1) Yes, I absolutely believe that an opportunity exists. This belief is one I have actually had since I was in high school, and as of now, it is still an unmet need.
2) I believe that there needs to be a conglomerate collection of used sports jerseys online. Sports gear in general is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and there is a large sect of sports fans who greatly enjoy wearing throwback, old-school sports jerseys. However, new jersey’s cost well over $100. This niche of sport fan would be the one that this new service would be targeting. This is definitely a new and growing need amongst sports fans. Retro looks, especially those from the ‘90s and early aughts, are extremely popular, and sites such as MITCHELL & NESS charge people several hundred dollars for these jerseys that teams no longer produce themselves. At this time, people are utilizing eBay and companies such as “M&N” to meet their need. However, there are definite flaws in these solutions. eBays search function does not allow consumers to view strictly these types of uniforms in an effective manner, and as stated earlier, M&N charges an inordinate amount of money. If I had to put into a percentage how much I believe that this opportunity exists, I would put it at about 65%.
3-a) Prototypical customer 1: early-to-mid-twenties male sports fan.
4-a) The first person I interviewed was a friend of mine named Cole. Cole is a big sports fan such as me, and often will be caught wearing sports jerseys. Cole stated that he has had an issue finding used, throwback sports uniforms for several years now. However, he says that this is only an issue that he has every so often, as an average sports fan will probably only purchase a few jerseys a year. Cole is actually not currently finding a way to meet this need, as he does not trust sellers on eBay and cannot afford uniforms sold by M&N. Cole is not satisfied with this solution, as he still wants to purchase these jerseys, but cannot currently do so in a manner that would satisfy him.
3-b) Prototypical customer 2: mid-thirties to mid-forties sports collector
4-b) I spoke to Christian, a former neighbor of mine who has always been a sports collector. I approached him as I felt that he would be interested in my service as he could utilize it to purchase old jerseys to potentially get signed and hung with the rest of his collection. Christian stated that this is a need that he does not have that often. He will, in more cases then not, purchase a jersey that is already signed, and therefore would not have a need for the service that I am looking to offer. Though they have a need for memorabilia, there are stores and other services that offer this service. Plus, as a collector, Christian is willing to spend more money of collectors’ items such as vintage jerseys and would be less likely to purchase these items used and through a third-party seller.
3-c) Mid-teens to early-twenties fair-weathered sports fan.
4-c) I went to high school with a friend of mine named Ryan. Ryan loved sports, but to be perfectly honest, changes his sports allegiances as quick as the seasons. Ryan also wears many jerseys of many, many teams. Ryan stated that this new service is one that he would actually enjoy very much. During his childhood, his parents would buy his sports gear for him, however, now that he has moved out, he has to buy all of his jerseys for himself, which does not fit well in his budget. He has always been aware of his desire to own jerseys, but this need is one that he is just now starting to experience. Ryan is addressing this need by buying expensive, full-priced jerseys, that are eating away his disposable income. They are unsatisfied with this solution, and would love a new, better way to purchase sports uniforms.
5) I learned that this opportunity is probably one that has an even smaller customer-base than I thought it would. It surprised me that sports collectors seem to have way less interest than I thought they would.
7) I would say that while a large amount of the opportunity that I have still exists, it is definitely not as big of an opportunity as I believed it was going in. I also very much believe that my knowledge about the opportunity is more accurate than when I started. When Entrepreneurs create ideas, they need to, in my opinion, heavily adapt their product based on feedback they receive. If an entrepreneur is stubborn and does not adapt their product, it simply will not be a marketable product. While an entrepreneur should not completely change their idea, if they create a product that they will enjoy, the product will most likely be unsuccessful.
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