I think some dude sold me bootleg DVDs on eBay

[Iron Woode]

different shipping addresses? That sounds fishy too.

That guy seems like a serious scammer.

If shipping is by USPS, he will be in trouble with them as well. They can make his life very miserable too.

You might consider informing his local police or maybe his state's AG.

Its possible he is a part of a huge video pirating operation.

 

[spanky]

update 12:07am 2/12/08:
the seller replied to my message, but his message didn't really address whether or not he will reimburse me for the return shipping, nor did he verify what is his exact mailing address.

here is what he wrote in his reply:

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN ITEM IS SHIPPED, SO I CAN RETURN TO DIST FOR REFUND

the following was my response:

hello,

please confirm our agreed plan of action. i am requesting to be refund $147.95, plus incurred return shipping cost for the dvds. once i have a documented agreement from you here, i will ship the dvds back to you via UPS ground (i chose this method because it is trackable and insured).

i will also need you to confirm your mailing address. the address you provided in your previous messege is different then the return address from the package you sent me. to avoid further complications, i request that you verify your mailing address again.

for the record, the return address on the package you sent to me is as follows:
michael scammer
???? tylers pl #???
west chester, oh 45069-4684

however, the address that you gave me in this message dialog is:
michael scammer
???? tylersville place blvd ???
west chester, ohio 45069

please confirm that you agree to my proposed plan of action, and also confirm which of the addresses above is you correct mailing address.

thank you.

 

[Al Neri]

Originally posted by: spanky
update 12:07am 2/12/08:
the seller replied to my message, but his message didn't really address whether or not he will reimburse me for the return shipping, nor did he verify what is his exact mailing address.

here is what he wrote in his reply:

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN ITEM IS SHIPPED, SO I CAN RETURN TO DIST FOR REFUND

the following was my response:

hello,

please confirm our agreed plan of action. i am requesting to be refund $147.95, plus incurred return shipping cost for the dvds. once i have a documented agreement from you here, i will ship the dvds back to you via UPS ground (i chose this method because it is trackable and insured).

i will also need you to confirm your mailing address. the address you provided in your previous messege is different then the return address from the package you sent me. to avoid further complications, i request that you verify your mailing address again.

for the record, the return address on the package you sent to me is as follows:
michael scammer
???? tylers pl #???
west chester, oh 45069-4684

however, the address that you gave me in this message dialog is:
michael scammer
???? tylersville place blvd ???
west chester, ohio 45069

please confirm that you agree to my proposed plan of action, and also confirm which of the addresses above is you correct mailing address.

thank you.

You spelled message wrong

These guys are the worst - seriously

 

[ryan256]

I'd say give him til the end of the month to refund you your money. If he doesn't report his ass to the MPAA.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: ryan256
I'd say give him til the end of the month to refund you your money. If he doesn't report his ass to the MPAA.

I concur, but would add that you should report him even if you do get your money back. It would be a shame to let this idiot go unpunished.

KT

 

[abaez]

Ok, you are arguing over $10 worth of shipping. Do you want your $140 or are you gonna hold up $140 to wait on $10 from him? Get whatever you can back now and don't buy these sets on ebay again.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

You can one-up him!

Copy the discs to your computer (They're already DVD-5, so they'll fit quite nicely onto DVD-Rs), photocopy the covers, voila, you have a complete set of "Friends".
Then you can send them back, report the guy etc...

You have a copy of the "friends" set, your sister is happy, you got your money back, and you showed that scammer who's boss!

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: villageidiot111
Commercial disks are all DVDrom. They do sometimes come in a capacity of 4.3 or w/e it is.

Yeah, don't know why the OP is telling him they should be DL.

The crappy thing is you'd think at this price, he'd at least splurge on real packing materials.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: marketsons1985

Originally posted by: mar23
says that in the auction
AUTHENTIC Region 1 release (USA/Canada) copy.

since it says that in the auction i dont think you have any leg to stand on unless he is nice enough to take it back.. I would be heated spending 150 on fakes.

Huh?

It says authentic.

His are not authentic.

Nor are they just region 1.

He's got loads of legs to stand on with this bootleg seller.

