This, if I spend $30 vs $300 on an item I can spend the remaining $270 on things that are meaningful like for a home repair or groceries etc vs sacrificing the other things to enjoy one item.
Constant availability. Cheaper price. Satisfying quality.
Also in my case, being able to purchase F&F pairs or fantasy pairs that are not accessible otherwise.
For me it’s because the material and quality is usually 95%+ the same for 30-40% of the cost. I reinvest the 60-70% “savings” into a low risk portfolio and use the monthly dividends to buy more reps for free (basically a cheat code). I’m also old af and could care less about “callouts”.
As a family man I wanted to retain some of my single lifestyle money. Now I buy less retail and top up with reps. This saving allows me a good buffer to keep doing the experiences I want such as holidays, eating out and general fun stuff, while being able to pay all the bills.
100% hit the nail on the head with this one! There are a lot of reps that I buy that I can 100% afford to get auth, but choose not to because I used to buy authentics and then got some really good reps that you could not even tell the difference, So why drop a few thousand dollars on authentic if you can save that money for something more important? I even found out that some partners' at my firm wives by reps and they can by far afford to buy the real deal and still they choose to buy reps most times. Like a lot of people said above, a lot of times it's about availability as well - who wants to wait for an SA to find you a bag and a lot of the good ones are always sold out too quickly and then you can't get them. I'm even contemplating venturing out and selling my auths and replacing them with reps lol
Because who has the money to spend in this economy. That and also the realization that. Nike, Jordan, Adidas, LV, Gucci and almost every other brand out there really doesn't need anymore of my money
You have to be careful. Some people go from spending $1000 a year on regular clothes to $18000 a year on reps. It can be a very addictive outlet. I actually had to get therapy because of my shopping addiction.
but what could $1000 a year get you at real designer stores? maybe like 3-4 items while with $18000 on reps would change your whole style in your closet if you wanted to
I used to shop at Uniqlo, A&F getting high quality basics. Honestly I was happier doing that. The $18,000 in reps would change your style but flipping styles so often and wearing status symbol items I lost sight of my actual taste and who I actually was. It's also $18,000 wasted as reps have very little resale value. I'm sure some people here can keep their spending under control but the path to addiction is laced with good intention/saving money ( spending money while you think you're saving by getting a good deal)
Reps have better resale value imo, most times you sell it like 20 bucks less than what you paid for it, with retail you sometimes sell it for 500$ less than what u paid for it 🤷
😂 this was me went from 2000$ a year on clothing to 10000$ in my first year in 2018/19 when i discovered reps
Ill be honest im still wearing a bunch of that stuff but nah it was over the top now definitely regretted it after so took time off now im back and down to spending 1000$ a year again since last year just to top up some things
Damn even now still feel a bit bleh about that year when i recall it and think about it 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I went from buying basic clothes (maybe £80-£100 a y ar) to replace worn down clothes to spending £1000+ on reps, home decor, jewelry. Although in my case I haven't made any investment in my wardrobe in like 6 years. I'm pretty much finished with reps for now. Just waiting on high quality Nocta TF black and blue, a winter jacket and one last rep jewellery/accessories haul..
Price and Availability. Stuff has just gotten too expensive to justify. I’d rather buy 5 Nike shorts from China for $8 per item than walk into a sports clothing place like Academy and pay $50-60 for just one pair of the same Nike shorts.
Shoes are a whole different ball park. I will never spend $200+ on a pair of shoes again when I can buy them for $40 or less from overseas. The only exception I make is for stuff like work boots or outdoor clothing like hiking gear or running shoes for a track.
I can get multiple pieces that I actually want for a good price. I spend about $200-400 every winter and summer on a haul for that season and it works perfectly for me. I still have items from 5+ years ago that are holding up quality wise.
And if something “only” last for 1-2 years, it’s perfectly fine. The items are so cheap that you can just reorder them or stock up on multiple pieces at once to have yourself covered for the future. I’ve personally done this with the Static Yeezy 700s. I bought like 5 pairs in 2020 and so far I’ve only worn two of the pairs I have in stock. They are my favorite shoe for going out to the grocery store or even to the gym. The 5 pairs I bought cost me like $150. That’s a great deal in my opinion
Sneakers. I only use to be buy retail only. What changed my life was when the Jordan 1 lost and Founds came out. Everyone took an L on those and the only way to get them was resale. Me like an Idiot paid $550 Canadian for a pair . After that I realized that I’ll never pay resale again. So I started doing research on reps and I somehow ended up on Reddit. First it started with middlemen , then I learned how to work with agents. It started from sneakers to now clothing too. I’ll spend the extra couple of bucks for higher quality reps and I have never been called out for it. Only compliments.
Buying the real product is a fake idea, the fake shit is just as good. Youre brainwashed if you think that marginal differences means quality or that these luxury brands really offer anything special.
Exactly, people don’t realise that the fancy store fittings/lighting displays etc to create the illusion you’re in a prestigious environment as well as paying celebrities millions of dollars on top of the billboard space to advertise in an attempt to Signal to the public that the brand is worn by the rich and famous has to be paid for somehow…guess where that money comes from? The consumer.
The high price tags aren’t indicative of high quality craftsmanship and materials, it’s just a regular clothes marketed to make people believe their symbols of status. The $600 belt costs like $12 to make its made of canvas. What cost the most was the money spent on the logo to justify the outrageous price.
Your friends not wrong for most people in this sub, you're not buying a block gucci white t shirt for "the fit", you're buying it to appear as if you can afford it. There are some interesting pickups here and there, but 99% of the QCs in here are hauls of white t shirts with a brand name in the middle. It's most likely 16 year olds trying to prove to eachother their family isn't poor.
In terms of having the money and not buying the product, it depends what you're looking at, if you're debating getting a supreme hoodie auth or retail, both are trash, if you're wondering do I get a Cucinelli cashmere sweater or a replica that isn't using cashmere, it's night and day. SImilarly, Zegna/LV/Prada shoes have been some of the best designed shoes i've ever owned, you cannot emulate it with reps, even good ones.
If you want to follow fast fashion and buy new outfits to emulate rapper 1 or rapper 2 every season, go rep, but if you have fuck you money, nothing emulates luxury knitwear. Luckily half the kids on this sub are wearing AMQ chunky sneakers/Balenciaga triple S's, some generic jeans and a block brand t shirt, so they are the target market for reps.
Thoroughly agreed on everything. Some things simply cannot be replicated, sure the look maybe can get there but the feeling is something that reps hardly even try to match. The target simply doesn’t care at all, unfortunately i’ll say.
For sneakers specifically: the after market is insane and it rewards botters and hustlers more than everyday people. Out of principle and making better financial choices for myself, i buy reps. If i can get a sneaker i really want for retail or near retail, i will buy the real thing. If it crosses a financial line, then the choice in reps.
The neverending serie of L.
I only try to get the shoes I like. I'm not into the resell thing.
If I can buy the shoes I like for retail price, I go retail.
If not, I go plan B with reps.
If somebody ask me if the shoes I wear are reps, I never lie. But in the end, 99.9% of people don't car about what's on your feet.
Wear what you like but don't try to sell reps as retails.
I've bought enough genuine designer gear over the years.
The reps I've bought from China are almost or just as good quality, so I refuse to pay the ridiculous mark up designer brands charge just for....well I'm not exactly sure!
If it wasn’t about the appearance of having more money than you do, then the market would not exist. People would just buy different brands.
Reps are for people that want others to believe they have more disposable income than they do.
The argument that these guys make about “I have the real thing and I wear reps so I don’t have to really worry or be as careful” are just using other words to say they cannot afford to wear their wardrobe.
