Sad news,,, Re Stormtroopers

[ellie]

MrBMB not a bad idea I'm sure they could do without the negative press which it gets. their was a programme on yesterday lunch time talking about counterfeit Hard drives and how they are being sold on sites like e-bay. so people are already getting the word out about what goes on these auction sites and just how companies large and small are effected by this kind of theft.

the only way you will beat the re-caster is for the public to stop buying the product, what stu has done is a big step in the right direction but their is still work to be done with regards to the public buying the things. but that's another battle to fight. at least the first battle is won and if other companies now follow suite it should make it difficult for them to keep going and they may get fed up fingers crossed. but it's still a shame that so meany kits have been sold already to people who should know better.

Well on wards and up wards in the fight.

cheers

ian

www.elliesminiatures.com

 

[Red Five]

That Russian seller is still selling them as I write this.

Andrew.

 

[ellie]

Ok Just had a look on E bay and found a fellow from Russia he has the following re cast from theses companies:

Andrea
Scale 75
Youngs
Knights Models
MJ
Pegaso
Alexandros
FeR
to name but a few he has 254 followers, 1,288 positive feedback and 2 negatives he sells the kits from £14.00 to £15.00. so now tell me that this is not damaging the hobby. just do the maths that's around £19,320 taken away from companies and that's just one re caster and it's also 254 people that should hold their head in shame. I'm disgusted with the results that I have found on just one re caster. and that together with the others and you are close to £85,000 that has been taken away from the company. so ask yourselves how the hell can companies survive with the loss of this amount.

Cheers

ian

www.elliesminiatures.com

 

[Tecumsea]

Ian, I don't want to be unsympathetic as believe me I am and have expressed my views privately to Stu, but it is a bold "assumption" that the people who are buying these are likely to be customers of the bonafide producers. I think there is an underclass of modeller out there and an underclass of recaster satisfying the demand, they are not going to go away.

There was a recent press article discussing the Chinese Goverments concern at the number of fakes being sold on Alibaba! it is happening everywhere and if there is a buck to be made then someone will do it.

Unless international laws change it will keep happening as one closes another will spring up.

Stu seems to be having some success by taking positive action, you have made a new move to bring an expensive product to market with some surety of success, another positive step.

I think it is time to stop beating yourselves over the head about something you can't stop (at the moment) and continue the good work in developing more positive approaches to bringing figures to market. We have never had more choice or better quality figures than we have today so the support (buyers) are there otherwise it wouldn't be happening.

I also think there is a danger in blaming everything on the recaster, with new producers on the scene there is also more competition so that also impacts on established producers. We live in uncertain times and no business is immune from competition from which ever direction it comes.

Success comes from new ideas, innovation and satisfying your customers needs, the business has always been pretty good at the latter and the signs are that there is a growing awareness of the former.

Keith

 

[elgreco]

Ok Just had a look on E bay and found this fellow yet again from Russia he has the following re cast from theses companies:

Andrea
Scale 75
Youngs
Knights Models
MJ
Pegaso
Alexandros
FeR
to name but a few he has 254 followers, 1,288 positive feedback and 2 negatives he sells the kits from £14.00 to £15.00. so now tell me that this is not damaging the hobby. just do the maths that's around £19,320 taken away from companies and that's just one re caster and it's also 254 people that should hold their head in shame. I'm disgusted with the results that I have found on just one re caster. and that together with the others and you are close to £85,000 that has been taken away from the company. so ask yourselves how the hell can companies survive with the loss of this amount.

Cheers

ian

www.elliesminiatures.com

Hi Ian - please edit your post and remove the Ebay name of the seller as this is giving them extra publicity to modellers and guest modellers who will take advantage of such posts to look up cheap kits. We don't need to give them free advertising. Thanks.

 

[ellie]

I have now cleaned up my post and taken the name off. sorry but i was so angry. I know none of the above was Ellie's Miniatures stuff but he did have some of ours and stu's in the past.

