Disney DVDs - buying experiences at eBay

[brotherbear]

if i were you julian...i would wait until the PE release...i am sure that will have better bonus features and such
~Ryn~

Ya, I kind of agree with potter. If you're not planning on getting the Fantasia Anthology set (which I HIGHLY recommend for any Disney fan!) and only the 60th Annniversary Ed., then I would just wait until the platinum, which should come out in the next few years. However, if you just gotta have it now, I understand.

-BB

[Jules]

However, if you just gotta have it now, I understand.

I just gotta have it now! I can't wait another two years! Two years deprived of my beloved Fantasia!

(I'm already making a great effort refraining from getting Sleeping Beauty. I know it's silly getting it now since in just about a year, it's gonna be available again).

Damn I hate Disney's seven year moratorium period. I sooooooo want Snow White, Fantasia and Sleeping Beauty. Will I be able to hold out till 2008 for the latter?

[potterrules93]

do you thinl that once Fantasia is released as a PE there will be a new 2-disk edition of the sequel Fantasia 2000?? i would love that..i have never seen any of the Fantasia movies but, since i have heard such good things about it..i would buy them in a sec as long as they are 2-disk editions
~Ryn~

[Jules]

do you thinl that once Fantasia is released as a PE there will be a new 2-disk edition of the sequel Fantasia 2000?? i would love that..i have never seen any of the Fantasia movies but, since i have heard such good things about it..i would buy them in a sec as long as they are 2-disk editions
~Ryn~

I have absolutely no idea. I doubt Fantasia 2000 would be added to the Platinum line, but I think it would make sense to rerelease Fantasia 2000 as a 2-Disc Special Edition around the same time when Fantasia debuts as a Platinum edition. That way, both releases support each other, and serve as promotion for one another, as they are directly related.

What do you think?

[blackcauldron85]

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V ... disneyvero

Disney takes reports of suspected infringement seriously and very much appreciates receiving tips about suspicious auctions. Please send the seller’s name and the suspect item/auction number to: tips@disneyantipiracy.com

We consider our investigations confidential, so except for an acknowledgment that we received your information, you will not hear back from us regarding your report. However, we want you to know that we very much appreciate the time you may take to make a report. We do not reveal our sources but if you wish to remain anonymous, you may send information about suspected infringements by mail to: tips@disneyantipiracy.com or by phone, (818) 560-3300.


Just to let everyone know, Disney is in eBay's Verified Rights Owner Program, and the link above is their website which has some FAQs on it...the quote I posted mentions an email address you can send fishy auctions to, and Disney will look at them. Just to let you know.

[PeterPanfan]

Thanks for the info,Amy!!

Do you guys think this looks legit? I'm a new ebayer and I have only bought 2 items(one is in the mail).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=004

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Anne]

PeterPanFan, I often buy on eBay but I wouldn't buy from this seller.

This seller received a few negative feedbacks from buyers who were saying that they received copies. So chances are high that this seller mostly sell bootlegs.

I always ask sellers where they got the DVD they are selling and if it's an authentic Disney DVD. That's a good start!

[PeterPanfan]

Thanks,Anne! I know who NOT to buy DVDs from now..hehe

What about these: (The seller has 100 % feedback)











Thanks!

[Anne]

They look real. If the seller hasn't received any comments about selling copies and that it's mentionned that the DVDs are authentic, it might be worth buying!

Here is a webpage I use to see the feedbacks of eBay sellers:
http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs

It's really useful because it gives you all the negative feedbacks ever received by the seller. Sometimes sellers have 100% positive feedback because they hide the negative comments they received. With this webpage, you'll be able to see the hidden negative feedbacks.

And be sure that the seller says in the DVD description that it is an authentic Disney DVD (or ask them). So that you will be able to use that against them if they send you a copy (and they will, most of the time, offer you a refund). Most of the time, I ask them where they got the DVD and I don't buy if they say they got it from someone else. And I don't buy if they don't reply (that happens often! lol).

Hope this helps! You have to be careful on eBay but I found many wonderful authentic Disney items there so I hope you'll find some too!

[PeterPanfan]

Wow that is an awesome website!

Thanks SO much,Anne! You've been a great help to me.

[drfsupercenter]

OK, I'm really mad about this.

I went to Half.com and ordered a copy of Snow White, the guy claimed it was "opened but never used". It wasn't the cheapest, or the most expensive, it was like $15. I thought that was a pretty good price, so I ordered it.