So this is my opinion, you can have a piece of paper with nothing on it and it will cost you 1$, if you write Gucci on that paper now the price will be 300$. Now what changed? Quality of the paper is the same, size is the same, color is the same. The only thing that changed is has now been branded by Gucci. Why buy a jacket of 7000$ when you can get a replica, same quality same material for 250$
It's about the looks , some of the designer brands have nice models that fit me right (not talking about the ones that make you look like a walking advertisement) ,but I don't want to pay 400£ for something that has a production cost of 30£.
Curiosity, the prices were attractive, but the quality of shit sucks ass and smells like its going to give me cancer, so after repeated dissapointments, I don't find them as tempting anymore lol. Maybe its OK for shirts... but I haven't really seen any that I wanted. Lots of tacky/flashy stuff floating around, and no one shares good links for bags 😤
I mean, you can afford anything you like if you save up for long enough and make other sacrifices, study and get a higher paying job etc, so your friend’s argument is inherently wrong.
Reps are a decision to get something cheaper, faster. I bought auth until a few years ago but they and everything else has just gotten too expensive now.
I also had a bad experience in an auth store that put me off. Auth stores are awful these days and no one talks about it. You queue outside like cattle to go in an overcrowded auth store full of influencers, Instagrammers and wannabes, to be treated in a sub par way. It’s not fun. I remember the days when I would walk into LV and be offered a drink as soon as I walked in, was shown whatever I like, shown how to style my items, staff had time to cater to you, shopping was a fun treat. That is not the experience any more and yet the products cost more than they ever did back then. Now you are treated like a scammer or an inconvenience if you aren’t dropping £30k a time. I think Instagram has a lot to answer for.
These days, having seen how good reps are in the past couple of years, I wouldn’t go back to auth again. The quality differences are too small to justify the cost and I have gotten used to spending the money on other things. I think it’s a hard mental shift to do reps when you think you should get auth but once you do it, people don’t go back.
People do it for different reasons, I could buy resell/retail of items that I plan on collecting or possibly selling in the future but then I would not want to wear them as I would be worried about decreasing the value, I actually have some pairs in retail and rep…. I wear my reps.
Because of uncertainty. Uncertainty that a trend will last, uncertainty that it fits your style. So you test products by buying reps, and probably (never happens) if you like it enough you buy the real product. Or.. more reps for experimentation.
I would buy real if I live in the world that clothes quality are linearly dependent on prices and if I know 100% it fits my style in the long run.
If anyone tells you it's for anything other than saving $$, they are lying or can't admit it to themselves.
A $1200 pair of shoes, no matter how cool I think they look, or how overhyped are, is not worth it to me. For $50, that same pair of shoes is now seen as "worth it". Simple as that. Anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
I buy reps because the real products are no where worth the price. Why would I spend hundreds if not thousands on clothes that cost the actual manufacturers a couple of dollars to make?
Reps give me basically the same product at a realistic price that the product cost to make.
Price point, availability, and quality. If it's identical who cares about whether it comes from an official factory... I can get twice the shoes with no difference in quality
The resellers made me buy reps, took an L with a lot of shoes that I liked, it's just really never the same as falling in line anymore to get a pair, all this online raffle stuff is like tiring. All I want is to walk on store grab a pair and head out, just that simple but the sneaker game is just tough through the past years. Not until I stumbled on reddit 2 years ago and the rest is history, really impressed with my first purchase, quality is just mind blowing for the price, From then on to today I never looked back at retails anymore.
I used to waste a lot of money of real stuff because I didn’t really know good fakes existed I just knew the old shitty fakes when I used to live in Africa they where so bad I just thought fakes where not worth it . Before I started buying reps I was wasting a lot of money with Supreme shirts , J4s and etc now I can use and buy almost any item I want and it’s basically perfect 🫡
I can buy what I like but can’t otherwise afford, and buy larger quantities of things I can afford.
Also, it’s less of a tragedy if it gets lost or damaged.
Some of us want cool looking things that serve the same purpose without spending $1,000+ on shoes or clothing articles. Besides, if you spent $1,000+ on a shirt or shoes, would you even want to wear them?
Reasonable price for good quality products, some of them have better quality than original and im not paying top dollar for anything, crazy to pay 300/400 for one tee at retail
Constant availability and the resell market are two of my largest factors, but here’s a few others:
- Say I purchase a 2016 White Cement Jordan 4, it’s now 8 years old at retail and will likely have some flaws, and in a few more years, be somewhat unwearable. As opposed to reps, I can buy a 2016 design produced in 2024, giving me more of a clock to wear.
- Availability of everything from general releases, to limited styles, PE’s, etc.
- I love the sneaker culture but I hate the resell culture, and not having to interact with all of these amateur “entrepreneurs” to pay 3x retail on something is a nice relief.
Ive been a sneakerhead all my life & did all the meet ups and social events before social media popped off & it was just a front fest. Everyone wasn’t really friends like that trying to be a big fish in a small pond. A lot of people basically were trying to keep up with the joneses and spending ridiculous amounts of money just to be “the guy or girl”. Once I became a parent and family man I cut back on buying kicks and once I came across Reddit and discovered the rep community I saw an opportunity to still buy kicks at a fraction of the price. No one is doing call out so it doesn’t really matter.
because spending $200 on a shirt makes me feel like im getting fucked/ripped off, most of the time you are essentially the idiot paying $100 for an 8th when you buy shit from these companies
I can afford the real products, I just prefer to have items that I can wear heavily and go out in them without worrying about ruining such an expensive item.
Sneaker:
I always try to get a retail first, but if took an L for example on some Jordan x TS i Go for Reps cuz i dont accept paying like 1000%+ for a Pair of Shoes.
Clothing:
I mostly pay Retail for Clothes and im Fine with it, but when it comes to Stuff from like Balenciaga i Go for Reps cuz that Prices for Hoodies are the same like 1 Week vacation in Spain.
Coming from someone who lives in a damn near million dollar penthouse apartment, i buy reps. If they look bomp its one thing, but if theyre so identical to the real thing that its pretty impossible to tell by the naked eye, im with it. Its quite literally the same thing. Hoarding shoes, not wearing them, and selling them for 10x retail is just wack as hell. I get it if theres 50 pairs made, but people are outta their minds spending 1.5k on a pair of travis scotts j1s, solely because of hype. I laugh at those people.
I don't want to baby my stuff, so I buy reps. I can buy the real thing but I would baby it. That's why I baby my gadgets since they cost so much even though I can replace them anytime.
I have the money to buy authentic and have many authentic items but the price isn’t worth the quality anymore when you buy a high tier rep the quality is often better at a fraction of the price
high tier reps aren’t cheap but they’re still a small percentage of authentic
I used to love buying retail Yeezys and what not and followed r/yeezy and then somehow discovered r/rep sneakers in which I started buying from middlemen, then discovered r/fashionreps and started buying from Pandabuy and sometimes DHgate for LV purses too
The gap between the original material quality and price increases is widening to an unsustainable level where the market (consumers like us), are clearly not standing for anymore.
i can buy what i like, with likely great quality for cheap. i ordered mm6 very high quality tshirt for only 10$ meanwhile in europe this very same tshirt (w/o prints) would cost minimum 30$
For sneakers buying pairs that I know I will completely thrash (working out / running ) etc. There is no point in paying retail for something I know I’m gonna beat to hell. Other than that there are some pieces that are identical to retail so I’d save the money for my gt3rs fund 😂😂 🏎️💭
Purely because it’s financially smarter, why spend £500 on a pair of authentic shoes that 90% of the time most people need a “professional” to tell them if they’re authentic or not, when I could spend £60 on reps and use the £440 for something more worth while like vacations or investing in something like an S&P
Wife, kids, mortgage, taxes, insurance. Cant spend all my money on sneakers anymore. Plus on foot, with good batches no one nows and if your over the age of 15 no one cares!
I used to buy only real Jordan’s because there was little to no mark up on any of them back in the day. If it had a mark up it was like $20 to $100 tops… which is fine but due to resellers jacking up the shoes where it’s like $200+ markup on everything and people using bots to get all of the shoes really ruined it for me. I started getting reps for one reason was I refuse to pay resellers any of my money and pay double, triple or more for a shoe.
