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

[gameupz]

GAMEUPZ

I would quote your post for the points I would wanna argue, but there are too many lol.

Just because people have a newer join date means nothing. I joined in 2012 and have been collecting my entire life... So that's a pretty ****** generalization.

you assume people are being cheated, I call paying $500 for a yellow space jam, when you can buy the same exact thing for $200... Being cheated.

And you come in here telling people "get their bred up" I bet I make more money than you do, but that's not the point. It has nothing to do with not being able to afford retail pairs. You say you bought GM, so you bought them because you couldn't afford retail pairs? u "bread" wasn't up?

People have come to terms with the fact of GM shoes and what they are doing. Your just sounding off for your personal beliefs, and that's fine to an extent. But your not changing anyone's mind so you should probably save your breath.

I could keep going making numerous points, but it's not gonna change anything.

And lastly the pairs I have seen, are identical. JB sends me a flawed retail pair every release, I expect it now. There is always a flaw on any Jordan shoe I buy.

That's cool, I'm not here to expect change from anyone. Like I said, I just put the info out there and it will be an eye opener for some and for others they will continue buying them and flipping it. As for money, I bought them so I can have a personal opinion and experience on it before dropping any knowledge about the situation. No where did I ever intend to buy these and continue buying them to keep as "collection worthy shoes". Either way, I said what I had to say and to change someones thoughts simply through a forum just doesn't work. There's plenty of people who just read the forums and don't post, those are the ppl who would benefit the most from what I posted and they can decide for themselves.

 

[lewi1913]

That's cool, I'm not here to expect change from anyone. Like I said, I just put the info out there and it will be an eye opener for some and for others they will continue buying them and flipping it. As for money, I bought them so I can have a personal opinion and experience on it before dropping any knowledge about the situation. No where did I ever intend to buy these and continue buying them to keep as "collection worthy shoes". Either way, I said what I had to say and to change someones thoughts simply through a forum just doesn't work. There's plenty of people who just read the forums and don't post, those are the ppl who would benefit the most from what I posted and they can decide for themselves.

But I don't get it, you didn't post any solid info or evidence, just called them fake replicas. You are hoping to change people's minds based on what?

Your argument for these shoes being fake, not built by the same workers with the same materials...frankly it's a house made of straw so far.

 

[htownshoefiend]

Gamezup,

While I personally don't support GM, I think it's ultimately up to the person who is going to wear them.

And the 2013 join date thing, . That statement was pretty narrow minded. I've been collecting for about 12 years but I joined NT last year.

 

[joeyd12]

That's cool, I'm not here to expect change from anyone. Like I said, I just put the info out there and it will be an eye opener for some and for others they will continue buying them and flipping it. As for money, I bought them so I can have a personal opinion and experience on it before dropping any knowledge about the situation. No where did I ever intend to buy these and continue buying them to keep as "collection worthy shoes". Either way, I said what I had to say and to change someones thoughts simply through a forum just doesn't work. There's plenty of people who just read the forums and don't post, those are the ppl who would benefit the most from what I posted and they can decide for themselves.

Nobody is making a "collection" out of these shoes... At least nobody I talk to in this thread. Everyone pretty much plans to fill in the gaps with an older pair they missed or what a new pair of, and then intend to beat them into the dirt, not resell them as authentic - I don't sell shoes, I wear them.

Whenever someone does say "I buy GM to turn around and flip them for profit" I judge them thoroughly and tell them they are ****** up. Because that's ********.

You should know what to look for nowadays with buying shoes, if your too naive to know the difference... That's your problem. And chances are, people will be pleased with the pairs they receive and never know the difference, or just won't give a ****. If they are the exact same shoe, same material, same quality, not many people care about an "authorization" or not.

I've never knowingly purchased a GM shoe... I just know plenty of people that have and I've held them and I follow them closely. I just keep an open mind and look at it how I want too, not how the "sneaker culture" thinks I should.

I don't owe JB any loyalty and I'm certainly not gonna line reseller pockets with my hard earned money, paying ridiculous prices when I can get the exact same shoe for $200.

The real problem today is resellers AND THE PEOPLE THAT PAY THEM. That's what is driving up prices, NOT GM shoes...

People always ***** about "shoe game ****** up"

Okay...

