Non Hong Kong-based bootleg GBA game on eBay

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oneirotekt

CAGiversary!
After hearing about the dangers of buying bootleg GBA cartridges from Hong Kong in this thread, I was wary of non-US sellers. So recently I picked up Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance from a seller in New York called stylesandgames. It arrived today in the mail, and just to be sure I check the back and saw the dreaded NINTONDO on the cart. It seems to work fine; the cart itself is good quality but it's definitely bootleg. So be aware, guys, there are bootleg GBA carts coming out of more places than just HK. That guy may or may not have even known he was selling me a bootleg copy to me. I left him negative feedback and advise everyone else to stay away.

I thought the seller was okay being in the US, but in the future I'll be more careful, and I'm never going to buy from somebody whose feedback comments are "private" (hidden from buyers) again.
 
Good idea... I just reported the item and seller under the "Report unauthorized copies of videogames" section of eBay's security section. We'll see if anything comes of it.
 
Yeah, I know better now. The only thing visible was his positive / neutral / negative ratio, which wasn't bad. Never again.
 
It looks like he is knownlingly selling bootleg games since he is selling multiple copies of the same game cartridge only.

Even if he gets reported to EBay, I really don't think Ebay will care. :evil:

I once saw a guy selling burned PS2 games on EBay and I reported him because I almost bought the game until I saw his feedback and saw complaints he was selling burned games. Ebay banned him and he is back under a new name. Then again, he got banned and he is back on a 3rd name.
 
they really need start doing more than banning just the account. banning the ip could be of more help, also since they control paypal they could ban his credit cards and stuff.
 
They won't though since even though he is selling burned games, he is still making EBay money on the listing fees, final value fees and Paypal fees which is all EBay cares about. The only way EBay would really shut him down (I think) is if Nintendo or another company threatened to sue Ebay for not banning him.
 
Well, there really isn't any easy way for Ebay to control bootleg games. Since Ebay only hosts the auctions for the items, the seller has to send the item to the winning buyer. It's unfortunate, but the only thing a buyer can do is to report it to Ebay and Ebay will probably ban those sellers, but if you check on the GBA games on Ebay you will see a lot of HK based sellers with 0 feedback and the "newbie" icon next to their names. Simply don't buy from them unless you want a cheap game and a pirated game. I bought one without knowing this before and the game seemed and played just fine.
 
[quote name='btantra']Look at this guy, he's telling everybody about fake games:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3080177550&category=62053

I really think ebay should do a better job controlling bootleg games.[/quote]

I have sold a used GBA game on ebay and folded the box flat to put it in a padded envelope to save on shipping. The best way to tell if it is a fake to look at pic of game or ask for a pic before bidding. And DO NOT buy from Hong Kong!
 
Wow, so I filed a complaint against the guy and reported that he was selling bootleg games, and then he gave me negative feedback, saying I "made assumptions"... in addition to an out-and-out lie that I didn't pay promptly (I paid within an hour of the auction end). What a fuckasstard. Does this kind of stuff happen all the time on eBay? Is there anything I can do to get rid of that negative feedback?
 
Getting negative feedback removed is tough. You can try to get it removed it he used any profanity in the feedback message or if his contact info is wrong.

I hate EBay's feedback system. It can be unfair for both the buyer and seller.

I sold an item on Ebay. Buyer said they would pay with a money order. I never got the money order so I figured they were a non paying bidder. A few weeks later I get negative feedback from the buyer saying they paid and I never sent the game. They never contacted me or anything so I e-mailed EBay asking for the feedback to be removed and they wouldn't remove it. I still have 99.7% positive feedback but it just annoys me people can leave unfair negative feedback and get away with it.
 
The only decent thing you can do is respond to the negative feedback. I see this fairly often, and a lot of the time you can see it wasnt the person's fault.
 
I wonder if he didnt buy the game from HK and then decide to get rid of it on ebay... Anyway concidering how easy it is to make bootlegs now (Buy flash carts, download roms, install) th best thing to do is to just not buy bootleggable products from individual people or companies without public feedback.

eBay is such a freaking waste, if people stopped using it because of issues like this maybe they;d actually try and find a way to fix everything.
 
