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Fanatics doing the NHL replica jerseys next season


PensFan77

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2 hours ago, LessThanZero said:

I hope the NHL included an "out" clause if in fact Fanatics tanks in the sales of jerseys?  My other question is, since it is at the moment forbidden for Reebok to sell "Authentic On-Ice" jerseys in the US, will Adidas be able to?  I personally buy retail jerseys to wear to games since I don't want to get my on-ice jerseys all covered in beer and mustard, but if they are as bad as everyone expects them to be I'll pass.  And is it me or is the women's cut jersey really pronounced at the bottom?  My daughter has a female cut Reebok and other than the waist it isn't as flared out like the Adidas that is pictured (reminds me of the old Star Trek TV show). 

Nailed it, thank you. 

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Let's be honest, of all the people buying NHL jerseys, only a small portion are fanatics (no pun intended) and want EXACTLY what the players wear on to the ice down to the specific fonts, spacing, lettering/numbering sizes, etc.  They're not marketing these for those people (us people).  They'll either be as crappy or as crappy as the current replicas, but as long as they don't bump the price considerably, they'll still sell about what they're selling now.  A good majority of those people buying replicas could really care less.  They just want something that loosely resembles the NHL jersey of their favorite team and doesn't cost them over $200.  They really need to find a way to drop the price some and at least maintain the crappy quality to get more people buying replicas than lousy knockouts from overseas.

The retail authentic's are what I am concerned about.  As long as they're charging $300+ for the product they're putting out these days, I'll gladly keep taking my business to sellers like JB and gladly spend a little more for exactly what I want.

I truly wonder what percentage of legit NHL jersey sales are authentic Indo's.

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SirBrad is exactly right. These replicas are intended for casual fans, not collectors. I can't imagine anyone in the market for a replica will refuse to buy one because it's Fanatics branded and not Adidas branded. 

Its unfortunate that they price them so high, the casual fan doesn't realize you can get an authentic for around the same price give or take a few bucks, if you follow eBay.  If they did, a lot of them probably would. 

Edited by mfitz804
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20 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

SirBrad is exactly right. These replicas are intended for casual fans, not collectors. I can't imagine anyone in the market for a replica will refuse to buy one because it's Fanatics branded and not Adidas branded. 

Its unfortunate that they price them so high, the casual fan doesn't realize you can get an authentic for around the same price give or take a few bucks, if you follow eBay.  If they did, a lot of them probably would

It's funny too.  People will shop around for electronics, stuff for their car, and even as little as groceries.  However, when it comes to jerseys they look at the NHL Online store, see how much it costs there, and then go "OMGz!!! Jerseys are too expensive!!! Who the hell would buy this s*** for this much!!!! Who is a good AliExpress seller?!!"

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The AliExpress jerseys, of course, are something else entirely. If someone wants to buy a fake jersey for $40, that sucks, but at least I can understand it. Authenticity isn't important to some people, team spirit is. They are just as happy in a $15 t-shirt or a $40 fake jersey. They want to wear a jersey but they want to get out cheap. I know some of those guys try to rationalize it as being "the same thing" or "just as good", but honestly I don't think they really believe that, they just say that to cover up the fact they are buying crappy bootleg merch because its cheaper. 

But, I have no idea why anyone would pay $170 for a customized replica, be it Reebok, Adidas, or Fanatics. Well, I do know why, lack of knowledge. They go to the NHL Online Store like you said and say "Gee, jerseys are $170. I guess that's what they cost, I'll take one". I have to imagine they sell TONS of them. 

Of course, in the days of the internet, there's no excuse for not comparison shopping. One could learn that they can get a much better price, or a much better jersey at a similar price, with 5 spare minutes and an internet connection. 

And you're right, people do shop around for EVERYTHING. I don't make a single purchase without Googling the item, trying to find it at a better price, trying to find coupon codes I can apply, it can be exhausting!

 

Edited by mfitz804
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I can see the appeal of replicas for the casual fan.  I remember in the 90s drooling over the authentics in the stores, but for like $350+ they were so out of reach for me as a teenager, it might as well have been a million dollars.  Not that the replicas were dirt cheap, but the authentics were like plutonium.  Strung up high on the wall, with all that security wire running through them.  To a kid with a few bucks in his pocket, or a fan who wears it once a year, a replica looks pretty good.  It's just a shame that the replica quality is so mediocre compared to the real deal.

