Busted.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia have announced they've seized 314 counterfeit Bryce Harper jerseys, which, if sold at their full price, would total more than $44,000. Let's be real, though, these were probably listed for $20 apiece online.
The press release says that six shipments of Harper - or perhaps a few said Haprer or Harpr - jerseys were en route from Hong Kong to addresses in the tri-state area.
Am I shocked? Of course not. Harper jerseys are the hottest item in Philadelphia fashion this spring and were bought, legally, in record numbers when the then-free agent signed his mega contract. There are, however, a few things to consider here.
The first, which I actually didn't know, is that the CBP warns against "dangerously flammable textiles" being used in counterfeit jerseys. That's kind of a surprise and perhaps cause for concern.
The other is that Harper signed a 13-year deal, so a nice, legitimate jersey is actually a decent investment over a jersey that looks OK but may fall apart after a few spins in the washing machine. You want something to stand the test of time, that you can wear for more than a decade, so spending money up front on a jersey for a guy that'll be here for a while isn't actually a bad idea.
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If you're reading this and the tracking on your Harper jersey suddenly stopped, you might be out of luck. If you're reading this and you've already bought a counterfeit jersey, stay clear of the grill this summer.
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