Ayu (are you) Knocked Off? Bootleg hater thread

[HarukaKamiya]

Originally Posted by Kanzaki88

I bought The Asia tour off of some Ebay user, and I'm pretty darn sure it's legit. It even came with an Avex points card/deal thing inside.

I'll look through my purchase history and see if I can find the seller, to let you guys know. It was really cheap too, like $18.

Here he/she is: http://shop.ebay.com/headynana/m.htm...1&_from=&_ipg=

Doesn't look like his/her prices are that insanely "too good to be true" cheap right not anyway, but you might still be able to get a really good deal there, like I did.

Yeah, toniayu had a question about this seller, too. She's legit.

Originally Posted by adantatu2

i'm gonna buy some ayu albums in ebay from:
cd_column
undercatdog2
do you know if they are good sellers?
i don't wanna spend my money in MIYA RECORDS albums

*thumbsup* You're good. They're both legit sellers. They're just selling the Taiwanese presses since they're sourced in Taiwan.

[kendelle]

I've got a few stories about bootlegs

When I was first getting into Ayu, a shop in Chinatown had some of her singles there for sale (at crazy prices, like $30 for CD Only China Press and $50 for China Press CD+DVD, although at the time I thought they were official) and I bought No Way To Say.

I later bought MY STORY from my local anime store that stocked (and still does, ugh) SonMay, Ever Anime and MIYA Records releases. As those were my only Ayu CDs for ages I treated them like gems and was so pissed when I found out MS was a fake that I thought NWTS was as well! Luckily it's just an really expensive lesson at learning to distinguish real from fake. These days NWTS resides in my Ayu collection quite nicely, while my fake MS travels around in my car in 40+degree summer heat

=====
Also when I was first getting into Japanese music through anime I spent $35US on a Pokemon/Team Rocket Drama CD, $50 on a Sailor Moon CD and another $50 on a Card Captor Sakura OST thinking they were rare and legit. BZZZZZT! They were SonMay CDs ;_; It sucks because it took me weeks to save for them both. However, the amount of hours I listened to those CDs (and still do lol) is worth the money in some ways
=====

In short, if your aunt is stubborn about eBay point her to these sites:
http://eneabba.net/ayu/music/bootlegs/index.htm
and http://eneabba.net/ayu/music/guide/index.htm for guides on how to buy Ayu's stuff
http://www.yesasia.com/global/en/home.html and tell her it's free shipping for orders over $40, and you can pay by eBay's preferred method, PayPal! (That should reassure her some!)
And here are some eBay stores that have no fakes (to my knowledge!) I've used all these within the last 3 years:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/dorasstore (Fast shipping and no fakes - I even got the FP of Free&Easy although I bid on a regular press auction - but my last two packages never arrived...I think the quality in service dropped a lot late 2009) - Bought about 10CDs here
http://stores.ebay.com.au/japanesean...sstoreazarashi (AWESOME seller but rarely has Ayu stuff. Will hold items for you if you want to build up to the amount to get free shipping) - Bought 3 CDs and a tonne of anime books here xD
http://stores.ebay.com.au/letheglacea12c4 (No fakes but Ayu stuff is uncommon) - bought 2CDs here
http://stores.ebay.com.au/popasiastore (Official TW press - good packaging when shipping items) - bought 2CDs here
http://stores.ebay.com.au/moodinasia (China press, fast shipping) - bought 3CDs here

I haven't used this one though, although it looks promising: http://stores.ebay.com.au/Japan-Bargain-Store

[rainbow_smile]

Umm... Does anyone know whether mindofjapan and jankccw usually sell bootlegs or not?

[Andali]

Can someone post pics of the inside and outside of their Official A Ballads and Premium CDL 08 - 09? Please

[AyusakiFan]

I've been scammed with bootlegs advertised as the real products three times:

The first item I purchased was from eBay when I first got into Ayu's music. It was Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A ~Next Level DVD and when I first received it, I thought it was legitimate. I then discovered the website Ayumi Hamasaki SEASONS and since they have a portion of their website dedicated to how to tell if an item is a bootleg, I decided to see if the DVD was legitimate. It ended up being a fake so I emailed the seller and told them I was displeased that the item was a bootleg and it wasn't advertised as so. I was immediately refunded and I ended up reselling the item on eBay mentioning that it was not a legitimate product and someone still bought it since it was cheap.

The second fake item I got was Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A. I bought it from a seller on Amazon and when I received it, I thought it was legitimate for a couple of seconds until I removed the slipcase. It was in a plain black case with no artwork and the DVD didn't look legitimate either. I put the DVD in my region 1 DVD player and it played just as I suspected. I then read the back of the slipcase and it said it MIYA Records. I immediately emailed the seller to let them know that it was fake and the seller told me they thought it was real and bought it from a pawnshop here in the US. She gave me a refund and I sold it here on AHS for $5 advertising that it was a bootleg and telling the buyer more than once that it was not a legitimate product so they knew it wasn't real.