Keith you maybe right when you say an underclass of modeller, but the point I think I was trying to make was that it's bigger than we think and is damaging the hobby. you are right we are coming up with new ways to combat this plague. and we hope that in the long run it will be a good route to go down we are trying it and I have to say we are on course to doing what we set out to do.

we have to keep coming up with new ideas and new ways of bringing out the best kits we can and in our owen way fight them. I for one will try and give new things a try and keep going.

Cheers

ian

www.elliesminiatures.com

 

[mick3272]

Hi Ian - please edit your post and remove the Ebay name of the seller as this is giving them extra publicity to modellers and guest modellers who will take advantage of such posts to look up cheap kits. We don't need to give them free advertising. Thanks.

Hi You might need to do the same now
Mick

 

[Nap]

Hi Guys

Thanks to Ian for removing the sellers name etc ......as El Greco says don't give these scum any publicity whatsoever

Regarding the seller ..feeling a bit naughty........to see what woukd happen ..and call his bluff .....

this morning I bought one from him on a buy it now ......... ( these purchases are not available to be cancelled by buyer)

Then contacted him asking if it was original and for actual pictures of the box and the model I would get ........

.......and guess what .......not 5 minutes later e bay sent me a e mail saying the purchase was cancelled

I contacted e bay as to why ..they replied very quickly saying the seller cancelled it ...think he knows everybody's thoughts

Nap

PS .....Oh and e bay reminded me to give feedback ( despite cancellation) ...I did -ve ......" RECASTER"

 

[Red Five]

Your negative feedback is no longer there.

I have no idea why Ebay allows this seller.

 

[ranchhand]

Your negative feedback is no longer there.

I have no idea why Ebay allows this seller.

sellers fees.

 

[Michael D]

I know how much Pirating can hurt......

I ran a quite successful Mail Order CD business with sale's heading toward's
the 1 million mark when 'copying' became a craze.

Lost 80% of turnover in one year.

Had to 'sack' 5 member's of staff.

That's the effect illegal copying (with whatever polite name it's called) .

4 Full Time & 1 Part Time job's lost not to count my own misfortune over
the following couple of year's.

Michael.

PS. Stu. Just writing this, churn's my stomach . Be careful.

 

[Michael D]

I have my figure's cast in metal.....

This has stopped any piracy being done. Call a Spade A Spade..... "Re casting" does not convey the criminality of the act.

Also, why not use some gorilla tactic's.

1/. Order and report the item as broken and get a replacement or refund.
Report bad packaging and broken item with NEGATIVE FEED-BACK.
Ask other's to do the same.....

2/. If he doesn't send 'signed for / tracked' report it as NOT ARRIVED.
Again, ask other's to do this and claim back your lost money from Paypal.

If enough people do this, he may get the message, especially if you target
your own produce and enlist your customer's to help.

Ditto, family and friend's, especially from different countries and neighbourhood's.

Have FUN disrupting his illegal activity.

Michael.

 

[Red Five]

Why not try another tack. I'm on his holiday now but I'll have to check the law. I believe it is against the law, as in EU to sell conuterfeit goods. Buy a Stormtroopers bust. Get it checked to prove it is counterfeit and then claim your money back. I believe Paypal will have to ref be. I'll check the snap prices by next week but I believe he can be "trashed" this way.

 

[Michael D]

Why not try another tack. I'm on his holiday now but I'll have to check the law. I believe it is against the law, as in EU to sell conuterfeit goods. Buy a Stormtroopers bust. Get it checked to prove it is counterfeit and then claim your money back. I believe Paypal will have to ref be. I'll check the snap prices by next week but I believe he can be "trashed" this way.

EVEN BETTER IDEA.

Will also put eBay under more pressure to respond / do something.

Michael.

 

[Red Five]

Feeling proud. Found a nice figure offered by that country recaster, Googled it and bought it from a proper dealer in the U.K.! .