I think you are over thinking, overreacting, and being excessively negative, and I don't at all agree with the logic that led you to interpret this as a scam. You're looking at it from the perspective of buying a design that you don't like in order to win one that you do, but it doesn't make any sense to buy something that you won't use (entirely negating its value) to win something of equal value. Why wouldn't you just buy the product that you want in the first place? You're paying for the shirt you want either way.
In reality, the concept is very simple. You are buying a shirt, with a chance of getting a shirt for free depending on how the sales go. That's all there is to it. Is it a perfectly designed and executed marketing gimmick? Probably not, but any perceived deception is a result of your personal paranoia.
You may feel that paranoia is too strong of a word, but I find it quite appropriate to describe a fear of "getting ripped off" by purchasing a product at its advertised price.
A few other things. The price is $19 not $25. The brands are listed. The sale is 3 days, not a week. There are no previous sales displayed on the site, so I'm not even sure how you came to the conclusion that there will only ever be 5 designs.
Getting a shirt for free essentially halves the price for both shirts. So you're not looking at 5 equal shirts, you're looking at 5 shirts and one of them is half price. You just don't know which. This made me try to figure out which one people are least likely to buy (made easier with that star) and then evaluate whether the decreased appeal is worth the price reduction.
I guess that's the idea, but it's not a very positive experience for me. That's a lot of time thinking about the least appealing design.
In reality, the concept is very simple. You are buying a shirt, with a chance of getting a shirt for free depending on how the sales go. That's all there is to it. Is it a perfectly designed and executed marketing gimmick? Probably not, but any perceived deception is a result of your personal paranoia.
You may feel that paranoia is too strong of a word, but I find it quite appropriate to describe a fear of "getting ripped off" by purchasing a product at its advertised price.
A few other things. The price is $19 not $25. The brands are listed. The sale is 3 days, not a week. There are no previous sales displayed on the site, so I'm not even sure how you came to the conclusion that there will only ever be 5 designs.