Edit:

OP - another thing is the way the strip of pictures is attached to the front...it looks like on the legit ones there's an inset that they go in...like on this picture from Amazon's website.

Just another thought.

Being a Region 1 copy is not the same as being a Region 1 encoded disc. If you buy movies overseas you will find sometimes they are different than what was released here (and vice versa).

Saying it's a region 1 copy, means you are getting the same shows that broadcase here and were part of the North American boxed set.

Now they are also probably authentic too, more than likely (as said above) produced from the same factory that releases the actual encoded box set. This is the big thing MPAA is trying to crack down on.

They even release them identical to the originals at times with full packaging and encoding, but sell them through overseas channels which then get bought by those in the US or willing to sell to the US for a buck.

Not all printed DVDs are great quality. I have bought some discs that were totally off center, but real.

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: marketsons1985

Originally posted by: mar23
says that in the auction
AUTHENTIC Region 1 release (USA/Canada) copy.

since it says that in the auction i dont think you have any leg to stand on unless he is nice enough to take it back.. I would be heated spending 150 on fakes.

Huh?

It says authentic.

His are not authentic.

Nor are they just region 1.

He's got loads of legs to stand on with this bootleg seller.

Edit:

OP - another thing is the way the strip of pictures is attached to the front...it looks like on the legit ones there's an inset that they go in...like on this picture from Amazon's website.

Just another thought.

Being a Region 1 copy is not the same as being a Region 1 encoded disc. If you buy movies overseas you will find sometimes they are different than what was released here (and vice versa).

Saying it's a region 1 copy, means you are getting the same shows that broadcase here and were part of the North American boxed set.

Now they are also probably authentic too, more than likely (as said above) produced from the same factory that releases the actual encoded box set. This is the big thing MPAA is trying to crack down on.

They even release them identical to the originals at times with full packaging and encoding, but sell them through overseas channels which then get bought by those in the US or willing to sell to the US for a buck.

Not all printed DVDs are great quality. I have bought some discs that were totally off center, but real.

when you said that commercial dvd-roms are SL... do you mean software dvds or media (video) dvds? to my knowledge (which isnt necessarily saying much), i thought all video dvds were DL.

i think mar23's point is that the dvds were advertised as authentic and region 1. however, the dvds that arrived are not authentic, and one of the reasons is that the dvds are multi-region.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
You can one-up him!

Copy the discs to your computer (They're already DVD-5, so they'll fit quite nicely onto DVD-Rs), photocopy the covers, voila, you have a complete set of "Friends".
Then you can send them back, report the guy etc...

You have a copy of the "friends" set, your sister is happy, you got your money back, and you showed that scammer who's boss!

:laugh:

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: marketsons1985

Originally posted by: mar23
says that in the auction
AUTHENTIC Region 1 release (USA/Canada) copy.

since it says that in the auction i dont think you have any leg to stand on unless he is nice enough to take it back.. I would be heated spending 150 on fakes.

Huh?

It says authentic.

His are not authentic.

Nor are they just region 1.

He's got loads of legs to stand on with this bootleg seller.

Edit:

OP - another thing is the way the strip of pictures is attached to the front...it looks like on the legit ones there's an inset that they go in...like on this picture from Amazon's website.

Just another thought.

Being a Region 1 copy is not the same as being a Region 1 encoded disc. If you buy movies overseas you will find sometimes they are different than what was released here (and vice versa).

Saying it's a region 1 copy, means you are getting the same shows that broadcase here and were part of the North American boxed set.

Now they are also probably authentic too, more than likely (as said above) produced from the same factory that releases the actual encoded box set. This is the big thing MPAA is trying to crack down on.

They even release them identical to the originals at times with full packaging and encoding, but sell them through overseas channels which then get bought by those in the US or willing to sell to the US for a buck.

Not all printed DVDs are great quality. I have bought some discs that were totally off center, but real.

when you said that commercial dvd-roms are SL... do you mean software dvds or media (video) dvds? to my knowledge (which isnt necessarily saying much), i thought all video dvds were DL.

i think mar23's point is that the dvds were advertised as authentic and region 1. however, the dvds that arrived are not authentic, and one of the reasons is that the dvds are multi-region.

