Linfatuation online

The unstoppable "Linsanity," which has even been explored by Time magazine, whose Asian edition recently featured the NBA player Jeremy Lin on its cover, has now spread to Taobao. Just type in the keywords Jeremy Lin or Lin Shuhao, his Chinese name, on China's biggest online selling market and over 5,000 items related to Lin will appear.

 Most of these are basketball kits with his number 17 on, which are often out-of-stock or with long waiting lists for preorders. There are also other bits and pieces that relate to Lin, such as t-shirts, cell phone covers and wristbands. Sellers are using every tool in their box to try and make a Lin connection, selling bags, men's clothing and even traditional jade bracelets.

Lifestyle thought it was time to shop around on Taobao and see whether Linsanity was worth buying into.

Lin dynasty online

The shop Fanjun from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, has sold 655 kits in the past month. This is just one shop amongst hundreds that stocks clothes that have been made in their contract factory. Another one, Xiyu's Shop from Guangzhou Province, specializes in making customized t-shirts. Xiyu herself said that they procure orders from customers on Taobao first and let the factory produce them batch by batch, usually several dozen per batch. "Those products will be finished in three or four days," she said. "The price is 89 yuan ($14) per t-shirt, a real bargain given that cotton is used."

Besides offering a variety of colors, styles and patterns on t-shirts for customers to choose from, Xiyu also provides a customized service if customers can provide a decent quality photo. "We can print anything the customers want us to print. The product will be finished in a week and on top of paying 89 yuan, we charge them another 10 yuan for printing on each side of the jumper as a processing fee."

To cope with the current high demand, some clothing factories in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, have opened a special production line just to make Jeremy Lin merchandise. A man who goes by the name Xiaoyi, from one clothing factory, said that 80 percent of the calls they receive everyday concern Lin's kit, and most of them are sellers on Taobao.

Those shops on Taobao that do not have a contract factory in China are making contact with people abroad and buying genuine kits from the US. Qiuyiku, a shop that specializes in NBA kits, purchases all the kits directly from the US. The kit they sell, which is blue with "New York" and "17" written in red, is priced at 309 yuan. "All the products are bought in NBA stores or premium outlets in the US, so there is no need to worry about the quality," said Norelle Ho, a girl from the online customer service team. "They are 100 percent genuine and because of the large demand for Lin's kit, the kit won't arrive for 10 days or even more." A quick peruse of the New York Knicks' website and her words are backed up. Lin's Adidas Knicks Revolution 30 Replica Road jersey has now been added to the recommended goods list and is priced at $54.95, while the same style worn by Carmelo Anthony is priced at $44.95.

Linterested or Lindifferent

Linsanity has seen some people make buckets of gold in the past month, and some believe this cash cow will continue to increase assuming Lin continues to win. One buyer, who goes by the Taobao name of Xiaoguaishou Killer, has bought a kit at Qiuyiku. He provided some insight into why Lin products are so popular. "I like the blue one a lot. The material is good and I feel connected with Lin when I wear the kit."

But is Linsanity infecting everyone? Not really. Basketball fan Wang Xu, 23, shook his head after viewing items like cell phone covers and wristbands. "I don't think that men like buying cell phone covers and wristbands. They are kind of girly," Wang said. "For me the basketball kit is good and I would pay several hundred yuan to buy one. As for the wristband, because I am not a Christian, the 'In Jesus Name I Play' one worn by Lin means nothing to me."

Wang is not alone in his disinterest of lots of Lin merchandise. Deng Xiao, a 26-year-old who currently works in Canada and loves basketball and watching the NBA, thinks there is no need to buy things related to Lin. "I think people who buy those items are crazy fans or not mature. For normal fans like myself, watching the games is enough."

Meanwhile, Ma Yinxiao, another basketball fan, expressed that no one would be able to replace Yao Ming in his heart. "Compared with Lin, Yao is more low-profile and skilled. What's more, he does a lot of charity work. So no, I won't buy Lin style items."