Read everything. Especially the red print.
As of April 2009, new memberships to the Garage Sale Japan selling community will be moderated in order to screen out potential scamming and spamming accounts.

To join:

1. Please comment in this post with your request to join (click 'Post a new comment'), along with a link/evidence of feedback (this can be from ebay or other selling/trading forums/communities - as a buyer or seller).*** Your post will be screened.
2. Then, immediately go here and click 'join community' (do not wait to be verified, that just slows us down from accepting you).
3. Please make sure to also read and understand the GSJ community rules as stated here!

***If you are a new trader with no feedback (as a buyer or a seller), please state so, you may be requested to provide further information. If you can provide evidence of a separate personal journal that is updated and not newly created, that will suffice as "proof" that your sales journal is not just an account made to scam.

A moderator will verify your identity by contacting the ID/user associated with the feedback link you have posted (please be ready to reply). Once this has been completed, your membership will be approved.

Feedback verifications:
- we will PM all feedback accounts directly to verify the identity of the feedback holder. Please do not provide feedback links that could not be verified via PM or some other means.
This includes:
* Dens of Angel feedback  - unless your DoA feedback page has a direct link to your LJ account, we cannot accept your feedback.

Please allow up to 72 hours for the moderator to contact you.

NOTE: Do NOT reply to an unscreened comment unless it is to YOUR APPLICATION THREAD. You will know if it's yours if the questions pertain to you. To check if an unscreened comment is for you, please click 'parent', if you can't see the comment directly above it once you've clicked 'parent' then the unscreened comment was directed to someone else!
If you reply to a comment that is not for you, your application WILL NOT BE PROCESSED!!!

NOTE #2: If you do/did not follow all of the above steps, your membership will be rejected and a PM sent to you!
This means you will need to repeat all steps again!

NOTE #3: You must provide feedbacks others left for you, NOT feedbacks you wrote for others!

If you have questions/comments about this new moderating system, please ask a mod >>here<< or PM this account. This includes requesting updates for your application! DO NOT ASK questions in this thread unless you are posting further information in response to a moderator request.

***If you are already a member of Garagesalejapan - YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMMENT!!!!***

How to spot bootlegged items:

It is against GSJ rules to sell bootlegs (illegal copies of anime/manga/Japanese related goods). Sometimes, when you're new to the fandom, its difficult to spot them.

So here's a quick guide of things you should look out for.


Definition of bootlegs:

Items (dvd/cds/other goods) produced for sale from companies that do not legally hold the copyrights authority to produce these. In instances when the Anime/Asian drama series were produced by companies outside of their country of origin, the manufacturer must hold a legally binding agreement with the original producer of the series.

e.g. Bleach anime series
Japanese Production:
Dentsu Inc.
Studio Pierrot
TV Tokyo

Licensed by:
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd. (Australia/New Zealand)
Manga Entertainment (UK)
Viz Media

Items produced by companies that do not have this legal agreement are considered BOOTLEGS!!!

(The only items fitting the above definition, but are allowed for sale at GSJ are fanmade items e.g. Doujinshi).


Anime/J-drama/J-movies DVDs/CDs

1 - Check region codes
Like most officially released DVDs, anime DVDs are governed by regions/zones.
American releases: Region 1
Japan releases: Region 2
UK/Europe releases: Region 2
Taiwan/Thailand/South Korea etc releases: Region 3
Australia/New Zealand releases: Region 4
China/Hong Kong: Region 6

Bootlegged anime/drama/movie DVDs are often region free (region 0/All region). This means that they can play on any DVD player and playstation.
There are of course exceptions - such as some of the early Manga Entertainment releases, and the Eastern Eye (Japanese movies) titles released by Madman Australia/New Zealand. Some official Asian films may also be all region. Please check with sites with good reputation e.g. Yes Asia.


2 - Check language settings
Most official US anime releases are:
a) English track, and Japanese track with English Subtitles.
b) Japanese track with English Subtitles only.
Ocassionally they may have other language subtitles e.g. French or Spanish (such as in the Ghibli releases by Buena Vista)
Similarly with other English speaking countries.