[quote name='oneirotekt']Wow, so I filed a complaint against the guy and reported that he was selling bootleg games, and then he gave me negative feedback, saying I "made assumptions"... in addition to an out-and-out lie that I didn't pay promptly (I paid within an hour of the auction end). What a fuckasstard. Does this kind of stuff happen all the time on eBay? Is there anything I can do to get rid of that negative feedback?[/quote]

I have spoken with Ebay at length on the phone regarding feedback and how to get it removed. It is true that they rarely will remove it unless there is cursing in it. However, I asked them if they would remove malicious feedback. They said in some cases, if you can prove the feedback is TOTALLY and COMPLETELY unwarranted and posted in a dishonest manner, they will remove it. The example they gave me is if someone bids on your item and leaves negative feedback 30 seconds after the auction ends. EVEN THEN, the feedback has to be malicious. If they're a newbie and they leave something like "I decided I don't want this item" Ebay won't touch it because even though it's stupid and the person didn't know what they were doing, it was left honestly.

So, if you really want to be rid of it, you could probably make the case to Ebay that:

1) The guy is selling illegal merchandise (which should be easy to prove because there will surely be more complaints)

2) You paid him with Paypal within an hour of the auction's end.

3) He is lying about your "late" payment.

4) His feedback is not genuine due to the above facts.

I would say if you catch one of those guys on the right day they might remove the feedback. You should also point out to Ebay that you should not be punished for making the "community" a safer place to trade.
 
Ebay will never remove the negative fb, unless the person who gave it to you wrote some profanity and/or you email or your contact information. The only way to remove fb is through square trade, which is not ( as pointed out by ebay ) a company of ebay ( Not true ). They will charge you $20 for each FB you'd want to remove.
 
Read the positive feedback, people will complain about bootlegs in POSITIVE feedbacks.

_________________________________________________
[quote name='"master_evil"']Ebay will never remove the negative fb, unless the person who gave it to you wrote some profanity and/or you email or your contact information. The only way to remove fb is through square trade, which is not ( as pointed out by ebay ) a company of ebay ( Not true ). They will charge you $20 for each FB you'd want to remove.[/quote]

They hackers or something?
 
Im all about being getting payback in the long run, once in awhile ill have a non paying bidder, someone who keeps telling me they will send it, blah blah blah. So I make a reminder, wait the 89 days or whatever, then at the last minute i put give them the negative. Then they can not do it back. I also report any illegal auction I see :)
 
complaining to eBay is almost useless, even if thousands of members complain about the same bootlegging issue eBay still can't do much about it considering there is so many being posted and so little athority and employees. bootleg games are not ebay's only issue, there is also fake coins, purses, comics, sports memo. and a whole list of others we dont know much about. ebay does ban the user's credit card and address information, but all the seller has to do is use a credit card and address of his/her friend or accomplist. because there is so little "law enforcement" on internet goods it is very hard to actually charge someone with a crime. in this instance of selling bootleg games will go under mail fraud and not countifeiting. if the seller is an actual company, then procecution is easier. you can file an complaint with BBB, or many other non-profit online attorney firms. (google it, ebay also have many on hand, search help on ebay)

about the feedbacks, sellers and buyers mostly will only take notice of consecutive negatives, and will dismiss bad feelings if you contact them promply, before and after the auction's end. its no big deal, I've seen sellers with 40% positive still selling like crazy, and i've seen buyers with 20% positive winning items. if you are a seller and receives negative feedback you can clear it with a fee of $20 a month, if you sign up with Squaretrade.com. what's even more dishonest is being a 8 year ebay vet. seller, I've encountered offers to buy feedbacks straight from eBay. But keep in mind eBay.com is a business, and not a SERVICE. unfairness and politics is not odd in this case.
 
OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO IRRITATING!! Did you everything that people might actually want to buy bootleg games? I happen to be a serious fan of bootleg games because you never know what your going to get. If anything, sellers should be posting negative feedback about not wanting any of you as buyers. Seriously, instead of petitioning ebay to ban bootleg games, want not encourage them to make a requirement that if you are going to sell bootleg games than you must list that fact about the game you are selling. Seriously, it wouldn't hurt the market on real games, because everything on ebay is - to some degree - previously owned. Also, by having ebay ban those sellers, it makes it harder for bootleg game fans to purchase these games. If anything, you all deserve negative feedback for being ebay ingrates.
 
