ron6 Posted July 31, 2014 Hello you all :) I want to tell you about a story that happened to me so all of you will know to look out from those Chinese lego fakes. My son loves all lego star wars (like his dad) and i let him buy once in a while his favorite figs on ebay.. Recently he ordered a set of lego star wars figs that he found at a really cheap price and he was so excited !! But after the parcel arrived today to our home he was shocked to find out that those figs are so poor quality and in fact they are a fake LEGO star wars from China!! He was so disappointed and sad because he waited so much for his package ... So i made a check and i found that now those Chinese LEGO fake that are now a huge hit in China, are now very common on ebay. I had to do something about it so i decided to report to ebay on those list page (there is an option to do so at any ebay list) and for my great delight eBay removed the sale. (to my understanding from ebay, as more people reports on a list as a fake they remove it faster). So i'm posting it here so you will be aware to this phenomenon ! And here is some examples of those fake legos: http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Sets-MiniFigures-Star-Wars-Building-Toys-Yoda-Commander-Clone-Blocks-Toy-/351081603783?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item51be1822c7 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-8-pcs-Star-Wars-Clone-Trooper-Building-Blocks-Toys-mini-Figures-New-set-Gift-/301218032906?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item4621fe6d0a http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Sets-Star-Wars-Building-Toys-MiniFigures-Commander-Clone-Yoda-Blocks-Toy-/131252372247?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item1e8f404317 http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Sets-Minifigures-Super-Heroes-Series-Building-Toys-Batman-Iron-Man-Blocks-/121396284719?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item1c43c84d2f http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-9-Sets-Minifigures-Super-Heroes-Series-Mini-Figures-Blocks-Building-Toy-/261432626373?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item3cde994cc5 (of curse yo all welcome to report those fakes to ebay..) Best regards! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWolffe Posted July 31, 2014 Those fake figs you have to look out for when purchasing figs on eBay. But they never actually state it's LEGO rather a building toy. Also the logo is the same colors as LEGO but that's the only similarities to them. I suppose that's how they continue to sell them without any repercussions. The figs you listed are the most common ones. Familiarize yourself with LEGO figures so in future you don't fall for the same trap. There's usually no such thing as cheap figures! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob De Quatre Posted July 31, 2014 Two of the links you provided don't work for me, maybe the items were deleted by Ebay. Anyway these are not fakes, but clones... So they are totally legit. What you should understand and tell to your son is that Lego minifigures aren't cheap, so you have to check twice before buying any cheap minifigure of Ebay. Maybe you could look at BrickLink if you want to buy minifigures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron6 Posted July 31, 2014 Indeed they don't state at the title the word "LEGO" but they are listing it as LEGO : Toys & Hobbies>Building Toys>LEGO>Bulk Bricks & Lots>Figures In that way when you search for LEGO those lists will come up at the search result and then kids and others will mistake and will fall for this trap....this is the problem. ebay don't allowed to sell those fakes so therefor when reporting it as fake lego brand they do remove it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MstrOfPppts Posted July 31, 2014 Anyway these are not fakes, but clones... So they are totally legit. I understand that the minifig shape patern has worn off and clone brands are allowed to use the same shapes as LEGO does. But shouldn't these clone brands also have the license agreement with Disney, Marvel, DC, ... for producing their characters, which I highly doubt they have. I think it's those studios that should take actions against such producers for the sake of keeping the web as free of such knock-offs as possible! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWolffe Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) I understand that the minifig shape patern has worn off and clone brands are allowed to use the same shapes as LEGO does. But shouldn't these clone brands also have the license agreement with Disney, Marvel, DC, ... for producing their characters, which I highly doubt they have. I think it's those studios that should take actions against such producers for the sake of keeping the web as free of such knock-offs as possible! The problem is they're based in China. Where, at the moment, copyright laws or license agreements are very hard to enforce or even at all. There's clone brands of basically everything from cars to smart phones and now LEGO. So basically until China starts enforcing copyright laws etc. You'll