How to avoid being ripped off by dodgy traders at the Expo

Everyone seems very hung on the issue of R1 DVDs. Personally I have no real issues with them being sold, although the OP is technically correct in so much of the fact that they shouldn't be sold 'on the street' so to speak - over the internet is another matter altogether as you are then stepping in to the realms of making an 'international order'.

I'm far more concerned by fake merchandise. Why should some bootlegger make money off of someone else's hard work? That's what winds me up.

borgmanjayce said:
And FYI, I buy legit merchandise where possible, especially from the likes of TokyoToys and I also shop around for manga as cheap as possible at Expo; one example
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I've heard some bad things about Tokyo Toys on other forums, with people warning that a lot (not all) of their stock comes from known bootleg (typically Chinese) wholesalers.

When I buy merchandise (typically figures and such) I would like to shop safe in the knowledge that what I'm buying is legit. However, it strikes me that it's quite tough to identify fake merchandise (hence my early question). In many ways this is why I appreciate people like the OP who are actively doing something to try and make places like the Expo a safe place to shop, so that noobs like me can spend our money safe in the knowledge that what we're buying is what we're paying for.
 
Shiro Inu said:
Everyone seems very hung on the issue of R1 DVDs.
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Nope, just the thread creator.

Anyway, I think that's a weird opinion.

As for the bootleg stuff, I know of very few people who actually care about having only original stuff. Anime fans in general seem to be to sensitive on the price of stuff.
 
Well, that was 4 pages of deep moral fibre vs consumer needs and thoughts.

Tbh when i go to the Expo, i see things that aren't strictly legit. It bothers me to a degree that some poor sap will unknowingly purchase something, later or never to find out that its a fake.

The guy to the left as you walked in lasttime was selling yaoi and other dvds from a large container, every disc was in a clear sleeve. obviously illegal, but these people get in, so by all means throw him out and close the door.

But if people want to buy R1 anime, thats upto them. Personally i reframe from buying R1 due to partial laziness, i'd rather watch R2 anime on my tv instead of a R1 anime on a laptop screen. But others prefer to get shows that otherwise wouldn't be available to them because of the stupid costs for licensing. Thats personal preference, now if joe bloggs is sat selling imported R1 copies of shows and thats the same Dub that we would get if a company decided to pick up the license, i really don't see the problem. Ideally its the version we should be watching (if it wasn't for the idiocy of the BBFC).

Stopping the dogy yaoi bloke makes sense, stopping joe makes no sense. At the end of the day, if they stop joe from selling imported R1 anime, fans will import themselves. There's not much profit for joe anyway, whereas yaoi man (as said before by yourself) would wrack up the prices.

It would make more sense and probably please more people to spend time talking about the most efficient way to que to enter the bloody expo. each year it seems to get better but worse.

Oct 09 - huge arse ques that took hours to get through but it was just a walk across the centre to get into the other hangar for the expo.

May 10 - There was a que FOR the que to the expo. bloody madness, BUT we had wristbands, which made getting in and out much quicker.


Atleast pick a topic to talk about, which everyone will agree on.
 
Shiro Inu said:
I'm far more concerned by fake merchandise. Why should some bootlegger make money off of someone else's hard work? That's what winds me up.
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Trying to id fake merchandise is much more difficult than DVD's, clues however are
Price- the old too good to be true comes up here. If it is a recent show and the figure is much cheaper than those on other stalls it probably is fake.
Quality- Look at the details, Legit figures are expensive generally for a reason. They are very detailed and carefully painted. Look at eyes and joints especially.
Packaging - Again quality shows, look at the lettering and see how sharp it is. Also check the language and spelling. If you can recognise the difference between Japanese, Mandarin and Korean it will help. And if the title is misspelt it's a bit of a give away.
Posters - Look at the picture on the poster, if it is a screen cap it's more than likely fake.

More info can be found here and here. Hope this helps (and gets this topics of the R1 DVD misery-go-round)
 
borgmanjayce said:
And FYI, I buy legit merchandise where possible, especially from the likes of TokyoToys
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Uhoh. You do know that TokyoToys is one of the worst offenders for selling counterfeit goods don't you?

There are even people complaining to NEO magazine to try to get them to stop promoting Tokyo Toys because they sell counterfeit goods. You can see for yourself here: http://www.neomag.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7507
 
Durial666 said:
Yes we know.
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You have multiple personalities or you are patronising everyone by presuming to talk for them Durial666?

