I am approached constantly by people who all have their Ebay “I got scammed” story. Because I am a DVD seller, most people want me to advise them on how to spot a fake. Here goes:

1. How to spot a fake DVD in an auction on Ebay.

Telltale signs the item you are buying is not legit:

a. “To save on shipping, DVD is shipped in a protective sleeve……” - GONG! I immediately assume this is a fake and move on. Real DVD’s are always factory sealed in a hard case with inserts.

b. “Shipped directly from Malaysia to you!” - GONG! Odds are this seller is also selling the DVD for $5.00, and its a new release, and its shipped using (a) above. No thanks.

c. “DVD is Region Free, or Region 0, or can be played on any DVD player” - GONG!! Although there are many legit region 0 DVD’s out there, they are almost all public domain or international titles. The rule here is, if you’ve heard of the movie, it needs to be Region 1 for US and Canada. New releases are always made with a specific region code to avoid piracy.

d. “Price is $5.00″ - GON….wait a minute - as a rule, you can’t judge on price. There are many, many legit ways to sell a new release or any other DVD for an unusually cheap price - maybe mom gave it to you for your birthday and the DVD sucks, maybe there’s a buy one get one free sale somewhere - you keep one, and sell the other. Price doesn’t help you much.

2. How to know a DVD is legit by looking at it

a. New, factory sealed DVD’s that are legit always come in a case with an insert. They will have a Region 1 code on the back of them. They will not look like a cheap copy. The disc will have some kind of artwork on it. Normally, factory sealed DVD’s have a sandwich wrap - a nice folded seal at the top and bottom that is hard to duplicate without an expensive machine.

b. Canada DVD’s are legitimate region 1 dvd’s - the cover may look a little different and the Canadian flag will be on the back of it - it’s completely legit and normal.

Well, that’s it - happy movie watching!