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The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

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The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Old 10-14-09, 10:55 PM
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The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

So I just have a question for those of you that have the complete series box set of The Wire: did the DVDs in the set each have their own individual (cheap) plastic sleeves around them? (Isn't that a usual bootlegger trademark?)

I'm pretty sure I won an auction on eBay of bootleg Wire dvds.

Thanks for your help!

Edit to add: I wouldn't be so unsure about it if the seller didn't have a nearly 2000 positive feedback score. If it was a 200 score, then I'd report it.
Old 10-14-09, 11:04 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Take pictures of the set, that would help.

Also, the set was notorious for floaters and scratched discs, so maybe the dude was just nice and bought a bunch of sleeves to protect the DVDs.
Old 10-14-09, 11:06 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Do you have any pictures?

Was it sealed? If not, it's possible that the guy who sold it to you put all the discs in those sleeves to help prevent them from getting scratched due to the somewhat poor design of the packaging. My first instinct is that, rather than a bootleg.
Old 10-15-09, 12:07 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

First, yes, it was sealed in plastic as if it were new.

Here's a more comprehensive list of details that made me suspicious:

- The insert on the outside of the box (the one describing the contents), but under the plastic "new" wrapping, was made of poster board and attached by double-sided tape, rather than the easy-to-remove glue usually associated with those things

- The text on the insert is very, very slightly blurry. Very slightly. It's not crisp.

- Each DVD has its own cheap plastic sleeve.

- The packaging is already falling apart. None of the slots for the DVDs holds one tight and some have just come unglued so there is no functional slot left.

- Some of the DVDs have very very slightly off-center graphics printed on top

I only received this in the mail TODAY and have handled it for a cumulative total of about 3 minutes since then.

The only things that incline me to believe otherwise are that, when I look at the underside of a DVD, there is a laser engraving that is reflected only at certain angles that says "The Wire Season One" blah blah and the fact that the seller has nearly 2000 positives - one would think that somebody would have reported them long ago.
Old 10-15-09, 12:12 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

And looking at a disc again just now, it seems that the DVDs have, lo and behold, a Chinese letter followed by "Z567" on the center ring on the inside that is engraved - not just the laser-engraving indicating season and disc number.
Old 10-15-09, 12:37 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by DrRingDing
... the seller has nearly 2000 positives - one would think that somebody would have reported them long ago.
I would bet that many did. 5 years ago I bought a bootleg on ebay and left a negative. I got an immediate neg back, along with a request for full refund and mutual withdrawal. They said I could keep the movie too (it was a VHS). I said no and won the dispute and got my refund anyway.

I think a lot of people on ebay over the years have settled for refunds and feedback withdrawal. Most people who notice a bootleg probably don't want the hassle of reporting and disputing, they just want their money back. I would hope the new ebay rule of not allowing sellers to neg buyers would help this situation. But it will open sellers to more unscrupulous buyers. Too many people suck, basically.

I just bought a bootleg on half, the only other one I have ever gotten. And I started a thread about it here, in search of hive wisdom and sarcastic humor. (I have not been disappointed on either front.)

Anyway, sorry for your ordeal. Hope you get your money back.
Old 10-15-09, 12:42 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Yeah, that sounds fake. Sorry to hear about it man. Definitely report it.
Old 10-15-09, 12:44 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

This sound like a Bootleg set. Sorry man... try and force the seller into issuing you a refund. That's your best bet. Also, as a forewarning, I wouldn't send the set back to them first. Some sellers will scam you this way and keep the returned set without ever issuing a refund (and will get away with it based upon when it was ordered and how fast you act on it). Send it back to them after that. Ask for a refund up front for how much it would cost you to send the item. That's the best advice I can give you, other than issuing a complaint with eBay which probably wont help solve matters.
Old 10-15-09, 03:40 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

And yet people keep buying DVDs from greedbay! Weird!

Hope the price was "RIGHT"!
Old 10-15-09, 06:50 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by DrRingDing
the seller has nearly 2000 positives - one would think that somebody would have reported them long ago.
Most bootleggers on eBay have good ratings. People either don't realize that they're receiving bootlegs, or they don't care.
Old 10-15-09, 11:38 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by danwiz
And yet people keep buying DVDs from greedbay! Weird!

Hope the price was "RIGHT"!
I have bought many many dvds on ebay over the years, and not gotten a bootleg.
Old 07-25-11, 01:30 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Thankfully, I've developed a bit of an eye for bootlegs over the years, and I'm fairly certain The Wire box set I just received is one. While this is a little nicer looking than the previous bootleg copy I bought a couple of years ago, the container itself is a little off-color and them I opened it to see those damnable plastic sleeves.

The Dvd-9 logo on each disc seems a bit lazy, and if that weren't enough, the discs themselves only have about 4.3 GB of information on each disc, and I'm pretty sure the legit discs are somewhere around 7 GB, but I'll have to double check on that.

Given all the bootlegs out there, I'd imagine that the price of the complete series would drop a little instead of continuing to go up. I'm pretty sure this seller bought the series and didn't know it was a bootleg, as they aren't one of the people that have 500 copies of HBO sets listed and seem to sell a variety of things on there, not just dvds. Still, very frustrating, as I would like to get a legit copy of this (as it's probably my favorite show ever) without forking over $100+.
Old 07-25-11, 07:49 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Had a very similar experience with a "Queer as Folk: Complete Series" The set arrived and looked weird, with very cheap cardboard inserts. The "White" of season 5's DVD Holder was Yellow like when someone smokes in a white room for years. All the labels are blurry, and season 5's labels are completely the wrong color. The DVD's had errors when playing and some would not even play. Contacted seller a ton and got no response, was covered under buyer protection and Ebay sided with the seller and said "My product was as described". That was the last time I bought from ebay.

