View Full Version : Accidentally bought pirated DVDs on ebay - what to do?
I bought a load of Spaghetti Western DVDs off eBay, thinking they were the original Japanese DVDs. They've just arrived and they're DVD-R copies of the Japanese discs in inkjet printed sleeves, which are the same as the Japanese covers except some have additional Chinese characters. Now, the auction doesn't say they are the originals but they do show the covers, describe the film format etc exactly the same as the originals. Presumably it is not allowed to sell bootlegs on eBay?
I paid via Paypal with funds drawn from my credit card - what should I do? I'm obviously not happy at paying ~£10 a disc for DVD-R copies but how I do approach getting a refund? If I contact the seller, as opposed to doing a chargeback on my credit card or disputing with Paypal, is there any chance that he can stop me doing either credit card or paypal dispute options?
ali
jigger_jay
01-02-2007, 19:59
contact seller first say about your distaste for his copies, and tell him if he does not reply you will file a claimback through paypal and contact ebay as well and tell them the person is selling bootlegs.
alsemail
01-02-2007, 20:22
I would just go straight to the Paypal resoulution centre. Once you have done so the funds you paid them will be frozen and they will be unable to withdraw them, if they do not respond to the dispute in 30(?) days then you will get an automatic refund. They will probably agree to give you a refund when this happens however.
If this is the case though Paypal will only refund if you return the goods. You must send them via recorded delivery so Paypal have trackable evidence. If you don't the seller can claim they did not receive them and you need to claim from the post office.
Unfortunately under Paypal and ebay t&c's they don't need to recover the original or return post costs but I would push for them as well, use feedback as a leverage if possible.
Once you have your refund report them to ebay for Piracy.
To top the fact that they are filthy bootlegs, none of them plays properly - numerous video errors which result in skipping and some discs even refuse to play!
I have written to the seller via ebay to bring these issues up with him - here's hoping he tries to resolve this rather than be difficult.
carlito8
02-02-2007, 09:39
When you buy dvd's off ebay you should not expect to receive a copy if the seller does not specifically state 'original' in the listing. When I list dvd's on ebay now I always put 'genuine original UK R2' or similar, it's sad that I even have to do that but there's just that many pirates on there now.
If I were you I'd e-mail the seller straight away asking for a full refund plus postage costs, when he refuses (which he probably will) get your money back via paypal.
No doubt ebay will be using all the extra revenue from the recent fee increases in this category to combat the bootleg sellers though........
ebay is riddled with copies and fakes. I always link to the following guides in my listings
When selling DVDs (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-1751-2978-71/1?AID=5463217&PID=582776&mpre=http%3A//reviews.ebay.co.uk/HOW-TO-AVOID-BUYING-COUNTERFEIT-DVDs_W0QQugidZ10000000000040987)
When selling Disney DVDs (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-1751-2978-71/1?AID=5463217&PID=582776&mpre=http%3A//reviews.ebay.co.uk/DISNEY-PIRATE-DVDs-How-to-spot-them-Revised-8-Sep_W0QQugidZ10000000000917317)
Thanks Kyten, I just came back to affiliate those links and they are magically done!
studmeister
02-02-2007, 16:47
i received a dvd yesterday and it turned out to be a copy. the seller seems to think it's ok because he stated on the auction that "all dvds are imported along with case and artwork....."
carlito8
02-02-2007, 17:13
Obviously he's not realising the big difference between 'imported' and 'copied' then ? Some people on there do extract the urine.
Well, here is what I sent him last night (no reply yet):
Hi
I received the DVDs today - thanks for shipping them so promptly. However, I feel I must raise two issues with you that are of concern to me:
1. The discs are clearly bootlegs of legitimate Japanese DVD releases - they are on DVD-R media rather than a pressed disc and the covers have been scanned and in some cases had Chinese added.
2. Every single one of the discs contain significant video errors making them unwatchable. The Mercenary pauses and skips every few minutes and has a whole 15min segment towards the end that just cannot be played. Other discs play (while skipping) from the beginning but then refuse to play at all.