Well stop supporting resellers and they won't make any money and their business will fail.

In any commodities market people will try to exploit it as much as possible, and nowadays sneakers are a commodity. What else nearly doubles or triples in value the second you purchase it? Cars don't even do that...

adapt and evolve.

Simple.

 

[joeyd12]

People have this mentality like all Chinese sellers are evil lying good for nothing pimps.

They are obviously honest businessman to have built their company to the size that it is. You don't get that big ripping people off..

Imagine how many shoes they sell a day without any real "advertising" in the US except word of mouth.

They aren't gonna rip off and steal peoples money...

I would be more weary of these middle man agents, shady bastards. They are the ones that don't have any reason to maintain a reputation. Think about it...

 

[PRIME]

Gamezup,

While I personally don't support GM, I think it's ultimately up to the person who is going to wear them.

And the 2013 join date thing, . That statement was pretty narrow minded. I've been collecting for about 12 years but I joined NT last year.

Join date means nothing. I've been on Niketalk since 2003ish and this is my 3rd screen name.

People need to get past join dates. That's just another elitist mindstate.

People have this mentality like all Chinese sellers are evil lying good for nothing pimps.

They are obviously honest businessman to have built their company to the size that it is. You don't get that big ripping people off..

Imagine how many shoes they sell a day without any real "advertising" in the US except word of mouth.

They aren't gonna rip off and steal peoples money...

I would be more weary of these middle man agents, shady bastards. They are the ones that don't have any reason to maintain a reputation. Think about it...

Agents have been around LONG before the GM sneaker sites. Agents will do you no harm if you do your research and find a legitimate agent with good rates/fees.

Just like anything else when shopping online. Shop smart and be cautious with your money and you'll be fine

 

[ninjahood]

So to everyone else who still thinks they are getting deals by buying GM pairs, honestly just stop. They are replicas, fakes, no other way to twist it or justify it just because you guys have bought...

again..

 

[Bert.]

wait what.. they pay him 2 grand to do reviews?

jeez

 

[Bert.]

thing is, i had a replica seller contact me a few months ago to advertise for them and offered me 2 free shoes. obviously i declined.

 

[malik611]

Yoo 2000! A month? Thats crazy

 

[maladeen]

Random facts? Those are real numbers I put up, who can really make all that up? To be honest, anyone who joined NT in 2013 I can't take serious (no offense, going by past history), that just means your part of the new wave of sneakerheads who are most likely reselling these type of shoes and only come to these forums to spill false info or for their own personal gain. It's evident and proven numerous times in the past with ppl trying to increase post counts etc. Anyone who has a legit opinion and with some sense, I no doubt respect. But like I said, I just put the info out there, I don't care or mind what ppl do with it, just a little eye opener if anyone on the fence or just flat out didn't know what type of market it was. That's all...

I wouldn't speak on it unless I had real experiences with it. Yeah I've bought GM pairs before and noticed a lot of things so I decided to speak out. It's a forum, there will be ppl who like paying cheaper with lower quality and there will be ppl who just want the 100% authentic stuff. My stance is keep it 100% authentic or don't buy it at all, no one is saying "hey guys listen to me", u just put the info out there

Any taobao agent can price the shoes how they want, I just listed 1 example, there is no set price. A taobao agent can increase the price, charge less for shipping or post a ridiculously low price and charge $60-80 in shipping. Any way you spin it, the prices are more or less close from one agent to another. It's like ebay, you can post what prices you want, either way they are making their money with lower quality products

That's one way to characterize me. Yes I am new but am I a reseller hell no. I hate em with a passion, the greed of a few dollars makes it so hard for people who actually want em. For instance the prices for 11s are absurd.

Easy Way around that is GM, because at the end of the day ima wear these shoes and paying 300 to wear the same **** that cost way less doesn't make sense.

 

[castomere]

Yoo 2000! A month? Thats crazy

Funny thing is that these YouTube reviewers buy their subscribers. It's so obvious. For example, this one dude has 15,000 subscribers but only 300 views per video.

