U.S. Customs seized over 300 counterfeit Bryce Harper Phillies jerseys headed to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware at the Port of Philadelphia.
Ever since he signed with the Phillies, Bryce Harper‘s jersey has been a hot-ticket item. When they first released, the Majestic Clubhouse Store at Citizens Bank Park quickly ran out of R’s to put on the jersey. He had the best-selling jersey in MLB since the start of the year.
Considering the $120 price tag just for the base level jersey and $284 price for the Authentic model, it’s no surprise that some fans may be looking for a way to save some money on a jersey. A standard method is to buy counterfeits from overseas, but that comes with its risks, as we learned Friday.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated in a news release Friday that they have seized 314 counterfeit Harper jerseys since Opening Day. These jerseys were taken under the agency’s Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program.
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These jerseys were destined for different addresses in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania from Hong Kong. Six packages, including one with 204 jerseys in it, were seized. Altogether, they are worth $44,040, or about $140 per jersey.
The agency stated counterfeit jerseys are made from below-standard fabrics that pose a safety hazard. They also claim counterfeits cut into revenue for teams and American jobs while funding “nefarious revenue schemes.”
Despite this, it’s easy to see why some buy these counterfeits. They are usually considerably cheaper than the models sold by the team and can be even less expensive when bought in bulk.
The price is then comparable with “shirseys” sold by the team often making it seem worth it. The obvious risk is them being confiscated, as we see with this announcement.
If you were looking forward to getting your Harper jersey sometime soon or were wondering why it hasn’t already gotten to you, now you know. If you were the one who ordered the package with over 200 of them, I guess you have a lot of disappointed fans on your hands.