Is there anything more frustrating than thinking that you've scored a great deal on a wrestling VHS or DVD, only to find that upon opening the delivered package that what you've bought and paid for is an illegal bootlegged version of what you thought would be an official release. Imagine tearing open your package and anticipating seeing that long sought after Bash at the Beach 2000 Hogan Booker T cover art and seeing a generic "TDK" box instead.

     Later after emailing that seller and of course not hearing back you put the 6 hour TDK VHS into your machine only to be subjected to skipping, faded images,someone elses editorial control and a tape you couldn't in clear conscious resell even if you wanted to. I will try and share my observations culled from buying and selling wrestling media on EBAY for most of the last 3 years in order to maybe help you avoid similiar disappointments.

       A little backstory on just why bootlegged wrestling media is a problem before I give you specifics on what to look out for.

* for the purpose of this review I'll concentrate on VHS media but remember older WWF out of print DVDs apply here as well*

       The fact remains that the WWE owns just about any of the older pro wrestling footage out there. Purchasing the Turner NWA/WCW libraries in 2001 then subsequently AWA ,Florida Championship Wrestling ,WCCW and more.While it makes for more entertaining current WWE documentary releases much of this vast wrestling library remains unreleased in the DVD format .Any VHS release that was not converted to DVD is instantly a collectors item regardless of the quality(my earlier example Bash at the Beach 2000 VHS is probably one of the worst wrestling shows of all time)With VHS no longer being produced it makes the wrestling VHS tape industry the most popular and consistently brings in the highest prices of any VHS category on EBAY.

        Also contributing to the value of these out of print VHS is that Mcmahon's empire controls how much of the wrestling now adays is interpreted. What I mean by that is that due to lawsuits,rights fee issues and political reasons any of the footage the he releases is subject to the WWE's modern day take .For example due to the lawsuit loss to the World Wildlife Fund any of the WWF attitude era released footage has the annoying "blurring" of the WWF scratch logo. With any references to the WWF "silenced "out. Not to mention a good deal of the older theme songs are replaced with generic stock music as the WWE didn't want to re-up on the rights fees for alot of that content. If the current political climate is unfavorable to a particular wrestler that wrestler has been known to be de-emphasized in modern day releases .All of which  contributes to the EBAY secondary market being a very attractive option for many prospective EBAY buyers as they are seeing this older footage as it was originally released NOT how it's presented with today's WWE spin.So while DVD is generally the preferred content due to quality , I know many pro wrestling collectors who prefer to have the material as it was ORIGINALLY published even if that means purchasing a VHS in today's digital age.

        All of which leads to the temptation of EBAY sellers to market and EBAY buyers to purchase illegal copies of older wrestling footage.

         One of the many problems with this practice,but the most serious, is that it is an illegal, prosecutable crime. One that the WWE can be pretty aggressive about monitoring. I am confident one day the WWE will make an example out of a bootlegger here on EBAY and actually sue one of them. Also ,very important to remember, the buyer is subjected not only to the WWE's editorial control but to the EBAY sellers. Which means you very well may be buying a product poorly produced(2nd or 3rd generation recording). Not entirely copied. Or all together the wrong event.

        Most nefarious is, going back again to my Bash at the Beach 2000 example,a seller presenting their tape as being original or being entirely too vague about whether the item is original and knowingly selling you a misrepresented bootlegged item.

         So to avoid the WWE's modern day take on older events, or an ebay seller's bootlegged take on older events - you must purchase the ORIGINAL released version- wrestling fans are generally very savvy and smarter than they are given credit for and  EBAY buyers know that even if the WWE eventually releases a DVD on that older event it will be different sometimes considerably more so than from the original event.

      Now onto the telltale signs you may be purchasing a bootlegged item

-  If the EBAY seller advertises the VHS as having a cut box fit into a clamshell but only shows a stock photo or offers no photo you may be purchasing a replica cover (thus a replica tape) as bootleggers find it very tough to reproduce the cover art into an uncut box form ,but find it much easier to reproduce a flat cover and then fit it into a clamshell themselves . Often just using photo paper and a color copier.It is always possible that it's an old rental too and is perfectly legal to sell, that's when it is especially beneficial to look at that seller's feedback,looking for any signs that the seller may have engaged in shady practices.Or simply ask the seller to post a photo of said item.Especially if you've noticed the seller in question may have purchased a stock of 100 blank VHS clamshells a week ago! (I am using a specific unnamed example here)

-  If the EBAY seller offers the item with no box or cover art. It could mean that it is simply a copied VHS format. Remember it may be a case of the seller simply not having the case anymore but do use special caution in this case.Of course referring to the photo.

-If it is a WCW ppv on DVD . The WWE has never released ANY WCW ppv onto this format,and currently there are NO plans on doing so.

-  If the seller is vague about the item's description. This is often an intentional tactic, one I've personally recently been burnt by. Essentially by not mentioning that the item is a copy they thought they could avoid any responsibilty for selling a dub. Most sellers will mention that their item is legit by using the words "genuine"  "not a  bootleg" or "original". But if this seller makes no mention of the items validity,ESPECIALLY with no picture, you most likely in this case are purchasing a copied item.

-If the seller meets the above description and does not return emails questioning whether this is an official release,I would strongly advise avoiding this ebayer.

-If the seller has a tendency to have the SAME rare tape up frequently- with NO picture .

-If the picture and item advertised DO NOT match. For instance if the seller advertises a VHS with the box cover cut- but has a picture up of an item with the box whole -I would recommend using MUCH caution in this instance.

- Someone who fits any of the descriptions above but that does not accept PAYPAL as money orders are nearly impossible to get back if the seller sold you a misrepresented wrestling item. 

  In closing some things to really watch for are,items with no photos or stock photos and little documented feedback history,or sellers who are marketing a WWE owned property that  has never been released onto DVD- Ebayers with a documented feedback history of selling copies I would strongly recommend to avoid.

   The important rule is if it seems to good to be true it probably is.

   What makes this thing fun is that most EBAYers are good honest people but it is good to have your feelers up for a potential con man as any quick stroll through the wrestling VHS search will assuredly reveal at least a few individuals trying to sell counterfeit wrestling media

   Thank you for taking a moment to read this review and I sincerely hope that this helped.