Ebay and fake workout sets

[Sarah-lara]

"From my own collection" is no longer a guarantee, unfortunately, as we've seen one company sell mass-quantities of fakes that even had the worksheets half-filled out so that it looked like someone just got tired of the program.

[Sara1000]

I wish we had a way to sell DVDs on this site instead of just trade - lately I have offered practically new DVDs on eBay that I just didn't like and they either didn't sell or sold for $3 which was my minimum bid.

I have a 100% satisfactory rank on eBay but I think all the frauds out there are making it so legitimate sellers can't sell.

Ya Ya lets you sell but it seems like hardly anyone goes over there any more.

[CoolGirlinFl888]

I am on the yaya board and I always go over there looking for dvds before I go to ebay and amazon. I just prefer supporting them first but many of the dvds I want they usually are sold or the listings are old and I don't hear back from the sellers. Right now I am on a turbo fire/turbo jam kick. I emailed a few people about turbo jam and never heard back so I went to amazon and bought a dvd and I found one at a thrift store!! On dvd! It's great because my son loves Turbo Jam and he has gone from a size 10 to an 18 in his pants due to a loving uncle and chinese rice! I was previewing turbo jam and he was doing it right along with Chalene and her crew I would love him to continue so that's what I am looking for and I am checking out Turbo Fire but with so many fakes on ebay and amazon, I am going to buy it from her site to ensure I get no bootleggs.

[cardiomama]

Originally Posted by fagiles

I realize many people here have unknowingly purchased fakes. However, I have purchased several legitimate BB sets from EBay and they were not fakes. I have even sold virgin BB sets on Craig's List for half the price that I paid just because I wanted to get rid of it.
(ex: Insanity or BBL for $60/P90X w/pull-up bar)

So, just because a price is lower doesn't always mean the item is a fake.

Felecia

I think what you're describing has become increasingly uncommon at Ebay or Craigslist (and even Amazon), some people may be legitimate sellers w/ authentic products but many are not. But if people are willing to have a higher risk for a cheaper price that is certainly up to them. I prefer to buy from businesses that have the hassle free return policy, easy exchange if goods are defective & good customer service, that's worth it to me. I would love to find a bargain on quality goods, but sometimes that is not possible.

[Fitstick]

I won't be purchasing dvd's off ebay anymore. Not only have i received fake dvd's, but sellers who had good feedback sold me scratched up dvd's. It's just not worth it to me anymore. All of the dishonesty makes me sick.

[lingo10]

I agree. Nowadays its hard. Certain dvds you can but more so popular ones have copies, better buy them from original manufacturer's website. Like TurboFire, I got directly from Beachbody and Insanity and CLX I did the same. (My poor CLX, havent used it yet...)

[FitBoop]

Bootleg DVDs are often very hard to identify because they copy everything, including the paperwork inside, the cases, etc.. I have stopped buying DVDs from Ebay because 99.99% of the time, they are bootlegs, especially when the seller has multiple copies and low prices---that's proof positive.

People who are selling legitimate copies of DVDs such as Beachbody's are not going to offer them at great discounts on Ebay.

I have purchased movies on Amazon from marketplace sellers, and have received some bootlegs. I could tell because the picture quality was not great and the paperwork inside looked off. I returned them and reported the incidents to Amazon (but nothing was done about the sellers, although I received refunds).

[MollyC]

Originally Posted by CoolGirlinFl888

Right now I am on a turbo fire/turbo jam kick. I emailed a few people about turbo jam and never heard back so I went to amazon and bought a dvd and I found one at a thrift store!! On dvd!

There are some great finds at thrift stores and also check out local book sales.

The San Francisco blowout Friends of the Library book sale was last week and I got 2 of the Turbojam DVDs, Women's Health 10-Minute Workouts, Ellen Barrett Slim Sculpt, Minna Lessig 1-Minute Workout, and Gilad 45/45. A few of those I got on the last day of the sale so they were USD 1 instead of USD 2. I also got a Callanetics book for USD 1.

There are also great deals at the Out of the Closet thrift store where the DVDs are USD 3 and they often discount that price as well.

Another place to check is any used book and record stores in your area.

It's been a while since I've paid retail for a workout DVD. But I've never had to have something the minute it hits the market. I've got plenty of workouts to keep me busy until the new stuff gets marked down somewhere.

[Indy]

I have bought fakes a couple of times - and they do copy everything so they appear to be real and the ones I purchased play well, have never skipped or stopped - but came to realize they were copies by the look of the DVDs.

I got the workouts I wanted and at a good price . . . BUT I can't turn around and resell them. I unknowingly bought fakes but I would not knowingly sell them to anyone else. So even if they fall out of favor with me - they are mine to keep. . forever.

[Blackadar]

Generally, the easiest way to tell if a set is fake is by the printed materials.

Printing costs on full-color glossy paper add up quickly. It's the one place that most bootlegs skimp because they can save serious money. So fakes may have identical packaging and the DVDs may look fine, but the printed stuff won't be as complete. For example, Turbo Fire has a 90+ page meal guide in full color on something close to 8 1/2 x 11 paper. On a fake set, it's likely to have only about 24 pages of that same guide on half-sized sheets.

Many of us have unknowingly purchased bootlegs (and some of us have had fun screwing the bootleggers once we found out). It's a learning experience.

Anyone who knowingly purchases bootlegs...well, they ain't no friend of mine. Unfortunately, we have a couple of VF members who make copies of their DVDs for "trade", which isn't any different.