25.6.08

Kounterfeit Kotobukiya


When I arrived home yesterday I was excited to see a package waiting for me at my door! I knew from the shipping label that it was my Mirei-san figure that I had been awaiting for nearly 7 weeks. I could hardly wait to open to box!


When I got into my condo and started to open the packaging, I started getting a bit concerned-- a plain, white box?? Was this a used figure? Couldn't be-- the eBay auction I won said it was new! My concern turned into worry when I saw the cheap, styrofoam packing material inside the plain, white box. As soon as I saw inside I knew what had happened-- I had been duped. :-(

Inside the cheap, styrofoam packing was not Mirei-san but a *very* poorly-crafted counterfeit rip-off. Needless to say I was very disappointed and starting to feel angry. I was preparing to write a nasty, flame-job email to the eBay seller who "ripped me off." That was, of course, until I discovered something. The auction I won had very cleverly drawn me in with a description of the "Art of Shunya Yamashita Mirei-san," but never ONCE used the keyword, "Kotobukiya." The auction never mentioned the name of the manufacturer at all because of course it is NOT Kotobukiya but a very cheap imitation made by a rip-off artist in China.
Indeed, I had received exactly what I purchased, It was, in the end, my own fault for not examining the auction carefully. eBayers beware!! The Seller to watch out for is "qpick-tradezone." They specialise in these cheap, Chinese imitations and that explains why their prices are so damn good. I should have learned by now that if something seems to good to be true, that's because it is. Now I'm back on my quest for the real Mirei-san. The REAL Art of Shunya Yamashita expertly crafted and designed by Kotobukiya.

6 comments:

TheGeek said...

I say write the nasty gram anyway. A lie of omission is still a lie. That plus the fact that it does not come close to looking like the photos are reason enough to give them negative feedback.

Unknown said...

did you bought it from a hongkong seller? even though they didnt say its kotobukiya, its still a fraud, its not an art of shunya yamashita! its a COPY of it! thats what makes it fake and you SHOULD flame that guy (negative feedback all the way!) just said that he sells bootlegged item and writing an obscure description.

your feedback will be REALLY helpful for others!

Unknown said...

I feel your pain, I had the same run-in when I bought a figure of Kasumi from Dead or Alive a year ago, the moment I saw all that styrofoam I knew exactly what you ran into.

Deceptive selling sucks, but that's what people like You and I must watch out for when ordering through ebay, Caveat Emptor... because the Venditor isn't always honest.

Unknown said...

UMMMMMMM.

I am sorry I was totally not aware of your
pain...of getting a counterfeit shit.
But I also didn't know that you were awaiting
for this MOE figure for NEARLY SEVEN WEEKS!!!!
OMFG!!!!!!

You always surprise me, kurichan.
That's why I like you.
AKIBA 4 LIFE!!!

MOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~

Unknown said...

Wow, perfect timing. I was looking up reviews on this set to purchase this kit off the EXACT same seller (he had high feedback, so I didn't expect him to be a counterfeit seller), and I happened across your blog.

I recently ordered another kit from Taiwan. It does show a stock photo of the figure inside the box. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that it's a legit kit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140244460543&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=004

Needless to say, this will be the last time I am ever going to import any of these kits from China. It's better to purchase from a reputable seller.

NightRiver said...

Oh man, that bites the big one. Im pretty sure I got a fake Haruhi Nendoroid. Everything looks fine, but I just cant figure out why it was so cheap on ebay.