Grey market discussion thread (Let's keep the discussion mature) Rules on pg 1 please read before yo

[blkcrappyescort]

they're obviously da same sneaker minus da fact that they look like they were made a few months ago VS a few years ago.

now im WAY more intrigued on how these are getting produced vs just writing em off, cuz like i said before, as soon as these age

they'll be indistinguishable to da older 2009 pairs.

 

[Mr Dink]

Even when the Taobao SJs yellow, they won't look anything like the ones from 09 because of the blue tint. Let's take the CGs, for example. Those have a blue tinted sole and should be quite yellowed by now, and they still don't look anything like the SJs because the CGs look greyish from the side. The SJs just look yellow. The same thing will be the case with the Taobao pairs.

 

[nbirn2103]

Even when the Taobao SJs yellow, they won't look anything like the ones from 09 because of the blue tint. Let's take the CGs, for example. Those have a blue tinted sole and should be quite yellowed by now, and they still don't look anything like the SJs because the CGs look greyish from the side. The SJs just look yellow. The same thing will be the case with the Taobao pairs.

QFT

If the shoes were not officially released through JB distribution, they are fake! Even if they were made in the same factories with the same material. These Chinese factories do not have the authorization to use JB's trademark. They are just high quality variants.

 

[ninjahood]

Even when the Taobao SJs yellow, they won't look anything like the ones from 09 because of the blue tint. Let's take the CGs, for example. Those have a blue tinted sole and should be quite yellowed by now, and they still don't look anything like the SJs because the CGs look greyish from the side. The SJs just look yellow. The same thing will be the case with the Taobao pairs.

QFT

If the shoes were not officially released through JB distribution, they are fake! Even if they were made in the same factories with the same material. These Chinese factories do not have the authorization to use JB's trademark. They are just high quality variants.

wrong.

grey market =/= fake

ya need to understand that those 2 terms are NOT da same.

 

[dagreatist]

My jams are yellowed and every legit pair of jams I seen were yellow my theory is if it's still icy there fake

 

[mj4ever2320]

What if Jordan Brand is churning out these blue tint jams to see what people think of them.........kinda like a trial run. .......I believe someone stated that Jordan was rumored to release jams again with blue tint sole.......... gotta admit those blue soles look sick.

 

[tobi]

What if Jordan Brand is churning out these blue tint jams to see what people think of them.........kinda like a trial run. .......I believe someone stated that Jordan was rumored to release jams again with blue tint sole.......... gotta admit those blue soles look sick.

Wishful thinking...Only a man can imagine

 

[ninjahood]

My jams are yellowed and every legit pair of jams I seen were yellow my theory is if it's still icy there fake

da only reason those grey market pairs are icy now is because they were made recently and presumably with da current batch

of blue tinted rubber on all current retros with clear sole.

 

[9000 watts]

QFT

If the shoes were not officially released through JB distribution, they are fake! Even if they were made in the same factories with the same material. These Chinese factories do not have the authorization to use JB's trademark. They are just high quality variants.

Repped. Basically sums up my viewpoint. If the kicks arent officially authorized by JB they are fake. This "Grey Market" story is just a ploy to get people to buy higher quality fakes. 

 

[ninjahood]

QFT


If the shoes were not officially released through JB distribution, they are fake! Even if they were made in the same factories with the same material. These Chinese factories do not have the authorization to use JB's trademark. They are just high quality variants.

Repped. Basically sums up my viewpoint. If the kicks arent officially authorized by JB they are fake. This "Grey Market" story is just a ploy to get people to buy higher quality fakes. 

Umm no. Its corruption from distribution, not actual

Product, google da lawsuit between patrick ewing

& his OG distribution back in da 90's. Its da same exact situation.

 

[9000 watts]

Umm no. Its corruption from distribution, not actual

Product, google da lawsuit between patrick ewing

& his OG distribution back in da 90's. Its da same exact situation.

I personally dont buy the theory that the shoes are the EXACT same materials, produced in the EXACT same factories by the EXACT same people. They may be similar but I don't believe they are identical to authentic Air Jordans. High quality fakes at best.

Personally I couldn't tell you who created this phenomenon but I believe that the "Grey market, unauthorized product, same factory same material" explanation was cooked up to get people who normally would be too smart to buy fakes to buy them. Consumers love to feel like they are getting an awesome deal on something and pulling a fast one on the big companies. This plays true with Wal-Mart, airline tickets, clothes at Ross, etc. Consumers want to feel like they are getting that "too good to be true" deal even if they actually aren't. And that is what grey market shoes are. Too good to be true. Why would any seller make a pair of shoes that are identical to Air Jordans sold by Nike and charge less when it is obvious people are willing to pay quite over their retail price? By creating a convincing enough storyline, they make you feel like you are really sticking it to Nike and getting a hell of a deal, so you are willing to shell out money for a fake shoe. 

If you want to go around wearing fake Jordans be my guest, do you thats whatever, but call them authentic and I have a problem with that. Yes I know that Nike is rich and so is MJ, and he doesn't need the money, etc, but if it was me, I would be pissed if some dude in China was making money faking the shoes that I made famous. Regardless of how much messed up stuff Nike does, they deserve to be paid for their product, so I am going to ensure that I wear shoes that they were compensated for because that is a part of my moral code. 

