Sneaker Binge News

The knockoff goods market is estimated to be valued at nearly $500 billion dollars per year, accounting for nearly 3.3% of all global trade with Nike being the most counterfeited brand. Although the United States Customs and Borders Protection has been trying to crack down on the number of fake goods that make it through customs, fake Nikes are still making it through US Customs at alarming rates.

These elaborate criminal operations import 100's of shipping containers at a time, with each shipping container capable of holding 10,000 pairs of shoes. These shipping containers come from China and reach ports in New York City and Los Angeles. Where they go from there is somewhat of a mystery but how can you be sure your sneakers are coming from a legitimate supplier and not one of these criminal enterprises. 

How Do The Fake Nikes Reach The United States?

First off, let's begin by clarifying who the main culprits are. These are not kids buying off Alibaba or some other UA website. Nor are the neighborhood hustlers selling the fake kicks out of the back trunk. These are large criminal operations, usually Chinese, with millions of dollars to buy hundreds of thousands of fake Nike sneakers.

Counterfeiting crews reportedly use slightly different versions of real company names to make it look like their shipping paperwork is legit. They open up email accounts, get burner phones, and make websites all with names close to the real company names. On the customs paperwork, they write down household items like glasses or fans instead of footwear and pack the shipping container full of shoes except for the first few rows which they pack with the household item hoping that a lazy worker only glances at the first few rows.

After the cargo goes through US customs, the 40-foot containers go to storage facilities instead of going to the address listed on the manifests. Once the fake sneakers make it to the warehouses in the United States they are broken down into smaller quantities to be sold.

Lebron James is in his 17th season in the NBA and continues to amaze fans by dominating the game for yet another decade (2010's). This 2019-2020 NBA season, Lebron James is playing in the Nike Lebron 17 highlighted by the largest heel Air Max unit on a Lebron James sneaker to date. 

The great-looking Nike Basketball sneaker was designed by Jason Petrie and has been well received by sneaker and basketball enthusiasts but how does the sneaker feel on foot while playing on a basketball court?  Below is a review of the Nike Lebron 17 with ratings, pros, cons, customer reviews, and videos. Is this the most comfortable Lebron sneaker to date?

LEBRON 17 DETAILS

• Men's US Retail: $200
• Material: Knitposite
• Outsole: Air Max
• Weight: 11.4 ounces

LEBRON 17 RATINGS

• Overall: 4.3
• Cushioning 5 out of 5
• Design: 4.5 out of 5
• Weight: 4 out of 5
• Traction 4 out of 5
• Support: 4.5 out of 5
• Breathability: 4 out of 5
• Durability: 4 out of 5

LEBRON 17 PROS

• Cushion: The largest heel Air Max bubble on a Nike Basketball sneaker to date and two air zoom pods in the forefront is perfect for absorbing impact while jumping
• Comfortable: Very comfortable to wear while playing due to cushion on the heel and forefront of the shoe
• Flexibility: Split in the rubber at the forefront of the shoe separating the right and left side of your foot with a large space between them that allows for maximum flexibility. 
• Lightweight: The knitposite on the upper part of the sneaker is incredibly leightweight for a durable basketball sneaker

LEBRON 17 CONS

• Outdoor Play: Not recommended for playing basketball outdoors due to the rubber outsole traction

• Pricing: The $200 retail price is expensive for a basketball sneaker

LEBRON 17 SIZING

The sizing on the Nike Lebron 17 is true to size and a wide foot-friendly.

LEBRON 17 CUSTOMER REVIEWS

LEBRON 17 VIDEOS 

Video by WearTesters

Video by The Sole Brothers

Having doubts about the authenticity of a pair of Nike Air Jordan 11 Retro Playoffs Bred 2019 and need a legit check? Follow this resourceful guide full of photos, videos, and notable differences that will help you determine whether a pair is 100% authentic or fake. 

Here are closeup photos of a 100% authentic pair of Nike Air Jordan 11 Retro Playoffs Bred 2019. This pair was purchased from Nike SNKRS App. Go through each photo and compare your pair to these. If you have any other suggestions on how to legit check a pair please comment below.

Here is a photo of the box. Take a close look at the fonts and boldness. Fakes are known to mess up the box labels. It should read:

AIR JORDAN 11 RETRO (bold font in caps)

BLACK/TRUE RED-WHITE

NOIR/BLANC/VRAI ROUGE

378037 061

Suggested Retail: $220

The inside of the box should have a round quality control sticker on the inside of the lid, yqm green sticker, and a blue stamp. Here is a photo of the stamp inside the lid. Fakes are known to not have quality control stickers or stamps or have stamps that look way different.

Here is a closeup of the right side of the sneaker.  Take note of the double stitching, the placement of the red-stitched Jumpman, and the widow's peak on the patent leather where the leather and mesh meet. Fakes are known to mess up the blocking on the side panel

Here is a photo of the toe cap. Take note of the translucent red part. You should be able to see through it enough to see the black patent leather behind the red toe box.

