Just Fake It: The never-ending problem facing the sneaker game

The game between cat and mouse is never-ending.

For as long as anyone can remember, consumers have been subjected to choose between products available at their MSRP and products available at a discounted rate. At times, the product available at the discounted rate may or may not be authentic. For the consumer, it’s important for them to be aware of the standard of quality of an item before completing their purchase. However, many times the consumer may willingly purchase a product that isn’t up to par with the standard of quality proposed by the manufacturer since it’s available at a cheaper price. The demand incentivizes the need for third-parties to cash-in which gives them a piece of the pie that would have remained unaccounted for.

How does this relate to the sneaker enthusiast community?

The world of ‘variants’, ‘fakes’, and ‘unauthorized authentics’ has been around for a long, long time. From the days of going to Fulton St. in Brooklyn, NY and seeing all these unreleased variations of some of your favorite sneakers on display, many would ask themselves ‘when did these come out?’, knowing that the mere sense of the question should already raise a red flag. Of course, the choice to purchase one of these sneakers is just that – a choice. Lots of people would willingly purchase these variations due to economic reasons, fashion or availability and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. People that choose to purchase these products are within their right to do so as long as they’re informed of the quality of the product. Believe me, many people that are fans of these sneakers, unfortunately, cannot afford to collect them all, let alone keep them in a rotation. Some people can’t afford to have a rotation. For the most part, this is the type of consumer these third-parties are targetting. You see, it’s never-ending, at least within a capitalistic society.

Out in the Orient, factories supply a hungry market. The labor is cheap and since the demand is so high, the profit is undeniable and out-right mandatory. It’s always about the money.

And what else do you expect it to be about?

These third-party factories don’t exist because of their love for Nike or Adidas, they exist because there’s a piece of the pie that neither Nike or Adidas are ever going to fulfill. Since these companies are looking to maximize their profits, they’ll always be people that are going to be left out. But what happens when these products begin to be marketed as authentic and infiltrate the world of sneaker reselling? The sharks smell blood in the water, and it’s yours. The billion-dollar sneaker reselling industry is not regulated. Some people choose to camp out and purchase as many pairs as they can from authorized retailers in order to feed a market that’s willing to pay top dollar. Herein lies a part of the problem. Since people are willing to pay top dollar for sneakers, more so if they’re limited, the demand will always be left to rely on consigned resellers and underground retailers. The problem with this is that there’s no foolproof way to determine if your sneaker was manufactured at an official factory or if the materials were stolen so that production can occur at a third-party facility.

With online reselling sites now being the face of the industry, it’s easier than ever to purchase those coveted sneakers you’ve always wanted. It’s even easier to resell those sneakers you’ve held on to for so many years. It’s also easier than ever to fall victim to fraud. Every service provides an “authentication process” but remember this, if you didn’t purchase the sneaker from an authorized retailer who gets the merchandise shipped to them by the company who owns the manufacturing facility or has a contract with them, then you’re subject to the will of the service providing this process and guess what, it’s not foolproof. There are many stories on the internet of people claiming that “this” online reseller sold them ‘fakes’, or “that one” sold them ‘fakes’. This doesn’t even include those on social media selling ‘fakes’. Understand this, ‘fakes’ are made so well these days that they can easily pass for authentic pairs. Unfortunately, for consumers, they’re here to stay because now, they’re everywhere.

Be warned.

With that, we leave you with a video we found posted by a member of the online sneaker community in which he recaps a live-stream between two community members as they discuss a recent situation that took place at a flagship event involving a community pioneer. We’ll also leave you with the full version if you want to hear the whole discussion.

Remember folks, the choice is yours. Power to the consumer!

Qias & TonyD2Wild Exposes Two Js Kicks & Sneakercon For Selling Fake Shoes!!

FAKES BEING SOLD AT SNEAKERCON AND YOUTUBERS BUYING THEM ? QIAS OMAR & TONYD2WILD SPEAK EP. 16

 

GOTTA BE LEGEND recommends always paying for items securely.

 

About ALIANZ

Founder and Editor-in-chief of GOTTA BE LEGEND.

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