A-kon! Is anyone good at identifying bootlegs? And commission woes.

[kyogres]

I just got back from A-kon. It was fun, to say the least. I'll make a larger post with cosplay pictures and more info in a day or so. For now, here are some pictures of the things I bought.

Comments

[seouldew]

I hope you had fun at the con C:

Those KH figures look legit but I can't say :x I hope they aren't bootlegs. bootlegs really don't belong at cons, it really bothers me :c

the bulbasaur is cute but I agree. it looks very rushed. if I were you I would contact the artist and simply let them know how you feel. maybe it will help prevent another disappointment in the future :/

[kyogres]

It was fun, though I wish I'd gone to a few more events, and I really wish I had more than one outfit to cosplay.

Agreed. The bad thing is that there is a "no return" policy at most cons. Even if I could prove that I bought a bootleg, I couldn't return it. ;_;

Thanks. I'll probably do that, but I'm not sure how to word it without sounding rude.

[rikufied]

the basic way to check for boxed figures is incorrect spelling on the box :O are there any typos? also, legit KH figures are usually durable. stuff like the playarts and trading figures usually snap very easily if they're bootleg. for playarts you can also tell too by if the K in kingdom hearts is hidden by the line, so maybe if your trading figures are bootleg then they might have something similar

also, when the situation like unhappy with your commission happens, i'm super asian and feel it's disrespectful to bug them even when I know it's called for. if you don't want to discuss the issues with them (you're in the right here), you could always try fixing the charm up yourself?

[rikufied]

ALSO THAT GIRL IS RINOA. from FF8.

[kyogres]

That's what the back of the box said. XD I still have no clue who she is though. I've been meaning to try FF8, but first I need to get my Playstation games working. For some reason my FF7 refuses to play on my new TV.

[kyogres]

Thanks. I don't see any incorrect English spellings, minus one incredibly small Square Enix label that may or may not have an "O" instead of an "E". The type is so small that I can't tell.

I have no idea about the Japanese. The Kingdom Hearts box does have the Square Enix website on the bottom though. Maybe that means they're legit but Ursula is just really bad quality for some reason.

I considered that, but I'm not sure what color of paint they used. I have my own acrylics, but I don't want to buy more just to match the color. Also, it feels like they used a sealant on the figure.

[rynthehylian]

Those prints are so pretty *.*
*suddenly feels very nervous about selling prints at the upcoming con she's going to*

[kyogres]

Aren't they? They had 3-4 booths with amazing art. It was so hard deciding which prints to buy.

I think some of it depends on your style as well as your skill level. I know I could never make digital paintings that are half as good as these prints, but there are other mediums to experiment with. I saw some people selling more chibified images as small postcards and bookmarks. (I don't buy smaller art, but I've heard that bookmarks and badges sell well.) I also saw a stand selling custom plush dragons that wrapped around your neck. The plush themselves were mediocre, but everyone loved them because it was a unique idea and you didn't need hands to carry one around with you.

[okapifeathers]

I always ALWAYS scan the items I buy at conventions hardcore to make sure they aren't booties. Anime Evolution has ENTIRE STANDS filled with bootlegs that somehow bypass the 'check' they say they do

[kyogres]

My problem is I'm not sure what to check for, aside from the usual: prices that are less than retail and shoddy paint jobs (though sometimes this is hard to tell since certain gacha and trading figures have crappy paint jobs anyway).

The artist alley at A-kon was mostly Final Fantasy VII, Hetalia, Bleach, and Naruto pictures. I like Hetalia and FFVII, but not enough to buy custom art. I wish they'd had Digimon or Avatar or Fire Emblem. ;__

[okapifeathers]

I only buy things I can look at beforehand. :/

I have a really lulzy cute print of Marth, Ike and Roy. I can show you if you like. 80

TT cosplay? I don't think anything will ever beat this group. The Raven is perfect...

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=teen%20titans&order=5&offset=72#/d2r7pmi

[kyogres]

That's a good idea. Unfortunately most of the figures you can look at are more expensive since the pulls are random. And more importantly, the Tales and Kingdom Hearts figures were only sold at one stand in blind boxes.

Show me, show me! Those three seem to be the most popular of the Fire Emblem characters, though I like the side characters better.

Wow, that Raven is nice! This one wasn't as good as that Raven, but I still liked it. Anything above average makes me happy, considering the amount of people at A-kon who wear an Akatsuki coat or a headband and claim they're a Naruto character.

[kyogres]

Well, thanks for trying? XD

I'll probably tell them. I just need to think of some way to word it... I'm good at telling sellers when there's a problem with an item's condition, but there's a difference between being unhappy with an official item and being unhappy with a custom.