Pirated Nintendo DS Games on eBay. How to spot them!

Guide to Spotting and Avoiding Pirated Nintendo DS Games on eBay

Hi, welcome to my guide. Before I get started with all the details, I'm just going to jump straight to the most obvious way of knowing if a seller is selling fakes.

DSi compatibility.

If the seller states that their game works on the DS and DS Lite but NOT for the DSi or DSi XL, then just click on report and look elsewhere for the game. Only fake games have compatibility issues with the DSi or DSi XL. Genuine games are guaranteed to work on all 4 consoles! See below "4. DSi/DSi XL Compatiblity" for more details.

Now to the guide. I've written it in hope of making more buyers aware of cheap, fake, bootleg, pirated (however you want to put it) Nintendo DS games that are slowly flooding eBay. Many of you buyers may have already noticed. It was bound to happen, it was just a matter of time. I see many eBayers everyday buying fake DS games off sellers I'm 100% certain are dodgy. Fake DS games have absolutely no re-sell value and if you do get caught out and buy a fake DS game and try to re-sell it on eBay, you could get in trouble, so it's best to try and avoid them from the start. This issue makes buying DS games on eBay difficult and sometimes frustrating and so hopefully my guide will help all of you out a bit.

If you look in the Gameboy Advance games section, you will see tonnes and tonnes of games from overseas sellers, and most of these are indeed pirated copies. eBay haven't done anything about this. Not sure if they can since there's so many and it can be difficult at times to prove which sellers are legitimate sellers and which are dodgy.

The same goes for the Nintendo DS games. There are now many sellers that are indeed dodgy, that sell fake DS games. If eBay haven't done much about this issue in the Gameboy Advance section, then they most likely won't do anything in the Nintendo DS section. So it is up to YOU, the buyer, to be able to spot which games are genuine and which are fake.

There are a number of ways you can do this. Although it can often be hard to know for certain if a seller is selling fake games, you can narrow down the information you find and decide whether you think that it is safe to buy off that seller.

1. Location of Seller - Very important. You'll be better off buying from Australian sellers if you want to be certain of buying genuine games. You'll find that basically all pirated games come from mainly Asian countries like China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. However this doesn't mean that ALL sellers from these countries sell fake games. There are some out there that sell genuine games. I have bought off a couple sellers from Hong Kong that sold me genuine DS games. You just have to do the research before buying. But generally speaking, I would avoid buying games from sellers in China. You will find that they're dodgy 95% of the time.
   
2. Gallery Picture - You will see many sellers using stock photos for their gallery pictures. Sure, there's nothing wrong with using these pictures. You may not have a camera to actually take pictures of the game you're selling. But if you're dealing with an International seller; mainly from Asian countries like China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand; you should be careful because when you think about it, would a seller selling fake DS games show pictures of the fake games? I don't think so. Sellers who show pictures of the actual item are always a good bet.
   
3. Feedback - Yes, feedback. Probably the most important thing to do before making any purchase is to check the seller's feedback, and this is no different when buying DS games. Someone with a high % positive feedback is obviously going to catch your eye but that doesn't straight away mean they're legitimate. Check what other buyers said in the feedback. Many buyers such as parents buying games for their kids won't be completely aware of pirated games and the difference in look between a genuine game, so may leave positive feedback thinking they got what they bought. A thing I do is change the feedback to 200 per page, then search words such as 'genuine' or 'authentic'. You can also search words like 'fake', 'pirated' etc to find your answer. Look at whatever neutrals and negatives buyers left, as many will give you the answer you're looking for in one line. If this is the case don't risk buying from that seller. You can also message previous buyers of that seller to ask whether they're fake. I have done this many times when I was a bit skeptical and found that most who responded said something like 'Yeah it is' or 'Now that you've mentioned it, I think it is'.
   
4. Item Description - I've noticed that all overseas sellers state '100% Genuine' in their listing and the truth is, most of them are lying. Some ARE selling genuine games such as 'biz-com', who I've bought off, but others just say it so that the buyer will feel safe. Maybe not all who state '100% Genuine' are dodgy, but try and look for sellers that emphasize that their games are 100% genuine. e.g. 'All our games are 100% genuine. We sell only genuine, authentic games! We do not deal with cheap pirated games! Guaranteed!' You will have much better luck with sellers that try and emphasize that their games are genuine than with those that do not.

Now what if you have already bought a DS game from an overseas seller and suspect it is fake? If you look hard enough, I'd imagine it wouldn't really be that difficult to spot out a fake. Nintendo, being a Japanese company make quality products, so if your game looks dodgy then you've probably got a fake in your hands. But since pirated DS games are not all made by the same person, the way they differ to genuine games may not always be the same which can make things tricky. Some may look very genuine to the untrained eye. Here's some ways of telling.

