As a long term member of the Victoria Beckham fan community, I have elected to write this guide out of necessity. It is disgusting to see people selling CD's of Victoria Beckham's LEAKED music for 50-100$ when it can be found for free all over the net. Less knowledgeable fans and family members have been scammed out of hundreds (and thousands potentially) of dollars by purchasing these items from clever thieves!

This guide can be helpful to anyone buying any music deemed 'rare' by any musician(s).

1) Do your research!

• Look at the cover art: Many times people steal or fake cover art by using photoshoots or other PR materials. A quick Google search will show if the lovely cover art to your 'rare, limited-pressing album' is real cover art or an old photoshoot from Vogue magazine! That's your first red flag! Scammers have become more sophisticated in their fakes. They've been known to use the same font, copy and paste barcodes and even use corporate logos/trademarks of labels!
  
• Investigate the track listing: There are many websites that, when used in conjunction with each other, can provide you with the information to determine whether or not you're dealing with a legitimate item. Some of them include the artist's personal website, fan forums (particularly for rare items), MusicBrainz, Last.FM artist page, and in some cases a Wikipedia page (though beware).
• Determine the class of release: Music comes in a wide range of classes of release. You have commercially available CDs that the public can purchase. There are also your physical release singles that are for public purchase, which often times feature b-side/non-album tracks and special remixes. Lesser known classes include in-house/label CD-Rs, which appear to be very basic burned discs but frequently feature demos or unfinished tracks for review by label employees/management/et cetera. These are not for public purchase and are simply the label/production's work product. Sometimes, these will come to market by producers, label employees, or the musicians themselves offering them to fans quietly. What could be considered in the middle of a public release and an in-house/label CD-R are Promo CDs. These are sent out to radio stations, clubs and other media outlets for review and possible airplay. You'll also find special loops or lead-ins for radio or advertisement. Normally, these are dated. Mixtapes are a bit of a gray area when it comes to classification and originality. Again, research will help you vet out the legitimacy of your item!

2) Investigate the Seller!

• Look at Feedback rating: Personally, I don't purchase from sellers that have a rating less than 98%. When evaluating a seller, it is important to be as fair as possible. Let's face it, there are some unfair people in this world. Read the complaints. People who give someone a negative review because they, THEMSELVES, failed to read the description of an item accurate are in the wrong. Not the seller. People leave negative reviews of service or quality frequently. It's important to take a few minutes to review the review, so to speak. You also need to look for patterns. Does the seller seem to have the same problem with a certain type of item (ie selling music CDs that buyers frequently complain about looking like burned/fake CDs. Books without covers?). Are people complaining because of slow ship time resulting in negative feedback? For me, I rarely get bent out of shape if a seller takes an extra bit to ship just as long as I get the item.
• Examine the Seller's Current and Past Inventory: If you go through the list and see that he has 10 copies of the SAME Promo CD and then classifies it as a 75$ rare promo, that's a major red flag. As I mentioned above, google some of the tracks and see if you get any information about them (IE: Release status/Rareity). Does the Seller offer other items that look dubious or suspicious? You may also care to search Ebay for the item and see how many other sellers offer the same item. If you have 5 sellers selling 10 copies of what supposedly is a Rare CD-R, well, you catch my drift.
• Google the Ebay User/Store Name: Many times, fans on forums will compile a list or start threads that list sellers online that are scamming buyers. These thieves are identifed either through the fans' knowledge of the artist's music catalogue or, in unfortunate cases, personal knowledge when one has purchased an item that has turned out to be fake upon receipt. Another benefit of using fan forums or sites is usually you'll come across the discussion of reputable sellers. If fans build up a relationship with a seller and deem them to be legitimate, that's a positive. But remember, there's a first time for everything. A seller can sell 100 perfect items, but all it takes is once to put up something fake. You should also take a moment to determine where this seller is experience with this particular artist and/or their music catalogue. There are some sellers that sell only Jimi Hendrix items as that is their specialty just as there are sellers who only handle Promo CDs and very rare items.

I hope this has helped someone. Any time you go to buy something from the internet or even in physical stores, it's important to set aside your 'want' for the item. If you're getting a bad feeling or vibe about the item or seller WALK AWAY. Don't let yourself be pressured into buying! Take your time! As fans, we do our best to report these fakes when we find them. Sadly, there will always be con-artists out there!

Happy Bidding guys!