Air Jordan Collectors

[Special K]

Air Jordan 13 Retro "He Got Game" Set to Restock | Sneaker Bar Detroit

I don't have a US credit card...
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[ForbiddenX]

^You can do a phone order, just add it to your cart and call.

[davy]

Originally Posted by Ronac

Port Moody has drop in on Mondays from 8-10pm.

Port Moody Secondary or the Community Center at Ioco?
How much are the drop in?

[chipmunk604]

Originally Posted by davy

Port Moody Secondary or the Community Center at Ioco?
How much are the drop in?

ioco, $6.xx

[Special K]

Originally Posted by ForbiddenX

^You can do a phone order, just add it to your cart and call.

It takes a long time to reach a person. By then it's gone.
Posted via RS Mobile

[ForbiddenX]

Not if you put it in your cart. Adding it to your cart is essentially "reserving" the item. Unless they've changed that again.

[Tim Budong]

I Un-DS'd my 1s

They look great anyways, being an huge DunkSB guy, these look nothing out of the ordinary

[Delatocious]

^ Those look nice in photos but I felt like I was wearing clown shoes when I tried mine on.

[jsoni]

No black/gold 1s outside of the east coast
eBay prices are

[will068]

China's fake-NIKE town - China Price Watch - March 26,2013 - BONTV China - YouTube

Reminds me of sites like soleawesome.com:

Air Jordan XI CONCORD AFTERMATH thread. STILL NO BUYING/SELLING/TRADING!

[Special K]

^^^
The reporter is annoyinggggggg

Soleawesome sells fakes? I notice they get pre-releases tho.
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[will068]

Originally Posted by Special K

^^^
The reporter is annoyinggggggg

Soleawesome sells fakes? I notice they get pre-releases tho.
Posted via RS Mobile

According to that niketalk review, I guess they do sell fakes. One allegation is enough for me to lose confidence in an underground/unauthorized nike dealer like soleawesome. Shitty too, I had some of their shoes on my watchlist.

[Special K]

https://m.facebook.com/footlockercan...554758373&_rdr

Just went to the HOH on Yonge St. Didnt know they just opened last month. They re-released bred 11, bred 4, thunder 4, royal 1, bhm spikize, barkley 72

They still have a couple pairs of thunder 4s in size 11. Kobe Easter 8, AJ1 BHM, LBJ X Xmas. Retail + 12 pack beer?

I will probably pick up another pair of Kobe 8s to stock.. But $180 damn it.

The Livestock in Toronto sells used kicks I think. I saw some Ray Allen 13s for $800 lol.
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[6793026]

i don't know what the big deal is

Nike pays say 15 dollars to make the shoes from 8-5 PM, the next biggest bidder pays 13.50 from the next 8 hours and the next biggest bidder pays 10 dollars..(which is why you get puma shoes with nike signs on them in china).
this is how they get ot work 24/7 365 days a week. theonly days the close is the week of chinese new yrs.

[Mr.Money]

sexxxxx



With a release date set for October 26, 2013, the Air Jordan 4 “Toro Bravo” is definitely one to keep on your radar. The retro silhouette brings us back to 2009, when we saw the release of a matching “Toro Bravo” Air Jordan 5.

While originally anticipated to be built from Red suede, the Jordan Brand has opted for a nubuck upper, giving the shoe a sleeker look. The full Toro Red upper is accented with a familiar Grey hue, with Black accents thrown in to create a deep contrast. If you want to grab a pair, start saving now for the release date in October.
Air Jordan 4 "Toro Bravo" (New Images) | KicksOnFire
release date 10/26/13

i may just pay the $200 for the early cop

[will068]

Originally Posted by 6793026

i don't know what the big deal is

Nike pays say 15 dollars to make the shoes from 8-5 PM, the next biggest bidder pays 13.50 from the next 8 hours and the next biggest bidder pays 10 dollars..(which is why you get puma shoes with nike signs on them in china).
this is how they get ot work 24/7 365 days a week. theonly days the close is the week of chinese new yrs.

It's a huge deal in the sneaker community.

