PSA some asshole is doing spot on counterfeits of NWC now

[Tanooki | 4,931]

Wow look at that.   I have to admit, I'm slightly tempted to get one just to compare it to some boxes I have to see just how damn good they are boasting that kind of claim on the main page.

I've got a jewelers loop among a few other toys I could use to see if they're smoking crack.

 

...and you're right, if this is not bs, and they can back that claim up, then the barriers are basically gone.  If they 100% match you're getting into where you'll have to test paper and inks for age, etc which no normal person would have supplies to do so.  And if they can pull that box off, could they handle a label as well?  Cart plastics aren't a problem, it's ABS if you can get a proper mold and color dye level to match for the plastics.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

24 minutes ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

Been a little quiet in here.  I just came across this

https://www.gameboxgods.com/

I don't know about boxes and what to look for. But the mindset of "Repros bad, original only" is a shrinking segment of people that buy classic games. A site like this wouldn't stay afloat if the average buyer cared. Regardless of what you think this hobby is moving or may already be to the same point of the classic car hobby. Numbers matching all original stuff will always carry a premium, but the average collector will have not much issue picking up this aftermarket stuff.

I'm glad I'm 99% done NES, but there will always be a way to tell.  When I clicked the link, NES Frankenstein was featured on the front page so I checked it out.... and there are no codes whatsoever on the top flaps

[fcgamer | 4,721]

Lock those guys up and throw away the key!

Edit: Does Nintendo have some place to report counterfeit goods? There's honestly no need for this in the hobby, period.

Edit 2: Just reported them.

Edited February 24, 2021 by fcgamer

[Gloves | 11,771]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Gloves | 11,771]

26 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

I have to admit, I'm slightly tempted to get one just to compare it to some boxes I have to see just how damn good they are boasting that kind of claim on the main page.

Do it, they apparently have a free refund policy: 

"Every single box is backed by a 30 day money back guarantee, we have been in business for over 5 years and have hundreds of loyal, happy customers! Shipping is always free, on every single order! Every SNES and N64 box now includes a free cart holder! "

Get one (or five!), compare to originals, report here your findings, then return them.

I'd do it myself but it's $20 just to ship a box to me.

[Tanooki | 4,931]

Damn ouch... $20 to ship a cardboard box? That's ridiculous.  I was thinking of comparing the quality against a couple GB games I have complete.

[Braveheart69 | 124]

2 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

Been a little quiet in here.  I just came across this

https://www.gameboxgods.com/

I don't know about boxes and what to look for. But the mindset of "Repros bad, original only" is a shrinking segment of people that buy classic games. A site like this wouldn't stay afloat if the average buyer cared. Regardless of what you think this hobby is moving or may already be to the same point of the classic car hobby. Numbers matching all original stuff will always carry a premium, but the average collector will have not much issue picking up this aftermarket stuff.

I F**king hate this, period.  Yeah you can tell looking at the flaps this is not correct, but average Joe gets fooled all day long with these.  

[Gloves | 11,771]

6 minutes ago, Braveheart69 said:

I F**king hate this, period.  Yeah you can tell looking at the flaps this is not correct, but average Joe gets fooled all day long with these.  

I mostly hate that I feel like I'm at the point where I need to develop a checklist of things to make sure of when buying my CIBs. Everything I'm looking for at this point is multiple hundreds of dollars and seeing boxes like EVO up there is disheartening. 

Happily I know the info is available so I'll figure it out. I'm no pro though. 

[guitarzombie | 924]

Hey, lets get some of these boxes, make them CIB, reseal em, send em to WATA and grift the money marks.

[a_profile_name | 230]

And it's not even like they do it for the rare-ish stuff. They do it for the high demand popular stuff. At leat for the rare stuff you can claim people will buy it for themselves. But these are exactly the kind of boxes that are ideal for someone looking to scam other people. They cost enough to make worthwhile, and there is a much bigger chance whoever buys them doesn't know what to look for.

17 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

A site like this wouldn't stay afloat if the average buyer cared.

