Be wary of "frankensteels" on Amazon India

[heavyharmonies]

This may be common knowledge to others here, but it wasn't to me, so I'm posting this as a caveat emptor to those considering importing any steelbook releases found on Amazon India. They don't ship to the U.S., so if you're buying from them, you're going through a third party. By the time international shipping is factored into the equation, you're talking about US$50 per steelbook on average. Not insane if they end up being what they're advertised as, but IMO most are not.

For one thing, the stock images shown on Amazon do not end up showing what you actually receive. The steelbooks you receive appear to be "frankensteels" comprised of leftover 1080p and/or 3D blu-ray steelbooks from various countries, with 4K UHD discs swapped in for the DVDs. The J-cards are not actual J-cards as shown in the Amazon images. They are back panels cut down from regular non-steelbook 4K releases or slipcovers. The discs themselves are from numerous markets, e.g., the United Kingdom, Italy, etc. Some of the steelbooks were single-disc steels, so the extra disc(s) are just in a paper envelope inside the steelbook.

So they are not IMO legitimate 4K steelbook releases. That said, they are in new condition, meaning they are not used steels repurposed. Every one is in mint condition with no dents, dings, or scratches. So I speculate they are surplus inventory sourced through back channels with the assembley work done by Excel in India after the fact.

Some of the steelbooks even as 1080p or 3D steels are fairly scarce in their own right, so I'm not upset to own them. But a learning experience nonetheless...

The titles that I purchased shown in the images:

I, Robot 3D
Wonder Woman 1984 3D
Fantastic 4 4K
Monster Hunter 4K
Murder on the Orient Express 4K
Prometheus 4K + 3D
Watchmen 4K