How do I spot a Buffy or the L Word FAKE DVD set?

April 21, 2010 1:25 PM

How do I spot a Buffy or the L Word FAKE DVD set?

I want to buy the L Word DVD series and the Buffy DVD series but am worried about buying a fake boxset.

I've read that the L Word didn't release a box set (you can buy all the seasons in a set, but they're in their original boxes and not one box). Obviously I'd rather not pay $150 if the knock off would be just as good... but I also don't want to spend $60 and have them be terrible. This box set is all over ebay and on dvd websites. Has anyone purchased it before?

http://dvdsetsonline4.com/The-L-Word-Seasons-1-6-DVD-Box-Set-DVD-1652.html

But more generally, how would I know if I was buying a fake L Word or Buffy dvd series? Any tips? Anyone know something specific to watch for, especially with these two tv series?

Thanks for your help <3

posted by DorothySmith to media & arts (10 answers total)

As you say yourself, this is surely a knockoff. The L Word is owned by Showtime, and currently available in one bundle for $150. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this is a Hong Kong exporter of pirated region-free DVDs, though you can't really tell where they are from the website.

If you want to make sure you're not buying fakes, keep in mind what Amazon sells the DVDs for new. If you're buying used, take, say, a 20% discount.

When you're looking at recent (not back catalogue) DVDs that are being sold, new, with a 60% discount, you're looking at fakes.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2010

I think the actual question is "How do I avoid getting sold fake/inferior DVDs" because, honestly, if they're trying to rip you off you can't exactly go by the photo they provide.

My solution is to buy from reputable vendors with return policies, in general.
posted by restless_nomad at 1:47 PM on April 21, 2010 [2 favorites]

Obviously I'd rather not pay $150 if the knock off would be just as good... but I also don't want to spend $60 and have them be terrible.

But more generally, how would I know if I was buying a fake L Word or Buffy dvd series?

You seem to be asking two separate questions. To the first, if you're buying a knockoff, without getting into any legal or ethical questions, there's really no guarantee about what the quality is like. Could be just like the real discs, could be compressed to hell and choppy. Could be missing extras like commentaries, etc.

As for the second, any price that's too good to be true probably is. To be sure you're getting the real thing, buy from reputable places like Amazon or Deep Discount. (On Amazon you'd have to also make sure you're buying from them directly and not a third-party selling through Amazon.)

I know I've seen the Buffy box set for less than $100 on Amazon during special sales, but it's hard to say when those sales will happen. When they do Whedonesque will usually link it so you might want to watch there.
posted by kmz at 2:01 PM on April 21, 2010

Ain't It Cool News will also reference when Buffy box sets go on sale, which they seem to do at least a couple times a year. You can get pretty good bargains as kmz mentions if you're patient.
posted by Atreides at 2:43 PM on April 21, 2010

p.s. I believe all of Buffy is currently on Hulu.com, too.
posted by Atreides at 2:43 PM on April 21, 2010

Nah, Atreides, Hulu used to have seasons 1-3 of Buffy up, and then with very short notice they switched to showing only one season at a time, cycling from 1 to 3 and back around again. I've never seen them have seasons 4 through 7. Annoying!
posted by sigmagalator at 3:00 PM on April 21, 2010

All of the buffy eps are up on Netflix Watch Instantly. I watched "The Gift" just yesterday, in fact. Also, I saw the Chosen Collection at Costco for around 85 bucks a couple of days ago also.
posted by theDrizzle at 3:26 PM on April 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

If you mean the complete Buffy set of 40 DVDs, you're looking at a pretty decent price anywhere. Manufactured suggested retail price: $199.99; Amazon price: $131.49; best Amazon reseller: $109.87

Currently, you could save $5 or so on Half.eBay.com, and the current best retail cost is $124.92 from Overstock.com, with a $2.95 flat shipping fee. If you're looking for a cheaper copy legit, check DVDPriceSearch and fansites for sales. If you're looking to save money at all costs (w/o losing quality), illegally downloading the series would be only slightly less shady than getting a Chinese or HK bootleg.

But if you're looking to buy something and avoid bootlegs, skip anything coming from China, Hong Kong, or Russia on eBay. I'm sure there are some reputable sellers from those countries who sell on the English language eBay site, but they're few and far between for media. Also, if you see a good looking collection, make sure it's available from other retail shops (DVD Price Search is a good way to look for various editions of DVDs, and DVD Compare can tell you about other region versions for many DVDs and BluRay releases). If not, good chance it's a bootleg.

If you want to make sure you're not buying fakes, keep in mind what Amazon sells the DVDs for new. If you're buying used, take, say, a 20% discount.

There is no rule of thumb for discounts of used media. Some things will be bought by many and re-sold in weeks of initial release at a great discount. Others will hold their value for years, even though it's still available from shops. Check Amazon (for used sales), Half.ebay, eBay and DVD Price Search (for a comparison of many major movie sellers). That should cover your bases.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:32 PM on April 21, 2010

FYI, a friend snagged the Buffy box set at Cosco for about 75 bucks.
posted by Rangeboy at 4:19 PM on April 21, 2010

Er, that's Costco, rather.
posted by Rangeboy at 4:20 PM on April 21, 2010