The third fake item I got was Ayumi Hamasaki I am... CD. It looked legitimate on the outside but once I opened it, I immediately realized it was a fake as I already have a legitimate copy of the CD. The disc was a completely different color and some non-Avex company was advertised on the back of the case. I told the seller, they said that they must have sent me the wrong one, and then they refunded me. Now I'm trying to get rid of it, lol.

[Kanzaki]

^
That sucks! At least you were able to get rid of most of the stuff.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by Andali

Can someone post pics of the inside and outside of their Official A Ballads and Premium CDL 08 - 09? Please

You can check there :
http://www.eneabba.net/ayu/disco/index.htm

Precisely :
PCDL : http://www.eneabba.net/ayu/disco/video/53.cdl08-09.htm
A ballads : http://www.eneabba.net/ayu/disco/alb....A_BALLADS.htm

[Andali]

^thanks. Mine is def fake

[kinix]

Originally Posted by AyusakiFan

I've been scammed with bootlegs advertised as the real products three times:

The first item I purchased was from eBay when I first got into Ayu's music. It was Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A ~Next Level DVD and when I first received it, I thought it was legitimate. I then discovered the website Ayumi Hamasaki SEASONS and since they have a portion of their website dedicated to how to tell if an item is a bootleg, I decided to see if the DVD was legitimate. It ended up being a fake so I emailed the seller and told them I was displeased that the item was a bootleg and it wasn't advertised as so. I was immediately refunded and I ended up reselling the item on eBay mentioning that it was not a legitimate product and someone still bought it since it was cheap.

The second fake item I got was Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A. I bought it from a seller on Amazon and when I received it, I thought it was legitimate for a couple of seconds until I removed the slipcase. It was in a plain black case with no artwork and the DVD didn't look legitimate either. I put the DVD in my region 1 DVD player and it played just as I suspected. I then read the back of the slipcase and it said it MIYA Records. I immediately emailed the seller to let them know that it was fake and the seller told me they thought it was real and bought it from a pawnshop here in the US. She gave me a refund and I sold it here on AHS for $5 advertising that it was a bootleg and telling the buyer more than once that it was not a legitimate product so they knew it wasn't real.

The third fake item I got was Ayumi Hamasaki I am... CD. It looked legitimate on the outside but once I opened it, I immediately realized it was a fake as I already have a legitimate copy of the CD. The disc was a completely different color and some non-Avex company was advertised on the back of the case. I told the seller, they said that they must have sent me the wrong one, and then they refunded me. Now I'm trying to get rid of it, lol.

Why would you reselll those items when u got a refund? You should keep it yourself or throw it away to prevent bootlegs slipping into other ppl's hand...

[AyusakiFan]

Originally Posted by Kanzaki88

^
That sucks! At least you were able to get rid of most of the stuff.

Yeah, I'm happy that I was able to get rid of most of it because I can't stand bootlegs, I don't even like them to be anywhere near my collection, lol.

Originally Posted by kinix

Why would you reselll those items when u got a refund? You should keep it yourself or throw it away to prevent bootlegs slipping into other ppl's hand...

I'm sorry but I will not be answering your question. I don't discuss my personal business (why I do things and the reasons behind them) unless it's completely volunteered on my end. When I sold the items, the buyers were aware that they were not legitimate products because I was upfront and honest with the fact that they were bootlegged DVDs. If they ever decide to give them away or sell them, I can only hope they are as honest about it as I was but at this point, the item no longer belongs to me and unfortunately, I can't control it anymore. But as far as your ideas on what should be done with bootlegs, I think that's a great idea and definetely something I'll do if I ever got one again. Thanks for your advice, I wish I would have thought of that at the time when I was trying to get rid of them. I also think that companies should have departments where you can send these fake products in, tell them where you bought them, and the company could have them shut down. And maybe they could offer a discount if you buy it from them for helping them out.

[adantatu2]

Originally Posted by HarukaKamiya

Yeah, toniayu had a question about this seller, too. She's legit.



*thumbsup* You're good. They're both legit sellers. They're just selling the Taiwanese presses since they're sourced in Taiwan.

Oh thanks for your answer!!!
I'm gonna buy the taiwanese presses, i'm poor but i wanna support ayu and the sellers too!!

[shizukanaotoko]

UGHHH i bought A COMPLETE First Edition Box Set from ebay and it was TOTALLY fake... I figured I would just keep it so at least that copy was completely off the market... But even so, I'm really annoyed that I was lied to and sold a counterfeit~

[Earth_maiden]

I have a few bootlegs that I bought back when I thought it was okay to buy bootlegs...

But I'm slowly trying to replace them with legitimate versions. Still have about 4 DVDs to replace.