Are you happy that Tokyo Toys are selling counterfeit goods? I'm trying to help people avoid getting ripped off by getting information out. What exactly are you doing here?
 
I am over the moon that they do. I encourage their activities and spend all my wages there too. Oh how they make me happy with their knock off goods. TokyoToys made me what I am today.

Douche I'm saying we know because it has be an ongoing concern for a long time now. Neo had a thread started by TokyoToys and was ripped to shreds by the users because the goods. It's old news now kiddo.
 
It's the patronising then.

You are assuming that everyone here also reads the NEO forum. Funny how you keep assuming stuff and being extremely unhelpful towards everyone else who might not know the same things as you or who might be trying to help other people. At least you managed to provide some useful information about the thread on the NEO forum this time despite yourself.

Just for a change, why don't you try making an effort to help the rest of the community by spreading information that might help them without copping the attitude? Not going to kill you to help other people is it?
 
But I am afraid that I might die if I do. I may just spontaneously combust as soon as I do. It gives me the shivers just to think about it. I often wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after dreaming about helping people.

I dare say I am not belittling people here on their ability to spot fakes. On the contrary the majority do know how as stated before. Okay sure merchandise is a little harder to spot but if people take a bit of time to observe the item in question then they would ultimately realise that they should stay away. But people don't do that, there is only so much one can do to help, we can't hold their hand and wipe their bum through out their whole life now can we?
 
Mangoanimuman, with your style of 'helping' I can totally picture you chasing fat people shouting "Eat less you big fatties!" while waving a stick, because it 'helps' them.

What do you do when you see someone smoking? Run for a bucket of water to douse the cancer-stick and 'help' them?


The point you seem to have missed is that after the initial "oh really, so there are lots of dodgy good at expo then?" reaction from people who didn't already know, there is nothing more for you to do. You've said all you ever needed to say in the opening post, and nothing more you could say will change anyone else's views now. We'll look out for dodgy goods ourselves, but the more you rant about it, the more inclined I am to not give a toss, and just knowingly buy these items anyway if they are decent enough quality.

In fact, every further post you make is just pushing people away, making them more likely to buy these pirated goods.
 
If it helps make the tone more amicable, I should note that I was not previously aware of counterfeit goods being vended by TokyoToys. Is this common knowledge?
 
Zin5ki said:
If it helps make the tone more amicable, I should note that I was not previously aware of counterfeit goods being vended by TokyoToys. Is this common knowledge?
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The big question is are they actually counterfeit goods or just unlicenesed?
 
Project-2501 said:
The big question is are they actually counterfeit goods or just unlicenesed?
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They are the same thing. Unlicensed goods fall under the heading of counterfeit. There's a link a page or two back which explains that. You can also ask Consumer Direct if you want UK specific confirmation of it.

Jayme, you can talk about both. Tokyo Toys aren't the only one that has sold counterfeits at the Expo in the past, that's why this thread isn't just about them.

Zin5ki, not common enough. Tokyo Toys are still stocking the counterfeits so that kind of stuff must still be selling.

Mutsumi, I genuinely did laugh out loud. Nice try. The 'people' you are talking about is just yourself. If you want to cut off your own nose to spite your face by deliberately buying counterfeit goods then go right ahead. I'll be sure to laugh at you for it.
 
Lol XD

If these counterfeit goods are of a high quality, then what loss is it to me, as the consumer? None, as the ones losing out are the people selling legit goods who should have gotten the sale instead.
 
I'd say the loss to the consumer is that counterfeit goods have no intrinsic value. Anime merchandise tends to be produced in limited quantities, soon becoming rare, and in many cases the price of those goods sharply rise.

And there's also that warm, satisfying glow one gets knowing they've supported the original creators and rights holders rather than putting money in the pockets of criminals.
 
I think I have a good enough eye (with fairly strong glasses) to tell what is proper and not, and it comes from the fact that I don't really want half the junk TT sell and I always ask for the price. If its unreasonably cheap (which can me anything, in anime world) its fake. Most of the posters at the Expo are fake, duplex on the back of something else. The one that gets me the most though is the selling of pirated bluray's and DVDs. Why would I want a TVRip of some show? Ugh.
 
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