quote:

Originally posted by X:
With regards to manufacturers pointing out illegitimate cards on their website, I think that would be too onorous a task and frankly a waste of their time and resources. I think it would be more useful to spend more time uploading images of their official cards to provide both better advertising and a reference point for what the cards should look like.

If no one points out the bad cards then a company like Starz Cardz can build a nice looking website and their cards will appear just as legitimate as any others.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
I don't mean to be dismissive of the issue but sometimes if people are too lazy to help themsleves then it can be good to get burnt. It's a hard lesson to learn when money is involved but you might think twice about that impulse buy next time.
Consumers need to take a bit of responsibility for their actions because in the age of the internet with a world of information at your fingertips what excuse is there? Additionally, we live in a world filled with unscrupulous people looking to take advantage of the uninformed or just plain stupid. Consumers really should know better. But if they aren't bothered about losing money then by all means throw it about without a care.

Sheesh. . . I thought the goal was to grow the hobby . . . if my first experience in the hobby was getting burnt I wouldn't stick around.

It's never a good thing for an industry to make it so inaccessible that only experts can participate.

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Sheesh. . . I thought the goal was to grow the hobby . . . if my first experience in the hobby was getting burnt I wouldn't stick around.

It's never a good thing for an industry to make it so inaccessible that only experts can participate.

It's common nowadays to blame the consumer as an early reaction to shady business practices. Yes, we must expect the consumer to educate themselves but often, people place most of the burden on the buyer as an excuse for poor ethics on the part of the seller. Ex: Criminal banks and the mortgage scandal: blame the people who accepted crooked loans. A sign of the times?

Hi Kiddies........

My friends daughter had to have some Depp card, bought it on-line at the bay and when she got it, it was just a laminated paper with the swatch rubber banded to it. I had to laugh (not in her presence)it was so bad.
This not unlike the "garage kits" in the model hobby. Those were all bootleg companies and two actually got to go legit. Some of those kits were fantastic and deserved the prices people paid.
Really, anyone can buy a prop or costume, cut it up and glue it in a card - it's printing the logo or the names and images that isn't legal. I have seen a number of fakes now. In fact, couple looked great.

In some cases, the companies need to be told they are getting counterfeited. Most do not have the manpower to look. Some companies don't care because of the legal costs.

I guess my point is...
If the card looks good - someone will want it "legit" or not.

That said, my question to all of you - Would You buy/collect home made or bootleg cards if they looked good enough?

quote:

Originally posted by Gregore:
Really, anyone can buy a prop or costume, cut it up and glue it in a card - it's printing the logo or the names and images that isn't legal. I have seen a number of fakes now. In fact, couple looked great.

I guess my point is...
If the card looks good - someone will want it "legit" or not.

That said, my question to all of you - Would You buy/collect home made or bootleg cards if they looked good enough?

Funny you should ask, because there was a time many years ago when I did pick up a couple of "customized" Derek Jeter cards. They were made from licensed cards, but someone had cut and inserted NYPD and NYFD patches between two or three cards and glued the whole thing together. They actually looked very nice, and this was the year after 9-11, so the NY baseball teams were wearing hats and patches from the Police and Fire Departments quite often. The cards were a novelty and there was no misrepresentation to me that they were a manufactured like that, but since they were being sold at local shows I would imagine that at least a few are still kicking around the sports card hobby, and who knows what they are being called.

Having said that, I would tell you that I would not buy any home made, non-licensed cards today, no matter how they were presented or what they looked liked. I have learned that these projects are not so innocent. They hurt unsuspecting collectors who don't know that they are buying unlicensed product and they take profits away from the companies that paid for the right to show those images and brand names.

And worst of all, the vast majority of this stuff is cheaply made, has zero resale value, and does not look nearly so good when in hand. Spending even small amounts on these cards is just throwing your money away to me.