how to spot a counterfeit game of thrones boxset

[LoneWolfCub]

i recently bought game of thrones season 5 blu ray off ebay and believe it to be counterfeit. so I am reaching out to help others I found this online on how to spot counterfeits so I hope it helps. ill be returning my season 5 , probably will be buying it from wal mart


A list of things to watch out for when buying:

-The exterior blue where it says Blu Ray on the outside was the wrong tone, and did not also say Digital HD, vs the real copy which did.
-The slipcase artwork paper shows color banding and indicates it is a reprint, not the original printer quality.
-The inner guide booklet is clearly reprinted - the words are muddier and less clear - and on cheaper paper.
-The inner paperwork did not include the ultraviolet paperwork, or any other HBO or George R. R. Martin merchandise insets.
-The clear disc cases don't match the other seasons - rounded corners, the Blu Ray logo is in the wrong place, etc.
-The discs themselves have muddy or hard to read and misaligned print on them. The reflective cutouts of the letters don't match the printed letters.
-The discs are clearly burned discs - you can see the circle of burned data and area of blank data on the disc. Real discs show all silver on the bottom and are pressed, not burned.
-The actual content on the discs is shrunk - an episode (pull it up with a tool on the PC) is normally 10-14 GB. Episodes 9 & 10 of my fake were 6-7 GB each.
-The fake Blu Rays did not include either any AACS protection or lower than it should be - the licensed proprietary digital encryption of the Blu Rays. Season 3 was AACS 42, Season 4 was AACS 50, and Season 5 on the proper copy is AACS 57. The fake was not AACS 57.

Please watch out for third party sellers. They themselves may not even know their product is fake

[doctor_who]

A picture or two would help more than all those words

[LoneWolfCub]

I don't know how to post pictures. mine didn't come with any inserts, codes. every one has inserts in them. the digipak felt like carboard not sure if its suppose to feel like that. it didn't feel like the others I know that much. the discs u can barely read the words their blurry/smudgey . and the back of the disc is greenish blue and has a circle like it mentions too

[MifuneFan]

If it's bought on ebay

/thread

[bigdaddyhorse]

It sure sounds like a bootleg from what you are saying.
If you can take pictures you can post em free sites like photobucket then link em here. Just use the copy link option on PB and the 2nd icon from the right; above the post box (post card looking thing) you type in.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

If it's bought on ebay

/thread

Pretty much.

[Leonidas King]

I've bought many BD's from eBay. You just have to know from where and who you buy it from. I recently bought a brand new OOP title and it was in fact legit.

[MifuneFan]

If the seller is selling multiple (or selling other similar products), and the price seems too good to be true, then those are obvious red flags. I'd only buy movies off ebay if it comes from either an actual retailer storefront (like best buy), or a user who is only just selling one, and ideally has an actual picture of the product. Even still, I rarely bother risking it these days. Counterfeiting is rampant on there.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Originally Posted by Leonidas_King

I've bought many BD's from eBay. You just have to know from where and who you buy it from. I recently bought a brand new OOP title and it was in fact legit.

This, and if shipping from China or Korea, then almost guaranteed bootleg. Where is actually more important than who in this case, IMO. Not saying everyone from these countries is a scam, just everyone from these countries on ebay is a scam (I'm sure there might a handful of OK ones, I've just never seen myself).

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

If the seller is selling multiple (or selling other similar products), and the price seems too good to be true, then those are obvious red flags. I'd only buy movies off ebay if it comes from either an actual retailer storefront (like best buy), or a user who is only just selling one, and ideally has an actual picture of the product. Even still, I rarely bother risking it these days. Counterfeiting is rampant on there.

It is a nightmare for anime, although for a good amount of titles, counterfeits tend to be the only way of getting a copy of it in the states.

[shinobipopcorn]

I got burned on a TNG DVD cube back in the day. Always try for a seller who has an actual picture of the item, and only if they have one or at most two of it. Check feedback of course, and don't be afraid to ask for more pictures. Sellers will skimp on the pictures because ebay charges for them over a certain amount in some categories.

[ElectricPeterTork]

On eBay, The huge sellers are usually legit, and people who are obviously selling off a collection are usually honest.

But the too good to be true sellers usually are just that. Mid-level sellers with 10 copies of a box set for an unbeatable price? Yeah, probably bootlegs.