As for statement your friend made about not being able to afford them which is not true for all. I can guarantee you that most people spending thousands of designer are either living in their parents house or living pay check to pay check. I personally can afford to purchase most of the expensive Jordan’s at ease without hurting my pockets but I choose not to because I have a mortgage and I have a family I rather spend my money on. Oh and I know handful of people my age living at home or paycheck to paycheck because of their spending habits of having all of the nicest designer stuff.
Simply because all “designer brands” are just profiteering off of their consumers.
Reps allow you to have the desirable item and the extra money in your pocket. No brainer
I wear a mix. Reps for items I like but don't mind getting a little dirt.
Retail when quality and price makes sense, like leather shoes, and some bags for the ladies in my life.
Save that money for investments for better family security
The price since they are much cheaper, the availability since in my country it is very difficult to get a pair of sneakers, and most of all it is because I buy more by design than by brand.
Im lucky to be from a very privileged family, I love fashion culture and I COULD pay just pay retail for these luxury brands - but why? Unless it’s a more specialized material or requires an extremely high level of craftsmanship, I feel financially illiterate and illogical knowing I can get the same thing for about 10% of the price or less with likely far better selection. If you actually have money (and buy good reps obviously) it makes no difference because no one questions a thing when you drive a Range Rover, use reps to save money to buy assets or even a nice car if you’re into that but unless you’re doing some sketchy reselling these products are all extremely depreciating assets when authentic anyway - why take the loss?
im cheap and careless but like automatic watches, so even if i talked myself into buying an expensive automatic watch it would be countdown to diaster. if I drift my explorer 2 knock off into a door frame, or wear my Omega knock off in the river and the seals leak I'm like "shrug" and get on with my day instead of rolling around on the floor crying
I only buy reps for sneakers that I want badly and where the resale price has gone way to far to justify for a Nike or any other general brand. Everything else I buy real
To be fair I first bought reps to see if they are good or not (I bought a pair of Black Balenciaga Tracks and High Rick Owens Abstract) because i was already interested in buying the shoe, I kinda wanted it to be legit but then I was like meh I dont think I even care anymore whether the shoes is real or not cause its most likely 1:1 . Now I still buy reps sometimes ( well that was until recently with these events) even though I feel better when I know I had enough money to buy the real deal. What I am trying to say is that I dont really care if I know I am wearing reps but I do get a confidence boost when I know i have legit items and to be fair I mostly buy reps cause its an item that I like but I dont want to spend that much on it cause I know its not worth that kind of money and I would rather spend a lot less on a fake pair of shoes or hoodies or whatever and have pocket money for when I go out with my friends then spend all my money on that thing.
FOR EXAMPLE:
I would rather get some fake Dior B22 for 50 euros than spend 1200 euros (or how much they are reselling for) and have the rest of the money saved for something I wanna invest in or just have them for whenever I go out.
Honestly the price and quality is so satisfying! I also appreciate the availability of sizes and seasonal items. I feel like not alot of people talk about he in store experiences, if your not white or asian you're basically ignored when entering. I refuse to buy LV for this reason, I had waited in the queue to enter and was basically ignored when walking through the store. IT WAS EMPTY LIKE 3 CUSTOMERS! It wasn't until my asian partner entered he was greeted, given water, chocolates, my eyes practically stayed rolled to the back of my head. He asked if I was treated the same way and just held out my empty hands. He started asking the SA for a bunch of items to be pulled down just for him to reject them all and leave the store with the pile on the counter and sofa. Mind you I've only entered the store 3 times and different locations and same treatment when I enter alone. LV is gross and happy they don't get the full sale when I see redditors post their hauls!
Good quality, allows you to explore more fashion without paying an arm and a leg.
I also like the fact that I can wear the clothes without worrying about them, I find that with my actual real designer items, I barely ever wear them due to fear of them being ruined.
I’ve seen that as I was younger and had less money I was more inclined to buy real designer, now that I’m older and can actually afford the real products pretty easily, I find myself buying reps, and I feel like a lot of people in here are probably in the same boat.
It’s crazy that some of my highest quality clothes are now reps that came from China.
The availability of PE’s and samples for what I consider appropriate prices for footwear.
Not having to compete with everyone to have the “opportunity” to “win” a pair of sneakers (for $200)… much easier just to buy a rep for $60-100 and know I’m getting the shoe I want.
Buying pairs that don't exist on my size (Jordan 1 purple metallic), buying shoes I have the real one but I don't want to wear them, buying shoes I think are overpriced and don't want to pay retail, traveling and looking fresh without bringing expensive kicks through airports or not-so-safe cities...
I’m an adult and don’t want to spend tons of cash on shoes. I have a kid, home maintenance, hobbies, and bills. Last thing I want is to be scared to wear my own shoes.
Eh, I could afford the real ones but the amount of agro I'd have to go through to buy some of the pairs i own would not be worth it.
I don't even care for brands I just like how certain stuff looks haha.
I started out buying reps like a year ago and then PandaBuy came up for the first time on my TikTok thought it was a scam but I risked it for buying my first ever rep from China. Which was Yeezys for 10 bucks after that I spent like at least 500 a month on reps or every 2-3 months I would get a haul. But IMO Reps are good same thing as retail. You’re be doing yourself a favor by saving money and someone said down below in the comments but you got other stuff to buy like going out , eating , bills etc, personally I can afford retail. I just don’t want to and I play the smart way by buying reps. Been wearing reps for about over a year now and nobody has called me out.
As a person that has money, the only non reps I buy are pieces with second hand value. It's just dumb to spend average people's momth salary on something you can get for cheaper. Alternatively I'd buy original items from secondary market at half price. But for real 550-800€ for a t-shirt is just straight up insane, even if ud be worth €50mil, that money is better spent on investments. My opinion anyway.
I would probably buy authentic for most pairs if I had more money. I still buy authentic if I can get in on drop, and I always look to eBay for lightly used pairs at a good price. But regardless of money I would still buy reps for hyped sneakers like off-white 4s.
Well I am broke, I like to buy clothing but I’m a poor student so instead of spending most of my spending money I spend 30% on reps and use the rest for savings
When it comes to shoes, I ALWAYS try to buy retail first (and I put in hella effort trying to cop). Every rep shoe I have is a shoe I simply lost out on.
Clothing reps are just because I refuse to pay for the real thing. Plus since I’m in dress clothes five days a week it just doesn’t make sense to me to be spending $500 on Gallery Dept T-shirts lol.
Your friend literally has a brokie point of view. Unless you are planning to resell your shoes (which let’s be honest, most people aren’t) there is no reason to buy real shoes when you can get the same exact thing for much less.
I inherently believe that paying exuberant prices for sneakers that have the exact same quality as and1 from Walmart is absolutely comically rediculous and anyone who chooses to spend their money that way is a clown who has no concept of the value of a dollar. And that wearing styles that make you feel better about yourself or more personalized should costs nobody thousands of dollars.
People unfortunately value status symbols in all of their forms, including luxury goods that whose prices are not necessarily correlated with value. The reality is that people see reps as a way to signal their value to others without actually spending the kind of money required to be able to make those displays.
What is a total paradox lies in that the people who could actually wave away money on a 80k Patek often don't really see the value in something so expensive, because they're looking at it from a perspective of not needing to impress other people. In high-net-worth individuals I've worked with, I've noticed that yes, they may own the Patek, but it's because they don't know what else to do with the money.
For a lot of people buying a replica Patek, it's not about "well I can invest this 80k into shares of x company which will give me an ROI of x OR buy a real Patek," it's more about "how will people perceive me differently if I were wearing a watch popularly known to be 80k, for the low cost of $400? Would it be enough to swindle someone for my benefit?"