These are most likely imported sets. I bought the Alien Nation set at Fry's and noticed that they are 4.3GB disks.

I also have a DS9 boxset from overseas that is legit, the disks are pressed but he art work doesn't match anything from the US releases.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
These are most likely imported sets. I bought the Alien Nation set at Fry's and noticed that they are 4.3GB disks.

I also have a DS9 boxset from overseas that is legit, the disks are pressed but he art work doesn't match anything from the US releases.

Discs from overseas would NOT have Region 1 written on the labels. While overseas in the Middle East (West Bank), I rented DVDs (Israeli release). Quite a few of them were 4.7 GB single layer discs, BUT the discs did have different art compared to Region 1 releases and all the printed info on the label corresponded to a legit Region 2 release; from the copyright info (International version of the studio/distributor's name for example; Disney discs would be distributed by Buena Vista International...) down to the fact that they were region encoded and CSS protected.

Those Friends discs are fake.

EDIT: The Island comes to mind as one of the movies I rented, also a Warner release, just like Friends. It was an R2 disc intended for several markets, I assume with the box art differing for each release. Right when you put the disc in it had a language select screen, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, etc. Then it would play the piracy is evil vid (Text it's a parody of the original, but the music is the same) with the annoying seizure inducing text in the proper language.

 

[spanky]

update 12:24pm 2/12/08:
new messages from paypal dispute dialog:

From Seller: MICHAEL SCAMMER on 2/12/2008 06:30 PST
the address is a ups store,where we have all our packages delivered. the address once again is
michael scammer,
???? tylers place blvd # ???
west chester, ohio 45069

From Buyer: spanky on 2/12/2008 10:56 PST
thank you for confirming the mailing address. can you please confirm if you agree with my proposed plan of action?

From Seller: MICHAEL scammer on 2/12/2008 12:10 PST
yes
michael kramer
???? tylers place blvd # ???
west chester, ohio 45069

From Buyer:spanky on 2/12/2008 12:27 PST
thank you. i will be shipping the dvds back to you via UPS on 2/13/08 (i will provide you with the UPS tracking number and shipping cost).


looks like progress is coming along

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
These are most likely imported sets. I bought the Alien Nation set at Fry's and noticed that they are 4.3GB disks.

I also have a DS9 boxset from overseas that is legit, the disks are pressed but he art work doesn't match anything from the US releases.

Discs from overseas would NOT have Region 1 written on the labels. While overseas in the Middle East (West Bank), I rented DVDs (Israeli release). Quite a few of them were 4.7 GB single layer discs, BUT the discs did have different art compared to Region 1 releases and all the printed info on the label corresponded to a legit Region 2 release; from the copyright info (International version of the studio/distributor's name for example; Disney discs would be distributed by Buena Vista International...) down to the fact that they were region encoded and CSS protected.

Those Friends discs are fake.

EDIT: The Island comes to mind as one of the movies I rented, also a Warner release, just like Friends. It was an R2 disc intended for several markets, I assume with the box art differing for each release. Right when you put the disc in it had a language select screen, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, etc. Then it would play the piracy is evil vid (Text it's a parody of the original, but the music is the same) with the annoying seizure inducing text in the proper language.

thanx for the insight mrSHEiK124 :beer:

 

[Josh]

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: Quintox
Dude don't let this guy get away. Soundmanred has the right idea, all he is going to do is bootleg sell them to someone else.

i do plan on ratting him out... after i get my money back.

snitches get stitches. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrahhhtt



Seriously though, from the packaging alone you could tell its fake. No established media company would release something that looked like that. Shit wouldn't sell just because of first glance. (The real set where the front picture strip is an insert, etc looks way better than that pasted on bullshit)

 

[RKS]

I live a few minutes away from Tylersville Road in West Chester.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: marketsons1985

Originally posted by: mar23
says that in the auction
AUTHENTIC Region 1 release (USA/Canada) copy.

since it says that in the auction i dont think you have any leg to stand on unless he is nice enough to take it back.. I would be heated spending 150 on fakes.

Huh?

It says authentic.

His are not authentic.

Nor are they just region 1.

