This is a generalized statement of course, not everyone has to have basketball shoes, but the same applies to designer handbags and designer clothing. The thing that designer item fans, such as Jordan Shoes lovers, need to be aware of is that there are many fake or replica designer items out there and they need to know what they are getting. This is not always so simple to confirm, in fact it is not easy to decide which is real or fake. If you have a pair of US$500 or US$99 shoes together and they look the same which one is a fake or are they both fake or are they both real? Many of the shoes will be made in the same factories but will be sold at completely different prices by a variety of different suppliers. So if the shoes sold for US$500 does that make them real or if the shoes are sold for US$99 does that make them fake?
This same thing Air Jordan applies with the handbags and other designer items, many (in the shoe business almost all of them) businesses manufacture their products overseas and ship them back to their home country and sell them for huge price markups compared to the cost of manufacture. Is this a scam? Some items are fake, that is for sure and you can tell this from the start very easily usually relating to quality but when you have good quality items with completely different price tags, which is real and which is fake? With Jordan shoes people often get a little crazy or over eager. Many times this will have the purchaser buying shoes that they can't afford and sometimes they do end up with fake shoes as well as paying ridiculous prices.
A lot of this need for the Air Jordan shoes relates to ego or the wish to be like their friends or other family members and this often leads to the impulse buying and the possible purchase of fake or replica items. If you are wearing your US$99 Air Jordan shoes and your friend is wearing Cheap Jordan Shoes and they look the same and your friend can't tell the price of yours are your shoes real or fake? Are the shoes your friend is wearing real or fake? Are they both fake or are they both real? People are in many cases not buying Air Jordan shoes because they are involved in basketball in any way - it is all about the shoes reputation. Because the need for the shoes is greater than the thought process of the purchase itself they loose out and can often end up with replica or fake products.