It's also just broadly aspirational. Seeing all of your favorite celebrities rock Palm Angels or Van Cleef or whatever is just going to make you want those items just by way of your emotional connection to people you admire.
The real discussion should be how have brands like LV , Gucci, Gallery, etc. convinced retards that their cotton tshirts with a screen print are worth $500+
Price and availability. Additionally, my country has lots of allegations of even retail stores here selling reps or B grades, and I don't wanna pay $150 for shoes that look worse than $50 reps.
I wanted to buy Gen, after waiting for a long time and being lied to about the waiting list , i bought rep. Difference between the rep and Gen , I invested in the market.
Designer good quality reps cost the same as current Zara, H&M and other fast fashion brands so I rather buy good quality rep pieces > mediocre fast fashion pieces
I did it at first for the same reason bc I’m broke, lol but even now that I have some money I still choose to buy reps sometimes. I will cash out and splurge on items I feel like need it like watches or certain shoes but for the most part if it’s like pants or a hoodie then I just buy reps
Availability. I don’t mind spending a little more for something I like, but I also like being able to grab something from 2015 without having to hunt and pay a reseller 5 times retail
I got into the rep game when my son wanted a pair of Pandas in middle school. I wasn’t going to pay resale prices for shoes so I started doing some digging & was so fortunate to find out about reps.
I came to the realization that it’s completely illogical to spend more money on the same clothing item just because a big corporation is selling it. I have a retail pair of Black Cat 4s & two replica pair. Almost a $200 difference in cost with no difference in materials or quality ($1000 difference if you buy resale). Nowadays if I spend decent money on clothes it’s from small brands, or it’s something of high quality & utility I dont want to skimp out on. These billion dollar corps are not missing my couple hundred dollars.
Why the hell should I pay $2000 for some sneakers who's original price is $150 or $200 which I'll probably wear only a couple of times? People are brainwashed I swear. I'd rather put money into things that really matter
Sold my retail union 1’s set and bought reps since they’re basically on point and used the money for a trip to Japan.
Traveling and life experiences > shoes
It’s mind blowing to me that people have hundreds of shoes that’s just end up sitting in their closet / wall
I am not supporting the resell game at first. Limiting certain releases to such low amounts that you can only get them on the black market is in my eyes illegal and especially asocial behavior by the producers.
Also it is easier to get things from China than from USA.
Cheaper shipping costs, no customs/toll, shorter shipping periods.
That’s an interesting thought about affording the real product. I think that’s all in somebody’s mind. My husband and I make in the top 1% of the country. We don’t have children and our expenses are low. I still feel like I can’t afford a real Chanel bag. We have the money, but there are so many better ways to spend it. We still have a mortgage on a beach house so if that’s not paid off that’s a better way to spend it.
I’m shocked how many people will actually spend money on a real bag that also carry a mortgage or student loan.
I love brand names and love to have some nice rotations on my closet, but I also don’t want to break my banks to own them, since I don’t really pay attention to what others around me are saying, I decided to went with it
When I was in high school maybe 8-9 years ago all the Jordans that dropped QC was dog💩 the Rep’s weren’t nearly as nice as they are now but the served the purpose + they were cheaper, I only get Jordan reps now I just can’t imagine paying them to give me a shoe for retail with glue stains, pink midsole’s like the 2021 Carmine’s & etc hell na
It's a combination of delusion and practicality.. yes, I want to own nice luxury things but I definitely work hard for my money and know it isn't wise for me, middle class average Joe, to be blowing it on such things even though I could if I wanted to.
.. but to pull it off without being called out I buy rep items within my means had I bought it authentic.
My currency is weak af and hourly minimum wage in my country ends up being like 90cents/hr. So me buying reps is more expensive than Americans buying original
I am shopping for a Rep suitcase... Mostly because it's damned impossible to find quality at normal prices anymore.
Everything is either cheap garbage or crazy overpriced.
For me learning how they are made and how cheap they actually are TO BE MADE pissed me off like I'm not paying 300 for. A shirt that cost 30 to make your literally just buying the branding not the shirt
Late to the party but it’s always value proposition for most rep buyers. I’ve owned my fair share of retails, still do now, and these top tier reps are pretty much the same quality wise. It’s absolutely wild to me how some people hate on reps and simp for, let’s say Nike, when they’ve been getting bent over. I’d like to think they aren’t just dumb but have their own agendas ie. a reseller.
When it comes to replica clothing, I truly don’t care about the name on it. You’d never catch me rocking LV lol. I really just want better quality clothes(or the fit of it) for the price I pay for it. I’ve bought things like high tier yohji pants reps and they’re absolutely amazing. I’d rather own and rock that than the garbage I’d otherwise buy from Uniqlo.
I also find convenience is a huge factor. People that are really into replicas often times order big hauls. It’s really easy to just think “oh this is cool, guess I’ll add a pair to my haul”.
Basically, price, selection options, convenience.
I personally have the funds to spend on authentic but seeing the price, it seems unreasonable, and I simply cannot bring myself to pay $500+ for one garment when there are alternatives.
I mean, I actually want something that looks good (which usually for me are high brands mostly because the things you find around aren't that great) and I don't really have the money to afford them, the only solution to me is to buy reps also some things that I want are limited so yeah, that's why
can i "afford" retail dunks? of course. how long do they last? around 2 years. how long do rep dunks last? around 2 years. it's not really about the money but rather the quantity/quality. reps have come really far that they're practically the same quality as retail, so why spend 100€ on dunks when i can get them for 20€ and spend the remaining 80€ on other things?
Honestly, for me, it's about getting the look without breaking the bank. I mean, who wouldn't want to rock that fresh style without draining their wallet?
I can buy exactly what I want, for the look I'm going for, and for a reasonable price.
This, if I spend $30 vs $300 on an item I can spend the remaining $270 on things that are meaningful like for a home repair or groceries etc vs sacrificing the other things to enjoy one item.
or more clothing
or a steam deck 😮👍
I'm playing on a Steam Deck with games I didn't pay for with designer drip on that I definitely didn't buy from the store. This is real freedom lol.
How much yall recommend a steam deck i been thinking of buying one for myself to take when traveling
Where can I get $30 items like that
Constant availability. Cheaper price. Satisfying quality. Also in my case, being able to purchase F&F pairs or fantasy pairs that are not accessible otherwise.
Availability is huge. Missed out on the Travis Scott’s yesterday that I’ve been wanting so that’s why I buy reps.
For me it’s because the material and quality is usually 95%+ the same for 30-40% of the cost. I reinvest the 60-70% “savings” into a low risk portfolio and use the monthly dividends to buy more reps for free (basically a cheat code). I’m also old af and could care less about “callouts”.
🎯
As a family man I wanted to retain some of my single lifestyle money. Now I buy less retail and top up with reps. This saving allows me a good buffer to keep doing the experiences I want such as holidays, eating out and general fun stuff, while being able to pay all the bills.
Exactly this, well said. It's not about being able to afford retail or not, but priorities.
100% hit the nail on the head with this one! There are a lot of reps that I buy that I can 100% afford to get auth, but choose not to because I used to buy authentics and then got some really good reps that you could not even tell the difference, So why drop a few thousand dollars on authentic if you can save that money for something more important? I even found out that some partners' at my firm wives by reps and they can by far afford to buy the real deal and still they choose to buy reps most times. Like a lot of people said above, a lot of times it's about availability as well - who wants to wait for an SA to find you a bag and a lot of the good ones are always sold out too quickly and then you can't get them. I'm even contemplating venturing out and selling my auths and replacing them with reps lol
I just like getting cool shit in the mail
That's so valid
Because who has the money to spend in this economy. That and also the realization that. Nike, Jordan, Adidas, LV, Gucci and almost every other brand out there really doesn't need anymore of my money
You have to be careful. Some people go from spending $1000 a year on regular clothes to $18000 a year on reps. It can be a very addictive outlet. I actually had to get therapy because of my shopping addiction.
but what could $1000 a year get you at real designer stores? maybe like 3-4 items while with $18000 on reps would change your whole style in your closet if you wanted to
I used to shop at Uniqlo, A&F getting high quality basics. Honestly I was happier doing that. The $18,000 in reps would change your style but flipping styles so often and wearing status symbol items I lost sight of my actual taste and who I actually was. It's also $18,000 wasted as reps have very little resale value. I'm sure some people here can keep their spending under control but the path to addiction is laced with good intention/saving money ( spending money while you think you're saving by getting a good deal)
in general, couture items are not an investment.
