Selling DVD's on Ebay?

Asian Collectors Edition DVDs on Ebay

• Tonight I became aware of "Asian Collector's Editions" of popular television shows and movies being sold on ebay, eg X-Files, Sopranos. These DVDs are being sold as new and in sealed packaging, but bearing asian characters on the box as well as featuring additional Chinese subtitles. These asian titles appear to be selling for 1/4 of the North American equivalents, and they maintain that they are Region 1 compliant. It seems far too good to be true; I worry that they are pirated or that the whole thing is a hoax. Could you set my mind at ease or warn me away? Check out: http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=luckyhappy7&sort=3&page=1&rows=50&since=-1&showpics=1&stab=0 or http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=shop101q&completed=0&sort=3&since=-1

• Answer:

  Hello leftist-ga! Well, you have basically answered the question yourself. The old adage 'If something seems too good to be true, it usually is." definitely applies to these DVD sets. DVD piracy is incredibly rampant in Asia. Some estimates claim that almost 80% of DVDs sold in Southeast Asia are pirated. I think that's a little steep, but probably not far from the truth. If you look at the auctions you linked to, a few troubling facts come to light. Although the seller's information indicates they are based in Canada, they state in the item descriptions the DVD's will be shipped from Hong Kong. This is a dead giveaway. The following article describes in detail how pirate DVD rings operate to circumvent Canadian anti-piracy law (as well as avoiding high import fees by claiming the DVD's are blank!) http://www.langara.bc.ca/prm/2003/dvd.html Though the DVD's are listed as being 'Region 1', the fact that they have Chinese characters adorning the boxes is suspect. Japan is a Region 2 territory and the rest of Asia is Region 3. Generally speaking, no legit Region 1 DVD release will have Chinese characters on it. (Although Tai Seng, a very popular importer of Hong Kong and Chinese cinema, will occasionally release legit R1 DVD's with Chinese Characters on them). These discs are probably Region 0 (meaning, no regional coding whatsoever) that will work on ANY DVD player...from any region. http://www.taiseng.com/ I'm not saying you won't get what you pay for. If you win the auction, you will probably get the DVD set you asked for. But generally speaking, the video will be of inferior quality, and there is a good chance there will be non-removable Chinese or Taiwanese subtitles. I have seen some very good Asian bootlegs, but these are nearly always in the minority. As I stated at the outset, if you see an Ebay auction like this and you get any bad vibes regarding the legitimacy of the product, then do a little research. A very good site detailing various Regional DVD releases is ReWind. You can check here to see all available DVD's from any region, and compare various versions of the same DVD. If it's not here, then chances are it's not legit. http://www.dvdcompare.net/ I hope this has helped you with your decision. Sincerey, Musashidam-ga Google search terms: asian pirated dvd