Leetch home white (at the time) Ranger jersey with 1994 finals patch...

It's a replica, you know by touching it, but you wouldn't by looking at it from across the room. That's fine with me.

As long as the replicas are aesthetically correct, I don't mind them. It's when they're cheap knockoffs that are off that I personally won't buy them.

The only authentics I own are 2 Met jerseys, a Piazza 2002 ASG BP, and a Nets home white Richard Jefferson.

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I will buy a replica, but I will not buy a knockoff. If I did, I certainly wouldn't brag about it on a board that has designers as members - designers who get robbed every time someone purchases an illegal fake. If you support anything that this board is about, I'm not sure how you can buy a knockoff and feel good about yourself.

I think there's a supply and demand issue here. We're in a recession, but people still want football jerseys. Perhaps they shouldn't, but they do. Is $300 a reasonable price for an authentic jersey (no matter what the economy)? Is $75 a reasonable price for a flimsy replica with screened-on numbers?

The whole damn system is rotten.

I wholeheartedly agree. The $300 authentics are not reasonably priced, while for all sports, licensed replicas have gone up in price and WAY down in quality. It's aggravating.

So my take is that I buy none of it. I have a couple of authentics and some decent-quality (licensed) replicas from way back in the day, but spending almost $100 on replicas with incorrect number font (see MLB), trim (see NBA), or screened numbers (see NFL) is not reasonable. They deserve none of my business and that's how I "stick it to them."

That said, to distinguish between licensed replicas and what we are talking about, use the term "counterfeit". I am continually surprised by the cavalier attitude that it's OK to purchase illegal fakes--on a board heavily populated by designers. Not because it impacts designers, but because it's such a parallel situation. I guess it's the same as "hey, if CD's were not so expensive, maybe I'd pay for my music." I find the high amount of money made in sports to be a flimsy excuse, as that is a very difficult line to draw--who is "struggling" and who is "so rich we can ignore the rules." I am paraphrasing someone here (it may be BBTV) : I am continually amazed that people think you have to walk in a store and sneak something out in order to steal.

At $100, I'd have an authentic white Adrian Peterson jersey. But the actual price is too expensive and the replica is too poor. It's kind of a bummer. But legitimizing an illegal industry is not the answer to my "hardship".

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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Do we know for a fact that all jerseys purchased from China are fakes?

I purchased a Malkin jersey last spring from overseas. The jersey was dead on (from what I could tell) it had all the tagging that one would see if the jersey was bought in the U.S. or Canada. I believed I paid $45-$50 including s/h.

I was very happy with the experience so I wanted to purchase from them again. They had told me that they had lost their license with the NHL, NFL, NBA & MLB and couldn't sell any more jerseys.

Was this place selling fakes or just damn cheap jerseys?

-Dam

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PotD May 11th, 2011
looooooogodud: June 7th 2010 - July 5th 2012

 

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I remember that Malkin jersey from when you posted it. Yeah, it was a fake. Nameplate was way off.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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