Topic: Buyers beware

[Morning star]

For all those vintage game collectors out there.

This is a warning for collectors. I have noticed a lot of people on this site have very nice video game collections. Some consisting of some very rare and expensive games. Most of these people need no warning. This is intended for the novice or part time collectors out there. Like, the kind that would only enters the market to complete a Castlevania collection, but has no interest beyond that point.

I have noticed a disturbing trend out of several ebay sellers as of late. A LARGE number of sellers are listing large numbers of the original boxes for video games (some rare). While there is nothing wrong with that alone, the number of boxes they seem to have available at the same time, combined with the fact that there are MANY people capable of making almost perfect reproductions, makes this very dangerous for an uneducated collector.

 :oA few things to look for

Do they have several empty boxes for sale all at the same time? (The odds of this are very low) Most rentals were ransacked a long time ago guys.

Are the overall conditions of these boxes really nice? (The odds of this being the case are very low from a legit seller) Remember, they will be empty boxes (no game)

Does the damage that CAN be seen look as if it was done on purpose to make these boxes look used, without causing enough damage to lower the real value?

Are the boxes for sale all for one system? (People who do this tend to stick to one system) However.. If it is a legit video store lot, this is often the case for those as well.

I feel obligated to post information like this anytime i see a disturbing trend. Years on ebay and as a part of the game collecting community has made me aware that such things are taking place more often by the day.

I hope this info helps somebody.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Ah... the ebay thing is always a case of buyer beware since you don't actually see the item first-hand and have to give trust to the seller that he/she would deliver the goods as advertised.
I buy my stuff in Japan, where I see the actual item I am buying. Although Castlevania stuff there are like unicorns.

[Dracula9]

I'm not really into the vintage collecting as of now (mostly due to how little I make), but this is damn kind of you to post. Good to know, and good on you, mate.

[LuxKiller65]

The box/manual/cart reproduction thing is the new plague! Especially the box thing...

I'd been out of eBay for over a year, and that was exactly during the period where this trend exploded. When I started searching on eBay again I was totally shocked to see what had happened. I think it's a shameful thing to do, especially since a lot of sellers purposely make pics and descriptions vague, or don't mention it at all.

Making boxes look used is one step further...

[Morning star]

@luxKiller65 Glad to see other people noticing this. Your right, it really is a shame. Very sad days for collectors.

I'm not really into the vintage collecting as of now (mostly due to how little I make), but this is damn kind of you to post. Good to know, and good on you, mate.

Thanks a lot man. Doing it isn't always good for my online health. You wouldn't believe how many people are in on scams and schemes like this that are running around acting like great guys. They never let on that they know about it, but you can spot em easy enough. Spread enough truth around and they gang up and try to take you down for it. Maybe even a few of em here on this site. Who knows?

I already spotted somebody trying to trade a Japanese Castlevania 4 for a north American, Dracula X.. If somebody went for the trade not knowing, just trying to be nice, it would probably be listed on ebay before the game was even received, lol.

[darkmanx_429]

Seriously...I hate people...