I am presuming that any replacement copies you may have are from the same batch and therefore likely to be faulty also.
Could you please get in contact with me regarding how you suggest we proceed.
If I get no answer within a week then it's Paypal time.
alsemail
02-02-2007, 22:17
Well, here is what I sent him last night (no reply yet):
If I get no answer within a week then it's Paypal time.
By which time he may have been shut down if he is peddling a pile of counterfeit goods.
If he has a large amount of feedback it may be OK but if he is new and has a pile of complaints he can shut down and empty his Paypal account and your'e too late. Personally I'd got straight to Paypal with this. If it was a legit. business then I'd give them a chance to put it right as you have but for Pirate goods I'd go straight to Paypal
ghost.ottercrab
02-02-2007, 22:18
What sort of feedback rating does the seller have?
Hemzoozlefluff
03-02-2007, 00:29
You must send them via recorded delivery so Paypal have trackable evidence. If you don't the seller can claim they did not receive them and you need to claim from the post office.
They're pirated films and as such are worth nothing. Getting Proof of Postage is more than enough really. What would you claim for if they did go missing, DVD-Rs? Some paper?
They're pirated films and as such are worth nothing. Getting Proof of Postage is more than enough really. What would you claim for if they did go missing, DVD-Rs? Some paper?
Without RD how will he prove to paypal he sent them back? COP does not count as a trackable device
The seller has 800 or so feedback and no negatives.
Amazingly, he has said:
Well I've had a couple of people tell me that they have a problem with their discs. My supplier in Dallas has always been good about replacing bad discs, but you say that all of your discs are bad, so I think something else is going on. Maybe something happened during shipping (heat, magnetic field, or something.)
So normally, I'd offer to replace the discs, but it doesn't seem like you're too interested in that so you can send back the discs for a full refund and I'll still leave positive feedback for taking the time to work things out.
Of course if you want new discs, I can arrange that, but if you have anything else in mind, please feel free to write.
It's going to cost a reasonable amount to send them back (probably at least £8 for 5 DVDs in cases) and he says he won't refund return postage. He's completely ignored what I said about them being bootlegs and seems very concerned about his feedback! Should I even chance sending them back or just go straight to Paypal?
ali
andybhoy
03-02-2007, 14:23
When you buy dvd's off ebay you should not expect to receive a copy if the seller does not specifically state 'original' in the listing. When I list dvd's on ebay now I always put 'genuine original UK R2' or similar, it's sad that I even have to do that but there's just that many pirates on there now.
I used to sell my old vids on ebay, and mark them "original" until one cheeky **** bought my copy of the Mission and tghen emailed to ask if it was tghe "original" or rerelease. Of course it was the rerelease but he was having none of it.
What annoyed me most was that he emailed an hour before he bid (bid was to snipe the auction) indicating that he only wanted it if it was the original release, then bid anyway when he got no relpy (I wasn't at my pc).
Turned out he worked for one of those slimy video hunt websites - looking to buy videos for a quid and sell for £20+ He had the nerve to leave neutral feedback.
Anyway, back to the topic - I would always email politely first but very firmly explaining WHY the discs are pirated. I did this with an amazon seller who sent me a pirated version of the Stargate S8 boxset. Got a very quick refund, and no arguments.
ferris57
03-02-2007, 14:33
Well I've just had a look at the seller and the dvds he's selling. I understand why you're not happy, and rightly so.
However, I'm going to stand up for the seller a bit here. First of all he's selling nothing but rare/bootleg films which aren't available on dvd. He doesn't say that they are tv/laserdisc rips in his ad but it's pretty clear given the titles he's selling and some of the wording in his ad. In total he's currently selling 6 obscure titles. None commercially available as far as I can tell.
He's a world away from someone pumping out 1000 copies of superman returns at a car boot sale for £5 a time.
