Here I will try and show you or at least give some general info on how to spot bootleg and black-market cds and DVDs. I have had the unfortunate experience of purchasing rip-offs. Currently in my collection I have two cds and one DVD that are of the rip-off variety. I purchased these with out knowing they were rip-offs. My goal is to at least stop a few people from buying rip-offs and finding out the hard way as I did that in fact the are fake.

First, if they are cheap (I mean if they cost like $10) then they are probably rip-offs. Imports generally cost between $24 and as much as $60. If you do purchase a cheap cd then check to see who manufactured it. If it is a company you never heard of like , "Joe's Bootleg Shop", then it's probably a rip-off. But, that isn't always the case. Some companies have names that sound legit like , "Every Anime" and "Sonmay". In fact those two companies are actually legal in Taiwan but are illegal out side of Taiwan. It's the same with DVDs. If they are less than $25 then they are probably rip-offs. Because, DVDs (imports at least) generally cost on the upwards of $40 to $200 even more if they are rare DVDs.

Second, don't even consider purchasing and anime cd or DVD (or any cd or DVD for this matter) from any online auction such as EBay or Yahoo. Because, bootleg companies like to sucker people into buying there rip-offs through online auctions. They advertise that, "this is the real deal", and "you can't get any cheaper". That right there should sound an alarm in your head that this maybe a rip-off.

Third, quality is another factor to look for. If the quality of the packaging or the disc its self is shabby then it"s probably fake. Nowadays bootleggers are getting better with the quality of the packaging even mimicking the holograms and copyright info. Often the translation on import DVDs are horrible. The subtitles don't make sense or are just bizarre. Or in the case of cds the audio quality may suck, have occasional pops, little even barely inaudible defects, or the disc its self has little defects. Sometimes the little number or barcode on the reverse side maybe scratched off or just not there.

I hope this helped a little bit in what to buy or in this case what not to buy. If you need any more help in identifying bootlegs I have some links here. Thank you and happy buying. :)

Piratefaq: Has alot of info on bootlegs and how to spot them.

CB Movie: Has photos for the "Knocking On Heavens Door" dvd

I will try and put up some more links when I find them.^_^