Fanatics signs 10 year deal to be uniform supplier of NHL

FriendlyGhost92

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Jun 22, 2023
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Had my own "Fanatics Experience" today. Bought my brother a Seider jersey for Christmas. Opened it up to wrap it:

Reides.png
 

FriendlyGhost92

Registered User
Jun 22, 2023
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Wrap it anyway & see if he notices!

Already told him lol.

Story gets worse. When I contacted them to exchange, they have no large jerseys in Seider, Larkin, or Raymond. So essentially shit out of luck on Christmas.

They did give a 50% off coupon for up to $250. Too bad the Seider reverse retro autographed jersey was $265.

He may have to settle for an "NVECHKIO" jersey...
 

frightenedinmatenum2

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Sep 30, 2023
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im talking jerseys, the professional on ice ones, since thats the majority of my collection. The piping on RBK edges do suck but the jerseys are super comfy, stretchy and feel really nice to wear. As far as im concerned all replica jerseys suck.

Edge 1.0 jerseys are the most comfortable jerseys ever made.

I regret getting rid of my Sens home jersey because of it, and I don't even like the design.

Premiers were terrible. I would consider the Indo Adidas jerseys to be replicas by definition since the build+materials are not the same and "replicate" authentic jerseys. The quality is fine on them at the right price point. The late era CCM Canadian replicas were also very solid just before the moved them to Indonesia.

Had my own "Fanatics Experience" today. Bought my brother a Seider jersey for Christmas. Opened it up to wrap it:

View attachment 949466

If they let you keep the jersey for free, this is a reasonably easy fix with a seam ripper since it is only two letters.
 
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FriendlyGhost92

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Jun 22, 2023
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Miscustomizations happen with every jersey maker. Let's not act as if this is a fanatics exclusive thing.

Girlfriend ordered a Michigan hoodie for her step Dad and two weeks into the order was notified that it would no longer be in by Christmas. When she cancelled the order they tried docking $16 from her refund for a cancellation fee.

So that's two shit stories just for me in a matter of weeks regarding Fanatics.

You can make mistakes and still be a good company. It doesn't seem they are, which is why people immediately groaned when the NHL signed this deal.
 

Laus723

Graceful brutality
Sponsor
Jan 27, 2006
32,267
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Wellington, FL
Miscustomizations happen with every jersey maker. Let's not act as if this is a fanatics exclusive thing.
8 out of 10 t-shirts or polo I’ve purchased from Fanatics has been rubbish. Sleeves too short, logo crooked, over-sized overall, baggy in weird places. Thankfully, all of my Stanley Cup stuff has been good, but they’ve been so bad, my wife recognizes it and won’t get any of us anything clothing from the NHL until the deal is over.

I’ve seen better stuff from knock off companies.
 

TheTotalPackage

Registered User
Sep 14, 2006
7,684
6,070
To their credit, thank goodness the same manufacturer from all these years is still making the on-ice jerseys. They look fine as years past. Thankfully they didn't abominate them the way they did the MLB jerseys.

Their fan apparel remains awful though. I have ordered two similar items in the same size and there is absolutely no consistency in their products.
 

MoneyManny

Registered User
Jun 28, 2021
1,059
1,644
Why are people still buying junk from them? I'd rather have no jersey than subsidize this "official" product with knock off quality at premium prices.

I can hear the CEO cackle in my head for each transaction made. That kind of consumer disrespect is embarassing.

 
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Dr Pepper

Registered User
Dec 9, 2005
71,460
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Sunny Etobicoke
Already told him lol.

Story gets worse. When I contacted them to exchange, they have no large jerseys in Seider, Larkin, or Raymond. So essentially shit out of luck on Christmas.

They did give a 50% off coupon for up to $250. Too bad the Seider reverse retro autographed jersey was $265.

He may have to settle for an "NVECHKIO" jersey...

Looks like they already took care of the "reverse" part.

Honestly though, what a trainreck of a company. How could they botch things so consistently.
 

frightenedinmatenum2

Registered User
Sep 30, 2023
3,284
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Orange County Prison
Miscustomizations happen with every jersey maker. Let's not act as if this is a fanatics exclusive thing.

The context is completely different depending on if it was a factory customized jersey, or if it was a "pro-stitched" custom jersey that Fanatics either does in house or outsources to a partner (not sure what exactly their system is).

My guess is that this is a pre-made jersey. If it is one of the Indonesian ones (Premium), it was made in the same factory by the same people who did the Adidas "Authentic" line that Fanatics replaced with the Premium line.

Adidas always had wild quality control for that line. You'd open a bag that says one player, and it'd be a different player, or it would be blank. Or they would make a size 50 and label it as a 56, etc.

I don't know enough about the clothing industry to know if this is common with all manufacturers. But they clearly didn't catch mistakes.

The point is, if it is a factory customized jersey, this isn't strictly a Fanatics issue, Adidas had these same QC issues. Is that a good excuse? No. But the point is that the same issues from the same factories happened under Adidas.

If it is a Premium, and if they let him keep it for free, it's a really easy fix. Unless something has changed, they usually don't use adhesive beyond the stuff on the back of the twill, as in, it's not heavily glued. A dollar store seam ripper is enough to remove either the entire name, or just the wrong ones. If they think sewing the wrong letters in the right place is too difficult, most pro shops charge about $30 to just do a name - or they could strip the entire name and just leave it with only the number.
 
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frightenedinmatenum2

Registered User
Sep 30, 2023
3,284
3,758
Orange County Prison
Why are people still buying junk from them? I'd rather have no jersey than subsidize this "official" product with knock off quality at premium prices.

I can hear the CEO cackle in my head for each transaction made. That kind of consumer disrespect is embarassing.


Knockoffs look terrible.

If you have a crusade against Fanatics, the best solution would be to buy one of the many fantastic vintage jerseys, or Adidas Made In Canada jerseys that are now floating around the secondary market since teams cleared out their remaining stock the past few months.

The actual product offered by Fanatics right now is very similar to what was offered by Adidas. The jerseys that the players wear are made in the same factories as the Adidas jerseys were, and the "Premium" jerseys are made in the same Indonesian factories as the Adidas retail "authentic" jerseys were. They cannot use Adidas proprietary materials, so there are some changes to the jerseys. But in terms of the "Fanatics releases junk argument", if you were happy with the Adidas MiC jerseys (which most people couldn't get) or the Adidas retail authentic jerseys, they are the same product for now.

Which is also why most people should look to buy Adidas jerseys at a discount instead of Fanatics jerseys. Because to 99 percent of fans, they are the same thing, but the Adidas jerseys are available at half the price at some places. But that has nothing to do with Fanatics = Bad.

Found the fanatics exec

He is half correct. If this was a "pro stitched" or whatever they call it order that they outsourced or did in house, then a mistake like this would be a big deal for that kind of product.

If this was an Indonesian made Premium jersey, he is factually correct. They are made in the same factories as Adidas were. I can tell you 100 percent, Adidas had similar QC issues. Obviously, there is no way for me to know if there are more or less issues with Fanatics - but it is the same factory that has had the same issues in the past. IE, if you ever buy a pre-customized jersey, always open the sealed bag before gifting it, you may be in for a surprise when your jersey is a different player, or blank entirely. (Adidas or Fanatics)
 

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