[Picaflor 7/4]

I don't mind selling of bootlegs as long as the seller clearly states that they are fake. I think i found a few bootlegs on ebay too. haha not like they stated.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ayumi-Hamasaki-T...item230cea63a9

wrong cover, wrong tracklist, wrong packaging, and wrong caps. "Carols" should be "CAROLS" and "Is this love" should be "is this LOVE?". I mean just look at the tracklist.

01. talkin' 2 myself "Original mix"
03. decision "Original mix"
04. fated "Orchestra version"
05. Dearest
06. Carols
07. No Way To Say
08. Walking
09. Free&easy
10. Endless sorrow
11. Because of you
12. About you
13. Game
14. Is this love
15. Hanabi~episodeII~
16. Never ever

this too is wrong, and by the same person.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ayumi-Hamasaki-G...item5d2cd5b27a

the tracklist is correct though, but it's in a dvd case when it should be in a double jewel case. and there's tons of chinese text all around and next to each title. also it claims the dvd is "Region all" which is wrong cause ayu has never released a region free dvd.

some of the names are misspelled too around the front and description on the back. they have "Together Whenl..." and "(don' t)Leave me alone"

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by Picaflor 7/4

as the years go by, and technology progresses, people get better and better at creating knockoffs that look really authentic. Anyone remember the Together when... bootleg? It's from 2007 too. Amazing that it's completely unofficial too. You'd never know it wasn't real if you weren't a genuine ayu fan and knew it was only a digital single. To top it all off, it's made buy a Chinese bootleg guy. I have a feeling that within the next 20 years you won't be able to tell what's authentic or fake anymore.

http://mimiko.pixnet.net/blog/post/12071334

It's so authentic and good looking that even though I know it's fake, I kind of want to ask the guy if I can buy a copy off of him.

OMG!!! I have that one!! I bought it like two years ago from my friend. She didn't know it wasn't real, she was soooo upset, but the CD was just so pretty, worked good, so she gave it to me, in exchange for money.

So... my friend (anna), she bought it from the Internet from a random site and random person (ooooh so smart, ik ) and she paid about 20 € (26.02800 U.S. dollars/16.8237347 British pounds) and I paid her 25 € (she's my friend and she was crying and everything so I tought I'd be nice ). She still send an angry email to the person she bought it from (a guy, he's nickname was kun_19somethingsomething) and after two months or so he replied, saying how sorry he was and everything and he said he could give her the money back if he'd get the fake CD back. I didn't want to give it back (and it was opened already, and I'm still wondering what the h*ll he would have done with it...) so we just left it at that.

Wow, that was a waaaaaaay longer story than what I expected. Hope you got something out of it. Still, I've seen plenty of fakes flying around, but I never by from the net, anything, ever. I always go to a store. It's way more simpler, and well for me at least, more fun

[Damita]

These stories make me a little sad to hear...don't people have better things to do with their time? I really dislike honest people.

That said, I don't THINK I have a bootleg (unless maybe one of my Faye Wong CD's are, since I can't distinguish the bootleg from the real copy for that). If I found out I did, I would definitely send the person who sold it to me an angry e-mail for my money back. Though I am very careful when purchasing my CD's so I don't think that will ever happen.

It's also the reason I don't ask for CD's ever too, if I asked my mom to get me one she'd definitely get me the MIYA RECORDS version lol.

[Picaflor 7/4]

my dad loves bootlegs. haha he loves the super low price for an ok quality dvd. he fully knows they're bootlegs too.

[rusuke]

Originally Posted by Sugichan

I made a lot of purchases online and this has never happened with me with Ayu however there was a website (not Ebay or an auction site) that I ordered a Gackt DVD on and when it arrived I was horrified to notice it was a bootleg. The song tittles were misspelled and besides the DVD cover the the whole thing was obviously homemade. This is why I mostly shop at Yesasia or Amazon and try to avoid third party sellers. I never want this to happen with an Ayu CD or any other Artist for that matter.

Fortunately, I haven't bought a bootleg copy of any Ayu CDs but it happened to my GACKT DVD too! I wasn't so careful that time and I'm so crazy to get any GACKT stuff that time and when the DVD came I was horrified and devasted when I received a MIYA RECORDS copied of SDSN concert. And it happened to me TWICE of the same item!

like picaflor, my father loves bootleg DVD too!!! Even though we (me and my sister) keep telling him it's not good he would still buy it (and we'll watch them too!!!hahaha)

[adantatu2]

honestly, the bootleg of Together When... is awesome, lol

[BlackSilence]

^lol totally agree xD

I kinda love bootlegs.... for example I got the exact same looking GACKT DIABOLOS CD & DVD for like $25 lol I mean there's everything the exact same like in the original the quality is also perfect, so.... but I'd actually rather get a real thing and be sure that the money goes to the artist.

Should try buying something online of Ayu's, believe it or not I don't own a single thing of hers xD