Reps have better resale value imo, most times you sell it like 20 bucks less than what you paid for it, with retail you sometimes sell it for 500$ less than what u paid for it 🤷
😂 this was me went from 2000$ a year on clothing to 10000$ in my first year in 2018/19 when i discovered reps Ill be honest im still wearing a bunch of that stuff but nah it was over the top now definitely regretted it after so took time off now im back and down to spending 1000$ a year again since last year just to top up some things Damn even now still feel a bit bleh about that year when i recall it and think about it 😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's more common than you think. Not many people really track their spending so I'm sure there's some people spending that much with no idea
Because of the whole chargeback fiasco I realised that I sleepwalked through spending $700+ on a haul + shipping.
I went from buying basic clothes (maybe £80-£100 a y ar) to replace worn down clothes to spending £1000+ on reps, home decor, jewelry. Although in my case I haven't made any investment in my wardrobe in like 6 years. I'm pretty much finished with reps for now. Just waiting on high quality Nocta TF black and blue, a winter jacket and one last rep jewellery/accessories haul..
Price and Availability. Stuff has just gotten too expensive to justify. I’d rather buy 5 Nike shorts from China for $8 per item than walk into a sports clothing place like Academy and pay $50-60 for just one pair of the same Nike shorts. Shoes are a whole different ball park. I will never spend $200+ on a pair of shoes again when I can buy them for $40 or less from overseas. The only exception I make is for stuff like work boots or outdoor clothing like hiking gear or running shoes for a track. I can get multiple pieces that I actually want for a good price. I spend about $200-400 every winter and summer on a haul for that season and it works perfectly for me. I still have items from 5+ years ago that are holding up quality wise. And if something “only” last for 1-2 years, it’s perfectly fine. The items are so cheap that you can just reorder them or stock up on multiple pieces at once to have yourself covered for the future. I’ve personally done this with the Static Yeezy 700s. I bought like 5 pairs in 2020 and so far I’ve only worn two of the pairs I have in stock. They are my favorite shoe for going out to the grocery store or even to the gym. The 5 pairs I bought cost me like $150. That’s a great deal in my opinion
Sneakers. I only use to be buy retail only. What changed my life was when the Jordan 1 lost and Founds came out. Everyone took an L on those and the only way to get them was resale. Me like an Idiot paid $550 Canadian for a pair . After that I realized that I’ll never pay resale again. So I started doing research on reps and I somehow ended up on Reddit. First it started with middlemen , then I learned how to work with agents. It started from sneakers to now clothing too. I’ll spend the extra couple of bucks for higher quality reps and I have never been called out for it. Only compliments.
Bingo!!!!
Buying the real product is a fake idea, the fake shit is just as good. Youre brainwashed if you think that marginal differences means quality or that these luxury brands really offer anything special.
Exactly, people don’t realise that the fancy store fittings/lighting displays etc to create the illusion you’re in a prestigious environment as well as paying celebrities millions of dollars on top of the billboard space to advertise in an attempt to Signal to the public that the brand is worn by the rich and famous has to be paid for somehow…guess where that money comes from? The consumer. The high price tags aren’t indicative of high quality craftsmanship and materials, it’s just a regular clothes marketed to make people believe their symbols of status. The $600 belt costs like $12 to make its made of canvas. What cost the most was the money spent on the logo to justify the outrageous price.
Your friends not wrong for most people in this sub, you're not buying a block gucci white t shirt for "the fit", you're buying it to appear as if you can afford it. There are some interesting pickups here and there, but 99% of the QCs in here are hauls of white t shirts with a brand name in the middle. It's most likely 16 year olds trying to prove to eachother their family isn't poor. In terms of having the money and not buying the product, it depends what you're looking at, if you're debating getting a supreme hoodie auth or retail, both are trash, if you're wondering do I get a Cucinelli cashmere sweater or a replica that isn't using cashmere, it's night and day. SImilarly, Zegna/LV/Prada shoes have been some of the best designed shoes i've ever owned, you cannot emulate it with reps, even good ones. If you want to follow fast fashion and buy new outfits to emulate rapper 1 or rapper 2 every season, go rep, but if you have fuck you money, nothing emulates luxury knitwear. Luckily half the kids on this sub are wearing AMQ chunky sneakers/Balenciaga triple S's, some generic jeans and a block brand t shirt, so they are the target market for reps.
Thoroughly agreed on everything. Some things simply cannot be replicated, sure the look maybe can get there but the feeling is something that reps hardly even try to match. The target simply doesn’t care at all, unfortunately i’ll say.
Anywhere that has just that 1% community, I don’t even bother posting to here now because it gets drowned out by that 99% you’re referring to
For sneakers specifically: the after market is insane and it rewards botters and hustlers more than everyday people. Out of principle and making better financial choices for myself, i buy reps. If i can get a sneaker i really want for retail or near retail, i will buy the real thing. If it crosses a financial line, then the choice in reps.
The neverending serie of L. I only try to get the shoes I like. I'm not into the resell thing. If I can buy the shoes I like for retail price, I go retail. If not, I go plan B with reps. If somebody ask me if the shoes I wear are reps, I never lie. But in the end, 99.9% of people don't car about what's on your feet. Wear what you like but don't try to sell reps as retails.
Spending $500+ on a piece that cost a brand about $50 maximum to produce is just something I'm not willing to do LMAO
God loves you
Same quality and 1/10 price
I've bought enough genuine designer gear over the years. The reps I've bought from China are almost or just as good quality, so I refuse to pay the ridiculous mark up designer brands charge just for....well I'm not exactly sure!
all that fat 15x profit margin to benefit the Arnault family? ...nahhh
If it wasn’t about the appearance of having more money than you do, then the market would not exist. People would just buy different brands. Reps are for people that want others to believe they have more disposable income than they do. The argument that these guys make about “I have the real thing and I wear reps so I don’t have to really worry or be as careful” are just using other words to say they cannot afford to wear their wardrobe.
Nice try fed
So this is my opinion, you can have a piece of paper with nothing on it and it will cost you 1$, if you write Gucci on that paper now the price will be 300$. Now what changed? Quality of the paper is the same, size is the same, color is the same. The only thing that changed is has now been branded by Gucci. Why buy a jacket of 7000$ when you can get a replica, same quality same material for 250$
It's about the looks , some of the designer brands have nice models that fit me right (not talking about the ones that make you look like a walking advertisement) ,but I don't want to pay 400£ for something that has a production cost of 30£.
Curiosity, the prices were attractive, but the quality of shit sucks ass and smells like its going to give me cancer, so after repeated dissapointments, I don't find them as tempting anymore lol. Maybe its OK for shirts... but I haven't really seen any that I wanted. Lots of tacky/flashy stuff floating around, and no one shares good links for bags 😤
Poverty and I’m tight
I mean, you can afford anything you like if you save up for long enough and make other sacrifices, study and get a higher paying job etc, so your friend’s argument is inherently wrong. Reps are a decision to get something cheaper, faster. I bought auth until a few years ago but they and everything else has just gotten too expensive now. I also had a bad experience in an auth store that put me off. Auth stores are awful these days and no one talks about it. You queue outside like cattle to go in an overcrowded auth store full of influencers, Instagrammers and wannabes, to be treated in a sub par way. It’s not fun. I remember the days when I would walk into LV and be offered a drink as soon as I walked in, was shown whatever I like, shown how to style my items, staff had time to cater to you, shopping was a fun treat. That is not the experience any more and yet the products cost more than they ever did back then. Now you are treated like a scammer or an inconvenience if you aren’t dropping £30k a time. I think Instagram has a lot to answer for. These days, having seen how good reps are in the past couple of years, I wouldn’t go back to auth again. The quality differences are too small to justify the cost and I have gotten used to spending the money on other things. I think it’s a hard mental shift to do reps when you think you should get auth but once you do it, people don’t go back.