 

[gameupz]

To me the stamp of approval is important. When I see a receipt or FTL/Champs barcode SKU sticker and launch date sticker on the box label, to me that is the stamp of approval that the shoes are 100% authentic for the most part. You guys can think of it how you want

The way I see it is, autographs, we can get someone to basically mimic any celebrity or athletes autograph on a shoe or any item and claim it is authentic/real because it looks real or identical but is it really the same? Should we forge signatures and claim authentic? That's what lots of ppl are doing with GM pairs when they decide sell it or get rid of it, not many ppl are admitting they are GM shoes, more so excuses like loss the receipt or got it as gift etc etc...why so much lying if GM pairs were that great? That analogy is the exact same thing, we can copy anything but claim authentic? No....

Guess we don't need upper deck approval for signatures or certificate of authenticity from things anymore. That's the state we are in. You can say its the exact same workers but I highly doubt that, I'm sure there are Nike sweat shops and then there is others who do independant work. Obviously the GM is most likely an independant, no one really knows and we are all just assuming but based on common sense, I don't see how Nike's people would be allowed to make more then what is called for because there has to be a representative from Nike at their factory so obviously the extra/GM pairs are being outsourced somewhere else and not by the exact same workers

 

[dtb00201]

People could still put GM shoes in a footlocker box, but I see your point. I would feel more confident about a purchase if I saw a store sticker on the box.

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

To me the stamp of approval is important. When I see a receipt or FTL/Champs barcode SKU sticker and launch date sticker on the box label, to me that is the stamp of approval that the shoes are 100% authentic for the most part. You guys can think of it how you want

The way I see it is, autographs, we can get someone to basically mimic any celebrity or athletes autograph on a shoe or any item and claim it is authentic/real because it looks real or identical but is it really the same? Should we forge signatures and claim authentic? That's what lots of ppl are doing with GM pairs when they decide sell it or get rid of it, not many ppl are admitting they are GM shoes, more so excuses like loss the receipt or got it as gift etc etc...why so much lying if GM pairs were that great? That analogy is the exact same thing, we can copy anything but claim authentic? No....

Guess we don't need upper deck approval for signatures or certificate of authenticity from things anymore. That's the state we are in. You can say its the exact same workers but I highly doubt that, I'm sure there are Nike sweat shops and then there is others who do independant work. Obviously the GM is most likely an independant, no one really knows and we are all just assuming but based on common sense, I don't see how Nike's people would be allowed to make more then what is called for because there has to be a representative from Nike at their factory so obviously the extra/GM pairs are being outsourced somewhere else and not by the exact same workers

I know you said you don't care about other people's opinions and that you don't care about the 118 pages of information that are in here but you should seriously take a look because there are plenty of things here that you're just wrong about.

For one there are no Nike sweat shops or Nike factories. In order to avoid another labor fiasco Nike approaches Chinese factories/factory owners and contracts them to make a certain model of shoe in a certain quantity. Also, Nike, along with many other companies (Adidas, new balance, etc.), have admitted that although counterfeiting in rogue factories making cheap imitations of their shoes is an issue the biggest problem lies with the factories owners green lighting the production of unauthorized "third shift" pairs or extending the production run after Nike's quota is met. And that is not opinion or speculation. That is a fact. And it's happening with thousands of brands that contract Chinese factories to produce their goods. They have access to all of the material, technology, and expertise to make these shoes because they are the ones producing the real ones.

Authorized and authentic are 2 completely separate entities. Authentic has to do with the physical tangible product. The word authentic is defined as having the same undisputed origin. Hence why although they maybe unauthorized or illegitimate, they are still considered authentic because they are made of the same materials, in the same factories, by the same people.

Although there is some opinion and speculation there are plenty of facts and legit information/articles in this 118 pages you don't care about. You might actually learn something.

 

[Bert.]

To me the stamp of approval is important. When I see a receipt or FTL/Champs barcode SKU sticker and launch date sticker on the box label, to me that is the stamp of approval that the shoes are 100% authentic for the most part. You guys can think of it how you want

The way I see it is, autographs, we can get someone to basically mimic any celebrity or athletes autograph on a shoe or any item and claim it is authentic/real because it looks real or identical but is it really the same? Should we forge signatures and claim authentic? That's what lots of ppl are doing with GM pairs when they decide sell it or get rid of it, not many ppl are admitting they are GM shoes, more so excuses like loss the receipt or got it as gift etc etc...why so much lying if GM pairs were that great? That analogy is the exact same thing, we can copy anything but claim authentic? No....