I think that unlike "regular" counterfeits, the market for this is not collectors with a bad taste, but entrepreneurs (scammers).

[Tanooki | 4,931]

I think in part it's the small image, but I'm not seeing a good obvious tell there those are fakes.  I thnk I saw one on one box I looked at, how it folded over on the interior, but that might have been my phone I was trying to zoom in on not so well.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

3 hours ago, sg17 said:

And it's not even like they do it for the rare-ish stuff. They do it for the high demand popular stuff. At leat for the rare stuff you can claim people will buy it for themselves. But these are exactly the kind of boxes that are ideal for someone looking to scam other people. They cost enough to make worthwhile, and there is a much bigger chance whoever buys them doesn't know what to look for.

I think that unlike "regular" counterfeits, the market for this is not collectors with a bad taste, but entrepreneurs (scammers).

I think you (plural) are underestimating how many people are buying this kind of thing for themselves. The reason I even posted the link because it was the third or fourth time I'd seen people recommending it on reddit where people were asking for repro boxes because they didn't want to pay real money for them.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

8 hours ago, guitarzombie said:

Hey, lets get some of these boxes, make them CIB, reseal em, send em to WATA and grift the money marks.

I'm sure there are people that have already tried.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

More evidence of where the hobby is going.

 

These are just average people getting into collecting games and as mind blowing as it seems some actually do just throw up a repro on their shelf with the real ones and call it good. I find it fascinating to watch the tides turn like this in real time. Especially outside the more serious collectors bubble

[a3quit4s | 4,096]

I like having the original games but if I couldn’t afford them I guess repros are a viable option although at that point I’d just save all the money and emulate. 
 

Also, this thread is starting to get that toxic NA we are better than you smell

Edited March 2, 2021 by a3quit4s

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,012]

6 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

I like having the original games but if I couldn’t afford them I guess repros are a viable option although at that point I’d just save all the money and emulate. 
 

Also, this thread is starting to get that toxic NA we are better than you smell

Afford? I just don't get the affording is an issue. I can't afford a Ferrari. Im not going to spent 10% of the cost on turn a 87 pontiac fiero into looking as close to a Ferrari as possible. 

I can't afford a original jordan 1s but I'm not going to go to China Town and buy some shitty sneakers that looks "just like jordan 1s" for 2% of the cost.

The acceptance of counterfeit goods isn't about affordability, it's about low standards and clout chasing.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

10 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Afford? I just don't get the affording is an issue. I can't afford a Ferrari. Im not going to spent 10% of the cost on turn a 87 pontiac fiero into looking as close to a Ferrari as possible. 

I can't afford a original jordan 1s but I'm not going to go to China Town and buy some shitty sneakers that looks "just like jordan 1s" for 2% of the cost.

The acceptance of counterfeit goods isn't about affordability, it's about low standards and clout chasing.

Dont forget those sweet, sweet social media likes. 

[GPX | 1,369]

7 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

More evidence of where the hobby is going.

 

These are just average people getting into collecting games and as mind blowing as it seems some actually do just throw up a repro on their shelf with the real ones and call it good. I find it fascinating to watch the tides turn like this in real time. Especially outside the more serious collectors bubble

For ones that don’t mind buying those repros (near exact 1:1) for the pure purpose of a display, how many would likely buy with the intention to scam? Ultimately, what proportion of high quality repros will likely end up being a scam item for an unsuspecting/unknowing? These are some serious questions that need to be asked.

Also, for the pleasure of making a display looking good with repro(s), you are effectively minimizing all the efforts that have gone through buying all the legit ones in the collection. At least, this is how I would feel.

[GPX | 1,369]

1 hour ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Afford? I just don't get the affording is an issue. I can't afford a Ferrari. Im not going to spent 10% of the cost on turn a 87 pontiac fiero into looking as close to a Ferrari as possible. 

I can't afford a original jordan 1s but I'm not going to go to China Town and buy some shitty sneakers that looks "just like jordan 1s" for 2% of the cost.

The acceptance of counterfeit goods isn't about affordability, it's about low standards and clout chasing.