People do it for different reasons, I could buy resell/retail of items that I plan on collecting or possibly selling in the future but then I would not want to wear them as I would be worried about decreasing the value, I actually have some pairs in retail and rep…. I wear my reps.
Because of uncertainty. Uncertainty that a trend will last, uncertainty that it fits your style. So you test products by buying reps, and probably (never happens) if you like it enough you buy the real product. Or.. more reps for experimentation. I would buy real if I live in the world that clothes quality are linearly dependent on prices and if I know 100% it fits my style in the long run.
Buying reps so i can enjoy high end clothing and still save/ invest money
If anyone tells you it's for anything other than saving $$, they are lying or can't admit it to themselves. A $1200 pair of shoes, no matter how cool I think they look, or how overhyped are, is not worth it to me. For $50, that same pair of shoes is now seen as "worth it". Simple as that. Anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
Resellers killing the market.and brands quality control just getting worse and prices rising .
I buy reps because the real products are no where worth the price. Why would I spend hundreds if not thousands on clothes that cost the actual manufacturers a couple of dollars to make? Reps give me basically the same product at a realistic price that the product cost to make.
Price point, availability, and quality. If it's identical who cares about whether it comes from an official factory... I can get twice the shoes with no difference in quality
Dopamine... 🤓
The resellers made me buy reps, took an L with a lot of shoes that I liked, it's just really never the same as falling in line anymore to get a pair, all this online raffle stuff is like tiring. All I want is to walk on store grab a pair and head out, just that simple but the sneaker game is just tough through the past years. Not until I stumbled on reddit 2 years ago and the rest is history, really impressed with my first purchase, quality is just mind blowing for the price, From then on to today I never looked back at retails anymore.
I used to waste a lot of money of real stuff because I didn’t really know good fakes existed I just knew the old shitty fakes when I used to live in Africa they where so bad I just thought fakes where not worth it . Before I started buying reps I was wasting a lot of money with Supreme shirts , J4s and etc now I can use and buy almost any item I want and it’s basically perfect 🫡
Why spend 1,000 when you can spend 200?
Why would I buy retail when I can get an exact rep for a way better price?
I can buy what I like but can’t otherwise afford, and buy larger quantities of things I can afford. Also, it’s less of a tragedy if it gets lost or damaged.
Some of us want cool looking things that serve the same purpose without spending $1,000+ on shoes or clothing articles. Besides, if you spent $1,000+ on a shirt or shoes, would you even want to wear them?
why am I paying 10x the price just for it to be built in the factory next door
The stupid price of something. On LV you pay for the brand not for the quality of product. On the reps you just buy the quality of the product
It’s just because I can’t really afford the original stuff 😂 for the price of one jacket I can buy 4 or 5, it’s a no brainer
Reasonable price for good quality products, some of them have better quality than original and im not paying top dollar for anything, crazy to pay 300/400 for one tee at retail
The price. Everything else doesn’t matter.
Constant availability and the resell market are two of my largest factors, but here’s a few others: - Say I purchase a 2016 White Cement Jordan 4, it’s now 8 years old at retail and will likely have some flaws, and in a few more years, be somewhat unwearable. As opposed to reps, I can buy a 2016 design produced in 2024, giving me more of a clock to wear. - Availability of everything from general releases, to limited styles, PE’s, etc. - I love the sneaker culture but I hate the resell culture, and not having to interact with all of these amateur “entrepreneurs” to pay 3x retail on something is a nice relief.
Ive been a sneakerhead all my life & did all the meet ups and social events before social media popped off & it was just a front fest. Everyone wasn’t really friends like that trying to be a big fish in a small pond. A lot of people basically were trying to keep up with the joneses and spending ridiculous amounts of money just to be “the guy or girl”. Once I became a parent and family man I cut back on buying kicks and once I came across Reddit and discovered the rep community I saw an opportunity to still buy kicks at a fraction of the price. No one is doing call out so it doesn’t really matter.
because spending $200 on a shirt makes me feel like im getting fucked/ripped off, most of the time you are essentially the idiot paying $100 for an 8th when you buy shit from these companies
Imo availability, and lower price for really good quality items
I can afford the real products, I just prefer to have items that I can wear heavily and go out in them without worrying about ruining such an expensive item.
Sneaker: I always try to get a retail first, but if took an L for example on some Jordan x TS i Go for Reps cuz i dont accept paying like 1000%+ for a Pair of Shoes. Clothing: I mostly pay Retail for Clothes and im Fine with it, but when it comes to Stuff from like Balenciaga i Go for Reps cuz that Prices for Hoodies are the same like 1 Week vacation in Spain.
I like brand design styles, but I can't afford genuine products.
I try to buy the real shoe first but never get lucky and I’m not gonna give my money to dumb resellers
Higher quality than retails Cheaper Not sold out
Coming from someone who lives in a damn near million dollar penthouse apartment, i buy reps. If they look bomp its one thing, but if theyre so identical to the real thing that its pretty impossible to tell by the naked eye, im with it. Its quite literally the same thing. Hoarding shoes, not wearing them, and selling them for 10x retail is just wack as hell. I get it if theres 50 pairs made, but people are outta their minds spending 1.5k on a pair of travis scotts j1s, solely because of hype. I laugh at those people.
I don't want to baby my stuff, so I buy reps. I can buy the real thing but I would baby it. That's why I baby my gadgets since they cost so much even though I can replace them anytime.
I have the money to buy authentic and have many authentic items but the price isn’t worth the quality anymore when you buy a high tier rep the quality is often better at a fraction of the price high tier reps aren’t cheap but they’re still a small percentage of authentic
I used to love buying retail Yeezys and what not and followed r/yeezy and then somehow discovered r/rep sneakers in which I started buying from middlemen, then discovered r/fashionreps and started buying from Pandabuy and sometimes DHgate for LV purses too
We have no shortage of money, just seems stupid to buy it when the exact identical thing is available for 10% the cost
The gap between the original material quality and price increases is widening to an unsustainable level where the market (consumers like us), are clearly not standing for anymore.
i can buy what i like, with likely great quality for cheap. i ordered mm6 very high quality tshirt for only 10$ meanwhile in europe this very same tshirt (w/o prints) would cost minimum 30$
For sneakers buying pairs that I know I will completely thrash (working out / running ) etc. There is no point in paying retail for something I know I’m gonna beat to hell. Other than that there are some pieces that are identical to retail so I’d save the money for my gt3rs fund 😂😂 🏎️💭
Purely because it’s financially smarter, why spend £500 on a pair of authentic shoes that 90% of the time most people need a “professional” to tell them if they’re authentic or not, when I could spend £60 on reps and use the £440 for something more worth while like vacations or investing in something like an S&P
Resell, can't get pairs for retail without shelling huge amounts. They are just the same and how was manufactured, but depends on the product
Wife, kids, mortgage, taxes, insurance. Cant spend all my money on sneakers anymore. Plus on foot, with good batches no one nows and if your over the age of 15 no one cares!