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27 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

The AliExpress jerseys, of course, are something else entirely. If someone wants to buy a fake jersey for $40, that sucks, but at least I can understand it. Authenticity isn't important to some people, team spirit is. They are just as happy in a $15 t-shirt or a $40 fake jersey. They want to wear a jersey but they want to get out cheap. I know some of those guys try to rationalize it as being "the same thing" or "just as good", but honestly I don't think they really believe that, they just say that to cover up the fact they are buying crappy bootleg merch because its cheaper. 

But, I have no idea why anyone would pay $170 for a customized replica, be it Reebok, Adidas, or Fanatics. Well, I do know why, lack of knowledge. They go to the NHL Online Store like you said and say "Gee, jerseys are $170. I guess that's what they cost, I'll take one". I have to imagine they sell TONS of them. 

Of course, in the days of the internet, there's no excuse for not comparison shopping. One could learn that they can get a much better price, or a much better jersey at a similar price, with 5 spare minutes and an internet connection. 

And you're right, people do shop around for EVERYTHING. I don't make a single purchase without Googling the item, trying to find it at a better price, trying to find coupon codes I can apply, it can be exhausting!

 

That's the main point of my post.  I don't know why people suddenly get stupid when it comes to jersey shopping, but do comparison shopping for every other item they ever purchase to hold on to every last dollar they can find.  They go to the team store or NHL online store, see the price and then throw their hands up in the air and say "oh well" and either don't get one or go the knockoff route.  I've never seen anything like this with people for any other product.

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4 minutes ago, jsh139 said:

I can see the appeal of replicas for the casual fan.  I remember in the 90s drooling over the authentics in the stores, but for like $350+ they were so out of reach for me as a teenager, it might as well have been a million dollars.  Not that the replicas were dirt cheap, but the authentics were like plutonium.  Strung up high on the wall, with all that security wire running through them.  To a kid with a few bucks in his pocket, or a fan who wears it once a year, a replica looks pretty good.  It's just a shame that the replica quality is so mediocre compared to the real deal.

Back in the 90's and into the 2000's, the authentics and replicas were not too far apart.  Difference were the elbows, crest (embroidered versus stitched), fight strap and a couple other small details.  That's about it.  You look at a premier replica and an Edge 2.0 and there are tons of differences from the jock tag to the slits on the sides of the bottoms of the jerseys, the fabric (which for some reason still mimics more of the 1.0's), etc.  At this point it is not even a replica, but a shirt that sort of looks like a jersey.

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11 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

Back in the 90's and into the 2000's, the authentics and replicas were not too far apart.  Difference were the elbows, crest (embroidered versus stitched), fight strap and a couple other small details.  That's about it.  You look at a premier replica and an Edge 2.0 and there are tons of differences from the jock tag to the slits on the sides of the bottoms of the jerseys, the fabric (which for some reason still mimics more of the 1.0's), etc.  At this point it is not even a replica, but a shirt that sort of looks like a jersey.

Yep. In fact, I have to admit that I didn't even know the difference up until a few years ago.  A bunch of my friends have CCM 550 jerseys that I thought were on-ice authentic.  I always assumed they were the real deal because everything was sewn on.  And, even though the team crests are glued on, they are usually some kind of embroidered patch, which to my eyes always seemed more upscale than a few layers of twill sewn together? :huh:

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56 minutes ago, jsh139 said:

I can see the appeal of replicas for the casual fan.  I remember in the 90s drooling over the authentics in the stores, but for like $350+ they were so out of reach for me as a teenager, it might as well have been a million dollars.  Not that the replicas were dirt cheap, but the authentics were like plutonium.  Strung up high on the wall, with all that security wire running through them.  To a kid with a few bucks in his pocket, or a fan who wears it once a year, a replica looks pretty good.  It's just a shame that the replica quality is so mediocre compared to the real deal.

What stores were you shopping in??? Authentic in the 90's never cost me that much, I think I bought my first one in 1995 for $200, customized. 

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53 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

That's the main point of my post.  I don't know why people suddenly get stupid when it comes to jersey shopping, but do comparison shopping for every other item they ever purchase to hold on to every last dollar they can find.  They go to the team store or NHL online store, see the price and then throw their hands up in the air and say "oh well" and either don't get one or go the knockoff route.  I've never seen anything like this with people for any other product.

Doesn't make any sense. I spent 3 hours over 2 days to buy a pair of boots and some socks, because I HAD to find the absolute best price between asking price, Ebates cash back, eBay Bucks, coupons, etc...

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52 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

Back in the 90's and into the 2000's, the authentics and replicas were not too far apart.  Difference were the elbows, crest (embroidered versus stitched), fight strap and a couple other small details.  That's about it.  You look at a premier replica and an Edge 2.0 and there are tons of differences from the jock tag to the slits on the sides of the bottoms of the jerseys, the fabric (which for some reason still mimics more of the 1.0's), etc.  At this point it is not even a replica, but a shirt that sort of looks like a jersey.