Here is a photo of the size tag. Please know that the production dates can vary. sz is written on the top right. Also take a close look at all of the wording which should read the exact same

here is a closeup of the bottom of the shoe and the carbon fiber. The carbon fiber on these are a different color than previous models. They almost look white and black. You should also see the carbon fiber under the red sole.

Jordan 11 back heel tab. Fakes are known to mess up the thickness of 23 and the shape of the back

Here is a photo of the top part of the shoe. There should be a widow's peak with the patent leather in the middle of the sneaker.

The red shoe tree turns bright orange when you shine a black light on it. Fakes shoe trees do not change that color.

Video and blacklight photo by Jacob Marcellus

Here, I present you the top 5 sneaker stores in New York City with photos inside the stores as well as some honorable mentions. Whether you are sneakerhead visiting NYC or just a local New Yorker, you must check out some of these stores.

At this point, you can pretty much crown NYC as the sneaker capital of the world. From consignment stores like Flight Club and Stadium Goods carrying any hype sneaker that you can think of, to Nike's innovative shopping experiences you can not get elsewhere, here in New York City you will find exactly what you are looking for and maybe even leave some of these stores inspired. I know I did. What sneaker stores do you like in NYC?

1. Flight Club NYC

Flight Club NYC is the best sneaker store in NYC and the world for that matter. The walls at FCNY are lined with shrink-wrapped sneakers. They are divided up into sections like Jordan, Air Max, Nike Basketball, Yeezy, Adidas, and more. Also, get a glimpse of the glass shrine case. All of the rarest sneakers are in there. Some prices in there fetch as high as $40,000 (Yikes). If you are looking to find a deal you are in the wrong place. Prices here are resell so they are high but you can find any shoe in any size and at least you know the sneakers are 100% authentic.

2. Nike Soho

Nike Soho is 5 stories with each floor being a different department. Definitely, spend some time on the first floor where you can create custom Nike ID products that are exclusive to the store. Also, make your way to the basketball department on the top floor. Here, you can try on a pair of the newest hooping shoes and go through a mini basketball workout wearing them at the basketball trial zone. 

3. Nike Flagship Store 5th Avenue

The Nike Flagship store is 68,000 square feet in the heart of NYC. Nike 5th Avenue is the newest Nike store in NYC. The previous Nike store on the prestigious 5th avenue was attached to Trump Towers. Maybe for political reasons Nike chose to move their store to a new location. Definitely check it out because they have some cool sneaker displays like the Nike Air Mag pictured above, a basketball court that you can play on, and some of the newest technology in the retail world. 

4. Stadium Goods

Stadium Goods in another consignment store just like Flight Club so you can expect more of the same thing. A huge selection of all the most exclusive sneakers like sold out Nike, Jordan PE's, Nike x Off White, Yeezy, Supreme, and more. Again, prices of the sneakers are high and the prices vary by size so make sure to ask a worker how much your size is. 

5. Kith NYC

Kith NYC rounds out the top 5 sneaker stores to visit in NYC. The design in the store is top-notch and the owner Ronnie Fieg is always collaborating with the biggest streetwear brands so you can find things in here that you can not find anywhere else. One of the bizarre things about Kith is the Kith Treats where you can buy ice cream and cereal inside the store. 

Honorable Mentions

Dover Street Market

Dover Stree Market or DSM is a luxury fashion store located near the Empire State Building. In here you are going to see luxury brands like Gucci, streetwear goliath Supreme (only place outside Supreme store to buy Supreme for retail), as well as some of the more exclusive Nike and Adidas shoes.

Urban Necessities 

SNS NYC - SneakersnStuff

Having doubts about the authenticity of a pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Sesame and need a legit check? Follow this resourceful guide full of photos, videos, and notable differences that will help you determine whether a pair is 100% authentic or fake. If you are spending a lot of money on the resell market make sure you are getting a legit pair! If you have any suggestions for determining if your pair is legit please write in the comments to help others out.

Below are photos of a 100% authentic pair Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Sesame purchased from Yeezysupply.com

• Here is a photo of the box and label
• The style code is F99710
• The colors are SESAME
• Fakes have been seen to not have the correct style, boldness, or size in the fonts

• Here is a photo of the back side panel and the bacl heel tab
• Stitching on the back heel tab has horizontal stitching in the middle. Fakes are known to be off centered
• Translucent outsole with a gum color on the back heel (5 ridges on this shoe)
• Take note of the thickness in the ridges on the midsole and stitching at the top of the sock liner

• The gum color on the toe should be solid not translucent 

• Size tag production date on this pair is 04/18 (note some production dates vary)
• Make sure the UPC number on the front of the box matches the UPC on the size tag
• Fakes are known to have different fonts and boldness and some UPC's do not match

• Here is a photo of the bottom of the shoe
• Key features to look at are the boost. These have circles made up of 4 vertical lines
• Fakes are known to mess up the boost material and the thickness of the boost font written on the bottom