I've been going to Fanime since 2007 and have purchased my share of items. With several threads mentioning counterfeits and bootlegs, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to spot them just so everyone has an idea. Although I've been collecting figures for years I'm still not 100% sure how to tell at times. Personally I usually collect Nendoroids, S.H. Figuarts, Figma, Gundams, and Pullip Dolls. Any tips on how to spot real from fakes?
I'm sure there are some great guides out there that trump what I have to say, but there was a great panel last year on bootlegs that was pretty hilarious.
Two of the main things, of spotting counterfeits, are poor quality and misspellings of brand name, other key info, etc.
Specifics depend on what type of product it is. I think with figures, the quality of the eyes can be a huge giveaway if its legit or not. Bootlegs tend to be of cheaper material, crappy paint jobs, and so on.
But there's some grey areas like with asian dvds that are "supposedly" legit releases in their respective countries... The ones that have usually have english & chinese subtitles with japanese audio but are of iffy quality. I'm still not 100% sure on these (whether they are legit or not)...
That aside, Dealer's Hall does a very good job of keeping counterfeits out. And swap meet used to check for counterfeits but I don't know if they do anymore. But if you do spot something, let staff know. Also, be aware that Dealer's Hall also has a bunch of professional artists that sell there and it is largely obvious that their product isn't official.
Quote from: Sunara Ishi on April 21, 2015, 05:27:52 PM
Two of the main things, of spotting counterfeits, are poor quality and misspellings of brand name, other key info, etc.
Specifics depend on what type of product it is. I think with figures, the quality of the eyes can be a huge giveaway if its legit or not. Bootlegs tend to be of cheaper material, crappy paint jobs, and so on.
But there's some grey areas like with asian dvds that are "supposedly" legit releases in their respective countries... The ones that have usually have english & chinese subtitles with japanese audio but are of iffy quality. I'm still not 100% sure on these (whether they are legit or not)...
That aside, Dealer's Hall does a very good job of keeping counterfeits out. And swap meet used to check for counterfeits but I don't know if they do anymore. But if you do spot something, let staff know. Also, be aware that Dealer's Hall also has a bunch of professional artists that sell there and it is largely obvious that their product isn't official.
Thanks for the notes, I'll try to look into more of the specifics. I usually try to look at the details of figures anyways just to see which has better paint jobs and better joints. If I do see anything suspicious I'll be sure to let the staff know. =^.^=
Quote from: Admiral Donuts on April 21, 2015, 02:38:08 PM
I'm sure there are some great guides out there that trump what I have to say, but there was a great panel last year on bootlegs that was pretty hilarious.
Thanks for notes, I've tried searching some things up but each one says a little something different. I've noted what was mentioned across different sources though. I'll look into the panels this year to see if there's any panels related to it. =^.^=
If anyone comes across bootlegs, especially if a dealer pulls it from behind a table, or a place not in easy sight, please let dealer staff now, and we will look into it.
With that said some companies like Good Smile, post helpful pictures to help spot the fakes.
http://partner.goodsmile.info/support/eng/fake/
Although in general this tutorial helps teach the basics of bootleg spotting
http://nyotaku.com/2012/11/25/how-to-spot-a-fake-nendoroid/
We are always trying to police the dealers, but diligence by all is the best way to avoid bootlegs. We do have stiff penalties from not being allowed back to immediate expulsion for vendors that test our policy.
The best was when the panel leader showed us an example of a bootleg bag and someone in the front row had one of them that they had just purchased in the Dealer's Hall.
From one I noticed last year:
Bad paint jobs. You can notice the paint was either not done completely/missed in spots or was chipping off and revealing the original color. In this case, it was supposed to be a "Custom Saber" (F/S-N) but was really just a re-painted figure with a different Saber's head. I mean, the skin color on the head and body weren't even the same...
There was also a Remilia (Touhou) that was on display for an insane amount and called custom just because they had placed it on a little decorative background. This same guy was at DH this year, too, doing the same thing. I can't recall which booth #, but he was near the middle on a corner table, very small area, with nothing but posters/scrolls of artwork done by artists I know are not him.