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When did the knockoff epidemic begin?


EdMc28

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Simple question when did the knockoff jersey market/epidemic really begin? Was it alongside the release of the edge jerseys? Or were there people knocking off pro players and starter meshes back in the day?

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Pretty much when the edge jerseys were introduced.

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Pretty much when the edge jerseys were introduced.

Starter mesh and CCM's were counterfeited at least 10 years before edge jerseys were even thought of.

Edited by thebiggoalie
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True but not to the level they are now. He was asking when the "epidemic" began.

But yes there were plenty of fakes and even CCM specials well before the current Edge fakes made their way into the market.

Starter mesh and CCM's were counterfeited at least 10 years before edge jerseys were even thought of.

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Plenty of lemieux and Jagr 1992 knockoffs were all over ebay before Crosby and ovechkin entered the league.

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There were a few specific players who had plenty of knockoffs back then. There were plenty, but not exactly to the level you see now where 6 out of every 10 jerseys you see at the arena are knockoffs.

These days every team and almost every player under the sun you can get tons of knockoffs.

Plenty of lemieux and Jagr 1992 knockoffs were all over ebay before Crosby and ovechkin entered the league.

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An ebay Seller by the name of Griffenfood was probably the biggest seller of CCM knockoffs of the canucks and eventually other teams. As mentioned above the "epidemic" was when RBK launched the edge system and the mass production of chinese counterfeits started to show up in numbers.

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I don't seem to remember knockoffs in any substantial quantities until Mitchell and Ness started producing their stuff in east Asia. The standard characteristics of what make a knockoff (inconsistent quality, terrible embroidering, and that shiny twill that almost looks and feels like corduroy) were present on those.

Undoubtedly, some shady people saw that those were getting sold at $250-300 a pop by M&N and decided they'd get in on it. This was sometime between 2004 and 2006.

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Interesting stuff. I'm a season ticket holder to the Rangers and like someone above me said I feel like 5 or 6 out of every 10 jerseys I see are knockoffs. Heck the other day the Rangers retweeted a family of 4 showing off their new knockoff jerseys on christmas. Only thing I've yet to see if the street peddlers in midtown pushing knockoff sweaters.

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When the EDGE jerseys came out, the prices went crazy. You can't expect a casual fan, or a less affluent but rabid fan for that matter, to lay out over $400 for an authentic customized jersey.

By setting the price that way, they totally set up the counterfeiters to make a ton of money. Most fans are willing to take "close enough" for half the price or less.

That's why you see so many.

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Yep your right. It sucks seeing all those at the games, but the average person probably doesn't even realize how bad they are nor do they care. It's even more rough when you see someone that does have a real replica or authentic and gets a poor lettering job done. Again though many people don't know or care.

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Interesting stuff. I'm a season ticket holder to the Rangers and like someone above me said I feel like 5 or 6 out of every 10 jerseys I see are knockoffs. Heck the other day the Rangers retweeted a family of 4 showing off their new knockoff jerseys on christmas. Only thing I've yet to see if the street peddlers in midtown pushing knockoff sweaters.

Whenever I get back to Pittsburgh for games it seriously seems like the jersey breakdown is something like 25% replica, 65% knockoff and 10% genuine authentic. I think most people in Pittsburgh actually buy the knockoffs not because they don't want to pay the authentic price, but because actually don't even want to buy at the replica prices.

and PS I even think I am stretching it by saying 10% genuine authentic. Might even be less.

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I haven't actually taken a count, but I would guess that in LA it's around 65-70% replica, 25% knockoffs, and 5-10% authentic.

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Whenever I get back to Pittsburgh for games it seriously seems like the jersey breakdown is something like 25% replica, 65% knockoff and 10% genuine authentic. I think most people in Pittsburgh actually buy the knockoffs not because they don't want to pay the authentic price, but because actually don't even want to buy at the replica prices.

and PS I even think I am stretching it by saying 10% genuine authentic. Might even be less.

I think you're stretching it with the 10% legit authentic. I go to quite a few Pens games on Student Rush, and legit authentics are very rare. But Consol is littered with an abundance of powder blue knockoffs

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It's not so much a problem at Leafs game. The bigger problem is the abundance of fake NHL players on the ice wearing Maple Leafs jerseys.

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Looking around tonights crowd at MSG I'd say close to 40% of the place had knockoffs on. Saw two or three people wearing various gamers and the rest was a mix of replicas and retail authentic. By far and away I don't think anything looks worse than a knockoff NYR stadium series sweater.

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I think you're stretching it with the 10% legit authentic. I go to quite a few Pens games on Student Rush, and legit authentics are very rare. But Consol is littered with an abundance of powder blue knockoffs

probably less than 5% actually, you're right.

So true about those blue knockoffs...I was still living in Pittsburgh during the 2007-2008 season when they started showing up all around the place - and they can be spotted a mile away with the chunky looking lettering. I remember being in Giant Eagle before a game once and I had an authentic on and this guy (Yinzer) behind me asks how much I bought it for - I lied and said $200 (because I hate saying more than that) and he goes on to tell me I can get ones from China that look just like my authentic for $40 and you'd never know the difference.

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probably less than 5% actually, you're right.

So true about those blue knockoffs...I was still living in Pittsburgh during the 2007-2008 season when they started showing up all around the place - and they can be spotted a mile away with the chunky looking lettering. I remember being in Giant Eagle before a game once and I had an authentic on and this guy (Yinzer) behind me asks how much I bought it for - I lied and said $200 (because I hate saying more than that) and he goes on to tell me I can get ones from China that look just like my authentic for $40 and you'd never know the difference.

I saw one last season with a wordmark. I've only ever seen 1 legit 1.0 powder blue at Consol, and that's the one I got for my brother for Christmas a couple years ago

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How much were replicas/authentics pre-EDGE (so from the 90s up until birth of EDGE in 07)?

Most were in the $150 to $200 range, depending on time frame. The other thing was that there were times where there'd be stratified pricing; a jersey with a sublimated pattern like the fisherman might be $225, while a simple cut-and-sew like New Jersey might be $150.

probably less than 5% actually, you're right.

So true about those blue knockoffs...I was still living in Pittsburgh during the 2007-2008 season when they started showing up all around the place - and they can be spotted a mile away with the chunky looking lettering. I remember being in Giant Eagle before a game once and I had an authentic on and this guy (Yinzer) behind me asks how much I bought it for - I lied and said $200 (because I hate saying more than that) and he goes on to tell me I can get ones from China that look just like my authentic for $40 and you'd never know the difference.

Of the yinzers that like to be loudmouthed pricks at Nationwide Arena, 99% of them are wearing those hideous blue knockoffs. Someone posted a handful of pictures around 2009 to show off "the invasion", and there was an entire section of nothing but Crosby and Malkin blue knockoffs, with a couple of Fleury or Letang thrown in. Not a single one was legitimate.

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