always see these clone brands pop up every now and then. Edited July 31, 2014 by TheWolffe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron6 Posted July 31, 2014 The problem is they're based in China. Where, at the moment, copyright laws or license agreements are very hard to enforce or even at all. There's clone brands of basically everything from cars to smart phones and now LEGO. So basically until China starts enforcing copyright laws etc. You'll always see these clone brands pop up every now and then. You are right my friend..Unfortunately this is true. But the customers have the power to keep those fakes out of our area and in this case ebay, cause if the customers will report it as fake on each list that sells them then ebay will remove it. So the last place that they could sell those fakes is in China.. which don't effect us cause we are not buying from there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob De Quatre Posted July 31, 2014 I understand that the minifig shape patern has worn off and clone brands are allowed to use the same shapes as LEGO does. But shouldn't these clone brands also have the license agreement with Disney, Marvel, DC, ... for producing their characters, which I highly doubt they have. I think it's those studios that should take actions against such producers for the sake of keeping the web as free of such knock-offs as possible! You're right. What I wanted to say is that these are not "fake Lego bricks", but clone brand bricks... And they are not totally legit due to the lack of license agreement Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baolongyan Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) I think it's those studios that should take actions against such producers for the sake of keeping the web as free of such knock-offs as possible! Edited July 31, 2014 by baolongyan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Only Sinner Posted July 31, 2014 People should realize at such low prices, the product is not authentic LEGO. Those are "S-Brand" and "Decool" clone product. Even the logo says it. The Chinese will always make knock-off brands and imitation goods, there is little that can be done about it for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitanArch Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) Here's a tip... When you search for stuff on eBay, refine your search so that it includes only items originating from the United States (assuming you're in the USA, of course). On the full website, the option is called Item Location and on the mobile app it's under Refine > Shipping > Item Location. I wish there was a way to set that option permanently! Practically all those clone/fake brand listings that clutter up the search results will go away. I like to browse the entire LEGO category for auctions that are ending soon or newly listed items, and to do searches like "lego minifigure lot" that tend to have a lot of clone brands. Edited July 31, 2014 by TitanArch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mahtion Posted July 31, 2014 I have seen these on eBay as well. I was almost tempted to purchase Rex with 501st Clone Troopers but noticed that the feet are more round than authentic Lego minifigs and I think the body looks odd too. Thanks for posting, we should all be more vigilant. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robianco Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) It's odd as the SW figures they clone, as far as I can tell, aren't particularly rare... so they're just a cheap alternative to regular Lego... usually for the market they're made in i.e. China. The internet being what it is means that they're sold all over the world... Listing it in the Lego section of eBay is cheeky but I normally watch out and if anything isn't listed as Lego in the name then it's usually not. Sheng Yuan and Decool have actually offered a service to Lego buyers in the last year by producing knock offs of the SDCC figures as well as other figures not currently being produced by Lego, producing custom figures for some ranges in the same way that other customisers do... albeit much cheaper and with their own moulded parts. Rightly or wrongly being able to pick up those figures for less than the cost of a CMF rather than £150 upwards each (or £4 instead of £800 for 2 NYTF figures!) means I get to actually spend more money with Lego and other customisers rather than with scalpers or other profiteers in the secondary market. Nothing will replace a genuine Lego item in my collection but for SDCC exclusives etc then a well made knock off will do the job just fine for now. Now you're aware of their existence just keep an eye out... and be aware of other packs of 8 or 6 figures across other ranges. With Lego if it seems to good to be true then it usually is! Edited July 31, 2014 by Robianco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faefrost Posted July 31, 2014 Two of the links you provided don't work for me, maybe the items were deleted by Ebay. Anyway these are not fakes, but clones... So they are totally legit. What you should understand and tell to your son is that Lego minifigures aren't cheap, so you