how prevalent are recards/fakes?

[BradM]

Hi everyone,

I've been collecting vintage Star Wars stuff for a while now, but have never ventured into buying carded figures because of the prevalence of recards, or re-glued bubbles, or even repro weapons and accessories.

I'm new to collecting Mego, and am wondering if this kind of thing is also prevalent in this community too. If indeed it is, how do you guys keep track of what's real and what's a fake?

Brad

[palitoy]

Being a smaller group than the SW community we seem to have a good track record of distinguishing the sellers who are honest about reseals/reproductions from those who are not.

For the most part, folks are pretty up front about such things I find.

If you question either a piece or want to see if anyone vouches for a seller, bring it up here, that's what we're here for.

[English Paul]

Most of the dodgy ebay deals get flagged up in `Auction Watch` so it is always worth checking in there as well. There has been a few sellers `outed` for trying to pass off stuff as original when a keen eye has spotted a fake.

Also note that some of us here on the forum allow our ebay names to be known (click the little ebay logo below the forum names to the left). Over time you will get to know who`s who here along with their ebay handles.

Welcome to the forums.

[batmanmc]

i usually search the gallerys for comparing pictures but also ask members here if its real or fake. mike

[toys2cool]

Yeah I think megos are a little easier to spot then Star wars,I was looking at some star wars the other day and man you could hardly tell the difference

[batmanmc]

megos are hard to tell sometimes. there are some very good card makers out there. i trust teh judgement of guys on the museum . some have handled lots of carded figures and know a lot better then me.

[kresge1]

your best bet is to use this site as a reference point,by looking around or asking questions

[VintageMike]

I can only speak for myself, but between the two, Mego reproduction card producers/sellers seem much more upfront about it. My thought on it is that many Mego carded pieces are so expensive, there is legit market for the reproductions as collection fillers. In comparison, carded SW generally aren't as expensiveand when I was actively collecting there didn't seem to be much interest in the reprodction cards that were labeled as such.

[jds1911a1]

I am leary to buy any "sealed" item on ebay. If you can handle it you can check color of the card backer thickness of the bubble feel the paper (most modern paper is too smooth). unfortunately the market for MOC stuff in any toy line has brought out scammers like ants at a picnic. Ebay is like a flea market seller you have no way to get back at them if they rip you off and those that are rip off artists close accounts on paypal and ebay fast to prevent a chargeback by the person ripped off.

check feedback and actually contact people who have left him feedback to see if they got what they wanted

[starsky]

how about accessories? some of those star trek phasers and communicators are looking quite original. are there any markings at all to differentiate between repro accessories vs orig vintage?

[batmanmc]

starsky use the accessory check in mego buzz and go to teh stra trek part . the phasers are a slightly different color. mike

[MegoScott]

Repros are fairly easy to spot even online, and most are labeled somehow.

Reseals, however are always an issue. I've been burned a couple of times. Even had 2 that I didn't realize were reseals until months later.

[starsky]

hi scott,
what eventually gave it away as a reseal?
thanks for the headsup batmanmc!
darren

[MegoScott]

Telltale tears in the litho not lining up properly on one. The other is really good except the glue got a bit thick...