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Warning: the anime merch booth at the convention in Atlanta last weekend had some really sketchy bootlegs
I was at the big con in Atlanta last weekend and checked out the vendor hall. One booth had a ton of figures, but something felt off. I picked up a popular character from Demon Slayer and the paint job was super sloppy, with colors bleeding outside the lines. The box had blurry printing and no official studio logos anywhere. I asked the seller about it and they got really defensive, saying 'it's just as good.' Has anyone else run into this kind of thing at cons lately? How do you spot the fakes before you buy?
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clairer794mo ago
My local comic shop had the same issue last month with some One Piece statues. It feels like this is happening way more now, not just at cons but even in smaller stores. I always check the bottom of the box for a copyright stamp and feel the paint texture. Sellers getting defensive is the biggest red flag, they know exactly what they're selling. It sucks because it ruins the fun of collecting when you have to be a detective.
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rose_grant784mo ago
Ugh, tell me about it. I bought a "limited edition" figure online that arrived smelling like a chemical factory and had paint so thick it looked like it was applied with a butter knife.
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jordanl823mo ago
Wait, has anyone tried washing that chemical smell off yet? @rose_grant78 I had a similar issue last year with a bootleg Pop figure I grabbed from a random booth at a con, and man the smell was so bad my whole room stunk for days. I ended up leaving it in a ziplock with baking soda for like a week and it helped a little, but the paint was still a mess. Now I just stick to buying from stores where I can actually touch the box before paying, cause online stuff is such a gamble.
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