Well, the thing finally came... and I was shocked to find it was a bootleg. It had shrink wrap on it, but the guy claimed it was open. It had what looks like an original case insert (the paper inside it), but the discs are very clearly printed.

So here's the real kicker. I put it in my computer, and both discs are only 4.35GB. I rented the original, and I know for a fact that it's dual-layer. So whoever this guy is got printable discs (with silver bottoms, not the usual purple), and tried to pawn them off as originals.

I will file a report with the seller... But I'm warning you guys that there are some real-looking bootlegs out there. The packaging fooled me...

Someone posted some pictures of a seller on CraigsList... This looks exactly like that, but a different box. It's a single box, with one disc on each side, the paper was just stuck in the middle.

If anyone wants to see pictures I can take some. It all looks real except the off-center printed disc art and the fact that it's single layer.

--EDIT--

I just checked the disc's info... The implementation ID says Nero, meaning they burned it in Nero. That is so horribly fake it's not even funny. The quality of the movie itself is hideous... so he probably used Nero Recode (which is like DVD Shrink). The menus looked good but it's probably something with the encoder settings.

[JDCB1986]

there are several threads about bootleg copy of animated classics...the $15 price tag should have been your first clue.

[drfsupercenter]

This is Half.com, not "buydvdssomerandomtexthere.com".

I bought Super Smash Bros. Melee for $12, and it was perfect... it came with the box, manuals, and the disc had no scratches. That game sells for $30-40 everywhere else.

So no, I don't think it has anything to do with the price. There are copies for $20 that say they're new and shrinkwrapped.

Luckily Half.com has buyer protection... but be careful when using eBay or Half.com... since there are fakes out there!
And the thing with Half.com is they're not listings, the only picture you see is the stock picture, so you have no idea in advance what it looks like.

[JDCB1986]

that's the whole point... Half.com is an affiliate of eBay... which is probably the number one place for Disney bootlegs. a stock photo is another sign that you're probably not getting what you expect, not always... but often. if it's a real copy, the seller will usually have a photo of what you are purchasing and will be happy to answer any questions regarding it's authenticity before the sale is final.

that being said... $15 for an authentic copy of an out of print disney animated classic (especially one like snow white which has only ever been on dvd once) is a dead giveaway... whether it's amazon, half, ebay or a local used video shop. good luck getting your money back... but use your head next time. if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

[TM2-Megatron]

So here's the real kicker. I put it in my computer, and both discs are only 4.35GB. I rented the original, and I know for a fact that it's dual-layer. So whoever this guy is got printable discs (with silver bottoms, not the usual purple), and tried to pawn them off as originals.

That's unusual; I didn't think DVD-/+Rs could have silver bottoms. There was variation with blank CDs, but I've never seen anything other than purple for DVDs... I always assumed the range of organic dye that could be used for a blank DVD was less diverse.

Printable dual-layer discs aren't commonly sold in many places; and they're prohibitively expensive. I'm not surprised they weren't used. Unless you were referring to Thermal Printable discs, in which case I'm not sure how common they are and what they might go for.

[drfsupercenter]

These are definitely silver... and the bottoms actually say "SNOW WHITE DISC 1" etc, where there's usually a brandname.

And no, $15 is not that bad of a price. On Half.com NOBODY posts their own pictures, the site doesn't work that way.
But the site has a rule against bootlegs... I doubt that many are.

I've gotten other out-of-print stuff for similar prices, so it's not that at all.

The seller had a positive reputation too... that's the thing I don't get. Also, the envelope had "FOT RECORDS" on it, when I bought it from a person not one of those stores. So I'm not quite sure what happened.

@TM2, I'm not quite sure either. I can take a picture of the discs if you want... it's definitely not your run-of-the-mill printable disc (I use Verbatim Printable DVD+R myself.) It obviously cost they some money to make this bootleg... and I'm sure many people have bought it and thought it was real.

[JDCB1986]

Firstly... rules have never stopped bootleggers... Secondly... that site is FILLED with bootlegs...

