Real or Fake?

AyusakiFan · #1 29th May 2010, 07:05 PM

Hello! Is this an official release? I asked the seller what region it is and they told me it wasn't stated but it's from Japan. Has this set ever been sold like this?

Delirium-Zer0 · #2 29th May 2010, 07:30 PM

Looks right to me. Looks like it's the Hong Kong VCD release though, based on what I can make out of the stock number... can I get a closer look at the sticker? If it says AVTVCD in the corner, then it's the HK VCD.

waterballoon · #3 29th May 2010, 07:36 PM

that PG sticker at the back definitely means it's from Singapore lol. I'm unsure if it's a HK or Taiwan press, but I can guarantee with you that it's at least bought from a store in Singapore

AyusakiFan · #4 29th May 2010, 07:38 PM

The picture wasn't taken by me so unfortunately I can't take any closer up pics. The seller has them advertised as DVDs but I believe they're VCDs as you said. The seller is from Singapore so I definetely believe that this may be from a store in Singapore. Can VCDs be played on a standard region free DVD player? Also, what's the quality of VCDs compared to DVDs?

Delirium-Zer0 · #5 29th May 2010, 07:56 PM

VCDs' level of quality is comparable to VHS, but with more digital compression artifacts as opposed to analog degradation of quality (and they never wear out the way VHS does). VCDs are playable on just about any DVD player as well as your computer, and are a great option if you're on a budget but still want to support the artist.

AyusakiFan · #6 30th May 2010, 12:15 AM

Thanks for the information about VCDs. I asked the seller whether they were VCDs or DVDs but they said they were DVDs. But as pointed out, the logo on the cases do not look like DVD logos so I'm having my doubts. Plus, he believes it to be the Japanese version but as was also stated, they look to be from Singapore.

LacusClyne · #7 30th May 2010, 03:48 AM

they are 100% from Singapore, the green PG sticker is ONLY available in singapore.

then looking at the info on the sticker and the logo, they are VCD, not DVD. Singapore import the hongkong press VCD to sell here.

hope i help you.
by the way, how much is the seller selling for????

AyusakiFan · #8 30th May 2010, 04:25 AM

The seller is selling it for $24.99. They have the shipping listed at $3 but when I emailed them, they told me that shipping was going to be $13, not $3. That concerned me because if I would have bought it thinking that shipping was going to be $3 as advertised, I would have been upset to find out that it was going to cost me an additional $10 that I didn't know about before agreeing to buy it. I also asked them to provide me with extra pictures but they said they said that they couldn't because it would be a hassle for them at the time. I sell on eBay and I always provide extra pics when requested. Even if I can't send pics the moment they emailed me, I always make sure I get back to the potential buyers with pics the same day they requested them. They live in Singapore but told me the "DVDs" came from Japan. But as you all have said, they are from Singapore so I don't understand why a person would live in Singapore and buy Singapore edition DVDs from Japan (maybe they did, but I personally don't understand it). And also as many of you have said, the packaging indicates that it's VCDs, not DVDs. The only explanation I can think of for that would be that it's not their picture which seems shady to me if that is the case. I'm not trying to say the person is definetely a scammer as they do have good feedback but I'm certainly questioning these things.

KarenPang · #9 30th May 2010, 04:36 AM

Warner Music Singapore (which's the local distributor for avex trax's material) , they only import HK press material to be sold here .

Only on very rare occasions they import Taiwan press material & that happens if the avex trax artiste in particular only has Taiwan press of their material made

anyway , to answer your question why only Singaporeans buy such presses & not for Japan's case , it's simple - DVD region code issues

Japan's DVD region code's 2 while for Singapore , it's 3 . My laptop's not able to play Japan presses of DVDs so there

nanakopy87 · #10 30th May 2010, 05:00 AM

in case you are interested to buy OS press,you can try : Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006 A - (miss) understood - [3DVD] at Play-Asia.com
They are having promotion right now.The price now is : US$ 24.90
I'm not sure where are you from but they are providing free shipping to SEA countries

AyusakiFan · #11 30th May 2010, 05:08 AM

Thank you for answering my question. The thing I just don't understand about the seller is that they never informed me or put in the auction what the press was or what region it was when I asked. They just told me that it was from Japan and most would probably assume that it must be the Japanese edition if they didn't know any better. I'm just glad that I asked here first before I bought it because I would have been mad to find out all of this after commiting to buying it and paying for it. I've been scammed before not knowing what was real and fake so I've been taking precautions before buying anything by asking questions here and to sellers as well as going to a site recommended to me here.

