Nike overpriced complaints

[Rosstour]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

 

[Honza]

Who said Boss, Lacoste and On are alternatives?
They are exclusive brands and among the most expensive brands in tennis.

 

[Sardines]

Well the ON business model is based on exclusivity as a luxury brand There's a reason why they jumped up in profile and sales in the last few years. RF helped a bunch too. Having Zendaya as a star didn't hurt either. Boss is the cheaper line of HUGO BOSS, le EA is to Giorgio Armani etc. They command a premium because of that. Lacoste, like Fred Perry, has tennis legend history. Nike is an upstart and really the fugliest designs, and I was sponsored by them in college! I think prices have continuously gone up, and as most economist will tell you, inevitably so. But so has income, it's just that paying $200 is sticker shock, income increases notwithstanding. Emotional response to inflation.

 

[Rosstour]

Well the ON business model is based on exclusivity as a luxury brand There's a reason why they jumped up in profile and sales in the last few years. RF helped a bunch too. Having Zendaya as a star didn't hurt either. Boss is the cheaper line of HUGO BOSS, le EA is to Giorgio Armani etc. They command a premium because of that. Lacoste, like Fred Perry, has tennis legend history. Nike is an upstart and really the fugliest designs, and I was sponsored by them in college! I think prices have continuously gone up, and as most economist will tell you, inevitably so. But so has income, it's just that paying $200 is sticker shock, income increases notwithstanding. Emotional response to inflation.

Right but people don't complain about those prices. And the few people I do know who've tried those brands say the materials don't perform as well as Nike's

So I'm wondering why the cheaper brand is considered overpriced but not the ones that are 25-50% more expensive for materials that are generally regarded to perform less well.

 

[Sardines]

WWell obviously, the "luxury" part is what gives it the "right" for premium pricing, Same for Hydrogen, CK, EA etc. Made in Europe (Turkey, Hungary etc) but designed in Italy, France or Germany gives the allure. What most don't realize they are paying for the inflated costs of the EU. Puma, Adidas Uniqlo etc have jumped on the designer band wagon with designer collabs like Y3, Yeezy, Mcqueen, Jil Sander+ etc. It's true the lower numbers produced make the costs more expensive. I think a 200-400% margin isn't unheard of in luxury brands. That's why you see items on sale can drop to 30% of original price and still make money. That's why you see LVMH brands hit 20% profit margin, while Nike, Adidas et al are all under 10%. l obviously, the "luxury" part is what gives it the "right" for premium pricing, Same for Hydrogen, CK, EA etc. Made in Europe (Turkey, Hungary etc) but designed in Italy, France or Germany gives the allure. What most don't realize they are paying for the inflated costs of the EU. Puma, Adidas etc have jumped on the band wagon with designer collabs like Y3, Yeezy, Mcqueen.

 

[Honza]

Alternatives are Adidas, Mizuno, Asics and Joma. How is the comparison with these?

 

[Rosstour]

Alternatives are Adidas, Mizuno, Asics and Joma. How is the comparison with these?

Joma I'm not sure if we can even buy here. Adidas is similar price, maybe similar materials quality but the styling is....

Mizuno and Asics gear is cheaper than Nike for sure and looks it.

 

[JimboCollie]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

Everyone knows those brands are a step up from Nike. You should maybe look at Lotto!

 

[Honza]

Joma I'm not sure if we can even buy here. Adidas is similar price, maybe similar materials quality but the styling is....

Mizuno and Asics gear is cheaper than Nike for sure and looks it.

From my looks, Adidas is cheaper and Asics as well. Both are very comparable, even if there is more to choose from with Adidas and Nike. The others are comparable in quality, but smaller brands. Prices are much lower.
Nike is a good grab. I love the brand and the design. I have shorts and shirts that held up for years but recently their quality got much worse.

 

[Rosstour]

Everyone knows those brands are a step up from Nike. You should maybe look at Lotto!

Are they a step up in quality and design or just pricing?

 

[BobRF]

Coming from a former Nike lover—I’ve switched to Lacoste last year and don’t intend to look back. Quality is much higher and I personally loved the 2024 designs. If you’re able to wait 3-4 months, then the prices drop -50% as well. Absolutely worth it in my opinion.

