A Couple of years back, the MOST pirated movie on eBay was "The High And The Mighty", one of John Wayne's rarest films, and one that was never made into video or DVD (until very recently) because of problems with the John Wayne Estate.  Another much-pirated VHS tape was "Boy On A Dolphin", with Alan Ladd and Sophia Loren.  (It was Sophia Loren's first movie.  She was a stunning, statuesque 19 year old.)

Before I knew very much about pirated or illegal copies of tapes and DVD's I bit on some of these, because even the pirated copies were going for $30 to $100!  I assumed (wrongly of course) that I was buying the real thing.  It was only after I received the tapes, and saw that they were "homemade", with plain paper labels and black clamshell cases, that I researched the movies online, and realized that I'd been scammed. 

The quality of these tapes was terrible, mainly because they were copies of copies of copies, and some of the scenes were so dark, you could barely make out the faces in the scenes!

Anyway, I found that I had shelled out over $100 for a poor illegal copy of The High and the Mighty and a nicer (but still pirated) copy of Boy on a Dolphin, and then I wondered what I should do.   I did report the sellers to eBay, with little success on getting them tossed off.

I finally wrote a long letter of complaint to the John Wayne Estate officials, and there came a quite sudden decision to make the movie available for the very first time on DVD!  I guess the fact that on eBay alone, pirated copies of the film were raking in thousands of bucks a month made them realize here was a cash cow they could exploit as well as the neighborhood counterfeiter. 

The piracy of this John Wayne flick ended as fast as that.  You could buy a beautifully remastered DVD for less than $20...so why on earth pay $60-100 for a poor VHS copy?

Over the years since then, I have found a number of wonderful old movies on eBay, but now I research to see if they are in the public domain before I buy.   If they are not in the public domain, and the item I receive is an obvious pirate or home made copy, I do report the seller. 

Theft comes in all shapes and sizes.  Selling something that is still under copyright, without paying royalties to the owner of the property,  is still theft, even if you are just making copies and selling them.   The law calls it "Theft of Intellectual Property" or "Copyright Infringement". 

So next time you buy a movie, and you receive a lousy copy that was made in somebody's basement, report the seller to eBay.  Don't just leave negative feedback...get the seller off eBay altogether.  But before you complain, make sure the item is still under copyright.  Many old books and movies are in the public domain now, because the owners died or failed to renew the copyright.    I have bought a number of older movies from a seller in the UK who has a huge collection of movies that are now in the public domain.  These are not considered pirates.  Items in the public domain can be duplicated and sold without copyright infringement.

So, next time you get an obviously illegal copy instead of the fine original you thought you paid for, don't be afraid to report the seller.  In most cases, a seller knows that a movie is a copy, and not simply a "previously-viewed" tape.    Every one of the fakes I got was sold as a "previously-viewed" item.  That way, the seller doesn't have to admit that the item was "newly copied", and has a plausible "out" if eBay slaps them down for copyright infringement.

EBay is a place where we can all pick up great bargains...let's keep it online by refusing to allow eBay to come under scrutiny for a place where you can sell illegal copies and pirated software and movies.  

If eBay goes down for this stuff, we all lose.

Note:  If you think this guide is helpful, please show it by voting.  It appears someone took grave offense and gave this guide a negative instead of a seal of approval.  You would be surprised how many folks try to pass off copies on eBay, and they genuinely don't want you to know about it.  I always feel that buyers should be warned about the possibility of getting a pirated copy.  I have bid on at least six of them, and I paid through the nose for them.  If this guide helps other buyers not to get scammed, let eBay know.

Have a great eBay day!