Counterfeiters score with trading cards

By RICHARD WOOD

It started out simply enough. The kids (5 and 9) wanted Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards and none of our local retailers had them. They had been watching the TV show for months and their friends had some.

So being a modern dad, I hit the Trade Me auction website, and, boy, did I find them. With weird and wonderful names like Hyoranzyu, Bubonic Vermin, and Swamp Battleguard, I'd entered a strange new world. In such a large market, I figured I could always re-auction my mistakes.

It's very easy to get excited about bidding, especially with the kids interjecting how they "really want" a particular card. But a couple of days later with a dozen wins under my belt, I managed to turn off the adrenaline and sit tight for the goods.

All the sellers I bought from accepted direct deposit, and luckily this is something my bank allows me to do online. So I contacted the traders I'd bought from for their account details, deposited the money, and waited.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! cards drifted in, and as they did I mostly went back to the site and filled in the positive feedback. It was great to see the positive feedback on my trading grow just because I'd paid immediately each time. This helps your rating and is the key way to assess whether to trust another trader.

But I had complimented people a little too soon. I was starting to become aware that all was not well in Yu-Gi-Oh! land. Some of these cards didn't look right, and I recalled someone complaining about fake copies.

I did some research through Google and then went through the hundred or so cards I wanted to rid myself of.

I was surprised. At that point I figured up to 20 per cent were fake, including some single cards we'd paid through the nose to get.

I bit the bullet, weeded out these bad eggs, and started auctioning off the ones I had left over. I was even thinking we might make a little back if I could only work out the right strategy, and I tried to encourage the kids to be involved in this "business education".

But no, the game was everything to them, and as they played Yu-Gi-Oh! I continued to research fakes.

I ultimately established that most of the cards I had were not genuine.

Some are damned obvious, missing the special holographic image in the corner.

Others require close inspection to confirm that the entire card is the result of a scan and reprint and does not come from original artwork.

These latter ones became obvious only when compared with a set of originals sourced from the official New Zealand agent and a genuine parallel imported deck bought at a big-name retailer.

Well, damn it, I pulled most of my remaining auctions, losing $8 in penalties in the process, and sent off emails to anyone I might have sold fakes to.

And when the next fakes arrived I hit up the seller immediately, who expressed surprise and happily offered to replace the goods.

I also talked to the operators of Trade Me to see what they are going to do about the counterfeit activity.

Trade Me general manager Nigel Stanford said it was the seller's responsibility to make sure the goods were accurately represented, otherwise the seller was breaking the law. But he said the site would work with copyright owners if they suspected a market in counterfeit goods was emerging.

It should also be noted that Trade Me sellers can optionally use a system called SafeTrader where the money is held and paid over after goods have arrived.

Bidders can see if the seller is supporting SafeTrader and can use the Q&A system to quiz the seller on the product during the auction..

The whole experience was an eyeopener.

And while I'll be back at the auctions for other goods, I'll stick to Toyworld and The Warehouse for my (er - my kids') Yu-Gi-Oh!

How to spot fakes

* A new starter pack has no seal on top of its box.

* New starter pack cards not fully wrapped in plastic.

* Packs missing one or more of Upper Deck, Konami, and Yu-Gi-Oh! trademarks.

* Wrong typeface or type size on card text.

* Fuzzy text - due to rescanning from print.

* Dotty images - due to rescanning of printed pictures.

* False hologram - the real one has an eye logo and the word Yu-Gi-Oh!

* Spelling mistakes.

* "Ticks" on edges - due to cheap cutting methods.

* Cards crease easily if folded - due to cheap printing stock.

* Colouring too dark or too light compared with a genuine card

* Foil coatings that are rough.

* Suspiciously low price.