 

[Rosstour]

Coming from a former Nike lover—I’ve switched to Lacoste last year and don’t intend to look back. Quality is much higher and I personally loved the 2024 designs. If you’re able to wait 3-4 months, then the prices drop -50% as well. Absolutely worth it in my opinion.

OK so I'm glad someone with real world experience has chimed in. When you say the quality is higher, how are you measuring that?

My biggest question is, do the fabrics wick moisture as well.

 

[ajspurs]

I'm intrigued by how much better the quality from Lacoste is also. I was looking for some new tennis clothing recently but couldn't really find anything I liked enough from Nike, new or slightly old. Nothing wrong with the designs mind, just no colours that appeal to me enough.

From looking there seems to be a lot of options from Lacoste if you like Polo's, but not many that catch my eye for regular t-shirts. I personally really don't like their stuff with the lines across the shirts and shorts, or the designs on Djokovic's range that ironically look a little cheap to me, but I really like the simplicity of their plain stuff with just the logo.

 

[d-quik]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

Court FF also expensive af. Adidas Cybersonic can get thrown in there too.

Anyways all these people simply are too impatient to wait for sales. Nike maybe be $180 but they have such frequent sales that I rarely ever end paying full price. Same with adidas and K-Swiss: very frequent sales

Good luck getting AG-LT Ultras, Court FF3, Eclipsions, or WETs on sale unless there's only 2-3 sizes left.

In the past 2 years, I have paid full price only3 times, each time for either Asics, Lacoste, or Mizuno.

Never paid full price for Nike, adi, Diadora, Lotto or K-Swiss in my life (this may change soon regarding the K-Swiss though). I even found the Vapor11 Mac Attacks for 35% off.

Basketball shoes cost more than tennis shoes too. I think LeBrons are over $200 but very few complain in the hoop shoe community since everyone knows they can find them for $60-$90 at Ross's eventually, simply because they are Nikes!

In conclusion, we can rest assured that the people complaining probably are just the ones who don't want to or can not wait for a sale. Those 5 brands are pretty blessed with the discounting.

 

[RNBABOLAT]

OK so I'm glad someone with real world experience has chimed in. When you say the quality is higher, how are you measuring that?

My biggest question is, do the fabrics wick moisture as well.

Fabric on shorts are a bit more stretchy and thin... also the quality of lacoste in a few items (ND or the new Dimitrov) the composition is similar to the old RF nike shirts and even a bit thinner (Which is good)
In moisture wicking, is a bit hard for me... I sweat a lot and the perforations on most Nike shirts make them really good but then you have a soft, thin and flexible fabric that performs similar but not as breathable.

 

[RNBABOLAT]

I'm intrigued by how much better the quality from Lacoste is also. I was looking for some new tennis clothing recently but couldn't really find anything I liked enough from Nike, new or slightly old. Nothing wrong with the designs mind, just no colours that appeal to me enough.

From looking there seems to be a lot of options from Lacoste if you like Polo's, but not many that catch my eye for regular t-shirts. I personally really don't like their stuff with the lines across the shirts and shorts, or the designs on Djokovic's range that ironically look a little cheap to me, but I really like the simplicity of their plain stuff with just the logo.

I think the overall costumer experience is better... you pay almost the same but get a nice package and more refined details when you buy something. Not your regular: There is a shirt in a plástic bag GTFO with Nike or Adidas.
I'm moving currently to Boss, le coq sportif and lacoste just because I find them prettier and now that Rafa is not playing it's my time. Just order the boss shirt Fritz wear and for christmas purchase the first henley released for Berrettini and I'm all in for the details, not something expectacular but for the right price it's still perforated and elastic with a nice feel
I still look for the glacier blue RG shirt Rune wore last year and hold my last outfit from netflix exo and started selling all the other items I had.

 

[Alcawrath]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

Also, Nike shoes get deeply discounted throughout the season. ON and Lactose almost never discount to a significant amount.

 

[Rosstour]

Also, Nike shoes get deeply discounted throughout the season. ON and Lactose almost never discount to a significant amount.