AyusakiFan · #12 30th May 2010, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanakopy87

in case you are interested to buy OS press,you can try : Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006 A - (miss) understood - [3DVD] at Play-Asia.com
They are having promotion right now.The price now is : US$ 24.90
I'm not sure where are you from but they are providing free shipping to SEA countries

Thank you soooo much! That is exactly what I've been looking for. The Japanese version is too expensive for me but I didn't want to get VCDs either. I've been looking for this version all day! I just bought it not too long ago from there.

nanakopy87 · #13 30th May 2010, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyusakiFan

Thank you soooo much! That is exactly what I've been looking for. The Japanese version is too expensive for me but I didn't want to get VCDs either. I've been looking for this version all day! I just bought it not too long ago from there.

you just bought it from where?ebay?i think your next target should be Arena Tour 2005?

LacusClyne · #14 31st May 2010, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyusakiFan

The seller is selling it for $24.99. They have the shipping listed at $3 but when I emailed them, they told me that shipping was going to be $13, not $3. That concerned me because if I would have bought it thinking that shipping was going to be $3 as advertised, I would have been upset to find out that it was going to cost me an additional $10 that I didn't know about before agreeing to buy it. I also asked them to provide me with extra pictures but they said they said that they couldn't because it would be a hassle for them at the time. I sell on eBay and I always provide extra pics when requested. Even if I can't send pics the moment they emailed me, I always make sure I get back to the potential buyers with pics the same day they requested them. They live in Singapore but told me the "DVDs" came from Japan. But as you all have said, they are from Singapore so I don't understand why a person would live in Singapore and buy Singapore edition DVDs from Japan (maybe they did, but I personally don't understand it). And also as many of you have said, the packaging indicates that it's VCDs, not DVDs. The only explanation I can think of for that would be that it's not their picture which seems shady to me if that is the case. I'm not trying to say the person is definetely a scammer as they do have good feedback but I'm certainly questioning these things.

about the shipping price, it's not the seller fault.

it's stupid ebay for unable to recognise the country that it is ship from.

When i try to open a new CD listing on ebay, they only know that it's from an US site and do not allow sellers to put a shipping fee higher then USD$3. That's why i always made a point of putting the REAL shipping fee in my description, but it's still hard, as some buyers do not read the description and only read the cheaper shipping from the listing page.

As shipping from singapore can be from USD$5 to USD$12(depending on the weight of the CD or DVD), so i would be making a big loss, because of stupid ebay....

-----------------------------------

about the japan part.

some sellers are not familar with japan versions, or overseas version. there are a lot of people in singapore shops who don't know this.
all they know is, this is a japan artist, so the concert is from japan, while korean works are from korea, and US artists' works is from US.

i think this is what they mean...

---------------------------------------

but about the DVD part, they are indeed being unhonest, or stupid as they did not know that the picture they upload is a VCD....because the price they list is for DVD, it's overprice for VCD

gothicayu · #15 10th June 2010, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyusakiFan

Thank you for answering my question. The thing I just don't understand about the seller is that they never informed me or put in the auction what the press was or what region it was when I asked. They just told me that it was from Japan and most would probably assume that it must be the Japanese edition if they didn't know any better. I'm just glad that I asked here first before I bought it because I would have been mad to find out all of this after commiting to buying it and paying for it. I've been scammed before not knowing what was real and fake so I've been taking precautions before buying anything by asking questions here and to sellers as well as going to a site recommended to me here.

i think its very dishonnest from the seller to tell you its from japan because by saying that it means its a japanese press when the sticker show its clearly not . i m pretty sure they know what they are selling and could write singapore press zone 3 , when they dont and remain shadow about it its either a bootleg or they are trying to trick you so you overpay for something that 's not a japanese press .

LacusClyne----> when a "profetional " or " power seller " dont know what he is listing than he shouldnt list it .its not profetional and its dishonnest . nothing stop the seller from asking question just like AyusakiFan did or look on internet to find out what kind of press it is . in this case the seller is from singapore and sell a singapore press its very HARD TO BELIEVE .about the price i agree with you its WAY OVERPRICED for a vcd

in this case the dvd looks official but its hard to tell without seeing the discs.

same thing for the shipping if they really wanted to they could write in the description Singapore shipping 3$ international shipping 13 $ but they dont ... again this seller is unprofetional and seems like he cannot be trusted.

my advice is buy it from somewhere else . have you try ahs selling threads ? many people are selling their ayu cds and dvds . a used copy japanese press would cost about the same and if the person is in US by using media mail the shipping should be dirt cheap .

i agree with you i would get mad if someone sell me something else than a japanese press and tell me its from japan ...

honestly i never buy from ebay or amazon because there is too many illegal bootlegs , illegal promotional cds sold and overseas press . i prefer to buy from other ayu fans , you get as many pictures as you want , its a private sell so you know where the cd come from and its easier to communicate ( since they are not big company they reply fast ) with exeptional service and even free gifts once in a while .

Delirium-Zer0 · #16 10th June 2010, 06:10 AM

I'll agree with you that the seller should list the different shipping prices for other locations. Not sure about the country of origin deal, however.