I honestly see a place for guys like this. How many people on here have a bootleg japanese laser discs rip of the monster squad dvd or night of the creeps. How many people used to have star wars bootlegs before you could buy the originals on dvd. Something like the monster squad is probably never going to get a dvd release. The type of people who buy these bootlegs would go out and buy the real deal the minute it gets released. They don't buy the pirate copy to avoid paying the full price.
What he should be doing though is making it clear to everyone they aren't originals. Again though he has said he'll refund you. He seems helpful enough.
Why not email him again, politely, and say you're not happy about having to pay to return the discs. You didn't realise they were pirate copies and don't feel you should have to lose out. Ask if he can either cover postage costs and refund or if you can just throw the movies away and get a stright refund. Point out you could just do a chargeback through ebay but you would rather come to an amicable conclusion. My bet is he'll refund your money no problem. If he doesn't then do the chargback, you've nothing to lose. He's not going to dissapear overnight.
alsemail
03-02-2007, 14:34
I would say Paypal. If you send them back who's to say he will refund you, all you can prove is you sent him a package, and to whom can you prove it. If you get Paypal involved then there is a chain of evidence and tracking that you have returned them as well as messages between you that Papal can see.
philatio
03-02-2007, 15:13
Yep. I'm not a huge Paypal fan but this is what they're actually good for.
If they're as bad as you describe he MUST have known they were bootleg. Plus he won't refund postage. Why should you pay to send some fakes back?
Paypal claim. NOW!
BeauBrummie
07-02-2007, 14:37
I brought a Supposed R1 disc of 'Catch a Fire' a new Tim Robbins film a few days ago which has been released in the US. It was £7.99 Buy-it-Now with the choice of a second free film so I asked for North Country. Paid via Paypal and received them yesterday to find they were copies.
The cover wasn't the one advertised and I didn't get North Country but a film called The Cutter an old Chuck Norris film !!.... Catch a Fire played fine but was obviously a copy so contacted the seller demanding my full monies back.
I did get a reply back stating they were sorry and had obviously escaped the net !! Yeah right..... but I did get a full refund including postage.
Checked what else they were ebaying and they are mainly all new titles not using their own photos. Beware ....... and CLAIM
I assume you warned other buyers through the feedback process?
I had trouble like this when i bought Ghostbusters superbit twinpack from e-bay they turned up and where fakes :( i e-mailed the seller saying i wanted a refund that they were pirates or i would send them to columbia tristar he mailed me back saying he would refund in full and to throw the discs away.
http://www.fact-uk.org.uk/
scaramanga
10-05-2007, 08:03
Ive just got had :( richie warned me right after id ordered so i left an email stating that before he ships i would like a authentic legally produced copy, not a bootleg and if it is a bootleg, a refunb. Got it today... its a bootleg (quite a good bootleg though! - Carnivale 1&2 boxset ).
Ive sent him a message telling him what i said before he shipped the item and what i have now found. Just waiting for the reply. I noticed it came from china... even though the location was listed in the UK so would like him to pay for the return postage aswell. What are my chances of getting this? Can i threaten him with contacting FACT (which i would do anyway ;) ) etc?
You do know that Carnivale is on a Warners wholesale promotion atm - you should be able to pick up legit ones quite reasonably.
FACT, Warners and then ebay would be my priorities.
If he is selling through the .com site, you could contact the MPAA as well.
Paypal is a bit trickier, as if you open a SNAD dispute, you'll have to send them back trackable.
scaramanga
10-05-2007, 10:54
But if i contact FACT first do things get tricky about getting my money back?? Thats MY main priority :) My money!
stingersplash
13-05-2007, 14:03
can you even buy a carnivale 1+2 boxset? if not then why bid as its going to be a fake.
and people who buy R1 versions of new releases - £7.99 is half the price you should pay so it would be a fake youre buying.
of course some people might know its a fake but if the seller says nothing, then you know you can threaten FACT and get it for free.
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