Guess we don't need upper deck approval for signatures or certificate of authenticity from things anymore. That's the state we are in. You can say its the exact same workers but I highly doubt that, I'm sure there are Nike sweat shops and then there is others who do independant work. Obviously the GM is most likely an independant, no one really knows and we are all just assuming but based on common sense, I don't see how Nike's people would be allowed to make more then what is called for because there has to be a representative from Nike at their factory so obviously the extra/GM pairs are being outsourced somewhere else and not by the exact same workers

if you referring to the box stamp then you should know not all that come from AUTHORIZED RETAILERS dont have the stamp

/thread

 

[v8erman]

Whats the best way to post up like 30 pics without a host provider. i took a a good bit of pics some closeup of my retail royals.

 

[rben13]

Whats the best way to post up like 30 pics without a host provider. i took a a good bit of pics some closeup of my retail royals.

thatd be tough to do...

 

[theonewskill]

i see a pair of grey market royal 1's for $350 BIN on eBay right now, smh. UGHHH lol

This been going on for months. I first mentioned seeing gm being passed off as real in march (I posted in this thread).

 

[undadog]

I know you said you don't care about other people's opinions and that you don't care about the 118 pages of information that are in here but you should seriously take a look because there are plenty of things here that you're just wrong about.

For one there are no Nike sweat shops or Nike factories. In order to avoid another labor fiasco Nike approaches Chinese factories/factory owners and contracts them to make a certain model of shoe in a certain quantity. Also, Nike, along with many other companies (Adidas, new balance, etc.), have admitted that although counterfeiting in rogue factories making cheap imitations of their shoes is an issue the biggest problem lies with the factories owners green lighting the production of unauthorized "third shift" pairs or extending the production run after Nike's quota is met. And that is not opinion or speculation. That is a fact. And it's happening with thousands of brands that contract Chinese factories to produce their goods. They have access to all of the material, technology, and expertise to make these shoes because they are the ones producing the real ones.

Authorized and authentic are 2 completely separate entities. Authentic has to do with the physical tangible product. The word authentic is defined as having the same undisputed origin. Hence why although they maybe unauthorized or illegitimate, they are still considered authentic because they are made of the same materials, in the same factories, by the same people.

Although there is some opinion and speculation there are plenty of facts and legit information/articles in this 118 pages you don't care about. You might actually learn something.

I disagree with GaMezUP on some of his statements but I think overall he's right about the main point that you simply can't argue with. Use any semantics you want to describe these GM kicks and call them what you want but we all know what they aren't. I personally don't care if people want to wear brown paper bags on their feet, to each their own right. But my issue is with those who try to resell these GM claiming they're the real deal and straight con people. Some may not care if they wear unauthorized, but some do. I agree with the autograph analogy. If you collect sports memorabilia and someone sells you an item that wasn't actually signed by that athlete but was an artful forgery would you want that in your collection. Even though nobody would know it's forged, you still know, and if your're a true collector you don't want any part of that. I personally signed up for NT this year to get educated on the current state of sneaker community cause of all the nonsense going on. So I think that's what these forums should be used for, not trying to change each others beliefs. You also have to remember there are folks who rock and those who stock, I guarantee you 100% that those who stock and are just collectors wouldn't want GM, and would be very disappointed if they found out that the DB3 they got for $600 on Ebay are GM pairs. Here's my litmus test, if you can take a GM pair to a true expert who compares them to an authorized pair and he truly can't tell wich one is which and the inside construction is identical, then maybe only then can you call them Authentic.

 

[PRIME]

Whats the best way to post up like 30 pics without a host provider. i took a a good bit of pics some closeup of my retail royals.

Just get a Flickr or Photobucket account.

 

[Bert.]

Whats the best way to post up like 30 pics without a host provider. i took a a good bit of pics some closeup of my retail royals.

photobucket? its easy and free

or just load thm to NT?

 

[demonicquiiks]

Any thoughts on my gm concord carbon fiber? 

