10 Reasons Not to Support Bootlegs
As we prepare to gear up for Anime Weekend Atlanta, I like to share with you ten reasons why supporting illegal products is way past uncool. These same reasons can be found on our Anti-Bootleg display we bring to cons :)
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10) HAZARDOUS CONSTRUCTION AND PROMOTES CHILD LABOR
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When they manufacture these, they do not have to adhere to any safety guidelines. This means your bootlegged plush might contain broken sewing needles, be filled with fiberglass, or various unsanitary materials (I'll spare you the details). Bootlegged figures are sometimes painted with lead-based paint. Let's also not forget that it also promotes child labor in Chinese factories, imagine the working conditions! |
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9) PROMOTES ART THIEVES AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
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You know those 12" plush that are flooding eBay and various small time webstores? They're bootlegs based on the STOLEN patterns of plush artists from sites such as deviantArt and Etsy. 12" My Little Pony and Pokémon are the primary culprits of this. All of the My Little Pony bootlegs are made from stolen patterns of custom artists and the majority of Pokémon 12" plush are made from a mix of stolen patterns from custom and licensed plush.
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8) EXTREMELY
LIMITED SELECTION |
The selection is limited because they have to wait for an artist or company to make the plush so they can steal the pattern or mold. Due to this, many artists opt to not display their works online any longer.
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7) BANNED
EVERYWHERE |
If you are considering on making a living out of selling at conventions or opening your own store, it is actually illegal to sell things that promote copyright infringement such as piracy or selling counterfeits. In the United States anyway. You are constantly at risk of being reported and face legal action. FUNimation actually sued a convention because they refused to do anything against bootleg sellers. Don't want to see your favorite convention shut down? Report all bootleg activity!
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6) ZERO TOLERANCE
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You will be disqualified from tournaments if you are playing with fake games or cards. No ifs, ands, or buts. Also, if you lose your Seller's account on Amazon because you were selling bootlegged goods, you're not getting said account back.
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5) BACKLASH FROM
THE COLLECTING COMMUNITY |
Chances are, if your collection is primarily bootleg merchandise, you might face some strong opinions from fellow collectors.
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4) NO MAJOR PRICE DIFFERENCE
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This is especially true in a convention setting. Bootleg sellers will often take advantage of newer collectors and con goers and price their merchandise close to the price of legitimate merchandise. Sometimes, bootleg sellers simply do not care about what an acceptable selling price for a knock off should be.
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3) ZERO INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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This pretty much goes hand in hand with reason #7. If an unexpected monthly bill comes up and are short in funds, most people try to sell things they currently own to make ends meet. Very few people actually want to buy second hand bootlegged merchandise unless it has some utility (knock off purses anyone?).
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2) VISUALLY UNAPPEALING
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This is a subjective reason, but overall, bootlegged merchandise look very out of place in a collection of authentic merchandise. Plus, awful stitching is a turn off.
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AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON NOT TO SUPPORT BOOTLEGS:
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It's just way past uncool, don't do it.
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