Honestly, most sellers don't know what buyers are looking for really. I could have cared less if a western artist's album was US or Australian press, for example, if the content was the same. But that's because I'm not collecting. Buyers don't realize that people like us "collect" normal, non-special-edition releases (because seriously who does that? admit it, it IS rather unusual). The artist is Japanese, the content was produced in Japan, if I were the seller and I didn't know what the buyer meant by "where is this from?", I'd probably say Japan as well. I'm willing to give the seller the benefit of the doubt on this one.

And I've run into the issue before. I never ask sellers "where is this from" anymore, I ask for the stock number on the packaging. That plus the photo on the auction will usually answer my question.

gothicayu · #17 10th June 2010, 11:22 AM

the thing is the cotent is not exactly the same some have translation sheets ( in the taiwanese press ) some have bonus tracks or different tracks ( cf best single with who sing in chinese) , some come with gifts ( cf korean edition of the A best ) , some are first press some are not and the quality is not exactly the same when it come to OS press of japanese press .

i agree some people are collector some dont care what type of press , or quality or extra gifts , or if it have an obi or not . everybody is different .

its true people that buy 10 time the sames cd because they have a different color stickers or different cover or in 10 different press is rather unusual and can be sometimes extreme .

not knowing if the cd is a first press not a first press, have a different sticker or cover can be hard to tell for a seller that doesnt know well what he is selling , but not knowing what kind of press it is when it come from your own country ? ...come on .

i agree with you i think asking the serial number or the code will tell immediatly what kind of press it is ( unless its a bootlegs where they just scan the original and print it on crappy paper)

i still think that if you are a good or profetional seller you should for a minimum informations about what you are selling .

and when people ask where its from , i think it come to an evidence they speak about the cd or the artist . who would buy a cd of an artist they never heard about out of nowhere ?

yes the artist come from japan ... her name says it all. i m having a hard time believing the seller didnt know what he is selling ... (especially if he bought the cd himself in singapore ... )

take hyedena for exemple he or she write japanese press everywhere but nowhere it mention that those are PROMO CDS and its ILLEGAL UNDER JAPANESE LAW TO RESELL PROMOTIONAL COPY. promotional copy in japan must usually be return to the company if not use anymore .
Buying those promotional cds doesnt support the artist . he or she gets the cds for free ( surely from a store ) and resell them for around 10$ less than what they go for on yesasia or cdjapan ... on the profile its writting the seller is in japan when they ship from china. this is an other exemple of dihonnest seller in the description .

i 'd be pissed if instead of receiving a regular copy i receive a promotional one . especially since those copy resell value is ZERO . ( i understand some people like to collect sometimes promotional copy ... when those are just " prototype " of what the album or single will look like )

all that to say , seller write they want to write and sometimes stay vague or dont write everything because they know it will bring to confusion and make you think its official or a japanese press and they can make big bucks thanks to this misleading description.

i agree with Delirium-Zer0 about the vcd quality . i think dvd are better quality .usually vcd goes for around 8-14$ ,dvd japanese press brand new can be very expensive . if you want a dvd but you are on a budget you should buy it second hand it will cost about the same and you get better quality .

Delirium-Zer0--->i hope you foudn the cd or dvd you were looking for :-) its sad that more and more people are encounting that same problem and it came to a point where buyer must examine the copy to find out what the seller is selling .it is not the buyer job to find it what kind of press or release or region code it is . if sellers takes the time to look i m pretty sure they can find it all the information they need . enneaba and many other ayumi fansite are a great source to compare the front and back cover with the pictures they posted .

Delirium-Zer0 · #18 10th June 2010, 04:02 PM

Your post assumes (incorrectly) that all sellers on eBay are professional... this seller could very well have just been going through things and getting rid of crap they didn't need anymore. The fact is, most sellers on eBay are gonna be average joes having online garage sales, they're not gonna be aiming to sell top-notch merchandise to collectors, they're gonna be trying to get rid of their stuff and get some cash in return. And most average joes have NO IDEA what to look for, and won't know how to answer questions like "what's the product's country of origin" or "what version is it." I don't know what version playstation 2 I have - does that mean I shouldn't try to sell it if I decide I don't need it anymore?

gothicayu · #19 11th June 2010, 12:45 AM

^true not all sellers are profetional merchant, i agree with you. i tend to forget because LOT of them are power sellers. i was saying that because i found some power sellers ( over 5000 to 10 000 sales , which at that point is not a private or a garage sale anymore ) selling bootlegs and it piss me off that ebay doesnt remove those bootlegs and those sellers dont deserve to be power seller . not to mention power sellers with misleading or false descriptions.

many ayu fans ( and jpop fans) wants to support ayu ( and jpop artists) buying her ( or their) cds and its a pity that not everybody is aware about versions being bootlegs or not .

like you say this seller could be a private getting rid of stuff ( the only way to be sure is to look at his feedback and sales )

i understand that some sellers have no idea what they are selling since for them its "junk" but wouldnt it be more simple to reply honestly to the costumer " i have no idea " or i " im unsure " instead of assuming something that might be wrong ?