People only want the authorized merchandise. That's what they're paying for.

Sure there's a market for the unauthorized merchandise with low prices, but sellers pass them off as the authorized merchandise with high prices. It's disgusting. That's a blatant lie to the consumer.

[Mike Oxbig]

Do what you gotta do man, I've seen early releases compare to the actual product they are identical. Some people dedicated their life to the sneaker community and some just want to own a pair.Once on feet early releases/unauthorized and authorized shoe are the same, unless you go up to the guy and accuse him of /b grades/early release/unauthorized. Are you really gonna do that?

If more pairs was available at release day and have major restocks without announcing it then I am sure people wouldnt resort to these other options but until then let people do whatever they want to do

For starters, this is a good article from sneakerfreaker years ago THE SCOOP ON FAKE SNEAKERS http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/feature/fake-sneaker-info

Enjoy the light read albeit long read

SO WHICH ONE IS WHICH?

FAKE - by definition means not authentic or genuine. Fake product is the term used for the illegal copying and manufacturing of name-brand products. In also goes by the other names like imitation, replicas, knockoffs or bootleg. BOOTLEGGING is to produce, reproduce and distribute without authorization or license. COUNTERFEIT is an imitation with intent of fraudulently passing it off as genuine. In essence Fake is a poor DUPLICATE of the genuine product.

For example, a Fake Jordan IV starts by obtaining an authentic Jordan IV (normally smuggled out from the original factory) to reverse engineer, make a mould and use inferior direct and indirect materials in the build. If you reproduce more Fake Jordan IV for distribution then you are BOOTLEGGING. If you intend to pass your FAKE Jordan IV as genuine, then you are COUNTERFEITING.

VARIANT is a sneaker with slight variation in the official product. Un-released official colorways that is not distributed to the public are also called Variants (like team college sneakers for players).

FACTORY VARIANTS can either be authentic (will discuss later) or fakes made to look different at factory level i.e. colorways or materials. Variants came into prominence in the sneaker hobby after Jordan retired for the 2nd time with the release of the Jordan XV. What’s ironic is variants pave way to Customization of sneakers and in a way, Nike ID.

HYBRIDS are sneakers made from two or more models fused together. In the 80s especially in Asia before Nike gave distribution rights, retailers buy straight from the factories. Any sneakers damaged in transit are fixed and glued together often times resulting in a sneaker with a different top or bottom. So these sneakers are usually one-offs and not necessarily fakes, it’s just the result of the retailer not wanting to lose a sale. Again, ironically, hybrids pave way to Nike fusions.

FACTORY SECONDS means imperfections found on the finish product which is also same as B-GRADES. B-Grades are sneakers that fail the quality inspection. There are two kinds of B-Grades.

FACTORY B-GRADES are sneakers that didn’t make the final cut in the manufacturing process i.e. factory, before shipment to the warehouse for distribution. Usually these sneakers are considered faulty and ‘written off’ (will discuss later).

OUTLET B-GRADES are finished sneakers shipped from the factory but failed the quality inspection for official distribution to the retailers-consumers. Failed units are usually sneakers with minor cosmetic flaws. Usually if one unit fails the inspection, 100 units before and after are taken out and considered B-Grades i.e. 1 fail unit = 201 B-Grades units to the outlets.


OK, SO WHERE DOES AIR-RANDY FIT IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS?

The best way to describe Air Randy, Marquesole etc is that they cater for the demand that never existed before in the sneaker industry. Can I coined this term or trademark it? LOL. Anyway, I call these sneakers == GREY SNEAKERS


GREY SNEAKERS?!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SMOKING?!

You see, fake sneakers are one of the commodities found in the black market. A BLACK MARKET is the trade of goods and services that are illegal in themselves and/or distributed through illegal channels, such as the selling of stolen goods or counterfeits.

A GREY MARKET is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer. The term grey economy, however, refers to workers being paid under the table, without paying income taxes etc. It is sometimes referred to as the underground economy or "hidden economy".