have to check twice before buying any cheap minifigure of Ebay. Maybe you could look at BrickLink if you want to buy minifigures. technically those are "fake clones" But to clarify Clones = companies that are making compatible Lego style bricks but are making their own designed sets with them. Megabloks and Kre-o are clone brands. Fakes or Counterfeits = Companies that are making somebody elses IP without permission. Star Wars minifigs are counterfeits. Super Heroes are counterfits, even if they are ones Lego has not made yet. Completely copying Lego's Ninjago sets and box art is counterfeit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron6 Posted July 31, 2014 Haha my son is so angry on those fakes so now he declared himself as a "Jedi" that will fight & report all those fakes star wars on ebay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Venkefedo Posted July 31, 2014 There's no reason to report them on eBay. Despite the category they're listed under, they're not DESCRIBED as official Lego products. Take the lumps as a learning experience, not the impetus for some crusade that might result in fans no longer having access to similar knock-offs (like the aforementioned SDCC exclusives, which is better than paying hundreds for a well-known character). If nothing else, these SW "clones" are a cheap way to get a bunch of...well, clones, to fill out scenes, and extra accessories. The quality can be all over the place, but that's the risk you take. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Joker1 Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) In fairness some are not as bad as they seem, I purchased a couple of Decool figs as an experiment and after changing the legs and putting more fitting heads on the differences are almost impossible to tell. In my opinion a few clones really have cracked it, but its the bad clones such as these that are not worth it. This may sound odd but these days it really has come down to a case of choosing clones wisely and you can come out happy If it helps " the Bad"fakes can be spotted by rounded feet, pointier shoulders and higher face prints (usually). Edited July 31, 2014 by The Joker1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Man Posted July 31, 2014 I saw some Clones, but most of them were Jedi figs . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GotLego Posted July 31, 2014 Besides the obvious point that these are fakes, I have another problem with the Chinese clone brand. Say you go to search "Lego Super Heroes" on eBay. At least the first 100 entries are of these fake clone brand Lego. Because the sellers decided to tag them into the same category as Lego, you have to sit there sifting through just to find even 1 or 2 real Lego listings. Its less about the problem of them being a threat to my legit minifigure collection, but more it makes it impossible to search a broad Lego topic and find quick results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robianco Posted July 31, 2014 Besides the obvious point that these are fakes, I have another problem with the Chinese clone brand. Say you go to search "Lego Super Heroes" on eBay. At least the first 100 entries are of these fake clone brand Lego. Because the sellers decided to tag them into the same category as Lego, you have to sit there sifting through just to find even 1 or 2 real Lego listings. Its less about the problem of them being a threat to my legit minifigure collection, but more it makes it impossible to search a broad Lego topic and find quick results. I agree with that... I used to search for custom figs quite a lot but now I have the 'legit' customisers saved as it's a nightmare trying to search custom figs without pages and pages of the knock offs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron6 Posted July 31, 2014 Besides the obvious point that these are fakes, I have another problem with the Chinese clone brand. Say you go to search "Lego Super Heroes" on eBay. At least the first 100 entries are of these fake clone brand Lego. Because the sellers decided to tag them into the same category as Lego, you have to sit there sifting through just to find even 1 or 2 real Lego listings. Its less about the problem of them being a threat to my legit minifigure collection, but more it makes it impossible to search a broad Lego topic and find quick results. Correct ! That's the biggest problem... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neoconagenda Posted July 31, 2014 I have seen really good clone pieces from China - sans "Lego" of course - most recently on a 100 count gray lever listing. We all know what those are for... I have also seen a knock off trans/gray windscreen for the snowspeeder. They can never get the manufacturing down perfectly enough to put out a complete set that feels and "snaps" like Lego, but they can sure cause a rukus with just a few hard to find parts... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robianco Posted July 31, 2014 Not necessarily SW related but you may want to peruse this thread for more info on them: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=94997 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
