eBay Scam Artists

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mrwhatcom | gamezbox | watchmen77 | gbashop007

Hi. I am known as mdkxp on eBay. This is my page to explain feedback that I leave for people which may be questioned.

I will be adding photographs and scans to this page soon. Check back later.

Firstly, item number 3085776280 is a kid's game pretty much. It is Yoshi's Island for GameBoy Advance. The seller is gbashop007. This item was sent with a crooked label that looks like it was stretched about 50% horizontally. There is no Nintendo Seal of Quality on the label either. On top of that, there are holes in the circuit board. I could almost live with that, but then, when you turn on the game, you get a splash screen that clearly indicates that this was a leaked ROM, put out by a group called Mode7, and had the words "fuck you" on it. Yeah, and the seller contacted me claiming it was legal, an official game released by Nintendo. Well, I contacted Nintendo and eBay about it, and while eBay said they wouldn't disclose any information to me about what they were doing about it, Nintendo definitely agreed that this was a fake, and that all doubt was removed at the first thing I mentioned to them: the missing Seal of Quality.

Moving on, item number 3085291143 from seller watchmen77 (formerly known as china-wholesale) was a fake Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance game for GameBoy Advance. The label was authentic-looking, but it was quite blurry when compared to any other GBA game on the market. Also, every single GBA game has a small two-digit number impressed into the label, and this game did not. I would think that pirates such as these would have bettered their techniques by now, but no. They make it too obvious. The next hint is the holes in the circuit board. No official Nintendo cartridge has any small holes in the circuit board that are visible without opening the cartridge. If this was not enough, this seller was bold enough to include a flattened, extra-shiny box with inferior printing quality, and to top that off, a 4-page "instruction manual" that had pretty bad Engrish in it. I doubt that Nintendo would allow such rubbish to slip through the cracks and into retail. I mean come on! They couldn't even label the buttons properly in the "manual." Have you ever heard of a "STAR" button? It's the one right above the SELECT Button. Why on earth would an instruction manual include over two pages of mini screenshots, a diagram of what the GBA buttons are (but not what they do in relation to the gameplay), no warranty or tech support information, the front cover did not say "Instruction Booklet" or have Nintendo's item number in the top right corner as all official products do, there were no warnings on the inside cover for seizures, and the booklet's physical dimensions were smaller as well? This is most definitely a fake, and one can easily tell, especially when matched up with authentic items.

I also had won (yay me) a second item from this same scam artist, watchmen77, item 3085754425, Turok Evolution, also for GameBoy Advance. This one has the same issues as the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance game did. All the same issues with the cartridge were present, and the same sort of folded up box was present. I did not receive a manual, and this was sort of confusing. I guess their printer ran out of ink.

The next person you need to look our for is gamezbox. This seller gipped me out of over $50US for these three items: 3085077713, 3085077995, and 3085418227. Of course I left him negative feedback, and then he turns around saying that I refused to pay, yet I have the eBay Payment ID number from my PayPal account as 03V506824W0825102. He is a liar, and he sells illegal games. Do not trust him! Two of the three games that I received from this guy say "NIntondo" on the back instead of "Nintendo" - if that isn't an obvious sign of bootlegging, then I don't know what is! On top of that, Sword of Mana has a Mode7 splash screen even stating that it's an advance warez release... The cartridge colors are different shades of greyish black, unlike originals. The labels are glossy and low-res, just like all other bootlegs. There are holes in the circuit boards as well. After a year, I tested the Sword of Mana cart, and it wouldn't even boot into the game anymore!

The latest seller I've been scammed by is mrwhatcom (formerly known as teej_678). I bought a copy of Tactics Ogre from him on eBay, (Item number 120145306481) and it is also a fake. Here are the issues with the game I received from this fraud artist:

The cartridge casing doesn't even feel the same as a real cartridge.
The label is blurry and low-quality in comparison to store-bought cartridges.
The Nintendo logo is incorrect.
The Nintendo Seal of Quality is also incorrect.
The ESRB rating has a white border on the top and left sides, which is further evidence of someone who doesn't know what they are doing in Photoshop.
Text on the back of the cartridge doesn't match the text on the back of legit cartridges.
The cartridge falls out of my GameBoy micro, which NO other cartridge does (even some other pirated cartridges I have received in the past).
The slightest bumping of the cartridge, while in use, freezes up the game, like most other pirated cartridges I've received.
The game doesn't allow me to save.
The seller's address on the envelope says he lives in Vancouver, B.C., yet he has a United States Postal Service postage sticker on the envelope.

I went through PayPal's utilities to get my money back. I also reported this to Nintendo. STAY AWAY FROM THIS NEW, ACTIVE SELLER!

Here are two comparison images for the fronts and backs of fake and real cartridges so that you can compare for yourself, and learn how to tell the difference between the genuine article and some cheap piece of garbage:

If you have been scammed, try hard to get your money back. Fight the seller with PayPal and/or eBay. I would highly recommend you thoroughly TEST your games before leaving positive feedback for the seller you buy from. Check all of the items on my list above, and use your gut instinct.

Also, PLEASE report all fraudulent sellers of GBA games to Nintendo directly! Send an email to auctionpiracy@noa.nintendo.com and be sure to include the eBay item number and PayPal Transaction ID. I like to send them pictures of the game cartridges as well. :)

I requested a refund from the other sellers, but they said I had to return the pirated games to them first. I do NOT trust them to actually refund my money, and why would I send back an illegal item anyhow? So someone else has to get it? I asked for advice from Nintendo by calling their 1-800 number, and they told me not to send the games to anyone. To keep them instead, and send them to their legal department if they request. This is what I am doing. Even if I did send the games back to them, where is the guarantee that I would get a refund? THERE IS NONE. They were dishonest enough to sell me fakes in the first place. I'm not going to fall for their scam again.

I highly recommend that you do NOT trust these sellers listed above, and if you are scammed like I was, contact Nintendo, eBay, and leave the seller negative feedback, indicating why.

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