[DanFan]

Same thing happened to me with GOT Season 6.

Funny thing is, I suspected something was amiss as soon as I held the case in my hand. It still had the shrink wrap on it, but the weight and feel of it didn't seem right.

The banner said Blu-ray only, no mention of digital copy. The lenticular cover was loose. The discs of course were BD-Rs.

I immediately messaged the seller and told him these were illegal bootlegs and I wanted an immediate refund.

I got the refund with a message that I didn't have to return the set.

I then posted negative feedback, which he had the nerve to complain about and ask me to remove it since he gave me a refund.

[zeze]

If you are buying new, easy way to tell is the digital code. If it comes with one it is legit. If not its a bootleg. This works with most new releases these days as most include a digital code.

[Gargus]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfCub

i recently bought game of thrones season 5 blu ray off ebay and believe it to be counterfeit. so I am reaching out to help others I found this online on how to spot counterfeits so I hope it helps. ill be returning my season 5 , probably will be buying it from wal mart


A list of things to watch out for when buying:

-The exterior blue where it says Blu Ray on the outside was the wrong tone, and did not also say Digital HD, vs the real copy which did.
-The slipcase artwork paper shows color banding and indicates it is a reprint, not the original printer quality.
-The inner guide booklet is clearly reprinted - the words are muddier and less clear - and on cheaper paper.
-The inner paperwork did not include the ultraviolet paperwork, or any other HBO or George R. R. Martin merchandise insets.
-The clear disc cases don't match the other seasons - rounded corners, the Blu Ray logo is in the wrong place, etc.
-The discs themselves have muddy or hard to read and misaligned print on them. The reflective cutouts of the letters don't match the printed letters.
-The discs are clearly burned discs - you can see the circle of burned data and area of blank data on the disc. Real discs show all silver on the bottom and are pressed, not burned.
-The actual content on the discs is shrunk - an episode (pull it up with a tool on the PC) is normally 10-14 GB. Episodes 9 & 10 of my fake were 6-7 GB each.
-The fake Blu Rays did not include either any AACS protection or lower than it should be - the licensed proprietary digital encryption of the Blu Rays. Season 3 was AACS 42, Season 4 was AACS 50, and Season 5 on the proper copy is AACS 57. The fake was not AACS 57.

Please watch out for third party sellers. They themselves may not even know their product is fake

Sure fire way? Go to bestbuy, shipped and sold by amazon, or any other number of official retailers.

And I hate to tell you but if you buy one off ebay and then file a claim like that stating those reasons I doubt some guy at ebay customer service is going to go a long with you and probablly have no idea what youre even saying.

Dont want a counterfeit? Buy from a reputable source.

[thatguamguy]

I got the David Lynch Lime Green (DVD) box set at a price that was so good that I asked the seller before I paid "Just tell me straight up, is this a bootleg? Because if it is, I'm just going to want a refund. So just tell me now, save us both some time." Really spooked the seller, because it wasn't a bootleg.

[HD Goofnut]

How was this stuff not noticed on the eBay pictures?

[thatguamguy]

Yeah, the #1 rule is, if it's a stock photo, be cautious. That's fine for a disc which is cheap anyway and on which bootleggers wouldn't be likely to make a profit, but "Game of Thrones" sounds as if it's the single most bootlegged Blu ray on ebay, so just don't even bother. And if it's not a stock photo, still scroll around and see if the same photo is used in multiple auctions -- I'm sure there can be legitimate reasons for that, but it's a big red flag.

I have bought a lot of stuff off of ebay, but with all the bootleg reports floating around "Game of Thrones", I would probably just entirely avoid that title.

[Ianzombie]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

How was this stuff not noticed on the eBay pictures?

Stock photos most likely.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Gargus

And I hate to tell you but if you buy one off ebay and then file a claim like that stating those reasons I doubt some guy at ebay customer service is going to go a long with you and probablly have no idea what youre even saying.

I think they'll understand "This is a burned disc, not a properly manufactured one", that's pretty much bootleg 101. They just won't do anything to stop the seller from selling further bootlegs. (There seems to be a detente between ebay and bootleggers, some kind of informal thing where as long as the bootleggers issue refunds on request, ebay won't stop them because 90% of the time, people don't know or don't care and ebay makes their fees.)