Sorry to come across as aggressive, I really mean no harm, but I have a strong opinion on this subject.

 

[ninjahood]

Umm no. Its corruption from distribution, not actual

Product, google da lawsuit between patrick ewing

& his OG distribution back in da 90's. Its da same exact situation.

I personally dont buy the theory that the shoes are the EXACT same materials, produced in the EXACT same factories by the EXACT same people. They may be similar but I don't believe they are identical to authentic Air Jordans. High quality fakes at best.

Personally I couldn't tell you who created this phenomenon but I believe that the "Grey market, unauthorized product, same factory same material" explanation was cooked up to get people who normally would be too smart to buy fakes to buy them. Consumers love to feel like they are getting an awesome deal on something and pulling a fast one on the big companies. This plays true with Wal-Mart, airline tickets, clothes at Ross, etc. Consumers want to feel like they are getting that "too good to be true" deal even if they actually aren't. And that is what grey market shoes are. Too good to be true. Why would any seller make a pair of shoes that are identical to Air Jordans sold by Nike and charge less when it is obvious people are willing to pay quite over their retail price? By creating a convincing enough storyline, they make you feel like you are really sticking it to Nike and getting a hell of a deal, so you are willing to shell out money for a fake shoe. 

If you want to go around wearing fake Jordans be my guest, do you thats whatever, but call them authentic and I have a problem with that. Yes I know that Nike is rich and so is MJ, and he doesn't need the money, etc, but if it was me, I would be pissed if some dude in China was making money faking the shoes that I made famous. Regardless of how much messed up stuff Nike does, they deserve to be paid for their product, so I am going to ensure that I wear shoes that they were compensated for because that is a part of my moral code. 

Sorry to come across as aggressive, I really mean no harm, but I have a strong opinion on this subject.

i understand da skepticism, but there NO WAY to bootleg real carbon fiber on a widepread scale that these grey market sneakers have..

i HAVE seen these in person and they ARE identical to my store bought pairs...

you need to understand that once a factory becomes corrupt things like this happen.

it happened to da ewing brand
[h1]EWING ATHLETICS FILES SUIT OVER DISTRIBUTION SNAFUS[/h1]
Published December 12, 1996

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          Patrick Ewing's Ewing Athletics has filed a $28M suit     against NY-based Next Sports, Inc., the now-defunct     distributor of the "Patrick Ewing 33" shoe brand, charging     it with "scheming to defraud" the sneaker company, according     to Richard Wilner in the N.Y. POST.  The case could go to     court next spring.  The Bahamas-based Ewing Athletics Co.     was "one of the most successful business ventures ever     undertaken by an active athlete," and industry estimates say     the venture provided Ewing with annual royalties of almost     $2M per-year.  But distribution decisions recently forced     Ewing to close the seven-year-old company.  The "Patrick     Ewing 33" brand had grown "over the years" into a $40M a-     year sales operation and Ewing hoped to eventually sign     other players to sponsorship deals and take more of an     active management role once he had retired.  But earlier     this year, the shoe "started showing up in discount stores     and flea markets" and the "discounting" of the brand slowed     sales to full-price retailers like Foot Locker and "forced     Ewing Athletics to close its doors."  Ewing now wears Nike     shoes, and while the company said it is not paying him,     market sources indicate Ewing is "receiving some Nike cash     for his marketing efforts" (N.Y. POST, 12/12).

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/...TICS-FILES-SUIT-OVER-DISTRIBUTION-SNAFUS.aspx

anyone that was around in da early 90's knows what im talkin bout.

welcome to da new normal...

 

[foamtothedome]

da only reason those grey market pairs are icy now is because they were made recently and presumably with da current batch

of blue tinted rubber on all current retros with clear sole.

THIS. 

I have no idea why people cannot wrap their heads around this!

 

[bcdagr8]

YEP

 

[scooterman87]

I just like space jams

 

[bcdagr8]

Great info gents thanks

 

[ninjahood]

great article i found on da issue...

[h1]Discussion: Are They Legit if Nike Doesn’t Approve[/h1]
August 19, 2011 - 45 comments

Earlier this week we reported on an article posted by Sole Supremacy, a local consignment shop in the Bay Area, which gave readers something to think about prior to purchasing your sneakers early from early online retailers.

By now we all know there is a separate market for sneaker enthusiasts in which the factories hired by Nike to take care of the production and manufacturing of products end up cutting a deal with said early sellers in order to turn over a huge profit per pair of shoes sold. These sneakers are not authorized or approved by Nike to be manufactured & sold to public yet they end up making their way online for those of us who want to secure their pair, buy a pair early or simply just don’t have the patients it takes to wait 3-4 months until release date.

What is even more interesting than this ‘other’ market is what the factories are starting to produce specifically for their local buyers to sell to their consumers.

