This might seem like a strange request, but I would be grateful if anyone who owns the AMERICAN VERSION of Mario Kart DS could take high quality pictures of the box, the inlays (paperwork) and the actual card and pm them to me. This is needed for a letter that I'm writing to NOA. I'm doing the same thing with NOE, I have the European version of Mario Kart DS but I need the US version to compare it to a pirate copy. Story behind this is the European DS market (especially on eBay) is being hit by a big wave of pirate carts that look VERY close to the original (they even have fake Nintendo serial numbers on the PCB, etc.. They therefore easily trick the common buyer. They seem to originate from Poland and the Netherlands. I'm trying to take down a particular eBay seller in the Netherlands who is making a fortune with these bootleg copies (over 4000 sold within 3 months, with only 10 people noticing it's a bootleg!). Thanks in advance for any pictures!
I have a crap camera at the moment, but if you'd like to post some photos of the pirate copy I'd be happy to verify comparisons to the US version. -hl718
Hey, Yep I still need this done. hl718: I already know the differences between the original (most of them at least), One on the cart is very obivous. I want original photos to use in my article and letters in a direct compare side to side. Thanks for the offers so far guys!
Yes but it won't matter much. Hes close to 4000 positives now, because people simply don't realize. Its very frustrating.
how about the ebay link? :edit: think i got him: http://cgi.ebay.de/Mario-Kart-OVP-DS-DS-Lite_W0QQitemZ230206068806QQihZ013QQcategoryZ152066QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem His strategy, He puts up a shit load of vintage tabletops and other crap, and between every 10~15pcs there is a NEW Mario Kart DS.
I see, anyway, those must be some really nice replicas cuz nobody there seems to note the difference (99.8% positive feedback).
http://feedback.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAP...sspagename=VIP:feedback:2:de&iid=170175931535 This is him. Seems 99% of the people cant tell the difference between a bootleg and a real copy. I'm in contact with one of the other few people that noticed and we are trying to take him down. That guy put a compare page, check it out here: http://zerberus.tdkworld.de/
They look quite similar to the real thing... I would contact Nintendo DE/NL about it as Ebay will have a hard time seeing the difference. I wonder if it wouldnt be easier, and just as profitable, to just sell the loose cartridge... Shiggsy
This might seem a bit language-centric, but if you're trying to get the attention of NOA or NOE (UK) you might want to pass the word to the others to post their comparison sites in English rather than German. Folks who know a little German can make out what's going on, but those that know nothing will only be confused. -hl718
He put up the page in German and linked it in his my ebay to warn other eBay users. He did not think about contacting NOA and NOE before I mentioned it. My letter to them is in English, still miss pictures of my Mario Kart to show the difference though. It seems his bootlegs are aimed directly at the European market, or even the German only market. It saddens me that so many people don't realize. If you check his about page you see that he just signed up to eBay like 3 months ago and by now must have sold 5000 or more copies with only ~15 people noticing. Insane.
More so when you realise that at 29 euros a pop he just made 145000 euros, or $210199 dollars, just by selling DS bootlegs....
