Why Not to Buy Fakes Part 3

One of the hardest hit parts of the jersey world for fake jerseys is the NHL Outdoor games. While teams don't want to unveil jerseys too early in the year, fake jersey retailers have a small window where they can either take a concept or fake leaked design and pump that out for impatient fans, or wait for the real designs to be unveiled. There is also the period between retailers getting jerseys from Adidas/Reebok and the designs being unveiled where fake sellers can push their cheaper jerseys for fans who are waiting for their local jersey store or online retailers to get the jerseys in.

Another major factor in the "popularity" of fake outdoor jerseys is the price of the real jerseys. They cost more (usually with just cause as the logos are made of higher quality material, felt numbers/logos, stitched numbers, the inclusion of a high quality event patch) than an average home/away/alternate jersey. On top of this they are made in limited runs in many cases (good luck finding a Reebok Edge Premier 2008/2009 Winter Classic jerseys or the first Stadium Series games (namely Anaheim, New York Rangers, Los Angeles) ).  

That being said anyone who has invested money in getting a fully customized Winter Classic jersey you'll know how nice it is to have that fully stitched patch on the shoulder and felt numbers where applicable. The fakes on the other hand are incredibly common in some cases (think Calgary 2011 HC, Toronto 2014 WC, Pittsburgh 2008 WC). 

Here's one game you wouldn't think would need to be that knocked off, the Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 CC jerseys. These jerseys are still available on some online retailers, eBay and in many stores at least in Canada. 

So why go out and buy...this...

I know fake manufacturers might have trouble making the reflective material that Toronto used in this  game as does Vegas, Carolina did for nearly a decade and a half, but this was not the answer. The TV numbers have no outline on them, the numbers on the back are WAY too thin and have an extra outline on them, the logo is puffy and gross, the Reebok logo on the back looks like it was written in crayon. The typeface used on the back is closer to the pre-edge font than it is in the actual game. 

Overall, some outdoor jerseys are quite rare, maybe more expensive than they should be, but getting a fake version of that jersey won't help. Trust me on this one, if you wait until one comes for a reasonable price, and you can get a deal on one, you'll only increase the value of the jersey you just bought as fakes continue to flood the market.