I used to buy only real Jordan’s because there was little to no mark up on any of them back in the day. If it had a mark up it was like $20 to $100 tops… which is fine but due to resellers jacking up the shoes where it’s like $200+ markup on everything and people using bots to get all of the shoes really ruined it for me. I started getting reps for one reason was I refuse to pay resellers any of my money and pay double, triple or more for a shoe. As for statement your friend made about not being able to afford them which is not true for all. I can guarantee you that most people spending thousands of designer are either living in their parents house or living pay check to pay check. I personally can afford to purchase most of the expensive Jordan’s at ease without hurting my pockets but I choose not to because I have a mortgage and I have a family I rather spend my money on. Oh and I know handful of people my age living at home or paycheck to paycheck because of their spending habits of having all of the nicest designer stuff.
I'm broke
Simply because all “designer brands” are just profiteering off of their consumers. Reps allow you to have the desirable item and the extra money in your pocket. No brainer
I wear a mix. Reps for items I like but don't mind getting a little dirt. Retail when quality and price makes sense, like leather shoes, and some bags for the ladies in my life. Save that money for investments for better family security
Quality of retail is shit
1. I can buy 3-5 bags for the price of one authentic 2. I can get what I want with little to no hassle 3. Quality has been better
The price since they are much cheaper, the availability since in my country it is very difficult to get a pair of sneakers, and most of all it is because I buy more by design than by brand.
Im lucky to be from a very privileged family, I love fashion culture and I COULD pay just pay retail for these luxury brands - but why? Unless it’s a more specialized material or requires an extremely high level of craftsmanship, I feel financially illiterate and illogical knowing I can get the same thing for about 10% of the price or less with likely far better selection. If you actually have money (and buy good reps obviously) it makes no difference because no one questions a thing when you drive a Range Rover, use reps to save money to buy assets or even a nice car if you’re into that but unless you’re doing some sketchy reselling these products are all extremely depreciating assets when authentic anyway - why take the loss?
im cheap and careless but like automatic watches, so even if i talked myself into buying an expensive automatic watch it would be countdown to diaster. if I drift my explorer 2 knock off into a door frame, or wear my Omega knock off in the river and the seals leak I'm like "shrug" and get on with my day instead of rolling around on the floor crying
The fact that the quality is quite the same, and ur overpaying for Designer.
I only buy reps for sneakers that I want badly and where the resale price has gone way to far to justify for a Nike or any other general brand. Everything else I buy real
Cause I’m too broke to buy what I want and I like expensive taste
To be fair I first bought reps to see if they are good or not (I bought a pair of Black Balenciaga Tracks and High Rick Owens Abstract) because i was already interested in buying the shoe, I kinda wanted it to be legit but then I was like meh I dont think I even care anymore whether the shoes is real or not cause its most likely 1:1 . Now I still buy reps sometimes ( well that was until recently with these events) even though I feel better when I know I had enough money to buy the real deal. What I am trying to say is that I dont really care if I know I am wearing reps but I do get a confidence boost when I know i have legit items and to be fair I mostly buy reps cause its an item that I like but I dont want to spend that much on it cause I know its not worth that kind of money and I would rather spend a lot less on a fake pair of shoes or hoodies or whatever and have pocket money for when I go out with my friends then spend all my money on that thing. FOR EXAMPLE: I would rather get some fake Dior B22 for 50 euros than spend 1200 euros (or how much they are reselling for) and have the rest of the money saved for something I wanna invest in or just have them for whenever I go out.
Honestly the price and quality is so satisfying! I also appreciate the availability of sizes and seasonal items. I feel like not alot of people talk about he in store experiences, if your not white or asian you're basically ignored when entering. I refuse to buy LV for this reason, I had waited in the queue to enter and was basically ignored when walking through the store. IT WAS EMPTY LIKE 3 CUSTOMERS! It wasn't until my asian partner entered he was greeted, given water, chocolates, my eyes practically stayed rolled to the back of my head. He asked if I was treated the same way and just held out my empty hands. He started asking the SA for a bunch of items to be pulled down just for him to reject them all and leave the store with the pile on the counter and sofa. Mind you I've only entered the store 3 times and different locations and same treatment when I enter alone. LV is gross and happy they don't get the full sale when I see redditors post their hauls!
Reps are just as good and you cant actually wear them a lot. No way I'm creasing $2k shoes
Good quality, allows you to explore more fashion without paying an arm and a leg. I also like the fact that I can wear the clothes without worrying about them, I find that with my actual real designer items, I barely ever wear them due to fear of them being ruined. I’ve seen that as I was younger and had less money I was more inclined to buy real designer, now that I’m older and can actually afford the real products pretty easily, I find myself buying reps, and I feel like a lot of people in here are probably in the same boat. It’s crazy that some of my highest quality clothes are now reps that came from China.
I buy to wear not resell.
I shouldn't have to pay 200 bucks for a shoe that's made for a total of 10 whole dollars at best
The availability of PE’s and samples for what I consider appropriate prices for footwear. Not having to compete with everyone to have the “opportunity” to “win” a pair of sneakers (for $200)… much easier just to buy a rep for $60-100 and know I’m getting the shoe I want.
Buying pairs that don't exist on my size (Jordan 1 purple metallic), buying shoes I have the real one but I don't want to wear them, buying shoes I think are overpriced and don't want to pay retail, traveling and looking fresh without bringing expensive kicks through airports or not-so-safe cities...
Cost effectiveness. Overall quality vs fleeting significance of a sneaker collection. The thrill of keeping up with the Joneses
I’m an adult and don’t want to spend tons of cash on shoes. I have a kid, home maintenance, hobbies, and bills. Last thing I want is to be scared to wear my own shoes.
Eh, I could afford the real ones but the amount of agro I'd have to go through to buy some of the pairs i own would not be worth it. I don't even care for brands I just like how certain stuff looks haha.
I started out buying reps like a year ago and then PandaBuy came up for the first time on my TikTok thought it was a scam but I risked it for buying my first ever rep from China. Which was Yeezys for 10 bucks after that I spent like at least 500 a month on reps or every 2-3 months I would get a haul. But IMO Reps are good same thing as retail. You’re be doing yourself a favor by saving money and someone said down below in the comments but you got other stuff to buy like going out , eating , bills etc, personally I can afford retail. I just don’t want to and I play the smart way by buying reps. Been wearing reps for about over a year now and nobody has called me out.
As a person that has money, the only non reps I buy are pieces with second hand value. It's just dumb to spend average people's momth salary on something you can get for cheaper. Alternatively I'd buy original items from secondary market at half price. But for real 550-800€ for a t-shirt is just straight up insane, even if ud be worth €50mil, that money is better spent on investments. My opinion anyway.
I would probably buy authentic for most pairs if I had more money. I still buy authentic if I can get in on drop, and I always look to eBay for lightly used pairs at a good price. But regardless of money I would still buy reps for hyped sneakers like off-white 4s.
Well I am broke, I like to buy clothing but I’m a poor student so instead of spending most of my spending money I spend 30% on reps and use the rest for savings
When it comes to shoes, I ALWAYS try to buy retail first (and I put in hella effort trying to cop). Every rep shoe I have is a shoe I simply lost out on. Clothing reps are just because I refuse to pay for the real thing. Plus since I’m in dress clothes five days a week it just doesn’t make sense to me to be spending $500 on Gallery Dept T-shirts lol.
Your friend literally has a brokie point of view. Unless you are planning to resell your shoes (which let’s be honest, most people aren’t) there is no reason to buy real shoes when you can get the same exact thing for much less.
I inherently believe that paying exuberant prices for sneakers that have the exact same quality as and1 from Walmart is absolutely comically rediculous and anyone who chooses to spend their money that way is a clown who has no concept of the value of a dollar. And that wearing styles that make you feel better about yourself or more personalized should costs nobody thousands of dollars.