Exactly. Super easy to get those flagship shoes for $97 or $112

Price+availability+quality...no one beats Nike IMO

Anything cheaper is absolute trash and anything more expensive is still not universally better and arguably is sometimes worse

 

[Airspun]

Athletic dba ftw

 

[Rosstour]

Athletic dba ftw

I have two shirts by them and really like them, but they are at Nike price points and no better if not significantly worse

 

[Airspun]

I have two shirts by them and really like them, but they are at Nike price points and no better if not significantly worse

But dba not dna

 

[Rosstour]

But dba not dna

Sorry I assumed that was a typo lol

 

[BobRF]

OK so I'm glad someone with real world experience has chimed in. When you say the quality is higher, how are you measuring that?

My biggest question is, do the fabrics wick moisture as well.

My main experience with post-2019-ish Nike is that the fabric often felt ‘flimsy’ and too thin for me. It didn’t absorb the sweat very well, and overall (for me) it didn’t feel too comfortable playing tennis. I felt it was either sticking too much to my body, or just not at all. Perhaps some like it—I don’t necessarily enjoy that.

With Lacoste, I’ve only bought the Dimitrov 2024 polos and shorts (Ultra Dry) and I’ve never experienced my shirt/short becoming too “soaked”, and the polo felt thick and comfortable enough to wear properly during sports.

Also, I always wash my sports clothes on 30 degrees Celsius—never have any issues so far with any tear or peeling on Lacoste clothes. Definitely did experience this with Nike.

All in all, quality is higher but it’s also just about taste. I loved the Lacoste 2024 line more than anything and it made me fall in love with Lacoste and let me experience the quality (and taste) I’ve been lacking with Nike in recent years.

 

[GSlam2025]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

Welcome to growing Inflation 2025

 

[Alcawrath]

While inflation has decreased rapidly from 9.1% in '22 to 2.9% to close out '24, that doesn't mean prices will come back down and we should expect they never will (barring a depression). You're right though that we should simply get used to the higher prices due to past inflation.

 

[Znak]

I don't have a dog in the fight, I'm all about that price/quality balance — as someone mentioned Lacoste above on sale is far superior in terms of fabric weight, shirt/short construction. Even shoes are a step up. I will still buy Nike but only on sale as their full retail prices (at least in cad) can be almost as pricey as the more "exclusive" brands. But as of late, I've been buying my tops from places like Uniqlo, (shorts are mostly Nike/Lacoste).

Having said that, I like On, but what are we doing here — who in their right mind is paying for this? (And if I have to ask, I'm assuming I'm not the elite demo target I guess...)

 

[GSlam2025]

I don't have a dog in the fight, I'm all about that price/quality balance — as someone mentioned Lacoste above on sale is far superior in terms of fabric weight, shirt/short construction. Even shoes are a step up. I will still buy Nike but only on sale as their full retail prices (at least in cad) can be almost as pricey as the more "exclusive" brands. But as of late, I've been buying my tops from places like Uniqlo, (shorts are mostly Nike/Lacoste).

Having said that, I like On, but what are we doing here — who in their right mind is paying for this? (And if I have to ask, I'm assuming I'm not the elite demo target I guess...)

Will the prices in CAD not be increased soon with new tariffs

 

[Ty Webb]

Fila is making really nice clothing for both men and women. Take advantage of their sales direct and of course on the TW and other tennis websites. **** seems shady and dealing in counterfeits if it's too god a price. I only play clay court so don't have a large selection of shoes in the USA (TW Europe has literally over 50 styles vs maybe 10 here in USA) but I still manage to buy them on sale for sub $100 and store them for future use.

 

[ajspurs]

I think the overall costumer experience is better... you pay almost the same but get a nice package and more refined details when you buy something. Not your regular: There is a shirt in a plástic bag GTFO with Nike or Adidas.
I'm moving currently to Boss, le coq sportif and lacoste just because I find them prettier and now that Rafa is not playing it's my time. Just order the boss shirt Fritz wear and for christmas purchase the first henley released for Berrettini and I'm all in for the details, not something expectacular but for the right price it's still perforated and elastic with a nice feel
I still look for the glacier blue RG shirt Rune wore last year and hold my last outfit from netflix exo and started selling all the other items I had.

I don't really care a great deal for the packaging, but I will say that I know what you mean in that when you do notice an improvement and added little details and such, you do end up appreciating it nonethelss.

