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Why does nobody talk about NJPW's weird merch prices?
I dropped $85 on a Kazuchika Okada shirt at a live show last year and the print started peeling after two washes. Meanwhile my buddy got a knockoff from a stall outside the venue for $15 and it's still holding up after a year. Are we just paying for the privilege of being ripped off at these events or what?
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mila_reed11d ago
Honestly, that $85 Okada shirt peeling after two washes is brutal but it fits a bigger pattern I see everywhere now. Ngl, I noticed this same thing with concert merchandise and even sneaker drops where the quality is just not matching the hype or the price tag. Tbh, brands know they can lean on the "official" label and the scarcity of being there live to make people pay extra for something that's basically the same as a basic t-shirt from a discount store. It's like how fast food meals cost almost the same as a decent sit-down dinner now, you're paying for convenience and the memory rather than the actual product. People stop asking questions because they want to believe the expensive thing is better, but it usually just helps the company cut corners on fabric and printing while keeping the profit high. So yeah, your friend with the bootleg shirt might actually be the smart one in this situation.
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rosel8311d ago
Start by saying no offense @mila_reed but I gotta push back here. People compare bootlegs to official merch like they're the same product but they're not. A bootleg shirt might look fine at first but the print can crack after one wash too plus you got zero recourse if it falls apart. Official merch at least has some quality control even if it's not perfect. Also calling $85 a rip off ignores that a lot of that price goes to paying the artist not just the shirt itself. Bands make most of their money from touring and merch these days not album sales. Skimping on a bootleg might save you $40 today but it means less money goes to the people who actually made the music you like. So yeah the official shirt might peel but at least you know your money went somewhere that matters.
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