 

[freshsteez]

I disagree with GaMezUP on some of his statements but I think overall he's right about the main point that you simply can't argue with. Use any semantics you want to describe these GM kicks and call them what you want but we all know what they aren't. I personally don't care if people want to wear brown paper bags on their feet, to each their own right. But my issue is with those who try to resell these GM claiming they're the real deal and straight con people. Some may not care if they wear unauthorized, but some do. I agree with the autograph analogy. If you collect sports memorabilia and someone sells you an item that wasn't actually signed by that athlete but was an artful forgery would you want that in your collection. Even though nobody would know it's forged, you still know, and if your're a true collector you don't want any part of that. I personally signed up for NT this year to get educated on the current state of sneaker community cause of all the nonsense going on. So I think that's what these forums should be used for, not trying to change each others beliefs. You also have to remember there are folks who rock and those who stock, I guarantee you 100% that those who stock and are just collectors wouldn't want GM, and would be very disappointed if they found out that the DB3 they got for $600 on Ebay are GM pairs. Here's my litmus test, if you can take a GM pair to a true expert who compares them to an authorized pair and he truly can't tell wich one is which and the inside construction is identical, then maybe only then can you call them Authentic.

This thread basically opened up my eyes to stocking not making much sense.  I'll be selling off lots of my collection and rocking the rest.  I would like GM pairs to be acknowledged as GM pairs, but that will not happen.  These pairs will get sold as authentic and authorized on the resell market and at resell prices to boot.  I don't think I've ever seen a listing saying the shoes are GM and we all know there's a lot of these pairs out there.  There is money to be made from sneakers and people will game the system and take advantage of that.  The market will be flooded with these eventually and when everything gets mixed and matched, it will be very difficult to tell the difference.  Basically, you will need to stick to all retail pairs if you want to avoid GM pairs in the future.  This is a problem Nike created themselves and they aren't doing anything to fix it.  If Nike doesn't care though, why should anybody else?  

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

I disagree with GaMezUP on some of his statements but I think overall he's right about the main point that you simply can't argue with. Use any semantics you want to describe these GM kicks and call them what you want but we all know what they aren't. I personally don't care if people want to wear brown paper bags on their feet, to each their own right. But my issue is with those who try to resell these GM claiming they're the real deal and straight con people. Some may not care if they wear unauthorized, but some do. I agree with the autograph analogy. If you collect sports memorabilia and someone sells you an item that wasn't actually signed by that athlete but was an artful forgery would you want that in your collection. Even though nobody would know it's forged, you still know, and if your're a true collector you don't want any part of that. I personally signed up for NT this year to get educated on the current state of sneaker community cause of all the nonsense going on. So I think that's what these forums should be used for, not trying to change each others beliefs. You also have to remember there are folks who rock and those who stock, I guarantee you 100% that those who stock and are just collectors wouldn't want GM, and would be very disappointed if they found out that the DB3 they got for $600 on Ebay are GM pairs. Here's my litmus test, if you can take a GM pair to a true expert who compares them to an authorized pair and he truly can't tell wich one is which and the inside construction is identical, then maybe only then can you call them Authentic.

No one here is trying to justifying buying shoes on taobao and selling on eBay as store bought pairs. If you read the thread you probably know I've brought up the definition of authentic many times. And every single time it's stop people from throwing around the word fake or replica recklessly in this thread and confusing people that don't know. I do agree that people shouldn't be passing off GM pairs as store bought shoes. Especially if they have flaws that are outside of the usual jordan brand quality issues. My problem is with people that come in here with an elitist tone without reading a single bit of info or doing any kind of research saying things like "so now it's okay to buy replicas?" Not even the most avid GM enthusiast in this thread has stood up for buying replicas here. So lets stop acting the early to mid 2000's wasn't less than 10 Years ago and we don't know what fakes, replicas, and variants are anymore. The game has changed but the facts still remain the same. Replica/variants are shoes made in rogue factories with stolen molds/technology or based off of a reverse engineered authentic sneaker. These shoes are made with cheap with lesser quality materials and shoddy craftsmanship. Those are not what GM shoes and there's a reason why there's a market for them.

I'm all for stating shoes are GM and keeping them in a separate category from retail release day shoes. But if people on one side are going to lump GM shoes in with replicas and variants without ANY factual evidence and just based on opinion then people on other side have just as much if not even more clearance to call these authentic soley based on the fact that they are made of the same materials and in the same factories as licensed authorized Nike products.