Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire BOOTLEG ebay WTF.

[radirgyman]

WTF??
A bootleg can be worth this!??
Talk about desperate buyers… Sad sad sad.
Sorry if this has already been covered..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311056711335 ... 1438.l2649

[Skykid]

Expected something a lot more outrageous, seen them go for twice that in the past. Value is subjective but I will say they are the most exquisite boots going - immaculate. After getting one a few years ago I decided I would never need an original, they're that good.

[CIT]

No they're not. Look fake, even without an original next to it for comparison. The insert has that typical blurry bootleg printing quality.

[KindGrind]

I'm appalled that people buy boots and pay such a price. I've seen lots of "reprocarts" of Eliminate Down and other rare MD shmups. People pay 100$+ for some of these carts, which I find ridiculous. eBay monitored more these kinds of things before, but they're getting more lax by the minute.

[Damocles]

'scuse me while I go fire up my printer and make some quick cash. For that money you could learn how to make a nearly perfect copy.

[pegboy]

'scuse me while I go fire up my printer and make some quick cash. For that money you could learn how to make a nearly perfect copy.

You absolutely could not make a copy even close to as good as those for that amount of money. These boots are infamous and have been around a long time. You can't really tell the difference unless you have some close up pics or see the number around the middle of the disc.

[Skykid]

No they're not. Look fake, even without an original next to it for comparison. The insert has that typical blurry bootleg printing quality.

Wat?

Don't know what boot you saw but mine is absolutely impeccable. Looks 100% like a real PCE game, the workmanship is amazing.

The difference between original and boot is so difficult to ascertain there's even a website dedicated to spotting the difference in small details like the shade of orange in the ink.

They're amazing.

[Damocles]

'scuse me while I go fire up my printer and make some quick cash. For that money you could learn how to make a nearly perfect copy.

You absolutely could not make a copy even close to as good as those for that amount of money. These boots are infamous and have been around a long time. You can't really tell the difference unless you have some close up pics or see the number around the middle of the disc.

oh noez. Hyperbole's a bitch.

In the old days, it was fairly easy to pick 'em out by requesting a pic of the inner ring of the CD. Nowadays I don't even bother with teh omg rarez PC-Engine stuff unless it's from people here on the board.

[MintyTheCat]

It is quite amusing that out of all the scumbags in the gaming sales scene Lee of Videogame Imports is hosting this auction That guy should have been closed down years ago with his antics and look at his prices too. I shall have to publish what he pulled a few years back with me - E-Mails and the works.

I own the original - any idea what it goes for these days?

[pegboy]

No they're not. Look fake, even without an original next to it for comparison. The insert has that typical blurry bootleg printing quality.

Wat?

Don't know what boot you saw but mine is absolutely impeccable. Looks 100% like a real PCE game, the workmanship is amazing.

The difference between original and boot is so difficult to ascertain there's even a website dedicated to spotting the difference in small details like the shade of orange in the ink.

They're amazing.

I'd love to get my hands on one of these boots to really see how close it is to the real thing (which I do have). Pics online aren't really that great of resolution to tell what the difference is.

[nosorrow]

It is quite amusing that out of all the scumbags in the gaming sales scene Lee of Videogame Imports is hosting this auction That guy should have been closed down years ago with his antics and look at his prices too. I shall have to publish what he pulled a few years back with me - E-Mails and the works.

Care to elaborate? (As a big purchaser of retro games on ebay, I'm curious.)

[SuperDeadite]

The boots look like boots for sure. Any owner of an original copy would never be fooled by them. A PCE n00b could certainly be fooled though.

[Cuilan]

People who get really worked up over whether they're getting a boot of this game or not should just save themselves all the trouble by picking up the PSP port.

[Skykid]

The boots look like boots for sure. Any owner of an original copy would never be fooled by them. A PCE n00b could certainly be fooled though.

Is there some reason why people keep spouting this absolute nonsense? Owners of the original maybe?

If I ever get the chance to place an original side by side I'll come back to this thread with photos for you.

[MintyTheCat]

It is quite amusing that out of all the scumbags in the gaming sales scene Lee of Videogame Imports is hosting this auction That guy should have been closed down years ago with his antics and look at his prices too. I shall have to publish what he pulled a few years back with me - E-Mails and the works.

Care to elaborate? (As a big purchaser of retro games on ebay, I'm curious.)

I most certainly can. I am wondering what the Forum's policy is on quoting from E-Mails exchanged between me and that seller though.

