Bootleg nendoroid vs real nendoroid
A long time ago I was a victim of a very common scam among figure collectors: I bought a bootleg nendoroid. Thankfully I was able to get my money back, but I still had the bootlegged nendoroid sitting around and I wasn't sure what to do with it. About a year later I finally got the legit version of the nendoroid and now I would like to show a side-by-side comparison between a real nendoroid and bootleg nendoroid.
Tips for spotting bootlegs
1. If the price sounds too good to be true... it probably is!
2. Do your research and utilize your resources! If you know the estimated ballpark of figures (ex. nendoroids are $50 USD on average), you can analyze prices
3. Buy from reputable stores. I am usually wary buying from Amazon stores and conventions. A kind person on Toyslogic forums has created a list of recommended/questionable online stores. I personally buy from AmiAmi and I've had no problems from them.
4. Be observant! When you're at a convention or browsing around your local toy store, taking time to examine a figure pays off. Sometimes you're lucky enough and the bootleg will have an extremely bad paint job. Some others are not as obvious. But usually if you take the time to pay close attention you can spot missing holographic stickers, chipped/bad paintjobs and shiny plastic.
Nendoroids seems to be the most popular victim of nendoroids, but Good Smile Company has created a database of spotted bootlegs. So when you go shopping keep an eye out for these figures!
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Notice how the bootleg box does not have stars and is missing holographic sticker
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Faded ink colors on bootleg
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Notice how different the boxes are
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Bootleg is really shiny and packaged incorrectly
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Notice how shiny the plastic is
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Notice the bad paint job
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Real nendoroid stand has proper copyright information
Bootleg on Left
Real on Right
Bootleg made of cheap plastic
Been a victim too of those, mine were Sebastian Michaelis and Ciel Phantomhive. I did get my money back and I still have those figures, they're sitting together with my other nendos. I figured, since it was hard to get the originals, I'd let them stay with the others while I keep looking. But, yeah, you could tell almost right away that they were bootleg since the color was off and the plastic was shiny, also the plastic was kinda brittle. I broke off one of Sebby's arms while I was trying to change it. Now, I get all my figures off HLJ or Ami-ami.
Did you buy them in Toronto ? I think I have bootleg of these two nendoroids and I bought them in a small shop in Toronto ...
Nope. Got them off ebay ;P a while back. I was searching for those two for quite some time when I thought I'd give ebay a chance. The guy who sold it to me refunded my money back when I told him they were bootleg. Can't remember what his site's name is. Its been a while since I got them.
Thanks for this really informative post !!!
no problem :) hope it helps people
Oh yes, I remember getting some bootlegs off of ebay. Not, knowing they where bootlegs they where at such an good prices until my friend told me they where all fake. This is when I started to getting into figmas. But I have found some that where the real thing on eaby.
Some people who are selling nendoroids at conventions are getting a wee bit smarter these days. They put their nendoroids behind the counter so the customers can't get close enough to scrutinize.
One easy way to see if a convention dealer is selling a bootleg-even when they keep them behind counter-would simply be to ask, "Can I get a closer look at [blank]." If they refuse to give you a closer look, you can't trust them. If they show you, then you'll see on closer inspection.
This is solid advice. Most legit dealers are very aware about the bootleg issue and are more than happy to let potential buyers examine figures.
Well, I shall take note for that!
Thanks!
They got me twice with a bootleg and on the second one, they were asking for full price. (>_<*)
just to let everyone know, there "was" a how to spot a bootleg post way back when (like, probably two to three years ago) by various posters (including myself). Bust still good to arm people with information. Thank you for your time.
Just remember, know where you are buying it. Ebay MAYBE a pretty good place to find figures; don't JUST look at the price.
This information is really valuable for a consumer like me.