Quick Warning: Buying Anime Online

[CrimsonRyu17]

Not sure where to put this, hope this is the right place and is okay.

I recently came across a potential chain of online websites that sell anime for a pretty cheap price. They sell both "import" which are obvious bootlegs that claim to be "60% - 80% off" and other anime/manga merchandise.

Some potential websites are:

- Animexland.com
- BuyanimeUSA.com
- Bestnhobby.com
- Foxanime.com (recently taken down)

All of these have the same layout. This is a scam that has been going on for quite a while as reported by several buyers who ended up with no returned monies and no item. Some say they do get their item after extremely long shipping time, most say they get nothing.

This is a warning to the anime fans who can't tell what bootlegs are and are just looking for a good price on some DVD's. If you find a site that's similar but you're not sure, google for several reviews (not just one) on the site and you'll be able to tell.

If you find another website that's a potential scam with bad reviews, post here so we can add to this list.

[MasterDias]

I would hope any site that sells anime "60%-80% off" the MSRP would raise warning bells.
Everyone would do well to remember the old expression. If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

It might be easier to simply list legit sites with good deals.
Rightstuf is where I do most of my online anime/manga purchasing. They have good deals, particularly during their sales.
Deepdiscount and (although I haven't bought anything from them) DVDPacific are legit sites with probably the best standard prices on anime.

[Roy Mustang]

Could we list only places that sell bootlegs. I know a lot of them to stay away from.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]
Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Shao Feng-Li]

List both.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Could we list only places that sell bootlegs. I know a lot of them to stay away from.

Yeah, sure, that'll be helpful too.

It might be easier to simply list legit sites with good deals.

The ones you listed are pretty good, Rightstuf is a fave of mine. I also hear a looot of praise for AnimeCastle. Though I think they sell both import and region 1, but they could be non-bootleg imports, Iunno.

[Bobtheduck]

Deep discount legitimately offered Sailormoon classic and R for 40 bucks a piece in the short period they were selling before Toei removed ALL international licenses for the show...

I don't know about discounts on other anime.

As for bootlegs, well... basically all the 40 dollar or less sales on ebay for anime box sets of 26 eps or more are bootleg. You can usually tell by number of discs. The real ones tend to get sold for more than MSRP.

[CrimsonRyu17]

As for bootlegs, well... basically all the 40 dollar or less sales on ebay for anime box sets of 26 eps or more are bootleg. You can usually tell by number of discs.

Yeah, and they're usually region free (big hint thar) and are Malaysia discs, I even have one myself and it's a bootleg. *coughgotitbeforeitwaslicenedherecough*

[Maokun]

Crimson: YOu cough away the shameful act, not the alleviating circumstances

[CrimsonRyu17]

Crimson: You cough away the shameful act, not the alleviating circumstances

Well, people pay moar attention to the cough anyway, right? xD;

[theanimeguy]

Oh yeah, I've come across a few of these as well looking for R2 versions of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Don't ever be fooled by these sites.

[Scarecrow]

I buy all my anime off Amazon from the Amazon merchants rather than directly from Amazon. Cause it's usually cheaper. Usually pay between 24-44 dollars for a brand new thin pack sets with 24-26 episodes sometimes saving as much as 40 dollars. And yes they're official releases... out of 30+ the times I've bought anime from Amazon, only once did I get a bootleg and it taught me a lot about how to buy from the merchant people and which ones to stay away from.

ALWAYS buy from someone with a 98% rating or higher. Anything less and you run the risk of the item taking a long time to reach you or it not coming at all, or you end up with a bootleg. Always buy from someone who says something like "BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED". If it says something about region 0 or something, don't buy. I wasn't paying attention to these at first and got a bootleg set. I had to hit myself cause he did say "plays in all regions". When I got it, I could instantly tell it was fake just by the cover art and stuff. Didn't look right at all although it was EXTREMELY well done packaging. And then on the back at the bottom it was all in chinese which was a dead give away. Sent it back for a refund though which I got. If you wanna buy from someone with a rating less than 98%, read their feed back to see why their rating is low. People will usually post about shipping speed, if they got it, or if the product was a bootleg. Sure 97% sounds like a good number but I found it's really not if you wanna make sure you get your product and an official release.

Just go to Amazon, click "Buy new and used from $xx.xx" and then browse the ones selling it "new" and follow the above advice.

I never buy from sites like Rightstuf or AnimeNation directly cause I can get them cheeper from amazon. You have to watch out and be alert when purchasing yes, but like I've said, I've only had problem with 1 set out of the 30+ sets/movies I've bought on there. They usually ship extremely fast too because people want the good ratings so a lot even give first class shipping for free. And even if they don't ship first class, they still come quicker than buying directly from Amazon (unless you're an Amazon Prime member with free 2-day shipping of course)

[Roy Mustang]

Always buy from someone who says something like "BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED".

Uh, that is not a good idea to think that just because they say BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED is not a bootleg. Some of the bootleg companies in China have sealed them up and it looks very close to a factory sealed set.

[quote="jazzmess.com"] Bootleg FAQ

1. An anime DVD produced in either Taiwan or Hong Kong should be your first tip-off. I am sure that there are legitimate video companies in these countries]

The following companies are all DVD pirates (a selection of their logos can be found further down the page):

Animation International
Animation Japan International
Anime Cartoon
Anime Cartoon International
Anime Studio
Another DVD Company
Digital International
DVD Ani
fx
Indian International
K
MAC (Manga Anime Cartoon)
Manga International
Video Animation

It should also be noted that recently DVD pirates have become more sophisticated using higher print quality and holographic stickers on their packaging, similar to official licensing stickers, to add an extra level of authenticity to their counterfeit products.

Like official companies, some counterfeit DVD firms even include their e-mail address in the small print along with other contact details. If they are using Yahoo, Hotmail or similar free e-mail account you can be certain they are DVD pirates, after all what sort of entertainment company would use a free e-mail account instead of a more high profile domain name?


[color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color]

[Scarecrow]

Uh, that is not a good idea to think that just because they say BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED is not a bootleg. Some of the bootleg companies in China have sealed them up and it looks very close to a factory sealed set.

This is true but if their rating is 98%, that's what you're looking for. Anyone selling bootlegs are not going to have a rating that high. I just pick the Brand New Factory sealed so I know the product is in fact brand new and not someone selling it after watching it once or whatever (I've seen a few where they put it under "New" but if you read the description, they watched it once or something. They can still have high ratings if the item is legit and there shipping is decent) I just look for the Brand New Sealed as an extra security to make sure what I'm getting is in fact brand new. Not to see which ones are fake or not... guess I should have clarified that though

[Yamamaya]

Sometimes if you look around at discount entertainment stores like Buybacks you can find anime for incredibly cheap prices. I found the first DVD of Overman King Gainer there for a whopping 4 bucks.

Anyway thanks for the advice Roy and Scaregrow. That will definitely come in handy in the future.

[DeusVult]

To add to the discussion if you do risk buying on Ebay I would recommend buying from sellers that take an actual photo of the product as well not just a "bookmark" image. A lot of bootlegs will have different box cover art. So it helps to see a "real" image of what you are buying. I have only bought used stuff off of Ebay. And normally if it seems to good to be true it prolly is.

And read the feedbacks, there are always some in there that will say this is a bootleg. If the seller has sold one bootleg they prolly sell a lot more.

I've never had a problem with Amazon.

Most (if not all) my online purchases are from The Right Stuff International.