A few examples:
1. "brand new region free single disk edition great dvd at a great price"
2. "Brand New sealed single disc edition of this Disney Classic. In stock and ready for same-day shipping"

2 out of the first 4 results that popped up are without question bootlegs... you can tell just based on the fact that they are single disc and region free. the others are a little more difficult to tell just by the description... but the fact that the price is below the original selling price on these "brand new" copies of this out of print film are a VERY good giveaway...be smart here... would you sell your brand new out of print DVD for less than you bought it for, knowing full good and well that people will easily pay upwards of 40 or 50 dollars for a legitimate copy ?

another one of the top 4 results says "IMPORT !! NEW 2 DISC .. PLAT W/ BOOKLET!! never watched BUT CHECKED TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS OK WITH THE DVDS.. IMPORTED!! BUT IT IS A REGION 1.. 2 DISC EDITION W/ BOOKLET SHIPS SAME BUSINESS DAY IN MOST CASES!!"

the seller is from FL... so where exactly is this import from (notice that it's region 1, which US and CAN) most likely a bootleg.

Another dead giveaway... especially on the Snow White DVD... is the case... if it is in a case like the other platinum's, it is most certainly a bootleg... Snow White ONLY came in a black double DVD case (about 1 3/4 times as thick as the other Platinum releases.) If it is in a standard DVD case or a white DVD case... it is a bootleg.

as for Silver backed DVD-R's... they do exist and they aren't that difficult to get ahold of. they can be ordered online in bulk.

Here's a perfect example...
"Taiyo Yuden 50 Pack - Silver Lacquer - DVD-R - 8X - 4.7GB"
Silver bottom, printable top, $25.99 for 50.
That means that between the cases, the printing of the paperwork and the DVD they probably pay 2-4 dollars per DVD... and when they sell it to unknowing people for $15... they are making quite a bit of money off of them.

As for the seller having a good reputation... all that means is that he has gotten away without being caught by a lot of people... a majority of people that are buying movies from there or any used DVD outlet, don't really care if it's a bootleg or not... as long as they get a copy of the movie for themselves or their children at a reasonable price, it doesn't matter to them who printed and packaged it.

It sucks that you got scammed... but there is no doubt that you did... and will continue to if you don't know what to look for. Best of luck getting your money back.

[David S.]

For anyone looking for Snow White or other OOP Disney DVDs, I've seen a lot of them in FYEs, Sam Goody, Warehouse, and other stores that carry used DVDs. (such as indie CD/DVD exchange type stores often found near college campuses). I haven't seen many Disney Treasures in used stores, but I've seen the OOP platinums quite a few times as well as OOP Gold Collection titles and even the older OOP LEs like Jungle Book, which I bought to get the original animation ratio.

I've seen Snow White about 4 times in the past year. Granted, I travel a lot, but it is out there.

The advantage about these stores is they usually let you open and inspect the used merchandise before buying. I've only been in one FYE that wouldn't open a used DVD for me, and needless to say, they didn't make the sale

PS. For any slipcover fans out there, buying used from such venues is also a good way to locate slipcovers for DVDs whose slips have disappeared from the new versions in stores

[drfsupercenter]

A few examples:
1. "brand new region free single disk edition great dvd at a great price"
2. "Brand New sealed single disc edition of this Disney Classic. In stock and ready for same-day shipping"

I know region-free and single disc are bootlegs. That's why I avoided the ones marked as that.

be smart here... would you sell your brand new out of print DVD for less than you bought it for, knowing full good and well that people will easily pay upwards of 40 or 50 dollars for a legitimate copy ?

As I said before, I've bought tons of DVDs for $15-20 on eBay like sites and never had a problem. Some people don't know just how much they're worth... and that works out to my benefit.

For anyone looking for Snow White or other OOP Disney DVDs, I've seen a lot of them in FYEs, Sam Goody, Warehouse, and other stores that carry used DVDs. (such as indie CD/DVD exchange type stores often found near college campuses). I haven't seen many Disney Treasures in used stores, but I've seen the OOP platinums quite a few times as well as OOP Gold Collection titles and even the older OOP LEs like Jungle Book, which I bought to get the original animation ratio.

We have an FYE here, but I hate that place as it's terribly overpriced. When a movie comes out (single-disc I'm talking!), they sell it for $29.99, and have a "sale" at $24.99. I could go to Wal-Mart and get the same edition for $15. That's probably because it's in a mall, but nonetheless it's a complete ripoff.

I checked for used PEs, they don't have any. They do have a few that were vaulted, though, like Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella, but again they're charging $30 for them and there's no way I'm paying that much.

[JDCB1986]

you obviously don't get the point i'm trying to get across...so go on and continue to get scammed...but don't dedicate an entire thread to your scam (especially when there are a lot of others regarding this topic) unless you are willing to take advice from other people. if you just wanted to vent but not take any of the advice people were going to give, you should have said that in the first post.
peace.