With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline fast approaching, athletic apparel manufacturer Majestic Athletic is offering online shoppers a way to guard against buying a jersey of a player who then gets shifted to another team.
Majestic is offering what it calls a Player Trade Protection Program. If a shopper buys a player’s jersey through Majestic’s website from now through Aug. 31, the last day a player can be traded and still be eligible for the postseason, and that player then gets traded , Majestic will give that customer half off the purchase of another jersey. Baseball’s nonwaiver trade deadline is July 31.
Steve Eaves, Majestic’s director of sponsorship and retail marketing, tells Internet Retailer that the promotion helps fans deal with a time-honored part of the game.
“Consumers are sophisticated and understand trades are part of the business side of sports,” he says. “In baseball, the frequency peaks during July and August.”
“The discount program being offered on MajesticAthletic.com should make the buying decision much easier and get a new jersey in the hands—or on the backs—of fans quicker,” says Evan Kaplan, Major League Baseball Players’ Association director of licensing and business development.
While buying a form of insurance on the purchase of a ballplayer’s jersey may seem extreme, it’s worth considering that these shirts are pricey. MLB jerseys on Majestic’s website start at around $226. So a fan who buys a jersey of a player who gets traded during the promotion window and then buys a new one for 50% off will have spent $340 before taxes and shipping are included.
Majestic is selling jerseys of several players frequently mentioned in media reports on possible trades, including Phillies pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, Reds slugger Jay Bruce, and Tigers pitcher David Price.
The trade discount is a first for Majestic, and it remains to be seen how online shoppers will react, Eaves says. “Impact will be dictated by [which players] and where players are traded,” he says.
Majestic Athletic is part of apparel manufacturer VF Corp., No. 104 in the Internet Retailer 2015 Top 500 Guide.