The weight of the material as well, especially between the Ultrafil authentics, which feel like armor, and the Ultrafil replicas, which were made of a much thinner, softer, less durable and more snag-prone version of Ultrafil. Even the air knit fabric feels thicker on an authentic than on a replica, at least to me it does. 

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14 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

What stores were you shopping in??? Authentic in the 90's never cost me that much, I think I bought my first one in 1995 for $200, customized. 

I remember authentics in the 90's being $200-250.  Still was a ton back then when a blank replica was $50-70.

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11 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

The weight of the material as well, especially between the Ultrafil authentics, which feel like armor, and the Ultrafil replicas, which were made of a much thinner, softer, less durable and more snag-prone version of Ultrafil. Even the air knit fabric feels thicker on an authentic than on a replica, at least to me it does. 

Very true.  I have a replica and game worn early 2000's Koho jerseys and the weight and feel of the material is slightly different with the gamer being a little thicker and feeling more durable.

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17 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

I remember authentics in the 90's being $200-250.  Still was a ton back then when a blank replica was $50-70.

No, it was still a lot more and I certainly had replicas back then. I was only responding to jsh's statement that they were $350. There's no doubt they were more expensive and plenty of people wore replicas for that reason. 

They were also harder to find pre-internet, as a lot of stores wouldn't stock them and watch them sit there because they were so expensive. 

18 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

Very true.  I have a replica and game worn early 2000's Koho jerseys and the weight and feel of the material is slightly different with the gamer being a little thicker and feeling more durable.

Its true of all of the replicas, with the Ultrafil being the most pronounced in my opinion. 

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1 hour ago, mfitz804 said:

What stores were you shopping in??? Authentic in the 90's never cost me that much, I think I bought my first one in 1995 for $200, customized. 

Modell's and Sports Authority and the like. 

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2 hours ago, Devilsguy said:

I remember authentics in the 90's being $200-250.  Still was a ton back then when a blank replica was $50-70.

I wish I kept all those old catalogs. But I recall that in the early-mid 1990s, places like Dante Cozzi sold the higher quality airknit replicas for about 45 dollars. Maybe a little more at other places. The cheaper "ultrafil" replicas went for about 30 dollars. Pro-weight jerseys with little detail (NJ Devils, Mtl. Canadiens) went for something like 80-90 dollars. More detailed jerseys (w/ extra lettering or patches, such as NY Rangers) went for about $125. Customization was extra.

The biggest difference between the airknit replicas and proweights then was the double elbows/shoulders and fight straps. All else was pretty much identical. Replica quality has gone downhill since while price has gone up inversely proportional.

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24 minutes ago, Dr_Puck said:

We collectors are a curious lot for sure. Like any other hobbyists, we take pride in the seemingly smallest and most inconsequential of details. I don't expect anyone here to go out and buy a new replica.

What I don't understand is the casual fans. Why not hunt for a blank authentic or maybe a customized authentic at a new replica-level price? I can't remember the last time I paid $175-ish for a high quality authentic, yet people will spend that money on a customized replica. As collectors it's on us to help the average fans in our lives make smart decisions!

F'ing weirdos. 

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20 hours ago, LessThanZero said:

Is it not true that Reebok will not ship On-Ice Authentic jerseys to be sold in the United States (not counting Indo-Edge jerseys)?  It was my understanding by a reputable dealer on Ebay (I'm sure you can figure out who it is) that Reebok does not and will not ship authentic jerseys to the U.S. to be sold on the retail level.  That the only way to get them was via the secondary market from Canada or team jerseys being sold by the actual team.  I could be wrong, but that is what I've always been told.

This is sort of accurate.

Officially, the policy is that anyone can have anything if they hit the MOQ. In practice, there's a reason why we don't see 2.0s in the states very often.

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Here are some ads with prices from a 1999 Hockey News. I may have older issues or actual catalogs in storage elsewhere, and the prices would be even lower for early-mid 1990s..

http://imgur.com/a/isnuq
ProPlayer from $129, CCM from $119


http://imgur.com/a/Q253c
Team Canada Bauer Pro for $99.99

http://imgur.com/a/u0fni
CCM Pro from $116


http://imgur.com/a/v2YoR
CCM Warehouse Sale from $54.00 (Isles Fisherman!)


http://imgur.com/a/tjUEx
Bauer IHL Pro Sale from $54.00

 

Edited by Ceska
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I am about 15 minutes from ware that store was ,I shopped there all the time .i am still friends with a guy that worked there doing the customization 

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