PS: The seller had around 2000 feedbacks, 200 or so negative. Did not notice tho until it was too late.

Originally Posted by DrRingDing
First, yes, it was sealed in plastic as if it were new.

Here's a more comprehensive list of details that made me suspicious:

- The insert on the outside of the box (the one describing the contents), but under the plastic "new" wrapping, was made of poster board and attached by double-sided tape, rather than the easy-to-remove glue usually associated with those things

- The text on the insert is very, very slightly blurry. Very slightly. It's not crisp.

- Each DVD has its own cheap plastic sleeve.

- The packaging is already falling apart. None of the slots for the DVDs holds one tight and some have just come unglued so there is no functional slot left.

- Some of the DVDs have very very slightly off-center graphics printed on top

I only received this in the mail TODAY and have handled it for a cumulative total of about 3 minutes since then.

The only things that incline me to believe otherwise are that, when I look at the underside of a DVD, there is a laser engraving that is reflected only at certain angles that says "The Wire Season One" blah blah and the fact that the seller has nearly 2000 positives - one would think that somebody would have reported them long ago.
Old 07-27-11, 05:19 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

There is a seller on eBay who sells The Wire, True Blood, Weeds sets (season sets bundled together) and Entourage sets (bundled season sets) all the time. He starts them all out as .99 wth free shipping. I have never won one of his auctions, but after reading this thread, am suspicious.

I saw a Little Mermaid Trilogy (boxed) on eBay that looked legit. The price was right and I was thinking of bidding on it, but noticed he had more than one copy, so I checked the feedback. He had great feedback. Only one guy left a negative, claiming that it was a bootleg, so I emailed him and he described the box. I don't think most people care or realize that what they are getting is a knock-off. I have received bootlegs from only two sellers and got my money back both times. Both sellers had great feedback -- even though one of the sets I got was obviously fake. The moral is that most people don't just don't know enough or worry about it enough to take action.
Old 08-03-11, 12:35 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Many of the larger box sets sold on eBay are Chinese bootleg copies.
Old 08-08-11, 10:07 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

I was burned three times with bootlegs on eBay trying to buy The Twilight Zone The Complete Definitive Collection in time for a July 4th marathon, but I finally got legitimate copies of all five invidual seasons bundled together for around the same price. I really don't think I'll ever bid on a complete series DVD set containing multiple seasons on eBay again after that. It must be hell on anyone actually trying to sell a legitimate set like that in this market.
Old 08-08-11, 04:07 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger
Many of the larger box sets sold on eBay are Chinese bootleg copies.
I'm convinced that the STNG complete set I bought a couple of years ago for $100 is a bootleg. It was very convincing until I opened the set and noticed it was held together by cheap plastic tape.

However, I did a side by side comparison with an individual season, and froze both dvds on the same scene. I couldn't tell any difference in quality so I decided to keep the set. Now I wish I had tried to get a refund. I can never sell this POS if it is indeed bootleg.
Old 02-01-12, 01:57 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Damn. Found this thread and am pretty sure I got a bootleg. It looks pretty good but it has those plastic sleeves. Do the real sets not have the plastic sleeves? The giveaway for me is the horrible quality of the video which is especially noticeable on Season 4. The slightest motion on disc 1 you would see pixellation (not sure if thats the right term). Also, Season 3 had a disc where it would just freeze up my player.
Old 02-01-12, 05:59 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Yep, I just got The Wire also and it had those plastic sleeves. The discs look authentic and play alright though, at least the ones I've screened. Oh well no more of that!
Yep just checked and I have the chinese symbol as well. I paid about $ 50.00 for this sh*t but as I said...lesson learned!!!

Last edited by smurr05; 02-01-12 at 06:14 PM.
Old 02-02-12, 08:17 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

I don't really care one way or another except that the video encoding was done poorly - at least in Season 4. Someone mentioned that the total disk space used is half the real version.
Old 02-02-12, 09:37 AM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by CRM114
I don't really care one way or another except that the video encoding was done poorly - at least in Season 4. Someone mentioned that the total disk space used is half the real version.
You don't care if it's a bootleg? You're okay with bootlegs as long as the quality is okay.
Old 02-02-12, 01:53 PM
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Re: The Wire Complete Series Box Set - I've been had (ebay-related)

Originally Posted by Josh-da-man
Most bootleggers on eBay have good ratings. People either don't realize that they're receiving bootlegs, or they don't care.
Several years ago, some guy was listing 4-6 copies a day for several weeks of Planet Earth, Blue Ocean and Robin Hood S1 (BBC). I bought some of his stuff and noticed that the box cover art looked washed out. He had over 99% feedback. I emailed him about it and I think we eventually settled on me returning the stuff for a refund. I got my money back and kept the merchandise, but am always skeptical about anyone who lists too much of a good thing.

Flash forward a few years and someone was doing the same thing with Peter Pan SE (Disney). I should have known better but bought one for five bucks with free shipping. Got it and got almost all my money back. But it was really hard to determine whether they were authentic or not. They looked good, but were in a 2D case where the spindles were on the back of the front of the case and the back of the case. (Unlike every Disney release I've seen that puts the first disc on a flipper spindle in the middle of the case) I think I checked the Disc-ID to determine its validity.


Is this the seller you are talking about?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/workitout815...id=p4340.l2562

I have noticed his auctions for more than a year. He sells the same things, all on one day auctions. I emailed him once and asked him whether his DVDs were authentic Region 1, but he never responded.

Here is his neutral/negative feedback
http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?Use...ed+by&ref=home

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