(Kotobukiya) Tamaki Kousaka Dorimaga Original Limited

[shawn]

You know maybe they should start an all gay male fighting tourny...that would be hilarious, so many people would watch the slap happy guys....LMAO

You sure have one hell of a weird imagination Norm, a little f**ked-up like you said so yourself. LMAO

[norm1ized]

Mos Def MoFo...Mos Def

[val]

Gomen,

I didn't mean to sound like I'm against gays. I have nothing against gay people, and have met some very masculine gay men in SF. I was very disappointed to learn about a few, and even shocked by a couple. Anyway, they're the best guys to shop with... LOL

I'm posting this becaue I don't know if someone is lurking who might be offended because I didn't intend to poke fun at anyone.

Tokyo has a gay population too, but it's nothing like SF. Sorry if I offended anyone by thinking "gay" when I read "pride". The two just kind of go hand in hand in California, so I'm really surprised that it's a martial arts tournament. I appear to be the only one though, so I guess I'm the clueless one.

[norm1ized]

they're the best guys to shop with... LOL

LMAO


We also have a pretty big gay population here in Seattle, prob doesnt compare to SF though.




...I also have nothing against gay people and actually love gay or bi-women (unless their man haters).

[val]

I can't believe how much fake stuff is appearing on Yahoo lately.

NSFW NSFW NSFW
Looks fake:
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w6387153
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b76889138
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u13367640
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w6384592

[val]

New Tamaki figures

I can't believe how much fake stuff is appearing on Yahoo lately.

NSFW NSFW NSFW
Looks fake:
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w6384592
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w6387153

The above looks similar to this figure that released as an event kit at World Hobby Festival. Is there an official release that looks like the above listing? I couldn't find one, and the seller doesn't list a price or maker.

The below kit has not been released as a figure:
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m44705825
http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n49852283

The kit maker:
http://usa-p.hp.infoseek.co.jp/

http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b76889138
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u13367640

Authentic versions of the above 2 Yahoo JP listings...
Black, 06/2007 release that's limited to 4000...
http://page17.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/v16922256
White Limited dealer version - release August 2007:
http://page15.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/t38704342

[H-Gurl]

I can't believe how much fake stuff is appearing on Yahoo lately.

NSFW NSFW NSFW
Looks fake:
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b76889138
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u13367640
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w6384592

Both of those figures are on that bootleg wholesale shop

The first one appears all over ebay as a completed resin statue via the typical bootleg sellers.
The second one looks to be a kit release only, and appears on ebay completed as well.

Code: Select all

http://cgi.ebay.com/To-Heart-Tamaki-Kousaka-Resin-Sexy-Painted-Figure-14_W0QQitemZ200116430387QQihZ010QQcategoryZ1345QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

NSFW:

Code: Select all

http://www.salesmanb2b.com/Images/AnimePicture/20070513194451.jpg

Code: Select all

http://www.salesmanb2b.com/ProductInfo.aspx?ID=4979

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http://www.salesmanb2b.com/ProductInfo.aspx?ID=5396

Another Tamaki fake:

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http://www.salesmanb2b.com/Images/AnimePicture/20070512232231.jpg

[H-Gurl]

That seller has already sold quite a bit of his bootleg junk into Japan too.
http://rating4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/ ... D=hyasu419

[ShimizuKyoko]

They know what they are buying.
Last thing I know, the bootleg dvd sells more than the original r2 release because it's a lot cheaper.

[val]

They know what they are buying.

I'm not so sure of that because the bootleg's price is the same or higher than the authentic figure(s).

Last thing I know, the bootleg dvd sells more than the original r2 release because it's a lot cheaper.

I think you're referring to the Studio Ghilbi incident that recently happened in Osaka. Yeah, people were buying the bootlegs because they saved about 80% off Ghilbi's price. The seller who was importing the DVDs also worked in the anime industry. He's now in jail but even so, that's a little different. Most other DVDs are quite inexpensive on the second-hand market in Japan. Even box sets that look unused can be found for a fraction of retail. Book-Off eventually offers just about every anime, including limited sets, for 10-20% of normal. As a result, I don't think the Ghilbi situation is normal. Also, a lot has changed in Japan over the last few years. Previously, people wouldn't buy "used" items but today, stores like Book Off are putting small stores out of business and publishers/makers are selling direct via the Internet, so there's been a lot of adjustment to the market and pricing of items over the last few years.

The bootleggers caught the Pinky:st collectors by surprise last year when bidders on Yahoo started receiving knock-off Pinky:st. Even the WonderFest Pinky were being sold on Yahoo in bootleg version. No one thought anyone would copy GSI's copyright information on the package. Plus, for this seller, he did list some knock-off figures on Yahoo and clearly stated "pirate" in the description. However, he's not doing it on the Tamaki and he listed them at the same time.

