Be Safe On eBay: Avoiding Bootleg GameBoy Advance Games

Everyone knows that buying items used online via sites like eBay is a great way to save money. But what you may not know is that certain items for auction have a high risk of being bootlegs - illegitimate fakes that, in addition to being illegal and intellectual property theft, also don't work very well and are a total rip-off.

How can you tell the difference? Well, most people aren't even aware that there's a risk of buying a fake. We assume that people listing video games for sale on eBay are honest, well-meaning folks like us. And some of them are. But now that you know the danger exists, the following tips should help you avoid giving money to scammers, ensure that you patronize legitimate sellers on eBay, and minimize your risk of getting totally ripped off with a pirated game cartridge.

1) The "flat box" is a dead giveaway. If your seller is claiming they will sell you a new game with the retail box flattened, run away. No normal person would ever sell you the box "flattened". The seller will probably claim it's to save on shipping; this is a lie. All Nintendo-brand game boxes sold at retail are already assembled, and could easily be packed to ship as-is. The box is only flat because it's never been assembled - not since it rolled off whatever counterfeit press this scam artist is using to print off their fake-o imitation packaging. Buyer beware!

2) Any listing, especially for "new" or "like new" items, that says "tested, guaranteed to work" or similar. Real game cartridges don't need to be tested - but fake ones do. Many pirated versions won't boot up, for example. If the cartridge is new or like new, the only reason to test it (much less ADVERTISE that it was tested) is that it's a fake.

3) Check the game title image for the auction. If it's a stock image - take heed! If you can't see what the cartridge listed looks like (unless it's specifically listed as a new-in-box factory-sealed item), contact the seller and ask. And make sure that you're buying a game title that actually exists! "Bundled" games on a single cartridge or titles like "Pokemon Chaos Black" are not real games and are guaranteed bootlegs.

4) Any "like new cartridge only" auction deserves further scrutiny - especially if the seller has a bunch of auctions for the same item, none of them in sealed boxes. This is fishy, so either steer clear or contact the seller directly to ask.

5) Don't be fooled by location! The stereotype is that bootleggers are only selling out of Taiwan, China or Malaysia - not true! Plenty of US and Canadian sellers are also dealing in counterfeit games. Do your homework and don't be blinded by geography.

Once you've bought the game and it's arrived, there are a few more things you can do to check if the game is a fake.

1) Hold the cartridge label-side up, with the open bottom facing you. Shine a light into the slot; right above the row of metallic bars, there should be some engraved white text with a year, a copyright symbol, "Nintendo" and another number. (The photos show the open cartridge, but you can see the engraving by shining a light without taking the casing apart.)This text should run all the way across the cartridge interior, and "Nintendo" should be in the normal company logo font. Most bootlegs don't have this engraving at all, and if they do, it'll be in the wrong font or centered incorrectly. Also, confirm the year! Make sure the year shown makes sense with the release date of your game.

2) Check the label. If the rating, Nintendo seal of quality, or any aspect of the printing is blurry, faint, or washed-out, you have a fake. The seal of quality should be almost slightly holographic and flashy, not matte with the rest of the label. Check for misspellings, formatting or design errors, and confirm that the image on the label is ACTUALLY the image for that game's label! If any of these things are wrong, you have a fake.

3) Check the cartridge color. Many new GameBoy Advance cartridges are in colors like red, blue, green, etc; you can find lists online of the "right" color for the game you're looking at. If the color is off (say lime green when it should be dark green), or if the color is gray for a game that should have a colored cartridge, you have a fake.

4) Look for the engraved number on the front. Hold the cartridge flat in front of you with the label side up. Tilt it under a light. Somewhere on the rightish side of the printed label, there should be a two-digit number lightly visible - sunken - on the cartridge. It is not printed, and should only be visible when you tilt the light to catch the embossing. All real GameBoy Advance cartridges should have this. If yours doesn't - it's a fake.

5) Look at all engraving of trademarks like "Nintendo" or "GameBoy Advance" anywhere on the cartridge. These should ALL be consistent, clear, and in the right place; any misspelling, font inconsistency, incorrect placement, or absence indicates a counterfeit game.

If you've been scammed into purchasing a counterfeit game, report it to eBay and to Nintendo. Only through reporting will this problem stop! But wait, you say, it's cheaper. I like cheaper, why would I want to stop it? Because, I tell you from experience, these fakes are inferior. Somewhere between 1 hour and 1 month of gameplay, the inferior components and design, not to mention glitchy programming and GameBoy incompatibilities, will result in your game ceasing to work, or in your save file being spontaneously erased. Saving $15 on the initial purchase price is worth nothing if you end up being unable to play and/or losing all your hard work - then leaving you with no choice but to pay full price anyway in order to get a working game.

Moreover, there's a real risk that a bootleg game can do irreparable damage to your GameBoy console - while voiding the warranty in the process, since possessing a counterfeit game is illegal.

So be smart, be fair, and beware of fraudulent sellers! Happy eBaying!