He's got loads of legs to stand on with this bootleg seller.

Edit:

OP - another thing is the way the strip of pictures is attached to the front...it looks like on the legit ones there's an inset that they go in...like on this picture from Amazon's website.

Just another thought.

Being a Region 1 copy is not the same as being a Region 1 encoded disc. If you buy movies overseas you will find sometimes they are different than what was released here (and vice versa).

Saying it's a region 1 copy, means you are getting the same shows that broadcase here and were part of the North American boxed set.

Now they are also probably authentic too, more than likely (as said above) produced from the same factory that releases the actual encoded box set. This is the big thing MPAA is trying to crack down on.

They even release them identical to the originals at times with full packaging and encoding, but sell them through overseas channels which then get bought by those in the US or willing to sell to the US for a buck.

Not all printed DVDs are great quality. I have bought some discs that were totally off center, but real.

when you said that commercial dvd-roms are SL... do you mean software dvds or media (video) dvds? to my knowledge (which isnt necessarily saying much), i thought all video dvds were DL.

i think mar23's point is that the dvds were advertised as authentic and region 1. however, the dvds that arrived are not authentic, and one of the reasons is that the dvds are multi-region.

It's a different technology than the discs you burn at home.

The discs were advertised as Region 1 copies...which is a bit of a trick. Like I said, in foreign markets you can find discs as the Region 1 version, but they are not region encoded and actually _pressed_ discs.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Any news?

 

[scott916]

I've gotten some very good anime bootlegs on ebay before. I had a version of Akira that was simply unwatchable due to the TERRIBLE subtitles, but I never would have questioned if it was retail if they were good. It's pretty much a tossup, any box set that doesn't cost as much as it should is a pretty good indicator.

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
Any news?

i shipped the dvds back to him yesterday, so now it's kind of a waiting game to see if i do get fully reimbursed.

another thing that kind of sucks now... i decided to order the friends dvds from deepdiscount.com, but a few days after i placed my order, they sent me a cancellation notice, saying that the item has been discontinued. damn.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: marketsons1985

Originally posted by: mar23
says that in the auction
AUTHENTIC Region 1 release (USA/Canada) copy.

since it says that in the auction i dont think you have any leg to stand on unless he is nice enough to take it back.. I would be heated spending 150 on fakes.

Huh?

It says authentic.

His are not authentic.

Nor are they just region 1.

He's got loads of legs to stand on with this bootleg seller.

Edit:

OP - another thing is the way the strip of pictures is attached to the front...it looks like on the legit ones there's an inset that they go in...like on this picture from Amazon's website.

Just another thought.

Being a Region 1 copy is not the same as being a Region 1 encoded disc. If you buy movies overseas you will find sometimes they are different than what was released here (and vice versa).

Saying it's a region 1 copy, means you are getting the same shows that broadcase here and were part of the North American boxed set.

Now they are also probably authentic too, more than likely (as said above) produced from the same factory that releases the actual encoded box set. This is the big thing MPAA is trying to crack down on.

They even release them identical to the originals at times with full packaging and encoding, but sell them through overseas channels which then get bought by those in the US or willing to sell to the US for a buck.

Not all printed DVDs are great quality. I have bought some discs that were totally off center, but real.

when you said that commercial dvd-roms are SL... do you mean software dvds or media (video) dvds? to my knowledge (which isnt necessarily saying much), i thought all video dvds were DL.

i think mar23's point is that the dvds were advertised as authentic and region 1. however, the dvds that arrived are not authentic, and one of the reasons is that the dvds are multi-region.

Definitely not true. There are many commercially released DVD-VIDEO movies that are on single layer DVDs.

 

[SampSon]

Make sure you go through with reporting him to all the necessary authorities.

 

[spanky]

update 2/27/08:
i got my paypal refund, but the seller told me that he would need my email address to give me a reinbursement for the shipping. i emailed him, but i haven't heard anything from him since. i dont expect that he will actually send me the reimbursement. oh well. off the report him to the proper authorities. i'm going to email warner brothers and the mpaa. hopefully they'll nail this jackass.

 

[rockyct]

At least you have gotten most of your money back.