How to determine bootleg Rurouni Kenshin DVDs from eBay

[trilix]

I know what you're thinking, bootleg anime on ebay? Nahh no way!

Many people have purchased a bootleg anime dvd on eBay at one point thinking they've struck gold only to shortly realize that what they purchased was a dud. This thread is just to show you the differences you might run into if you've been curious about purchasing that Complete Rurouni Kenshin DVD Box Set that's all over eBay lately for around $50.

I've been wanting to own this show for ages, it's a childhood classic and it’s super hard to find at my local used video stores. So curiously, I snagged a copy online. To the average anime-goer, it’s extremely convincing. The case artwork quality is on-par and the episode video quality doesn't seem that bad either. I was still on the fence though, so I went to my local Half Price Books and found Season 1 (odd that they had it in stock). Boy was I right all along, here are my findings:

eBay Bootlegs (Image)
--- Region Free
--- No copy protection
--- Single-Layer discs (4.5GB)

Retail (Image)
--- Region 1 (US)
--- Copy protected
--- Dual-Layer discs (6.75GB)

The artwork on the discs differ as well. The retail disc artwork appear much sharper, whereas the bootlegs have a slight purple hue. You could also see the result of what looks like image compression if you look close enough. Example pictures: Here, here, and here.

And finally, the eBay discs are contained in an 8-disc DVD case with tabs separating each disc. Picture here.
The retail copy of season 1 that I just purchased has them stacked together in one spot. Picture here.

Don’t worry, I got my money back. The eBay seller was very accommodating about the situation.