I shall have a read, but yes, that little outfit is rather dodgy. I am still owed something like GBP 200 to this day.

[MintyTheCat]

Aren't Bootlegs basically BANNED on this Forum?

Skykid, you can damn it as much as you like but you are dealing in counterfeit goods, my man.

If you want the real thing then get it. If you want a fake then get it. My only contention is that you try to dupe yourself that it is some how 'nearly as good' as the original.
As for your statement about sellers being upset I can say that this does not apply to me as I am not very likely to be selling my copy.

But yep, you guys are discussing Bootlegs and that is MEANT to be prohibited on this Forum - have it one way or the other but not both.

[Bar81]

It is quite amusing that out of all the scumbags in the gaming sales scene Lee of Videogame Imports is hosting this auction That guy should have been closed down years ago with his antics and look at his prices too. I shall have to publish what he pulled a few years back with me - E-Mails and the works.

Care to elaborate? (As a big purchaser of retro games on ebay, I'm curious.)

I most certainly can. I am wondering what the Forum's policy is on quoting from E-Mails exchanged between me and that seller though.

I shall have a read, but yes, that little outfit is rather dodgy. I am still owed something like GBP 300 to this day.

Either back it up or stop talking shit.

[SuperDeadite]

The boots look like boots for sure. Any owner of an original copy would never be fooled by them. A PCE n00b could certainly be fooled though.

Is there some reason why people keep spouting this absolute nonsense? Owners of the original maybe?

If I ever get the chance to place an original side by side I'll come back to this thread with photos for you.

But its true. The colors are very different. On the original Sapphire's clothes are clearly purple, on the boot they are blue. Hell Trader 2 used to have a copy on display in their old ''Parade of Fakes'' display case, making fun of it. Unless you are color blind, it's obvious in person which is the original.

In fact I'm quite sure the boots were made specifically not to be a perfect match of the originals to prevent people from passing them off as original. The boots were in fact created by one of the most well respected members of this very forum. If he wanted them 1:1 with the originals, they probably would have been (besides the disk's inner rings).

[Bar81]

The boots look like boots for sure. Any owner of an original copy would never be fooled by them. A PCE n00b could certainly be fooled though.

Is there some reason why people keep spouting this absolute nonsense? Owners of the original maybe?

If I ever get the chance to place an original side by side I'll come back to this thread with photos for you.

But its true. The colors are very different. On the original Sapphire's clothes are clearly purple, on the boot they are blue. Hell Trader 2 used to have a copy on display in their old ''Parade of Fakes'' display case, making fun of it. Unless you are color blind, it's obvious in person which is the original.

In fact I'm quite sure the boots were made specifically not to be a perfect match of the originals to prevent people from passing them off as original. The boots were in fact created by one of the most well respected members of this very forum. If he wanted them 1:1 with the originals, they probably would have been (besides the disk's inner rings).

Whether they match in color or not, they are really well made and are as good as a regular release in terms of quality. I'm not a bootleg/repro guy but this one certainly looks nice although if the maker really didn't want people to be confused then he would have made it actually look different and not included a reg card (who the hell are people supposed to mail that to anyway?)

[SuperDeadite]

No one is doubting the quality. Boots are boots and that's it. If owners of the boots are happy, nobody is going to care.

[MintyTheCat]

I most certainly can. I am wondering what the Forum's policy is on quoting from E-Mails exchanged between me and that seller though.

I shall have a read, but yes, that little outfit is rather dodgy. I am still owed something like GBP 300 to this day.

Either back it up or stop talking shit.

Where to place it? I have offered. Why is this 'shit'?

My seller and buyer reputation is a 100% good.

Who the hell are you? Policy is policy: these are clearly Bootlegs and that is supposedly disallowed on this here fine Forum, me laddo.

[MintyTheCat]

No one is doubting the quality. Boots are boots and that's it. If owners of the boots are happy, nobody is going to care.

Boots are Boots and this site supposedly has an anti-Boot policy.

I can see 'shit' being talked about how good quality these Boots are when we know full well that the quality is not there compared to the original.

[SuperDeadite]

I'm not speaking in regards to site policy. I mean if person X owns a boot and his happy, I could care less personally. I own an original and it was not cheap, but far less then what a lot of people here will gladly throw at an empty cardboard box. This thread is supposed to be about morons spending stupid sums on ebay on these right? I think the original intention of the op is fine, awareness of these boots existing should be spread.

