EBAY FAKES! How To Spot Counterfeit DVDs 

Great tip!

@film fan No problem. Checking disc size or the number of layers isn't a sure fire way to tell if something is bootleg or not, but it can be, if you know something is supposed to be dual-layer, but is only single.

An exception to this is discs recorded on both sides. No barcodes.

Walmart is expanding their movie section. They even have steelbooks and 4Ks.

I was the same Vanessa, I knew straight of by looking at them side by side which one was the wrong one the scam one.

That's what I was thinking too. The market for WKRP and Mr. Ed while large enough, isn't exactly huge. It's hard to believe that it would be worth the bootleggers time to put these together and make much of a profit. Then again, I'm not a bootlegger and don't realize how lucrative this business is.

I believe it justs proves how cheap DVDs actually are. These are single layered, and the facilities being used have probably been built since the early 2000s.

It's possible these are made in the exact same factory in china. Most places in china have two shifts but there's the so called 'third shift' that uses the machines to make counterfeits. Or discs/boxes that have errors are sold instead of being destroyed.

A lot lol

Not necessarily the case. I have a Shout Factory dvd that’s clearly a bootleg.

@@rayhuntermusic Shout Factory DVD from Shout Factory (*their* own online shop), or from a third party shop?

Hey Dave! Thanks for the comment and I hope you and yours are great as well.

@@CerealAtMidnight Side note, I still think about your thoughts on when TV shows go past their peak. I may have found a TV show that gets even better after the fifth season, M*A*S*H. I’m rewatching after many years and enjoying it. 😀

Fakes are sold on Amazon too. When I went to buy the WKRP set, I read reviews that ome were fake. I researched ones being sold until I found one that I was certain was real.

I can see fakes being everywhere, online and offline. I'm sure many buy fakes and never know it, then try to resell new or used.

That Ebay listing is from Sofa Entertainment, who owns the rights to the Ed Sullivan Show. Not everything on Ebay is a fake, but discretion is important, as rights holders don't make any money at all from pirated material. The Sofa page is legit! If you'd like to hear more about how Sofa Entertainment acquired The Ed Sullivan Show and brought those episodes to disc, check out my interview with one of the men who made it happen! His platinum award for The Beatles on Ed Sullivan release hangs beside him: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ams8A4pYFhU.html Mr. Ed is exactly 50% of the quality of the official release, since they used single layer discs instead of double.

Also some older DVD that have mayo 90 minutes or less of total content. I have some Garfield specials released almost 20 years ago. The contents are just a little over 1 hour on each DVD. But they are legit and advertise as single layer.

Good point! Those seem scam proof because the counterfeiters would have to spend too much money on materials.

Yeah these are the only ones I've ever bought on ebay myself...

@@SumDumGy beg to disagree but point taken.

@@SumDumGy True. Don'cha love it? It's like having a grindhouse theater in my home. :)

I checked the discs on a cd hard drive, on a desk top (I first checked on an external drive I had attached to my Apple Mac mini)... the optical drive on the desk top , shows "single layer"..... I double checked with an older dvd and found that disc (Battle of Britain, MGM dvd), showed 2 layers. I can''t find the disc size, specifically, but the listing of layers, is clear. I ordered , and received a fake box set. It takes time to get through tv series, with multiple seasons.... and just finished the series. older tv series (70's and back, or early 80's and back??) in many cases were filmed on video if I remember correctly.... and the quality was pretty bad to begin with. Those tv series are perhaps even harder to tell if they're fake, because the quality / remastering is going to be limited to begin with. in my case, I didn't seem "too good to be true", as well, as with a lot of my collecting (film, music, books, comics) , many sellers seem to buy up lots of stock, and then sell off inexpensively. At least that's been my experience. I had another Shout Factory tv series I bought.... Barney Miller. I got that from Amazon, brand new. The box, began deteriorating almost immediately (the box, along the corners began to crack and tear, almost as soon as I bought and put on my shelf.) I think quality, even from the major labels (or perhaps better said, some boutique labels) , can sometimes not be the best. Heath..... your info is good to know.... and it's unfortunately a "live and learn" type of thing. I have a few more questions for you: 1) do fake dvd's deteriorate faster ?? I'm asking, as I asked for a refund and don't know if I'll get it (I'm just outside the refund window.) 2) who is a good seller, to buy from (WKRP in particular....I really wanted the series.) Any suggestions ? 3) does the fake stuff happen with blu ray, 4k, or music cd's too , on eBay ? what about other mediums.... comics, magazines, books ? just asking. Not sure if you or anyone else came across "mass produced" fake collectables in other mediums. I'd imagine it's tougher to do that with other formats. 4) does Ebay have a special fraud unit , or do you just contact a generic "customer service " group or tab ?

1) I don't know if counterfeit DVDs that have been factory pressed and have the standard glass coating finish deteriorate any faster than their dual layer legitimate pressings, the concerns are mostly that buyers are only getting half of what they paid for. 2) As discussed toward the end of this episode, I would suggest always buying directly from major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, etc, and never from third parties or individuals. Amazon has WKRP for $58 which is a great price and as long as you buy from them and not their third-party marketplace, you know you're getting the real deal. 3) I've seen lots of counterfeit CDs on eBay too, but I've never seen counterfeit Blu-rays or 4Ks, presumably because the costs are higher and the audience buying those is smaller. It really seems limited to DVD and CD box sets, for the most part. 4) Ebay has purchase protection and will almost always get your money back if you're not happy, but I don't think they have a unit to crack down on fraud. In fact, I don't think they care about the issue at all because they never shut these sellers down. Ebay has become the equivalent of a flea market: there are some great bargains to be found, but you have to wade through mountains of imported knockoffs first.

@@CerealAtMidnight Heath ..... it's funny you mention Amazon.... at the time I ordered from the 3rd party via Ebay, Amazon was showing the WKRP , looking like it was top at that time (which is why I ordered.) it looks like the 3rd party is going to refund me (I was 2 weeks past the normal cut off)... thank you sooo much for this topic and for answering my questions ! I didn't realize it was such a major problem. Now I'm aware ! thanks again !!!!

Just open up "my computer" and it should say right there under your CD/DVD drive. You'll see the disc capacity and how much of the disc's capacity is being used.

As far as I know, blue rays are generally not manufactured in a factory when they are boots. They will generally be burned disks.

I've never seen a counterfeit Blu-ray set. Presumably, the expense involved keeps the scammers away from those.

They exist, but they’re easy to spot. They’re BD-Rs.

Well, there's one way to find out.

Half the data is missing, so the episodes on the counterfeits look half the quality of the official release. Compressed to death, full of pixelated artifacts. Buyers of the fake are getting exactly 1/2 of what they paid for.

Yes, but I gave you the red flags to look out for. In short, don't buy things on eBay, they're probably fake.

The only sure-fire method is to check them in a DVD drive to see if the discs are double layered. If something feels off, like the plastic of the cases or even the way they smell, those are red flags.

Looking at the size of the disc and how much data is used via a computer is the only sure-fire way.

Lol what you said -

In theory, yes, especially for more modern DVDs. Early DVDs from the late 1990s and early 2000s only used single layer technology, so those would be an exception.