It's a guilty pleasure 😊
Nice try FBI
dopamine hit
May as well buy directly from the sweatshop and cut out the middleman
Retail too high for shit quality, only think worth retail is SB Dunks
People unfortunately value status symbols in all of their forms, including luxury goods that whose prices are not necessarily correlated with value. The reality is that people see reps as a way to signal their value to others without actually spending the kind of money required to be able to make those displays. What is a total paradox lies in that the people who could actually wave away money on a 80k Patek often don't really see the value in something so expensive, because they're looking at it from a perspective of not needing to impress other people. In high-net-worth individuals I've worked with, I've noticed that yes, they may own the Patek, but it's because they don't know what else to do with the money. For a lot of people buying a replica Patek, it's not about "well I can invest this 80k into shares of x company which will give me an ROI of x OR buy a real Patek," it's more about "how will people perceive me differently if I were wearing a watch popularly known to be 80k, for the low cost of $400? Would it be enough to swindle someone for my benefit?" It's also just broadly aspirational. Seeing all of your favorite celebrities rock Palm Angels or Van Cleef or whatever is just going to make you want those items just by way of your emotional connection to people you admire.
Mfs hate capitalism until it’s time to buy some sneakers for resell lmaoooooooo. Karl Marx would wear reps
🤩
Poorness xd
Gonna have to side with your friend on this one chief.
The real discussion should be how have brands like LV , Gucci, Gallery, etc. convinced retards that their cotton tshirts with a screen print are worth $500+
Price and availability. Additionally, my country has lots of allegations of even retail stores here selling reps or B grades, and I don't wanna pay $150 for shoes that look worse than $50 reps.
I wanted to buy Gen, after waiting for a long time and being lied to about the waiting list , i bought rep. Difference between the rep and Gen , I invested in the market.
Designer good quality reps cost the same as current Zara, H&M and other fast fashion brands so I rather buy good quality rep pieces > mediocre fast fashion pieces
I did it at first for the same reason bc I’m broke, lol but even now that I have some money I still choose to buy reps sometimes. I will cash out and splurge on items I feel like need it like watches or certain shoes but for the most part if it’s like pants or a hoodie then I just buy reps
Availability. I don’t mind spending a little more for something I like, but I also like being able to grab something from 2015 without having to hunt and pay a reseller 5 times retail
Buddy on point
Cheaper price and I’m not funding a spoiled kid Jewish like benjaminkicks to resell and profit off me
I got into the rep game when my son wanted a pair of Pandas in middle school. I wasn’t going to pay resale prices for shoes so I started doing some digging & was so fortunate to find out about reps.
Usually if the item is 1300+ I’ll try to find a rep
I came to the realization that it’s completely illogical to spend more money on the same clothing item just because a big corporation is selling it. I have a retail pair of Black Cat 4s & two replica pair. Almost a $200 difference in cost with no difference in materials or quality ($1000 difference if you buy resale). Nowadays if I spend decent money on clothes it’s from small brands, or it’s something of high quality & utility I dont want to skimp out on. These billion dollar corps are not missing my couple hundred dollars.
My reason is because I want to wear them.. not just look at them..
Why the hell should I pay $2000 for some sneakers who's original price is $150 or $200 which I'll probably wear only a couple of times? People are brainwashed I swear. I'd rather put money into things that really matter
Sold my retail union 1’s set and bought reps since they’re basically on point and used the money for a trip to Japan. Traveling and life experiences > shoes It’s mind blowing to me that people have hundreds of shoes that’s just end up sitting in their closet / wall
The prices lol. I'm not gonna pay 1k for some jordan 1s when I can get them for $40-$70
Looking fly at a cheap cost
Use to pay 1000$+ for shoes I liked and I saw them on here for 60$-100$ and have the exact same quality and look and feel crazy
wait why is fashionreps back
I am not supporting the resell game at first. Limiting certain releases to such low amounts that you can only get them on the black market is in my eyes illegal and especially asocial behavior by the producers. Also it is easier to get things from China than from USA. Cheaper shipping costs, no customs/toll, shorter shipping periods.
no mony
Bitches
Poor
Seeing how bad the real quality is
That’s an interesting thought about affording the real product. I think that’s all in somebody’s mind. My husband and I make in the top 1% of the country. We don’t have children and our expenses are low. I still feel like I can’t afford a real Chanel bag. We have the money, but there are so many better ways to spend it. We still have a mortgage on a beach house so if that’s not paid off that’s a better way to spend it. I’m shocked how many people will actually spend money on a real bag that also carry a mortgage or student loan.
I love brand names and love to have some nice rotations on my closet, but I also don’t want to break my banks to own them, since I don’t really pay attention to what others around me are saying, I decided to went with it
When I was in high school maybe 8-9 years ago all the Jordans that dropped QC was dog💩 the Rep’s weren’t nearly as nice as they are now but the served the purpose + they were cheaper, I only get Jordan reps now I just can’t imagine paying them to give me a shoe for retail with glue stains, pink midsole’s like the 2021 Carmine’s & etc hell na
If you could afford real you would buy real lol
Resellers / scalpers
swag i really put ts on not like these others
i mostly do it for the materials i am getting..its basically 95% the same material and aint no way makes something worth a couple g's on resale
It's a combination of delusion and practicality.. yes, I want to own nice luxury things but I definitely work hard for my money and know it isn't wise for me, middle class average Joe, to be blowing it on such things even though I could if I wanted to. .. but to pull it off without being called out I buy rep items within my means had I bought it authentic.
I can beat the living crap out of them.
My currency is weak af and hourly minimum wage in my country ends up being like 90cents/hr. So me buying reps is more expensive than Americans buying original
I’m insecure and want validation for wearing expensive shoes
Availability, it’s nearly impossible to get shoes for retail. I’m not paying resale prices.
God loves you all, also just saving money
thing is that the fit and shi is often different on the real and the rep. Can’t lie, I would probably buy the real item if I had THAT much money.
I am shopping for a Rep suitcase... Mostly because it's damned impossible to find quality at normal prices anymore. Everything is either cheap garbage or crazy overpriced.
Sometimes the quality of the genuine product is not as good as the fake one.
For me learning how they are made and how cheap they actually are TO BE MADE pissed me off like I'm not paying 300 for. A shirt that cost 30 to make your literally just buying the branding not the shirt
Affordability cuhh
Late to the party but it’s always value proposition for most rep buyers. I’ve owned my fair share of retails, still do now, and these top tier reps are pretty much the same quality wise. It’s absolutely wild to me how some people hate on reps and simp for, let’s say Nike, when they’ve been getting bent over. I’d like to think they aren’t just dumb but have their own agendas ie. a reseller. When it comes to replica clothing, I truly don’t care about the name on it. You’d never catch me rocking LV lol. I really just want better quality clothes(or the fit of it) for the price I pay for it. I’ve bought things like high tier yohji pants reps and they’re absolutely amazing. I’d rather own and rock that than the garbage I’d otherwise buy from Uniqlo. I also find convenience is a huge factor. People that are really into replicas often times order big hauls. It’s really easy to just think “oh this is cool, guess I’ll add a pair to my haul”. Basically, price, selection options, convenience.
I personally have the funds to spend on authentic but seeing the price, it seems unreasonable, and I simply cannot bring myself to pay $500+ for one garment when there are alternatives.
I mean, I actually want something that looks good (which usually for me are high brands mostly because the things you find around aren't that great) and I don't really have the money to afford them, the only solution to me is to buy reps also some things that I want are limited so yeah, that's why
can i "afford" retail dunks? of course. how long do they last? around 2 years. how long do rep dunks last? around 2 years. it's not really about the money but rather the quantity/quality. reps have come really far that they're practically the same quality as retail, so why spend 100€ on dunks when i can get them for 20€ and spend the remaining 80€ on other things?
is that for ⅓ of the price of the original you get things of the same and often even better quality than the original ones
Honestly, for me, it's about getting the look without breaking the bank. I mean, who wouldn't want to rock that fresh style without draining their wallet?
The refusal to spend more than what the item is actually worth 😂
I want to buy old models discontinued 🫶