1. Case - The cases cover slip would most likely look very cheap and poorly printed.
      
   Hard to see with the small picture but the genuine one has a Nintendo DS logo next to the cartridge holder. The fake one does not. However other variants of fakes may have it depending on who made it. The case would be cheap looking anyway. Also, check the copyright year on the back of the case at the bottom and make sure it actually matches the year the game was released.
   
2. Manual - The manual is poorly printed and poor quality. Also, usually the whole manual is not included, so it may be only 10 pages long when infact it should be 40 pages long. Look at the contents of the manual. Is it structured like a genuine manual would be?
   
3. Cartridge -
   
   Hard to tell, but the fake one isn't as crisp and the 'Nintendo Official Product' logo isnt as gold. This one would be a hard one to spot. If you look closely at the very bottom though, you'll notice the fake game has a kind of semi-circle instead of an arrow.
   
   
   This example has poor quality printing. Also note that on the bottom right corner of every genuine cartridge, depending on the region, there will ALWAYS be 3 letters representing the region. e.g. AUS, USA, JPN, EUR etc. This picture doesn't so it's a fake.
   
     
   All genuine games have a seperate number code underneath 'PAT. PEND.' on the back of the cartridge. Also, there is always a kind of indented square around the edge as you can see in the genuine one. The fake one is missing this as it is smooth.
   
   
   These fake ones are missing the numbers underneath 'PAT. PEND.' Also, the left one's contacts are black. They should be metallic like the right one. However the right one is another variant of a fake as it doesn't have the numbers underneath 'PAT. PEND.'
4. DSi/DSi XL Compatability - Nintendo cracked down on pirated games with the release of the DSi, which DOES NOT play fake DS games. If your suspected fake game doesn't play on your DSi or DSi XL, but plays on a DS or DS Lite, then the game is definitely fake. You might sometimes see sellers saying that their games are not suitable for DSi. This is nonsense since all DS games are compatible with all four variations of the system. So if a seller states this in their listing, then avoid and report them because they're selling fakes!
   

Information Regarding Age Ratings: You may notice that games on eBay may have different age ratings on the bottom corners of the cases. A rating symbol unfamiliar to you doesn't mean it's a fake but that it's just from another region. The majority of pirated games are copies of the USA version. Here's some information regarding the different age rating symbols:

• USA Version: The American version symbols as seen in the pictures below have an ESRB rating. The ones you'd most commonly find for DS games are
  - E = suitable for everyone 6 years and over
  - E 10+ = suitable for everyone 10 years and over
  - T = suitable for everyone 13 years and over
  - M = suitable for everyone 17 years and over
  - RP = Rating Pending. NOTE: If you see a seller selling a game with the RP symbol on it or if you've bought one with it, then it is 100% fake! RP is used when the game has bee submitted to the ESRB but is awaiting a final rating. RP is only used in advertising prior to the game's release! Furthermore, if you see a game with the wrong ESRB rating such as an E when it should be an M, you know it is a fake.
  
  
• UK/EUR Version: One thing I want to note is that many UK DS games are imported from the UK and sold in Australian stores. Many DS games along with other console games, don't get their own made copies released in Australia and so they'll often be imported from the UK and will get a age rating sticker stuck on the case. You may notice this, as some games will have the age rating actually printed on the cover slip (actual AUS version) while others will have just a sticker (EUR version) covering the EUR age rating (usually a 16+ or little red circle for eg). Regardless, the games are still 100% legitimate and are the same game (Sometimes the EUR version may have additional languages..but that's the only difference). Also all DS EUR copies have a fatter white DS case while most AUS copies (along with US) will have a thinner black case. There are cases where AUS copies have been made with the fatter white case though. The white case is fatter because usually the manuals are thicker due to it being in multiple languages.

Extras: Here are more examples of some games I found on eBay from a Hong Kong seller. He decided to take pictures of his fake games hoping it would help him seem legitimate. If you know your stuff though you can tell that these are actually fakes.

  
Here we see the USA version of Final Fantasy III. It is however fake because the cover is not meant to look like that. That cover is what the Japanese version looks like but the USA version has a plain white background. Also note the blue 'Wifi' logo is missing. This logo is ALWAYS on games that support online Wifi.
This is what the genuine one looks like:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/ff3genuine.jpg

 
Here we see the USA version of Diddy Kong Racing. It is however fake because if you look on the left hand side, the turtle and his kart are cut off on the edge, however on the genuine version, they overlap the edge. Also note once again the blue 'Wifi' logo is missing. Like I said, this logo is ALWAYS on games that support online Wifi. Knowing which games support Wifi can help you distinguish fakes from genuine ones.
This is what the genuine one looks like:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/ddkrdsgenuine.jpg

(Due to a limit of 10 pictures in a guide, I have to use links for the rest of the pictures)

Sellers selling fake games on eBay Australia:

• sourceleading - Location: China
  
• yueguangyefeng - Location: China
• 08anna80 - Location: China/ Hong Kong
  
• crossfocus - Location: Australia/China
  
• spaceboxx - Location: Singapore/Australia
• karmic_destiny - Location: Australia
• airbusa380xj - Location: China/Hong Kong
• supersold0630 - Location: China/Hong Kong
• luckmusic8888 - Location: Hong Kong
  
• laodou2008 - Location: Hong Kong
  
• trade_island - Location: Hong Kong
  
• xprodeal - Location: Hong Kong/China
  
• giftstoyou-88 - Location: China
  
• adamchen888 - Location: Hong Kong
  
• elean.3008 - Location: Hong Kong/China
  
• showwhat - Location: Hong Kong/China
  
• wii-tech - Location: Hong Kong/China
  
• n8store - Location: Hong Kong/China
  
• vesoul.trdg - Location: Hong Kong/China
• etime-digital - Location: Australia
  
• vindaloo48 - Location: Australia
• yangtzeelectronics
• 123bigsale
• e-trader2010
• ozshop123
• e.my_yan
• onlinestore-zheng
• somnus888
• nowauctiontokids
• bellmarc09
• noble--1
• mplusonline
• yourtoyshop
• ccyyu99
  
  
• cygrace1975 - Location: Australia
• pakychick - Location: Australia
• mkss1234 - Location: Australia
• aussietwo - Location: Australia
• express-1688 - Location: Australia
• spinaustralia - Location: Australia
  
  
  
  

  These 3 Australian sellers are selling fake Pokemon Diamond/Pearl games. They're all selling the US version, however I can tell they're fake because:
  

  1. 2 of them are using the UK/European DS white (thick) case.
  2. They have the blue Wi-Fi logo at the bottom left corner when all genuine versions of Pokemon Diamon/Pearl (position varies between different games) have it at the top left corner
  3. It's meant to say "Game Experience May Change During Online Play" underneath the E rating, which it doesn't (another way of telling fakes! All genuine USA Wi-Fi games say this! If not this, they'll say something else but they always have something written underneath)
  4. Also note the fakes ones don't have the glittery/shiny effect that the genuine ones have.
     
  
  
  Take a look at these pictures for a comparison. The first 2 in each are the fakes, while the 3rd is the genuine one.
  
  Pokemon Diamond:
  
  1. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/pd.jpg
  2. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/pd2.jpg
     
     
  3. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/pdgenuine2.jpg
  
  Pokemon Pearl:
  
  1. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/pp.jpg
  2. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/pp2.jpg
     
     
  3. http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/bboy_jfa/eBay Guide Pics/ppgenuine.jpg
     
     

I'm getting more and more reports of dodgy sellers and most of them are from China or Hong Kong. My advice to you is to just avoid sellers from China or Hong Kong! You'll most likely just end up with a fake game and will have to go through a dispute to get your money back once you've sent the game back. It's just not worth it. I'll just remind you that I have dealt with one Hong Kong seller called 'biz-com' who does actually sell genuine video games. But apart from this one seller every other China or Hong Kong seller seems to be selling fakes!

I could go on and on. It really frustrates me to see in completed listings, hundreds of buyers that pay good money for a game that they think they're getting for a bargain when in fact it's a fake that's only worth 5 cents. Often buyers will buy a game from a Hong Kong/Chinese seller for $25 for example (and are laughing at how they got a great 'bargain'), when at the same time there are Australian sellers, with their own pictures of genuine games, selling the game for $35. The buyers think they're saving $10 when in fact they're actually losing $25! Just remember that while my guide is here to help you, there is some degree of common sense from the buyer that plays a role in all this. If it's too good to be true and it's coming from a Hong Kong/Chinese seller, then it probably is. These pirates are raking in a HUGE profit and it's the buyers that are feeding them.

If you come across a fake DS game from a seller on eBay that's not listed here, please contact me and I'll add them to the list, once I check them out myself. There's bound to be more and I'll update this if I come across any. Just remember, sellers from China and Hong Kong are the biggest culprits!

Well, that's all I have to say for my guide. It may not always be easy to spot sellers selling fake DS games but if you follow my guide hopefully it will help. If you think a seller is selling a fake game but it's cheaper in price to a genuine one, you still shouldn't buy it. Remember that fake DS games have no re-sell value and can't be re-sold. Also, the game may not work properly or may not even work at all!

Hope this guide helped! :) If you found it the slightest bit helpful, please vote so that this guide can reach all the people out there that are unaware of these cheap, rotten sellers and their fake games! I'm sure the only ones that rate this guide as not helpful are the dodgy sellers themselves! Thanks!

P.S. I'm getting lots of messages from buyers saying how helpful the guide was and how it helped get their money back from dodgy sellers. Glad to know this guide is actually making a difference. However, due to the amount of emails I'm getting from eBay members, I'm sorry but I can't personally assist each and every one of you with how to deal with transactions regarding fake games you've bought. This guide is here to help you with that. If the game you received is fake, then advise the seller that you want a refund. If they don't cooperate, then try opening a dispute through PayPal.