Most Japanese releases only has the Japanese track. Some may also have English subtitles, but this is very rare.

Bootlegged anime DVDs will have Japanese track with Chinese subtitles (some times home made Chinese tracks) + English subtitles. This combination should give you a warning. The English subtitles are usually horribly translated.

Exceptions - some official J- / K- /TW- / C- dramas will have English/Chinese subtitles. These are usually Official overseas releases.
Please verify from sites with good reputations such as Yes Asia.


3 - Packaging
Most US releases comes in the plastic DVD cases, with coverart.
Paper gatefold packaging use to be a good indication of bootlegs, however there are some legitimate US versions (boxsets) that use this type of packaging e.g. Inu Yasha.
Other telltale signs of bootlegs: Chinese Language (please note the difference between Chinese and Japanese Kanji - I have yet to come across an any legitimate Japanese anime items with packaging completely in Kanji) and poor image quality on packaging.


4 - Episode number per DVDs.
While not absolute, most US anime DVDs (with a few exceptions) have 3-5 episodes per disc. Which makes 3-4 DVDs per 12-13 episode season, up to 7 DVDs per 24-26 episode season. 10-13 DVDs per ~50 episode season.

Bootlegged anime DVDs will squeeze these into 2-3 discs - which decreases the quality of the anime.

Exceptions - some anime can have up to 7 episodes per disc, especially if they are in a season/half season box set e.g. Ghost Hunt (Funanimation).


5 - Publishing company
ALWAYS match your titles with the official releases by looking them up through:
US releases - English + Japanese languages - The Righstuf
Others - check out Yes Asia, CD Japan
The publishers details are listed in the above sites.
Make sure to compare ISBN, manufacturers' codes as well - this is especially important for items like CDs.

All legitimate media should have their publishing company logo/name printed somewhere on the DVD/CD/packaging!

Most Taiwanese anime/j-pop cd releases are BOOTLEGS - the following is a list of known bootleg music CD companies and their codes:
The company name consists of only two or three-letter words (SM/GGG/GA=SonMay and A8=Ever Anime) followed by a string of numbers (usually 3 digits long).
Taken from: Animefringe
Check out examples of bootleg company logos from Otaku News: The Pirate Anime FAQ

***SonMay releases - this company has produced both bootlegged and licensed soundtracks. Soundtrack titles of anime prior to 2001 are definitely bootlegs (unlicensed), soundtracks produced after 2001 are only legitimate if sold in Taiwan. GSJ caters to an international community, therefore they are considered bootlegs!


6 - Other things to look for
Euphemisms for bootlegged media: Imports/Imported version/[Import]

Releases of recent anime: Japanese DVD releases are usually about 4 months behind the TV broadcasts. Licensed anime DVD releases should be AFTER the Japanese DVD releases. If you see a complete season of an anime that has just recently been broadcasted on Japanese TV or the DVD has yet to be completely released in Japan, then its likely to be a bootleg.

Bootleg copies of licensed Region 1 series: These have English Dub/Subs + Japanese tracks. They are likely to have a lower DVD per season count than the original AND they will NOT have the name of the official licensing company printed on the packaging (it may be in the credits when watching the DVD - because they copied everything).

Fake authentication stickers: Sellers sometimes claim that: "This is an original DVD that comes with original seal and authentication sticker from Malaysian Government. We don't sell fake or copied DVD." <-- most of the time, this is not true. The stickers are fakes. Always check the manufacturer/licensee of the title first!

Obvious manufacturer names and/or Engrish name: e.g. anime cartoon, Lambaian Filem, J-TV, Speedy Videos.


7 - South Asian Licensed Anime by Odex
Some officially licensed anime with high episode to DVD counts do exist - ones licensed for South-Asia is by Odex (a highly controversial company - please google for details, as the company website is defunct.).


8 - Countries making bootlegged DVDs
The following is a list of countries that has factory-made quality anime and drama (please note that some of these countries do have their own legitimate licensed versions read above for other signs). This is a list of country of origin, NOT country these can be found to be sold in!!! USA imports a lot of these, and they may or may not be marked as 'imports'.