Not to mention it’s an illegal act if a consumer thinks it’s a legit item. I’m actually curious as to what point should Nintendo step in and sue?

[The Count | 526]

I hate to gatekeep, but it diminishes the hobby and achievements of like-minded collectors to purport fake items as authentic. I don't personally know anyone who would water down the satisfaction of a legitimate possession, but as I don't travel in those circles, I'm not particularly surprised that there are scumbags out there who would be so unscrupulous. Promoting or embracing fakes severely harms collecting and consumerism at every level. At least significantly alter a grail such as the April Fool's Day Stadium Events.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

46 minutes ago, GPX said:

For ones that don’t mind buying those repros (near exact 1:1) for the pure purpose of a display, how many would likely buy with the intention to scam? Ultimately, what proportion of high quality repros will likely end up being a scam item for an unsuspecting/unknowing? These are some serious questions that need to be asked.

Also, for the pleasure of making a display looking good with repro(s), you are effectively minimizing all the efforts that have gone through buying all the legit ones in the collection. At least, this is how I would feel.

Those questions have been asked a thousand times. But people simply dont care. The battle against repros of retail items is lost. I scope out reddit daily and it's probably the second most common thing I see discussed with peoples collections (the first being how to make a console work on an hdtv). People openly say they rather not spend the kind of money the real thing costs and are just as happy with a look alike. They dont see a diminish in their collection they see a addition to it. The ideals we all had about legit collections are old guard at this loint and are rapidly fading with the increasing cost of collecting 

[JamesRobot | 5,788]

1 hour ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Afford? I just don't get the affording is an issue. I can't afford a Ferrari. Im not going to spent 10% of the cost on turn a 87 pontiac fiero into looking as close to a Ferrari as possible. 

Lol.  I kinda like the Fieros.  And while I wouldn't spend (a lot of) money trying to make it into a Ferrari, I did seriously consider putting Lamborghini doors on my Chevy Cobalt.  About a grand for the kit.

 

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,012]

1 hour ago, GPX said:

Not to mention it’s an illegal act if a consumer thinks it’s a legit item. I’m actually curious as to what point should Nintendo step in and sue?

My guess is never considering that eBay and Etsy are absolutely littered with counterfeit Pokemon games. Hell, even AliExpress has had to remove the pictures and names of the IPs on the fakes they sell.

52 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

Lol.  I kinda like the Fieros.  And while I wouldn't spend (a lot of) money trying to make it into a Ferrari, I did seriously consider putting Lamborghini doors on my Chevy Cobalt.  About a grand for the kit.

 

I like Fieros too lol one of my friends growing up had one as his first car and it was bad ass. Was the Cobalt a couple a sedan. Bc lambo doors on a sedan would be hilarious. 

 

Here's a like to the Ferrari kit. 

www.autotrader.com/car-news/autotrader-find-1986-pontiac-fiero-ferrari-308-replica%3famp

[JamesRobot | 5,788]

Coupe.  Yeah, no way would I drop 20 Gs on a Fierro.

[fcgamer | 4,721]

4 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

Those questions have been asked a thousand times. But people simply dont care. The battle against repros of retail items is lost. I scope out reddit daily and it's probably the second most common thing I see discussed with peoples collections (the first being how to make a console work on an hdtv). People openly say they rather not spend the kind of money the real thing costs and are just as happy with a look alike. They dont see a diminish in their collection they see a addition to it. The ideals we all had about legit collections are old guard at this loint and are rapidly fading with the increasing cost of collecting 

To me, one repro spoils the broth, er the collection. Let me explain.

If we are talking about old bootleg carts, or even repros of items that never had proper releases, like Sim City NES, then I think it's acceptable on various degrees, as it still can be distinguished easily for what it is.

But if we are talking about items that look near identical, if one item is known to be a fake / reproduction, then I personally wouldn't touch any of the set with a ten foot pole. Likely there could be other fakes in the collection too, and therefore I don't want anything to do with it. So one or two fakes in a set would definitely make me call into question the authenticity of the whole set, whether a dozen items or thousands of items. Yikes.