So thats why I call them GREY SNEAKERS. It’s not fake because its authentic materials etc but not legit because it is un-authorised, un-sanctioned by Nike. These dont "exist" in a way because on paper these "excess units" (see factory B-Grades) are shown as defects and/or write offs in the manufacturing cost of the Chinese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) when Nike does an audit.

Please picture this scenario.

1. Jordan Brand meeting in Jan 2011, OK’s the retro of the Air Jordan III in Holiday 2011. JB instructed the factory to make a ‘sample’.

2. Sample produced and shown in JB meeting in March 2011. JB’s approved the sample.

3. The sample and ‘TECH PACK’ are given to the OEM factory in June 2011 for mass production of say 1000 units for $XXX money.

4. The OEM factory was given 3 months from July to September 2011 to produce 1000 units.

5. The OEM factory allows OVERRUNS to compensate for possible faulty, defected units or Factory B-Grades. Therefore the factory produces 1000 units + OVERRUN units.

6. The OEM shows these OVERRUNS in the manufacturing cost as write-offs so on paper when Nike does an audit these are considered ‘destroyed’.

7. The OEM instead of ‘destroying’ the write-offs instead sell these units for extra $XXX. This is where Air-Randy etc comes in.

8. Usually the Air Randys get the first batch or the run of units thus the sneakers may look slighty different (see Variant as well) and different packaging and accessories (e.g. the shoe horn used is from previous stock).

9. Air Randy sells these units in July and September online to us, sneaker afficianados, which is the same timeline at the production time at the factory. THUS out in the streets months in advance of the official release date.

10. Once the OEM finished the order and shipped the 1000 units, they can be greedy and sell the TECH PACKS and SAMPLE to the counterfeit industry.

11. JB received the 1000 units in the warehouse in October. Looks for any potential outlet B-Grade units then distribute the remainder to the retailers for the Dec 2011 Holiday release.

Don’t be naïve to think that the Triads etc are not a part of this. They do in the Black Market but they are keeping an eye at the Grey Market as well.


NIKE SHOULD DO SOMETHING!

NOPE! This is the tradeoff for Nike outsourcing their intellectual property to countries with little or even no regard to patents/trademarks, brand protection and lax labour practices in the name of maximizing profits.

At the end of the day, Nike is not pursuing the Grey Market Merchants of the sneaker world like Air Randys and Marqueesoles. WHY?

1. It hardly put a dent on the $$$ billions gross sale profit of Nike

2. Sneakers worn out in the street months in advance of the release are UNPAID PUBLICITY and MARKETING. Nike is really a marketing company as well.


SO ARE THEY GOOD OR BAD?

These sneaker merchants see a market for these grey sneakers and they capitalise on it. It wise business move I say because if Air Randy dont, someone else will. If they stay in the grey market then IMO its all good but if they are doing counterfeiting then HATE HATE.

Again it really is a fine line. In the end we THE CONSUMER WINS because WE HAVE A CHOICE. However its CAVEAT EMPTOR. Let the buyer beware. IT IS WHAT IT IS.


Now as I have read, I can understand ninjahood point. I label grey market as B grade sellers as of now. Authentic, yet not correctly made. Flawed.

Either way, I'm not going to purchase a flawed pair


Anyway, enjoy the read. In b4 ninjahood goes on a rant about intellect.

From a guy who worked at Nike before

Unauthorized shoes that are sold before the release date should not be called "early releases" because NIKE did not manufacture or distribute them. Only NIKE has the ability to release product before launch dates, which are federal trade agreements. An example of legitimate advance product (early releases) would be special make-ups like team bank colorways or player exclusives. Also, there are no NIKE wholesalers because only approved retail accounts sell their products.
I briefly mentioned in the Air Jordan thread about the whole Air Randy thing so I thought it’s good to have a separate thread about it. This is my take on it based on my 25+ years’ passion to sneakers. Feel free to share your thoughts as this is NOT the definite info on the issue as I don’t work in the sneaker industry or law enforcement agency.

There is nothing "gray" about the counterfeit shoes market. Shoes produced without permission at NIKE factories with NIKE components are still considered counterfeit. They are not covered under warranty because the quality cannot be controlled. As several people have already pointed out, B-Grades are genuine NIKE products with cosmetic blemishes that will not affect the performance of the shoe.