There is a local Bay Area resident who had just purchased a pair of Space Jam Air Jordan XI’s which were magically restocked at an online retailer aka early site. I was going to include the name of this retailer but have since decided not to do so. Anyhow, there was a restock of Space Jam AJXI’s… strange since they were manufactured and released in 2009. The pair purchased came in its official packaging, included the shoe trees and looked legit. In fact, they were legit… everything from the materials to the tech placed inside of the shoe came straight out of a Nike manufacturing plant. This is where it starts to get interesting…

Notice the manufacture date on the tag. The final date labeled on the shoe states the product had been completed on 2/12/10… for a product that had released in 2009?

Besides the tag, the only difference between the ’09 pair (on the left) and the ‘restocked’ pair (right) is the patent leather cut is slightly higher; just in case you’re wondering, they are both a Men’s size 11. Other than that it’d be hard to tell the two apart from one another.

My only guess as to how something like this were to happen is if Nike/ Jordan Brand were secretly planning a re-release, which makes absolutely no sense at all seeing as how the Concords are releasing in December, or the factory that has been contracted to manufacture Nike’s products produced a run of Space Jam Air Jordan XI’s specifically for these early sites to sell.

The good in all of this is that if you were to have purchased a pair, they are extremely icy where most of ours from 2009 are showing signs of age. The bad is that these runs of Space Jam XI’s are not authorized by Nike so the quality standards are nonexistent in this case. You can’t even label these B-Grade products either since they have not gone through quality control, they are more like ghost shoes… they really don’t exist.

Say you receive said product from said retailer and there were something wrong with the shoe. Typically you would file a claim with Nike, send the sneakers to Beaverton where they go through an inspection and then a decision is made to either issue the purchaser a credit for the retail price or send the shoes back to the consumer. If the pair sent to Nike was a non authorized pair, what would happen? Would Nike be able to tell the difference? If they were, what would happen… would you have your shoes sent back to you or would they keep them?

In a sense, you could buy a pair of these so called ‘restocked’ Space Jams for their $245 asking price (not including shipping charges) that are technically non Nike products or you can spend $65 on a pair of fake Space Jams which are also a non authorized Nike product… only difference is one seller is being honest about what you are purchasing while the other is being deceitful.

So, my question to you is this; if they are made at the Nike factory, with Nike materials and Nike tech without Nike’s acknowledgement or consent… are they real Nike/ Jordan products?

Does any of this change your perspective on purchasing from early sellers or do you not care either way?
 

http://www.sneakerfiles.com/2011/08/19/discussion-are-they-legit-if-nike-doesnt-approve/

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

My jams are still pretty icy...especially from the sides
I have worn them about 5 times.
View media item 409545View media item 409546

 

[madamimadam]

So much ignorance in this topic. First off, ninja is 100% correct. Just because soles aren't yellow, doesn't mean a pair of Space Jams are fake. And fake =/= unauthorized pairs. How can a shoe that has the same EVERYTHING when compared to the "authentics" be considered fake? Just because you didn't pay the ridiculous retail mark up and Nike didn't give it the thumbs up? That's some pretty naive thinking. After doing my research, I bought a pair of Space Jams from a tao bao agent because I wasn't about to spend 400+ on a shoe with piss yellow soles. Here was the end product: 

If they didn't have "icey blue" soles, you wouldn't know that I bought them from Tao Bao. But the fact of the matter is they have everything that an "authentic" pair of Space Jams would have. Same patent leather, same third spacing of the tag on the tongue, same thick laces, real CARBON FIBER, perfect sized 23 on the heel, even the box is the same and has a SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE of $175. Even the REAL FAKES don't have that. To call THESE fake is just plain ignorant. They ARE Space Jams. These are the exactly same shoe Nike sells at stores, the only difference being they didn't overlook it. So basically it comes down to how much that approval is worth to you. It's worth nothing to me. I got the sneakers I wanted, for 15 dollars above retail price and they are clean as hell. You guys wanna argue over piss yellow soles be my guest. I'll be rocking these, fresh as a daisy.

And pretty soon, these unauthorized/grey market pairs will have saturated the market to the point that nobody knows what is real, fake, or in between. I frankly have no problem with it. It's about time that another option of buying Jordans has become available for us. It's a pretty big monkey wrench that has been thrown into the sneaker game because these factories have mastered the art of copying the authentics. Whether its reps or unauthorized pairs, pretty soon you won't be able to tell the difference from one Chinese sneaker to the next.

tl;dr: enjoy your piss yellow soles.

 

[fresh out dabox]

Great info gents thanks

 

[bobthemilkman]

will b  shoppin at Toa Boa

 

[da shoefreak]

 Well according to the article you can check the production date on the tag which is a dead giveaway if the pair is legit or not.

 

[ninjahood]

 Well according to the article you can check the production date on the tag which is a dead giveaway if the pair is legit or not.

not really, its da same tag from da pair from 2009

 

[Bert.]

i remember when the early release SJ's from 1-2 years ago were actually icy and not tinted blue.

wonder how many of those are being passed off right now...

 

[ninjahood]

i remember when the early release SJ's from 1-2 years ago were actually icy and not tinted blue.

wonder how many of those are being passed off right now...

no stop, you're making too much sense.....