Yeah the Boss stuff is really nice, just has a clean look but has little additions that prevent it from being boring at the same time. Really like the combination of black, brown and white on some of their clothing.
I really like that whole look with Rune, the glacier blue shirt with the navy shorts and wristbands.

After looking around the last week or so, I'm actually going to try out Adidas now. Looking at their offering they just seem to have so much choice that's all sort of normal-sized for me. Admittedly, I'm a Nike guy, but I'm finding a lot of their tops to be too short in length for me and my body type. Even when you see the clothing being modelled on sites you can see the shortness of length on the body. This is not an issue for everybody by any means but unfortunately is for me. I may try Lacoste at some point too. I don't like any of their stuff that has any sort of design on it to be honest, but I do like just their plain offerings.

 

[gino]

I hear this a lot. People complaining about $105 polos and $180 Vapor 12

I hear a lot about ON, Lacoste, Boss being supposedly better alternatives now.

So I decided to look up some of the offerings from this other brands just to see.

ON "The Roger": $200

Lacoste polo (Dimitrov): $125
Lacoste polo (Novak or Medvedev): $155

Boss polo (Berrettini): $148

What the actual F are we even complaining about?

Such a great point. Nike has been on the affordable side for sometime now. I can't actually remember a moment in time where their pricing structure was outrageous. I've always found it slightly at or below market pricing. Let's not forget the crew both Sinner/Alcaraz wore in the summer swing was $65 retail and dropped below $40 in some colors. Bars and random instagram pages will charge you $40 for a Gildan cotton tee, let's be fair, that price is awesome. Even if Nike misses on some designs, they are definitely definitely affordable

 

[atatu]

Haven't worn "Tennis" brands for awhile, Ten Thousand makes some great shorts (interval shorts) and T shirts (versatile shirt) and if you really want a polo get a Vuori or Lulu one, the quality if much better than the Nike stuff.

 

[Grafil Injection]

What is a fair price for a complaint?

 

[RNBABOLAT]

I don't really care a great deal for the packaging, but I will say that I know what you mean in that when you do notice an improvement and added little details and such, you do end up appreciating it nonethelss.

Yeah the Boss stuff is really nice, just has a clean look but has little additions that prevent it from being boring at the same time. Really like the combination of black, brown and white on some of their clothing.
I really like that whole look with Rune, the glacier blue shirt with the navy shorts and wristbands.

After looking around the last week or so, I'm actually going to try out Adidas now. Looking at their offering they just seem to have so much choice that's all sort of normal-sized for me. Admittedly, I'm a Nike guy, but I'm finding a lot of their tops to be too short in length for me and my body type. Even when you see the clothing being modelled on sites you can see the shortness of length on the body. This is not an issue for everybody by any means but unfortunately is for me. I may try Lacoste at some point too. I don't like any of their stuff that has any sort of design on it to be honest, but I do like just their plain offerings.

Yeah, the packaging is not a big deal and might be considered as not so eco-friendly but as you mentioned you are paying almost the same and that bit more is towards the "Attention to detail".
The fabric on Adidas is similar to Nike but in my recent experience you should get a size bigger since the clothes fits really tight. Just saw the AO collection and appart from the really perforated (Close to transparent) the color is really nice and breathable. Good luck your finds and when the time come you can always come back...

 

[ajspurs]

Yeah, the packaging is not a big deal and might be considered as not so eco-friendly but as you mentioned you are paying almost the same and that bit more is towards the "Attention to detail".
The fabric on Adidas is similar to Nike but in my recent experience you should get a size bigger since the clothes fits really tight. Just saw the AO collection and appart from the really perforated (Close to transparent) the color is really nice and breathable. Good luck your finds and when the time come you can always come back...

Yeah totally agree. At the end of the day I think you end up remembering those little touches and you gain an appreciation.
I think the fabric is similar too, but it’s more so for the general fit that may very well be better for me. Thanks for that heads up though with the fit. Good thing is that they mostly detail which ones are slim in the description, but you can also see from the model images too.
Thanks though mate, and yeah it’s not like I’m being sponsored so I’m not bound to any one brand at any point! I’ve got my first batch of adidas clothing on the way so I’m interested to experience how it stacks up against Nike for me