Buying Nintendo DS games from Hong Kong sellers : eBay Guides

To get this guide off to an abrupt start, I will get straight to the point... buying games from Hong Kong sellers (especially for the Nintendo DS) is best avoided...

If you are about to buy a game from a Hong Kong dealer, don't... and if you already have... check the authenticity of the game... and if you paid by PayPal... raise a dispute.

Many of the sellers that supply these games have large numbers of positive feedback... DON'T BE FOOLED! Many of these sellers intimidate customers into leaving positive feedback... because if you leave negative feedback for them... negative feedback will be left for you! (It's a retaliatory system!)

Many of the sellers may claim that manuals will not be included or  that the game is an Asian version (etc.)... This is complete nonsense... manuals should be included whatever the language... and Asian versions will usually have no content differences when compared the the Western versions.

Some sellers have the nerve to claim the items to be genuine or authentic... Take this with a pinch of salt... double check feedback... and if you see a few that suggest that the games being sold are forgeries, or are "bad quality", do not buy!!!

And finally, is all this grief (and not to mention delivery times IN EXCESS OF 2 WEEKS) worth saving a few pounds? If I remember rightly, an ancient proverb said "if it looks too good to be true... it is too good to be true!"

If you have already purchased one of these games, there are some checks you can perform... When you received the game, was there a SAVED GAME file already on the cartridge? This definitively would not be the case with a NEW (genuine) Nintendo DS game, and may be a sign that you have bought a fake!

Does the manual look obviously printed? Are edges of text and shapes cut off? Are there GRAMATICAL ERRORS? Is the Nintendo license agreement missing from the front? Is there no contents page? If the answer to any of these questions is "YES" then you have (very likely) bought a pirated game...

One final check would be to analyse the cartridge itself. If the label on it looks printed (lower quality images etc.), or the SERIAL NUMBER is missing, then you have probably bought a fake!

Trust me on this... I have unknowingly purchased fake cartridges before!

This guide should help us beat the pirates!

Stay legal, stay safe... and happy bidding,

ck-systems