I am approached constantly by people who all have their Ebay "I got scammed" story.  Because I am a DVD seller, most people want me to advise them on how to spot a fake. Here goes:

1.  How to spot a fake DVD in an auction on Ebay.

Telltale signs the item you are buying is not legit:

a.  "To save on shipping, DVD is shipped in a protective sleeve......"  -  GONG!  I immediately assume this is a fake and move on.  Real DVD's are always factory sealed in a hard case with inserts.

b.  "Shipped directly from Malaysia to you!" - GONG! Odds are this seller is also selling the DVD for $5.00, and its a new release, and its shipped using (a) above. No thanks.

c.  "DVD is Region Free, or Region 0, or can be played on any DVD player" - GONG!!  Although there are many legit region 0 DVD's out there, they are almost all public domain or international titles.  The rule here is, if you've heard of the movie, it needs to be Region 1 for US and Canada.  New releases are always made with a specific region code to avoid piracy.

d.  "Price is $5.00" - GON....wait a minute - as a rule, you can't judge on price.   There are many, many legit ways to sell a new release or any other DVD for an unusually cheap price - maybe mom gave it to you for your birthday and the DVD sucks, maybe there's a buy one get one free sale somewhere - you keep one, and sell the other.  Price doesn't help you much.

2.  How to know a DVD is legit by looking at it

a.  New, factory sealed DVD's that are legit always come in a case with an insert.   They will have a Region 1 code on the back of them.  They will not look like a cheap copy.  The disc will have some kind of artwork on it.   Normally, factory sealed DVD's have a sandwich wrap - a nice folded seal at the top and bottom that is hard to duplicate without an expensive machine.

b.  Canada DVD's are legitimate region 1 dvd's - the cover may look a little different and the Canadian flag will be on the back of it - it's completely legit and normal.

Well, that's it - happy movie watching!