Most eBay sellers are honest, hardworking legitimate sellers; however, unfortunately there are some dishonest sellers that are bootlegging....in other words, they are copying and selling illegal copies to unsuspecting buyers.  Here are some tips in helping you determine whether the video you are purchasing is a fake or the real deal:

• One of the best ways to tell if a seller is selling a bootleg copy is to check their "completed" or "sold" items.  If you see multiple copies of the same rare titles that have sold, odds are they are bootlegs.  The smart bootlegger only lists a rare title so that it is running once per week and then as soon as it sells they list it again; by checking their closed items you can see a pattern of selling that same title over and over again (we've been selling for over 6 years and the really rare titles only come around every now and then, not once a week).  To view the sellers' completed items you have to do an advanced search using the link in the upper right corner of any eBay page.  Click on Advanced Search, then on the left side there is a link that says Items by Seller, click on that and then type in the sellers user ID and put a checkmark in the box that says Include Completed Listings.  Then just scan what they've sold/not sold and if they are selling illegal bootleg copies you will see a pattern of listing/selling the same items over and over again. 
  

• Another way to determine a bootlegger from an honest seller is to look at everything they are currently selling.  If all you see are rare, hard to find titles at prices much lower than the competition then you are probably looking at illegal activity.

• Also, be sure to check their positive feedback rating as well as the negatives; even though they may show mostly positive remarks, alot of buyers will leave a positive stating it is a high quality "copy". 

In the event that you do receive a bootleg video, contact the seller as soon as possible demanding a full refund; most bootleg sellers will issue a refund without hesitation for fear of receiving negative feedback alerting others to the fact that they are selling illegal copies.  Also, be sure to report them to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), they have an anti-piracy form you can fill out on their website and they WILL  go after the illegal sellers.

Unfortunately there are some dishonest sellers out there, I myself have purchased a few videos on eBay over the years and unknowingly bought from bootleg sellers.  What I received was nothing more than a cheap low quality tape with horrible picture and sound problems.  Most bootleg copies are low quality (lines running throughout, static, loss of sound) but even the better made copies will have issues and let's face it, nothing is as good as owning the real thing and knowing that you are not supporting those same sellers that are ruining eBay's reputation.
Overall eBay can be a really enjoyable experience if you take just a few extra steps in researching who you are buying from.