I am currently looking for a copy of Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance, and wading through a sea of bootlegs is pissing me off. The release of the Double Pack did not affect this game at all in terms of going price, and won't.

I personally do not want to give up my hard-earned money for a "surprise"; I would much rather know what I'm getting beforehand. Though last year, a bootlegged Harmony did show up in a Paducah, KY pawn shop. My heart sank, because I now know I have to be wary of fake games in my own area.

Thank god you can't just leave anyone feedback on ebay anymore...

/any CAGs wanna part with Harmony of Dissonance? I'll be your best friend...
 
I dont mind bootleg games either, but these sellers are trying to pass them off as legit copies of the game and thats wrong. I would have no problem with auctions for bootleg games if they admitted that fact, and discounted the game accordingly. Im not paying $20 for a bootleg 'NintOndo' cart that will probably erase itself in a few weeks. If it was $5 I might take a chance. But the majority of buyers on Ebay are looking for the real game, and these people are being ripped off by pirates.

Its one thing to sell a bootleg Prada handbag on ebay, if someone thinks theyre getting a real $900 Prada bag for $40 then they are an idiot and deserve to get cheated, but most people buying games are looking for legit copies.


[quote name='Dante the Bard']OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO IRRITATING!! Did you everything that people might actually want to buy bootleg games? I happen to be a serious fan of bootleg games because you never know what your going to get. If anything, sellers should be posting negative feedback about not wanting any of you as buyers. Seriously, instead of petitioning ebay to ban bootleg games, want not encourage them to make a requirement that if you are going to sell bootleg games than you must list that fact about the game you are selling. Seriously, it wouldn't hurt the market on real games, because everything on ebay is - to some degree - previously owned. Also, by having ebay ban those sellers, it makes it harder for bootleg game fans to purchase these games. If anything, you all deserve negative feedback for being ebay ingrates.[/quote]
 
As for the retaliatory neg. My advice would be to do what I do, use one account for selling and another for buying. That way you can give crappy sellers the FB they deserve and if they give you an unwarranted negative back, it doesn't affect your selling account. If you don't do any selling, I wouldn't worry about it. Just do what Mr. U suggested and post a reasonable reply to the FB.

[quote name='Dante the Bard']OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO IRRITATING!! Did you everything that people might actually want to buy bootleg games? I happen to be a serious fan of bootleg games because you never know what your going to get. If anything, sellers should be posting negative feedback about not wanting any of you as buyers. Seriously, instead of petitioning ebay to ban bootleg games, want not encourage them to make a requirement that if you are going to sell bootleg games than you must list that fact about the game you are selling. Seriously, it wouldn't hurt the market on real games, because everything on ebay is - to some degree - previously owned. Also, by having ebay ban those sellers, it makes it harder for bootleg game fans to purchase these games. If anything, you all deserve negative feedback for being ebay ingrates.[/QUOTE]

Oustanding idea. I can totally see eBay rolling out a new drop down box to the pre-fill information for video game listings. 'Bootleg - Yes|No' If the game makers and/or authorities complain about it, eBay should just tell them to go f themselves. People want access to bootleg games and they deserve the right to such!
 
Originally Posted by Dante the Bard
OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO IRRITATING!! Did you everything that people might actually want to buy bootleg games? I happen to be a serious fan of bootleg games because you never know what your going to get. If anything, sellers should be posting negative feedback about not wanting any of you as buyers. Seriously, instead of petitioning ebay to ban bootleg games, want not encourage them to make a requirement that if you are going to sell bootleg games than you must list that fact about the game you are selling. Seriously, it wouldn't hurt the market on real games, because everything on ebay is - to some degree - previously owned. Also, by having ebay ban those sellers, it makes it harder for bootleg game fans to purchase these games. If anything, you all deserve negative feedback for being ebay ingrates.
Click to expand...
Funny, I thought eBay's security center had a section about listing violations like selling counterfeit goods and media. Why are you encouraging illegal activity? Bootlegs of currently-selling games would hurt the game market. And you probably enjoy surprises like ill-fitting carts with dead batteries, all sorts of glitches, and poorly photocopied manuals? Wheeeeeeeee!
 
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