• China (Mainland and Hong Kong)
  
• Taiwan
• Malaysia (see above note about fake authentication stickers)
• Singapore

Manga

These are more difficult to spot, but certain titles e.g. Death Note - do not have a legitimate corresponding Chinese version (as far as I know).



Wallscrolls, posters, plush toys and other anime/manga related goods
Again, these are difficult to spot. The 'made in China' sign does not automatically mean that the items are bootlegs.
However, legitimate anime merchandise WILL have the publishing/licensing company printed somewhere on the item (licensing logo).
e.g. Bandai, Hana to Yume etc, Movic etc. 

Note: the name of the anime in Japanese DOES NOT COUNT as a licensing logo!

Animate, Movic (sites are in Japanese) and Jpqueen (site in English) are good sites to see whether anime-related merchandise released in Japan are authentic . If you find a BRAND NEW item that is selling for significantly lower than the stated RRP, it may be a bootleg.


Particulars -
Wallscrolls and posters:
Legitimate anime wallscrolls are few and far between, most are bootlegs from China.
Poor granulated images are also a sign of bootlegged printed media.

• Wallscrolls should always have their licensing company(ies) printed on the fabric (example link - note that Viz/Shounen Jump are both visible on the actual fabric)
  

Bleach example - please click to enlarge: the two bottom corners displaying licensing details are circled in red.

Japanese Official releases:

fabric wallscroll


paper wallscroll (note the writing = manufacturer/licensing detail)

• Merchandise posters (i.e. not magazine ripouts) should have the licensing company printed on it.

Watch out for bootlegs that are made in Taiwan - These have extremely visible 'Made in Taiwan' in white/off white letterings on the posters. Sometimes, they will also contain some type of codes (letters and numbers) also in the same lettering.

- note that many sellers often call these 'laminated posters' as they are printed on thick glossy paper.

Plush toys - they should have their licensing company printed on the fabric tag that's sewn into the plush. If it does not have one and/or shows a company that is not immediately recognisable as a legitimate manufacturer of plush toys, please be wary of them!

Anime figures  -  nutsforanimefigures has a good overview.
 

Artbooks:

Pertaining to anime/manga related artbook
MOST CHINESE LANGUAGE ANIME/MANGA ARTBOOKS ARE BOOTLEGS!!!
exception - the licensed mainland Chinese version of the Sailor moon artbooks - these are Softcover copies.
Match the ISBN # at the back with known ligitimate images/details from JPQUEEN.
- artbook that are of series originated from China

If your artbook comes with a VCD/DVD - its likely a bootleg.
If your artbook has a manufacturer's email address that is from a free client e.g. yahoo, gmail, or hotmail - its a bootleg.
If your artbook has no ISBN or printing details (or they are very vague) - its likely a bootleg

Visual signs of bootlegged artbook (but could also apply to other printed media e.g. wallscrolls, posters, post cards):

• grainy image
• artworks that looks like its been cut off
• artworks that has a weird border <-- looks like the serrated joining area for a clear file? that's where it came from!

Useful links to check out if you're unsure whether the items you're intending to sell/buy is legitimate:
For legitimate US anime/manga and related items - The Rightstuf
For legitimate licensed Asian movies/series/music - Yes Asia, CD Japan
For legitimate licensed anime/manga goods straight from Japan - JPQUEEN

Other bootleg guides:
Otaku News: The Pirate Anime FAQ
Animefringe: Made in Taiwan


Note: Just because an item is for sale on Amazon, Ebay, at a convention or at any other major anime/book stores DOES NOT automatically mean they are legitimate licensed items.
Bootleg sellers do sell through these venues!!!
 

http://shouhaku.livejournal.com/769.html#cutid1

Has posted twice in GSJ advertising bootleg DVDs. First time I warned him/her, they pretended they didn't know what I was talking about and deleted their post on the community. Posted same thing again today, and has been warned twice now. Ban time, or one more chance?