This guide will give you some good tips, advice and information of things to watch for, to avoid getting ripped off by the illegal bootlegger. Protect yourself! Don't be an unscrupulous Sellers next victim. 

READ FEEDBACK BEFORE BIDDING: FEEDBACK CAN IDENTIFY A BOOTLEGGER

If you check a Seller's feedback before you place a bid, you will save yourself a considerable amount of time and money, not to mention aggravation. I found this out the hard way. Feedback on a Seller's EBay account is important, because it is your way to tell if the Seller is reputable or not. 

Feedback tells you if the Seller is a good business man or a bad one. It tells you if the Seller is concerned with customer satisfaction and sells good products, or if the Seller does not sell good quality merchandise and over charges Buyers for shipping and handling. Customer feedback also tells you other things about a Seller, such as if he or she stands behind the products they sell, or if they are recommended and the Buyer would do business with them again.

Feedback will also identify the illegal bootlegger, as you will see unfavorable or bad feedback remarks left by Buyers on a Sellers account that will tell you this. These are the feedback items you want to watch for and avoid doing business with a Seller that has a poor feedback record, or where Buyers have identified him or her as a bootlegger. They may also make mention of the "poor quality copy" they received. This should be an indication that this Seller is not selling factory produced and distributed DVD's, but rather poor quality homemade unauthorized copies of movies, TV programs or other media, such as CD's. 

It is also important that you leave honest feedback, good or bad, to let others know the truth about a Seller. There are a lot of people out there who are afraid of receiving bad feedback in return from a Seller they have left bad feedback for. So what if he or she leaves you bad feedback in return to get even? Don't worry about it. You can always respond to their bad feedback to exonerate yourself and tell your side of the story, just check in the site map on EBay about responding to feedback. Besides, other people and Sellers who read your personal feedback will most likely see through the dishonest Sellers feeble attempts to discredit you.

You also want to keep in mind that if a Seller receives a large number bad feedback responses, EBay can consider this grounds to suspend the Seller's account, or make them an "unregistered user".  If you see "unregistered user" next to a Sellers ID on EBay it means they are out of business and their account has been suspended or closed.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR : KEY WORDS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ITEM WILL TELL YOU IF THIS IS A BOOTLEG COPY

Carefully read the description for the DVD or VHS on auctions and look for the words "good sound" or "good picture" quality. If this is an orginal DVD or VHS made by the movie or production company that filmed this program, the picture and sound quality would not be compromised and the quality of the picture or sound would not be an issue. It would be good quality to start with.

Other key words to avoid illegal bootleg copies of DVD, VHS or other media are "copy", "purchased at a flea market (or other auction type website)".  Avoid bidding on or purchasing these items, but in particular if the picture or sound quality is mentioned.  This should be a heads up to you that this is not an original movie or program from the production studio, but from an illegal bootleg operation. Another thing to watch for is a Seller who advertises a movie or TV program on DVD or VHS that says it comes in a blank or clear case.

A reputable, honest Seller will include the words "original", "previous rental", "new", "factory sealed", "in original box" to let you know that the DVD or VHS is an original form of media, not a bootleg. Some Sellers may tell you in the description of the item that they are selling movies from their own personal collection and will use the words "purchased new" or "watched once". These are not bootlegs or illegal copies of media. Be wary of Sellers who are selling a DVD or VHS and do not use any of these words in their item description.

Another tip to avoid getting ripped off by bootleggers, is to look for unfavorable feedback from Buyers that will tell you this Seller is a bootlegger and/or is selling illegal homemade copies. You may also want to check on other websites on the internet and do some research to see if a particular movie or TV program was ever released on DVD. If was not released on DVD, then you can be sure the item for sale is a bootleg or illegal DVD copy.

AVOID PURCHASING DVDS OR VHS IMPORTS

It is advisable to avoid import versions of movies or TV programs on DVD or VHS format from other countries. These items are bootlegs and often they will not play on your DVD player or VCR because they are not coded in Region 1 (DVD) or NTSC (VHS) format for the United States. Many Sellers of imported items will advertise that the DVD is "region free" and will play on all DVD players, regardless of region coding, but usually you will find that you have spent a lot of money on an import item and it is not compatiable, or will not play, on your system. Most imported movies or TV shows come from the United Kingdom, Europe, The Phillipines, China and Japan.  In addition to the high cost of imported item, the Seller will charge you a lot of money for shipping.  Because they would have trouble cashing a money order or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank, they will ask you to pay by credit card or send cash in the mail. Avoid these transactions at all costs. You are setting yourself up to be ripped off.

AVOID SELLERS WITH "PRIVATE" NEXT TO THEIR SELLER ID NAME: WHAT DON'T THEY WANT YOU TO SEE?  WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE? 

Another thing to be on the look out is a Seller who has hidden his or her feedback from you and has changed his profile to "private" status. You will see the word "private" next to the Seller's EBay name or ID, instead of the number of feedback items. This usually means there is something that the Seller does not want you to see. If you click on the word "private" next to the Seller ID, you will not be able to read feedback remarks or comments that Buyers left, only a chart that displays the actual numbers of  bad or negative feedback items that were left for the Seller.  You will want to avoid purchasing items from a Seller like this, or you could end up as a bad feedback number too.

At any rate, I would avoid bidding on auctions that a Seller has made feedback remarks "private", or that has a lot of negative or bad feedback items. One can only imagine what the Seller is trying to hide behind "private" that he does not want you to see.  If he has nothing to hide, then why is his feedback "private"? 

THERE ARE A LOT OF HONEST SELLERS OUT THERE, BUT THERE IS ALWAYS A BAD APPLE IN THE BUNCH...

Although I love EBay and have had many good and positive experiences with purchases from Sellers who are honest and trust worthy, but there are always a few bad apples (or disreputable Sellers) in the bunch. If you follow my tips before bidding, you will avoid getting involved with one of them.  Finally, I would recommend that you follow your gut instincts before bidding on an item. If you have a feeling that the item for sale is "too good to be true", it probably is.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER GUIDES TO HELP YOU AVOID GETTING RIPPED OFF BY THE ILLEGAL BOOTLEGGER.

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