LilSeebs
Admin
Bootleg Finders
Bootleg Finders
This club is dedicated to finding bootlegs and preventing people from buying them. What's a bootleg? Broadly speaking, it refers to any item/media/etc. that is reproduced and sold without licensing or taxation; it is an illegal business! Many places sell bootleg figures and media because they are cheap to reproduce and have a bigger profit turnover. Sellers take advantage of both new and old collectors alike with this business. The goal of this club is to educate and prevent members of My Figure Collection from falling for bootlegs.
If you find products you think are bootlegged, are not properly marked in our database, or aren't linked here please post or let a MOD or ADM know so we can change it.
For an ongoing list of Ebay bootleg sellers please check this thread: club/139/discus...
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Some common signs of bootlegs and a bootleg seller:
• Price too good to be true (e.g. $40 USD for a figure that normally retails for $100-$150 USD)
• Shiny, fake plastic looking skin or parts
• Noticeable seams, details seem to be missing, parts may not be molded correctly, eyes look different than original figure
• Lack of a holographic sticker (may or may not be true, some official products lack official stickers as well)
• Jointed figures (Nendoroid, Figmas, Figuarts...) may appear loose or like they're about to fall apart
• Seller lists other known bootleg products or other large amounts of cheap merchandise (jewelry, electronics, etc.)
• Seller's username is a combination of random letters/numbers (e.g. 1327198, xmg50427867-4)
• Listing does not state the company or that the figure is legitimate. They may use phrasing such as "China version, China original, China homegrown product", terms such as "new PVC statue, PVC figure, 100% High Quality Brand New", or nothing at all
This club is dedicated to finding bootlegs and preventing people from buying them. What's a bootleg? Broadly speaking, it refers to any item/media/etc. that is reproduced and sold without licensing or taxation; it is an illegal business! Many places sell bootleg figures and media because they are cheap to reproduce and have a bigger profit turnover. Sellers take advantage of both new and old collectors alike with this business. The goal of this club is to educate and prevent members of My Figure Collection from falling for bootlegs.
If you find products you think are bootlegged, are not properly marked in our database, or aren't linked here please post or let a MOD or ADM know so we can change it.
For an ongoing list of Ebay bootleg sellers please check this thread: club/139/discus...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some common signs of bootlegs and a bootleg seller:
• Price too good to be true (e.g. $40 USD for a figure that normally retails for $100-$150 USD)
• Shiny, fake plastic looking skin or parts
• Noticeable seams, details seem to be missing, parts may not be molded correctly, eyes look different than original figure
• Lack of a holographic sticker (may or may not be true, some official products lack official stickers as well)
• Jointed figures (Nendoroid, Figmas, Figuarts...) may appear loose or like they're about to fall apart
• Seller lists other known bootleg products or other large amounts of cheap merchandise (jewelry, electronics, etc.)
• Seller's username is a combination of random letters/numbers (e.g. 1327198, xmg50427867-4)
• Listing does not state the company or that the figure is legitimate. They may use phrasing such as "China version, China original, China homegrown product", terms such as "new PVC statue, PVC figure, 100% High Quality Brand New", or nothing at all
Forum125
3 risposte • Iniziato da xxqueenofheartsx 1 giorno/i fa
141 risposte • Iniziato da LilSeebs 8 anno/i fa
236 risposte • Iniziato da LilSeebs 9 anno/i fa
Commenti1,199 commenti
I found a Nendo Jibril ITEM #591628 at a con and it seemed so suspect that I didn’t buy it. No authenticity sticker and the plastic seemed cloudy and the quality of the figure I could see through the box was not great. I posted a pic of a similar looking one from eBay (although that seller claims authenticity...)
There isn’t a known bootleg of her, so maybe I’m just being paranoid?
I ordered her secondhand with the goodsmile bonus and she looks great so far through the box, but no authenticity sticker! Pics -
Seller was in the US and guaranteed authenticity and it does include the bonus, which wouldn't make sense without it being authentic, right?
Then also, I just ordered Emilia ITEM #549360 from Crunchyroll and I was like OH MAN she doesn't have a sticker either! So this one is obviously legit since it's from Crunchyroll (and it looks great), but I've definitely seen boxes with the sticker on the front!
So am I just an idiot who didn't realize sometimes nendos DON'T always have a sticker? I just always though GoodSmile used them all the time.
Is it that the versions sold by US retailers don't use/need them since there isn't a licensing issue with the show in another country?
Teach me about Nendos ... suddenly I feel like a nerve-wracked noob about these bootlegs since nendo ones are SO prevalent. I'm an expert on scales / non-scale models, but just never was bitten by the nendo bug until a few have recently caught my eye!
Thanks, all!
- don't buy from Wish
- don't buy from AliExpress
- don't buy from eBay sellers that don't have a good rating or a high amount of successful sales.
- always read reviews and check this site if there's a bootleg version of it (some bootleg versions are not listed which is a shame); check YouTube also for figure reviews, they can be helpful.
- figures prior to 2005 are usually legit if you're inclined to buy 'vintage', the figure market didn't explode yet.
- if there's a nendoroid, there's usually a bootleg of it.
- if you have the chance, check ALL the details and information in the packaging; Bootlegs usually have poor printing (blurred pictures, blurred text) or missing brands (needless to say stickers). Compare them to original packaging from official photos/ reviews; some Bootlegs don't have the inside detail of the box (specially Bandai, it has a diorama printed that you can take out, same as some figma).
- already been noted but shiny plastic is a no-brainer when the original piece has a matte finish.
The rest has already been said but for me usually packaging tells you a lot about where the figure is.
I personally have had good experiences with the few Nendoroids I bought on Amazon, however it is always a buyer beware. Ask plenty of questions to the seller and ask for pictures. I personally had a bootleg experience with a non nendoroid figure from Amazon. In the end I was fully refunded and reported to Amazon that it was a scam, the seller has since deleted his account.
kinda curious to see what it looks like...maybe I'll order one.
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Nvm my order on thr bootleg got cancelled ._____. Ah well
Advice? I keep looking at refrence pictures but I dont really know still : ^ ) She is a bid item so she is crazy low but they usually get super high but I dont wanna throw hard cash and wind up with soemthing aweful. I was just curious? Maybe its lighting? Everyhting lines up right and such : ( ( (
I think it safe as long if the amazon.com it self is selling on their site. but id be careful of their packing though. it is not as great as official figure sellers but i have not gotten broken figure. when i had to buy from amazon I have brought figures only from the official amazon.com not third party seller or sellers covered by amazon affiliate.
Amazon is slightly better than eBay, but still sketchy at best imo. Unless you know for a fact the figure hasn't been bootlegged.
Aside from that, people here are selling her for much cheaper than that auction anyway classified.php?...
Guess I'll buy my stuff of this site from now on. I checked out sites like AmiAmi or Hobby Link and the item is either sold out or really expensive. Thats why I started looking on ebay but I guess I wont have to resort to that.
Thanks for the help and have a great day!