Foreign countries and fake cards.
General forum
Posted on Oct. 11, 2015, 10:24 a.m. by canterlotguardian
I'm browsing eBay (as I am wont to do) looking for decent deals on BFZ stuff. I'm seeing a lot of 4-of deals on the new BFZ chase cards (Ob Nix, Kiora, Gideon, tango lands, etc.) with all of them sourcing from Thailand. Back when I actually bought cards off eBay last- around original Zendikar block- I didn't have much of a worry about fake cards, but now... Things have definitely changed.
I guess my point is, what countries are we finding the most fake cards coming out of? Is Thailand one of them? I mean, 4x Ob Nixilis Reignited for $40ish with $3 shipping sounds great, but not if I'm getting fake cards in the process.
For reference, this is the post in specific I referred to above.
I'd be very suspicious. It's not easy trying to fake cards, especially since Wizards just changed some of their formatting and such, but doesn't mean people aren't trying to do it.
October 11, 2015 10:33 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #4
What about foreign cards? Like, cards with foreign text. I'm bidding on a Korean Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. I'm not sure what the chances of Korean cards being fake are. :|
Sucks when you have to question the legitimacy of users selling pieces of cardboard with ink on them.
October 11, 2015 10:36 a.m.
gnarlicide says... #5
That's a tough one. I have pulled crazy deals on Ebay. "too good to be true" type deals.
When Snapcaster Mage hit 50 dollars, I got three of them for 15 on a no reserve bid.
If you are worried about card quality, buy yourself a decent quality Jeweler's Loupe for around 5-10 dollars. Look up the printing patterns and ink patterns and check your cards when they come in. If you get any fakes, you can return them or get a refund through Ebay. Even then, that would be the ONLY time I would advocate telling Ebay that you never received your product, since you are dealing with scumbags its okay.
I have been sniping good deals on Ebay for a few years now on chase standard, modern and Legacy cards. So far, I have never had fakes, but I also message the seller after I win to let them know that I will be inspecting them so that they have a chance to back out. I have also never had any problems with that.
October 11, 2015 10:38 a.m.
More unlikely with foreign language because its a smaller market therefore there's less to gain from faking.
October 11, 2015 10:38 a.m.
It's all about the risk. Sometimes you can get some ridiculous deals on ebay, but I typically try nor to get the too-good-to-be-true deals from other countries, just because you can never be too sure. You just have to ask yourself is it worth the risk
October 11, 2015 11:14 a.m.
Foreign cards sometimes have lesser demand than the English cards, especially with Chinese cards. When you go on eBay you're almost guaranteed to find that the Chinese version of a card is less expensive than everything else (especially with preorders on new sets). It's a matter of supply and demand leading to lower prices.
For example, I have some Italian and Spanish cards in my EDH deck because they were 15-30% cheaper than the English version. It depends on the language and seller.
Overall the chance of getting a fake card is pretty low. If you do see an obviously fake card up on eBay, it's REALLY obvious... like a playset of NM Bayou for $40.
October 11, 2015 1:19 p.m. Edited.
Triforce-Finder says... #9
The paradox thing about con artists is that they seem trustworthy. It's a main prerequisite in their line of business. The ones that catch you with your pants down are often not the sellers with the suspicious offers, but the ones with offers that are well within the margin of variance. Wouldn't a person smart enough to fake cards avoid to sell them at a suspiciously low price?
Always be careful. No matter who or where you buy from, it's always good to be on your guard when you're spending good money.
October 11, 2015 2:49 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #10
Triforce-Finder so by that logic, I should just avoid buying any card from anyone ever, because I can literally never know if I'm buying a fake from them.
October 11, 2015 3:43 p.m.
canterlotguardian, I think Triforce-Finder means to be careful regardless.
When I buy cards I always do a basic check to see if they're fakes or not. I've yet to find one so far, but that doesn't mean getting a fake card is impossible. The odds of getting a fake card are close to impossible, but not zero.
October 11, 2015 4:02 p.m.
Triforce-Finder says... #12
I don't mean to avoid buying any card anywhere. I can't believe you'd seriously think I'd mean that, thank you very much, canterlotguardian. Not sure by which logic you are reaching that conclusion, but it's not mine. It must be the same kind of logic that forbids one to leave the house to avoid car accidents, when the sensible thing to do is to just look left and right before crossing the street.
torridus got it right. I meant exactly what I said, to be on guard no matter who or where you buy from. You can reduce the odds of getting a fake, but never completely eliminate them. So always check and always have a backup plan, a way to get your money back if the cards turn out to be fake.
October 11, 2015 9:55 p.m. Edited.
canterlotguardian says... #13
eBay is great about that. their buyer protection is pretty solid. also I wasn't being 100 percent serious about that. I wouldn't think anyone would be so dense as to utter such a foolish absolute. :)
October 11, 2015 10:13 p.m.
Triforce-Finder says... #14
Thank goodness, that's a relief, canterlotguardian. My faith in humankind is restored. ^_^
My ability to detect sarcasm seems to be lacking a bit though...
ChiefBell says... #2
It's hard to say. Most come from China, because it's a fairly sophisticated process. Thailand seems less likely but still possible. The golden rule really is that if it's too good to be true - it is.
October 11, 2015 10:28 a.m.