[Skykid]

I can see 'shit' being talked about how good quality these Boots are when we know full well that the quality is not there compared to the original.

But that's not true. They're not 1:1 but as I keep labouring, the quality is outstanding. Colour tone discrepancies are there, and the clarity of the insert print probably isn't 100% sharp - but when you look at it firsthand you realise you're literally quibbling over the tiniest details.

I'm not sure why you're adressing my moral position on boots, but I don't really think about it much. I think I have a SF1 bootleg PCB and this Sapphire, which I bought from a chap on AO for £20 out of curiosity. I was simply impressed - I'm not taking a stance on anything else.

No one is doubting the quality. Boots are boots and that's it. If owners of the boots are happy, nobody is going to care.

Basically yeah.

I know the individual who made the Sapphire and the Rockman, Fantasy Zone unreleased prints, and if we're simply observing from a quality perspective, the workmanship is wonderful.

I buy every rarity under the sun, own most, and had every intention of getting a Sapphire - I've paid for a lot more expensive games. I'm just saying the bootleg made me feel as though buying an original was a waste of money. It's a professionally produced item pressed on a real CD. For me it's £20 well spent.

[MintyTheCat]

I'm not speaking in regards to site policy. I mean if person X owns a boot and his happy, I could care less personally. I own an original and it was not cheap, but far less then what a lot of people here will gladly throw at an empty cardboard box. This thread is supposed to be about morons spending stupid sums on ebay on these right? I think the original intention of the op is fine, awareness of these boots existing should be spread.

Well, policy is there. I have no issues with people passing messages around privately of course but to hold up the Bootleg as being something that it is not and then to go on and try to justify as being acceptable when it goes against site policy is wrong.

Indeed, my concern is that half of the people who would buy a game such as Sapphire have never seen the original and it is at times such as that that people can be duped.
Sure, people will drop silly amounts of cash on EBay but at the same time they have be protected a bit.

Indeed, awareness should be spread. Luckily this goes back a while now and when those copies started to appear it was not too long before people twigged that copies had been made but I dare say a few lost some of their cash on buying what they believed to be original.

It is for these reasons that policies on Piracy and the manufacture and sale of Bootlegs is in place and that I suppose is as moral as it gets.

It is not likely to affect long-terms such as me but I dare that there are many who are just starting out and wish to collect the games that were significant on the PC Engine. Technically Sapphire is significant I feel.

[MintyTheCat]

Skykid: GBP 20 is fine as a private sale but on EBay? It has enough issues with piracy and Bootlegs as it is. As we may be able to notice a Bootleg from the original most EBayers will not. Add on the effects of taking a photo and there you have it, most cannot tell the difference based on the information that they have been given up to that point. When they receive the item they may well wonder.

I have no issues at all that these Discs were made for those who simply want to play the Game. My issue is with how it is being carried out. Bootlegs should be handled discreetly and given the full knowledge that they are Bootlegs all the while information supporting any findings of Bootlegs or indeed if a Game is thought to be a Bootleg should be posted. A community approach and a 'safety in numbers' modus ensures this. We are simply lucky that Sapphire is very well known amongst the Players and Collectors and that there are sites that have discussed it but just think for a moment if none of that existed and Boots were freely passed off as originals on sites such as EBay that ANYONE can use - the potential to rip people off is much higher.

[MintyTheCat]

For all you folks who are none the wiser

http://www.superpcenginegrafx.net/sapcomp1.html

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=618174

'Knowledge is power' and all that.

[Bar81]

I'm not speaking in regards to site policy. I mean if person X owns a boot and his happy, I could care less personally. I own an original and it was not cheap, but far less then what a lot of people here will gladly throw at an empty cardboard box. This thread is supposed to be about morons spending stupid sums on ebay on these right? I think the original intention of the op is fine, awareness of these boots existing should be spread.

I don't know that spending $100 on a repro is any less moronic than spending $400 on an original (I own two originals atm btw).

[MintyTheCat]

Amusing thing is that the VGI Scumbag sells the Sapphire Bootleg for 59.99 GBP on his site but he has it on auction at 82 GBP - oh dear.

GBP 20 is fine.

[Bar81]

Amusing thing is that the VGI Scumbag sells the Sapphire Bootleg for 59.99 GBP on his site but he has it on auction at 82 GBP - oh dear.

GBP 20 is fine.

You understand that ebay isn't free, right?