Input Needed: Real or Fake: Fire Emblem GBA

QuarterArcadeQuarterArcade
in Collector's Corner
So I sold this on eBay last week:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/323671452123



I am fairly certain I bought this game brand new from Amazon or Buy.com when it was released.  The buyer (who happens have feedback of 1) claims it is a bootleg and fake and wants to send it back. I've already accepted the return as I know eBay will side with the buyer 99% of the time.



Am I wrong here? Is this not an original cart/box, etc?



TIA,

Anthony

Comments

  • Trade-N-GamesTrade-N-Games
    Sorry bud its fake cart and box. Also most likely fake manual
  • WoobieWoobie
    Honestly, yours does look like a repro. First things first, the "texturing" looks off (if that makes sense). Also look at the "Nintendo" on the bottom right corner, its bumped right against the edge. From checking others it should be shifted over to the left a bit more

  • DefaultGenDefaultGen
    Your cart doesn't even have the correct art on it. The box is cropped poorly (check how close the Nintendo logo is to the edge on your box vs a legit box). It's also got the wrong seal of quality, FE has an "Official Nintendo Seal" not an "Official Nintendo Seal of Quality". Maybe there's an earlier print run on that one, but most likely the bootleggers just used the wrong art.
  • jonebonejonebone
    Yup bootleg cart and box for sure, can't quite tell on the manual from the pics.
  • dry_bowserdry_bowser
    The model number on the back of the cart AGB-033 is a dead giveaway. It should be AGB-002. There are other clear indications of it being fake. The label on the cart is completely different from the original. The game code AGB-AF6E actually belongs to Fairly Odd Parents  



    The buyer is right on this one I'm afraid. I hope they leave positive feedback for your responsiveness.
  • QuarterArcadeQuarterArcade
    Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback, had no idea. Most stuff I had I picked up years ago when bootlegs/fakes weren't that prevalent. Just assumed it was an original.
  • IchinisanIchinisan
    During the GBA's time, there was a period when it was nearly impossible to buy a new game on eBay without getting a bootleg. Even new releases. Even the brand new CIB Japanese "Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World" I bought back in the day was bootleg -- and that was before the game was even released in USA. Within a few days of the Japanese release.
  • yukfouyukfou
    Looks like a bootleg to me. I don't see the 2 imprinted digits/letters that are supposed to be in the cover label on every authentic GBA cart. That's the easiest way to tell it a GBA cart is fake or not.



    Edit:

    definitely a fake. the link takes you to a different fire emblem cart (which also looks fake). yours does not hav the correct artwork
  • coffeewithmrsaturncoffeewithmrsaturn
    The Nintendo seal on the front is a dead giveaway also. Compare it to any authentic seal, and you'll notice it's a much less sharp font, resolution, etc.
  • yukfouyukfou
    Oh, also, just because you buy something from Amazon doesn't mean it's legit. Most sellers on Amazon are individual sellers and not actually Amazon so you you could've bought it ON Amazon, but FROM an individual seller.
  • CZroeCZroe
    Also, Nintendo doesn't need to license their own games, so "Licensed by Nintendo" is a dead give-away.



    This was the first game I bought at launch to have reverted to the glossy labels that Nintendo stopped using in 1995. Got mine at Best Buy and the art was completely different.
  • CZroeCZroe
    Originally posted by: DefaultGen



    Your cart doesn't even have the correct art on it. The box is cropped poorly (check how close the Nintendo logo is to the edge on your box vs a legit box). It's also got the wrong seal of quality, FE has an "Official Nintendo Seal" not an "Official Nintendo Seal of Quality". Maybe there's an earlier print run on that one, but most likely the bootleggers just used the wrong art.

    Bought it at-launch and my label art was very different. Just a logo on the earliest print run.

     
  • CZroeCZroe
    Originally posted by: QuarterArcade



    Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback, had no idea. Most stuff I had I picked up years ago when bootlegs/fakes weren't that prevalent. Just assumed it was an original.

    It was so prevalent in 2004 that I challenged myself to find a single GameStop that didn’t have a fake GBA game in their inventory. After checking many GameStop stores in multiple states over several years, I failed: I always found bootleg GBA games in their used sections and never found one that didn’t. Saw them at flea markets and other game vendors too.



    They bootlegged everything from Lizzy McGuire to Spongebob GBA games, which is why I always chuckle when people look at GBA bootlegs with the question “why would they bootleg a $1 game?” Answer: They weren’t. They were bootlegging a $29.99-$34.99 MSRP game.



    You’d see eBay sellers with MASSIVE positive feedback from clueless buyers thanking them for the GBA games. The only hints before buying were point of origin (usually Hong Kong), price (usually $10-$15 below MSRP), statements about shipping the boxes flat, or feedback saying the cards were left out of this game or the 3D glasses were missing from that game. That said, the first and only bootleg I got unexpectedly back then was shrink-wrapped in the box (not flattened).
  • Friendsfa26Friendsfa26
    Originally posted by: yukfou



    the link takes you to a different fire emblem cart (which also looks fake)



    actually, you need to look just above it where it says: the listing you're looking for has ended

    then click on the "view original item" next to that....

    and you'll see the item the seller was linking to.



    the other GBA cart is just in the "we found something similar" section.....



    but i'm sure you already knew that anyway.....
  • yukfouyukfou
    Originally posted by: Friendsfa26

    Originally posted by: yukfou



    the link takes you to a different fire emblem cart (which also looks fake)



    actually, you need to look just above it where it says: the listing you're looking for has ended

    then click on the "view original item" next to that....

    and you'll see the item the seller was linking to.



    the other GBA cart is just in the "we found something similar" section.....



    but i'm sure you already knew that anyway.....





    Yeah I noticed that after I posted. Both looked fake lol. Thanks for the info though!
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