[Delatocious]

My IV's from Sole Awesome were identical to my IV's from Champs.

Also, Sole Awesome didn't get the black/patent OG 1's and if they were indeed an early release/B-Grade site, they would have released them.

Just some food for thought...

[will068]

Originally Posted by Big Earl

Do what you gotta do man, I've seen early releases compare to the actual product they are identical. Some people dedicated their life to the sneaker community and some just want to own a pair.Once on feet early releases/unauthorized and authorized shoe are the same, unless you go up to the guy and accuse him of /b grades/early release/unauthorized. Are you really gonna do that?

If more pairs was available at release day and have major restocks without announcing it then I am sure people wouldnt resort to these other options but until then let people do whatever they want to do


From a guy who worked at Nike before

I'm not worried about the guy next to me wearing fakes he bought from a site like soleawesome. Like what you said, do what you gotta do.

What I'm worried about is a seller trying to pass replica sneakers as the real deal. We all know JB quality has been crap for retros. My paradigm is that if you're going to claim that you're selling authentic sneakers, they better be authentic. Non of that gray/black market stuff.

E.g. A replica picasso may look cool. If you got, it great. But if you're going to sell it to me and claim that it is real, we have a problem.

[Mike Oxbig]

Trying to pass replica sneaker as the real deal is a NO NO! Replica's are easy to identify if your a sneakerhead.

For grey market pairs, that's where the buyer have to ask the seller if an early release version. The material and quality being made is identical like what Delatocious said.

[will068]

Originally Posted by Big Earl

Trying to pass replica sneaker as the real deal is a NO NO! Replica's are easy to identify if your a sneakerhead.

For grey market pairs, that's where the buyer have to ask the seller if an early release version. The material and quality being made is identical like what Delatocious said.

Grey Market Pairs and Early Release Pairs are still fake. See the Concord XI Soleawesome link I posted above. The materials looks the same, but certain attributes of the shoe are not. And sights like soleawesome, marquee sole, and Air-randy seems like they sell these type of shoes. In Niketalk, air-randy has been chastised by the members for claiming that the shoes they sell are authentic yet he clearly sells Grey Market Pairs. Plus, that sites still sells their shoes at an excessive price.

Bottom line. Grey Market Pairs fall under the fake category. Quality may be better than other fakes, but it's still fake. Attempting to pass these shoes as authentic is a negative in my books.

I think someone bought some pre-released fake Jordan 5 grapes in this thread via taobo. The materials look good in for that shoe. However, you can see that some of the stitching and aesthetics are off. Would you pay retail price or over for that shoe? If so, might as well go to soleawesome, air-randy, and marquee sole is the site for you.

[will068]

Originally Posted by Delatocious

My IV's from Sole Awesome were identical to my IV's from Champs.

Also, Sole Awesome didn't get the black/patent OG 1's and if they were indeed an early release/B-Grade site, they would have released them.

Just some food for thought...

Are you planning to wear both ? Out of curiosity, let us know which midsole paint would chip first. I actually wouldn't be surprised if your authentic pair encounters the chipping first.

[Mike Oxbig]

I had a pair of bred IV's from Nike (oakridge), I used a toothbrush and a bit of laundry detergent to brush the bottom of the shoe. A small part of the paint from the bottom of the shoe came off wtf...

[will068]

Originally Posted by Big Earl

I had a pair of bred IV's from Nike (oakridge), I used a toothbrush and a bit of laundry detergent to brush the bottom of the shoe. A small part of the paint from the bottom of the shoe came off wtf...

My CDP IV's started chipping after one wear. I heard if you replace the insoles, you prevent further chipping because there's less stress on the midsole.


Hey, at least you know your pair is authentic

[Delatocious]

Originally Posted by will068

Are you planning to wear both ? Out of curiosity, let us know which midsole paint would chip first. I actually wouldn't be surprised if your authentic pair encounters the chipping first.

I ended up selling both. IV's are way too uncomfortable for me.