[val]

Why would anyone intentionally buy a bootleg BOME figure:
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/97327450

When the authentic sells for the same price? There's no way the buyer knows he's buying a fake. Most would not even consider it while shopping on Yahoo, and it does catch Japanese buyers by surprise when they get one from within Japan from another Japanese.

In this case:
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w7063800
They buyer knows it's fake because the description says it's a pirate version. How else could the seller justify the price and availability of the item?

For many, the seller isn't stating pirate, and they're clearly fake.

Here's another one that he listed as a Pirate:
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u11937098
He's already sold a few of these. He had one listed earlier today but someone bought it.

How about the Kasumi bootleg that made it into Japan? Buyers didn't know it was fake until the maker posted a notice on their site about how to spot the fake. Same with the bootleg Saber. The maker had to post a page on it because fans were buying the knock-off at high prices and didn't know better.

[val]

Authentic:
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b76767334
http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d73336260
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g52036510

Fakes:
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/97327450
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u11936198

Do you really think the buyer knew (or knows) he bought a fake?
I think it's higly unlikely.

[val]

They know what they are buying.

Look at this bootleg seller's feedback...
http://openuser.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp ... nstand1976

Still think Japanese buyers know what they're buying at the time of purchase? Figures are not that expensive in Japan, and authentic figures do go on sale when the fake version hits the market in Japan. I would bet a large percentage don't even realize they bought a fake figure.

Japanese are very naive when it comes to fraud or scams. There's also no protection and many pay by bank-to-bank wire right into the seller's bank account. There's no way to get the money back if the seller doesn't ship either.

[ShimizuKyoko]

May be they don't know though it looks pretty obvious to me they are fake.
That's just one seller on Yahoo. There are way more sellers selling authentic items than few who try to scam. I've almost never seen a bootleg seller before on Yahoo.
Those lurkers.

a large percentage don't even realize they bought a fake figure.

As far as I know, the majority of people buy figures from a store. Yahoo JP is for those who look for great deals or rare(?) items. This is just my point of view.

Some people do know what they are buying. I've seen HK anime boxsets being sold for pretty cheap on Yahoo JP.

Thanks for the heads up, val.
I may have some questions to ask you in the very near future. I hope you can help me out that time.

[val]

I've noticed a number of sellers on Yahoo recently who deal in fakes. The number is growing too because, like you said, people visit Yahoo to get cheap deals and to buy items, they can't buy at a store. There's actually tons of fake stuff on Yahoo. Search Tiffany&Co or DigiCube/Square collectibles & jewelry. Don't buy any stuff like that on Yahoo because there are far too many fakes.

There are tons of discount hobby shops around Tokyo. Many of those items actually end up on Yahoo. A few weeks ago, Volks had a clearance of old stock at their Akihabara showroom with items at 60% off, and about 1 day after the sale, Yahoo was flooded with the same items. Personally, I think you can find better deals in stores than Yahoo Auctions, but I'm in Tokyo. Many online buyers are not in Tokyo, so they don't have access to the same deals that you'll find around here. There are also the large discount sellers like AmiAmi but you can actually find the items for less. Even Amazon JP frequently has good deals that are significantly less than AmiAmi. I don't think they have the right buyers for figures, so you can get good deals at Amazon. The best deals are physical stores though but the internet can be convenient too so it's worth the extra 10% at times.

Yahoo is also good for limited/sold out items and event releases. However, you will pay a premium on Yahoo and normally a minimum of double the seller's cost. However, if you have to own something that's not sold in stores, Yahoo is always an option.

Of course, I am available to answer questions. I hope I know the answer. If you ask me about Pride stuff, ummm, I probably won't be of much help to you but other topics, I may know the answer. If you're going to be in Japan for a week or so, I recommend renting a furnished short-term apartment. Hotels are just too expensive, and you can get affordable apartments that are funished with everything you could need for much less than $50 a day. There are also the gaijin dorms and hostiles which are dirt cheap.

I always thought I could spot a bootleg but I've actually bought a couple fake items on Yahoo over the last 2-3 years. I once bought a fake Pinky:st and based on the auction, I would not have kown it was fake, so everyone can be fooled. Over the past few months, I have only bought from licensed stores on Yahoo when they're clearing old stock. You can get really good deals that way, but the auctions are typically seasonal or right before the end of a major tax reporting period. Licensed sellers will always include their business license number within their auction profile, as well as contact information. I also always check the "advice" link because fakes are normally reported pretty quickly. Of course, some are never reported like the Pinky that I won.