Saturday, April 01, 2006

Alright, so I've been asked this so many times. "How do you know what's official, and what isn't?". Well, there's a really easy way to tell what's official, and what isn't! Even if you don' t have the original box!! And in this special post (because I was sick. -.-;;), we're going to discuss that, to make you, the collectors, better collectors, and more importantly, wiser one's. ;)

There is a VERY easy way to tell if your item is official if you have a box. You see, Sailor Moon was actually licensed to ONE company at the time to make all of it's toys! And that's (say it together now) BANDAI. 90% of all toys you find for Sailor Moon are BANDAI created. Typically, the "BANDAI" logo is seen at the bottom right corner of your box, no matter what it is. And if you have that, you KNOW it's valid!

Another good means of checking if something is Valid (alot of silverware, and kitchenware were made too you know!), is the "TOEI" sticker! This sticker was placed on items that were for one, inspected by TOEI, and on official merchandise for Sailor Moon. Now, being a STICKER, there were a lot of products out there that had them on it.. while others that should of, didn't. Need I say more? heh.

Now, don't have a box for your item? Very simple way to fix this! "BANDAI" always had a nice printed logo on the toys that they made. Even today it still remains true for not only BANDAI but many many many other companies out there too! Just take a look around! Sometimes you'll find it on the battery compartment.. sometimes IN the battery compartment. Chances are, if it isn't there, is IS a fake!

Now, there are exceptions to this rule! You see, Bandai may have had a hold on their BOXED plush, but another company was the major manufacturer for the UFO's you see lingering around. And their name is "Banpresto". I'm sure you've seen their logo somewhere before! It's a little mask, that looks like, well, Tuxedo Mask's.. mask! heh. They were the OFFICIAL makers of all the UFO plushies you found in those nifty little machines. So don't worry! If your plushie doesn't say BANDAI on it, it likely will have that little mask logo, or even the name on it. ^.^

Finally, one FINAL company that is recent to the PGSM fandom. POPY. POPY is the little logo with the "P" on it, that looks like someone drew over a few times. It's yet another company that has been named slightly "official". Though, I will say, I have a POPY brand jewelry bracelet, and the official Bandai one. POPY's quality is VERY low.. and it's almost as if it was intended for grocery stores. ^.^;;

Now, the EASIEST way to find the fake? Look at the item. Look closely!! If you'll notice, there is a "Eternal Tiaru" that is floating around a certain auction site. Take a look at the official one, and then that one. You'll notice the main big difference, that, if you're paying attention to BSSM, you'd see as well. The rod.. is PINK. The rod is SUPPOSED to be grey! This is a BIG thing with most companies out there! They try to cut costs whenever possible, and often leave out details thinking no one will notice! Well, BE the one to notice! You'll find this more often than not with CLOTHING and other cloth items! Please, look carefully, remember the coloring, and ensure that everything is the way it should. Often, you'll find they've colored Jupiters hair blue, or Mars' fuku Purple! The closer you look, and the more questions you ask.. the better off you're going to be.

Finally.. if a deal is too good to be true, chances are it IS. You're always in your RIGHT to ask questions, request pics.. and if you think someone is scamming you off with a pic.. ask something specific.. like, for them to take a picture with their thumb on the upper left corner or something. This way, you'll KNOW that THEY are taking the picture of the item they ACTUALLY have on hand! Never go with a picture that's too far away either! Ask for close up's.. and don't fall for that "it'd be too blurry" routine. You're not looking for the individual hairs in Sailor Moon's bangs. You're looking for coloring! And if there is NO box, be sure to ask if they can take a picture of the logo on the item itself! Or the tag! If they dump the deal after asking for the specifics, then chances are, it wasn't real to begin with. Don't get discouraged.. And as a final note.. don't leap for the first one you see. Take your time, save your money. Chances are, it will come again. Just be patient. ^.^

Good luck to all you collectors out there! Be you new or old.. I wish you the best! If you ever have a question on if something is real or not, you're welcome to e-mail me ^.^. Take care everyone!