Wow, you can really find everything on eBay...

[Pixelboy]

Have a look at this eBay auction. I honestly don't know what to make of this, but I'm certainly not the fish who's going to bite that particular bait. What do you guys think?

[Jess Ragan]

Those labels are so fake-tastic. There's no copyright notice or anything on them... just a badly centered logo that looks like it was designed in part with Windows fonts. I'd definitely approach this auction with caution, if I approached it at all.

 

JR

[oldgames]

You have to read carefully:

 

PLEASE READ!!!!!!! THESE 3 CARTRIDGES ARE CUSTOM LABELED COMMON CARTRIDGES, THEY ARE DISPLAY ITEMS, BACK IN THE 1980,s COLECOVISION WAS NOTORIOUS FOR RELEASING ADDS FOR MANY GAMES BUT NEVER PRODUCING THEM THESE ARE 3 OF THEM SMURF PLAY & LEARN , PAPASMURFS TREASURE HUNT AND SMURFETTES BIRTHDAY, THE LABELS ARE OF GOOD QUALITY AND HAVE A PERMANENT WATER RESISTANT PLASTIC FILM ON THEM.

 

 

Someone asked if these were empty shells and he replied 'No, they have the original games.'

 

I'd guess you're looking at 3 Donkey Kong carts with the crapified... er customized labels.

 

Very misleading auction!

[Pixelboy]

I just contacted the seller, asking if these were just empty cartridge shells, and he said "No they have there original games in them'. I don't recall ever seing prototypes for these Smurfs games anywhere... Seems like total BS to me, but the seller does have a nice amount of positive feedback, so I don't know what to think.

[oldgames]

I'd ask what games specifically are on the cartridges. I don't think these are even eproms of the unreleased games. They are just relabled commons.

 

'PLEASE READ!!!!!!! THESE 3 CARTRIDGES ARE CUSTOM LABELED COMMON CARTRIDGES, THEY ARE DISPLAY ITEMS, BACK IN THE 1980,s COLECOVISION WAS NOTORIOUS FOR RELEASING ADDS FOR MANY GAMES BUT NEVER PRODUCING THEM THESE ARE 3 OF THEM SMURF PLAY & LEARN , PAPASMURFS TREASURE HUNT AND SMURFETTES BIRTHDAY, THE LABELS ARE OF GOOD QUALITY AND HAVE A PERMANENT WATER RESISTANT PLASTIC FILM ON THEM.'

 

The guy does have good feedback, but I think he's out of bounds on this auction.

[Ross PK]

It'll be interesting to look at his feedback on this once/if he get's some. Then I guess we'll know for sure whether they're proto's or commons.

[christianscott27]

Very suspect indeed, he parses words so well you cant tell if he's selling the actual coleco mock up or a mock up of the mock up He's up to a whopping $13 or so, why do people bother?

[+evg2000]

So I flat out asked him, and he answered the question in his auction for all to see:

Q: So these are common cartridges with labels that you (or someon else) created recently? Or are you saying that these labels were created by colecovision and used for display during trade shows?

Aug-14-06

A: These are recently created labels not original colecovision products. thanks

[Pixelboy]

Oh... my... GOD! Did you check the auction lately? It's already over 100$!!!!! LOL!

At those prices, I'll start making my own custom labels and put them up on eBay!

 

And here's the kicker: He's at it again!!

[ColecoNation]

Caution, these cartridges are very much fakes.

 

I asked him this question:

"What specific games are on the cartridges."

 

He replied:

"I think they are just donkey kongs thanks"

 

Funny how he didn't post my question and answer on the eBay auction...

[Brian R.]

Has anyone tried reporting these auctions to eBay?

 

I'd hate to see someone pay more than $100 for three Donkey Kong carts with homemade labels for unreleased games glued on them.

 

I mean, this is like taking a Cybermorph cart for the Jag and putting a Battlesphere label on it!

[ColecoNation]

Has anyone tried reporting these auctions to eBay?

 

I'd hate to see someone pay more than $100 for three Donkey Kong carts with homemade labels for unreleased games glued on them.

 

I mean, this is like taking a Cybermorph cart for the Jag and putting a Battlesphere label on it!

 

I had the same feelings intially, but there's not much of a case when you think about it. He doesn't falsely describe the items and every question that is asked of him is answered truthfully (with most being posted on the auction page).

 

He says that they are:

"custom labels"

"common cartridges"

"recently created labels not original colecovision products"

 

You can't feel too sorry for someone who's willing to drop $100 on them even when the seller makes these statements (and is very willing to truthfully answer any additional questions potential buyers might have).

 

+ Nathan

[JB]

He may not be strictly DISHONEST, but he's damn sure not honest.

 

Just because someone's stupid enough to offer him a hundred dollars doesn't change the fact that he promises "3 UNRELEASED COLECOVISION SMURF GAMES" and then puts in a vague and self-contradictory item description.

 

 

He's intentionally trying to confuse the issue, and succeeding.

[ColecoNation]

I'm not saying that the seller is winning any friends with what he's doing. I just think that he's covered his bases enough to stay out of trouble with the all-mighty eBay.

 

+ Nathan

[Pixelboy]

Well, at least his two newest auctions (here and here) are more explicit about the fact that they are not prototypes. Frankly, I think this guy would make his labels far more interesting if he didn't stick them on CV cartridges...

[Brian R.]

I can't fathom why anybody would want these. What good are they? They aren't the actual games. They weren't made by Coleco. They're not prototypes. They are NOTHING!

 

What is the freaking point here??? Just to have these sitting on a shelf? Why would anyone want them??? Just to be able to point to it and say, There's an unreleased Coleco game. Well, not really, it's just Donkey Kong with a label. Well, it wasn't made by Coleco, just some guy on the Internet.

 

I guess this is just the seller's way of figuring out how to get more than one cent for a DK cart that probably wouldn't sell even at that price.

 

This guy is no better than the crooks who, through carefully worded auctions, sold "pictures" of XBoxes to people who thought they were buying the actual consoles.

[+Psionic]

This guy is no better than the crooks who, through carefully worded auctions, sold "pictures" of XBoxes to people who thought they were buying the actual consoles.

 

C'mon, you're just jealous because you didn't think of it.

[Sonic]

looks like all he does is rip people off

 

this guy isn't very smart

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

well, I remember in my COLECOVISION magazine that the games he has listed here:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/EVEN-MORE-UNRELEASED-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

that coleco did have these games planned but were scrapped for some reason. I still remember the photos, too. I have the magazine somewhere in my garage or attic.

[+Psionic]

well, I remember in my COLECOVISION magazine that the games he has listed here:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/EVEN-MORE-UNRELEASED-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

that coleco did have these games planned but were scrapped for some reason. I still remember the photos, too. I have the magazine somewhere in my garage or attic.

 

Yeah, those three were pictured right in the ColecoVision catalogue that came with the system when you bought it (along with Side Trak, Spectar, Mr. Turtle and several others). There were also screenshots on the back of the system box. I don't understand what everybody is getting so worked up about. If people want to bid on that junk (and it is junk), let them.