Pearly brushables: bootleg vs. store bought

[Leave a Whisper]

The weird thing is I know worse flaws can exist (if hoof hearts can be missing than eyes could be missing) but even these Chinese seller ponies don't have such drastic flaws. I'm guessing those ones actually get destroyed since they probably figure nobody wants them.

Yeah...
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The bootlegs are better quality that the stuff that gets through. No wonder the manufacturers will try and sell bootlegs.

 

[princessluna11706]

The weird thing is I know worse flaws can exist (if hoof hearts can be missing than eyes could be missing) but even these Chinese seller ponies don't have such drastic flaws. I'm guessing those ones actually get destroyed since they probably figure nobody wants them.

Yeah...
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The bootlegs are better quality that the stuff that gets through. No wonder the manufacturers will try and sell bootlegs.

 

[tikibirds]

I dont recall seeing ponies for sale in any shop in China..only from Taobao sellers but I know they are popular because many of my students watched the show.

The only pony merch I saw was a set of bootleg playing cards for sale at a shop in the forbidden city.

[LadyMoondancer]

The pearly ponies aren't really "bootlegs";  they're produced in Hasbro factories, made of the same material as the ponies found in stores, etc.

(This isn't in response to any particular comment, just a general observation.)

[Baby Sugarberry]

The pearly ponies aren't really "bootlegs";  they're produced in Hasbro factories, made of the same material as the ponies found in stores, etc.

bootleg |ˈbo͞otˌleg|
adjective [ attrib. ]
(esp. of liquor, computer software, or recordings) made, distributed, or sold illegally: bootleg cassettes | bootleg whiskey.

Stuff directly from China is not sold through Hasbro, thus by definition, IS bootleg.  Yes, it's made in the same factory, often same materials and same quality, that does not change the fact that they're not authorized to be selling MLP direct and are doing so on the side without license.  If that matters to you or not is a whole other kettle of fish. 

[LadyMoondancer]

Yeah, but there's an implication that it's a toy made / sold / distributed by another company.  Usually either a direct rip-off of a mold from the original company (like Princess Rinse 'n Spit) or something that rips off the intellectual property rights (like if a company made a new pony mold, but produced ponies who look exactly like Pinkie Pie, Applejack, etc.)

Let's say it's the 80s and Cabbage Patch Kids are insanely popular and hard to find right before Christmas.  You, a parent, convince a Toys R Us worker to sell you a CPK doll for twice the "shelf price", straight out of the back of the store.  Would that make the CPK doll a bootleg, since it was distributed/sold in an illegal manner?  No.  It's still a genuine CPK doll, made by Coleco.

[Baby Sugarberry]

Your example isn't equivalent.  The toy you describe was still distributed by Coleco to Toys R' Us, the illegality comes into play not with its manufacture, but an employee breaking company policy (presumably) and possibly theft.

An example of bootlegging is the acquisition of a recording of an unreleased song and then the distribution of that recording, without the artist's consent.  The material is not illegitimate - it's a real song, sung by a real artist - but it remains an illegal bootleg because it's not officially endorsed nor sold through proper channels, and no compensation goes back to the creators.

Bootleg isn't a synonym for counterfeit, which would be the 'rip-off' type of product you're inferring: copied moulds or designs. 

[FarDreamer]

Due to a goof up I ended up with two sets of these.  They're good quality and best I can tell the only difference is that they don't have the heart on the leg (which I think is ugly).  They have the hasbro stamp on the bottom of their feet, so to me it doesn't matter if they came in package or not.  I just think that down the line once they are being re-sold by folks who bought them at release that everyone should be careful to tell buyers which they are, for anyone to whom it's really important.  (My extra set is up for sale on my website, just fyi in case anyone is interested).

What would indicate that the sellers in China were selling them illegally?  Or is that just a suspicion?

[Baby Sugarberry]

Common sense?  I mean it's not like these businesses are trying to pass themselves off as authorized Hasbro distributors even.
There've been a number of documentaries on Chinese factories and how rampant side-deals are.  Intellectual property laws there are minimal and not well enforced.

[FarDreamer]

I think the sellers must be getting them at the factory.  If it's common for side deals to happen then that's a possibility.  They could have been stolen, or maybe a manager just passed them off and said "here, do whatever you want with these."  I'm wondering if maybe they were manufactured before Hasbro decided to add the heart to the leg.

As to the original question about value.  Right now these are selling for less than the ones in the package.  Down the line if everyone who wanted one wasn't able to get one, then I'd bet the difference for loose ones will be minimal.

[Baby Sugarberry]

Sometimes employees walk off with merchandise but that's pretty rare (and a huge risk for said employee).  It's most common that the factory owner is selling the stock behind the backs of their contractors, either directly online to to a third party who lists them.

Not surprising they're getting them at the factory and selling them for less than Hasbro's retail - I mean there's a huge markup on almost all products when you look at how much big companies pay the factories to make their stuff compared to what the end user shells out for them.  Between companies like Hasbro and retailers (let's say, Toys R' Us) there's often a doubling of price.  Between Hasbro and the factories, probably an even bigger jump.  So factories sell stuff on the side because the profit they get is much better than the per unit cost for the legitimate contracts.  Even if they get half of what Hasbro's charging, it only cost them pennies on the dollar to make.

As for the missing zap codes, only conjecture but maybe it's to pass them off as 'flawed merchandise' if there was ever an inquiry, as I'm sure whatever contract Hasbro has specifies that all the retail-bound ponies have to meet a specific design sheet.  If they were made before and design specs. changed, why wouldn't they just run them through the extra step to pad-print the missing marks?  Much easier than running a full new batch of ponies.   

[TugaLis]

Sometimes employees walk off with merchandise but that's pretty rare (and a huge risk for said employee).  It's most common that the factory owner is selling the stock behind the backs of their contractors, either directly online to to a third party who lists them.

Not surprising they're getting them at the factory and selling them for less than Hasbro's retail - I mean there's a huge markup on almost all products when you look at how much big companies pay the factories to make their stuff compared to what the end user shells out for them.  Between companies like Hasbro and retailers (let's say, Toys R' Us) there's often a doubling of price.  Between Hasbro and the factories, probably an even bigger jump.  So factories sell stuff on the side because the profit they get is much better than the per unit cost for the legitimate contracts.  Even if they get half of what Hasbro's charging, it only cost them pennies on the dollar to make.

As for the missing zap codes, only conjecture but maybe it's to pass them off as 'flawed merchandise' if there was ever an inquiry, as I'm sure whatever contract Hasbro has specifies that all the retail-bound ponies have to meet a specific design sheet.  If they were made before and design specs. changed, why wouldn't they just run them through the extra step to pad-print the missing marks?  Much easier than running a full new batch of ponies.

Really liked your posts on the matter, although I had suspected about this, your arguments are more solid and well constructed than my own conjectures. But yeah, with my little knowlegde about how things work, I bluntly believe that that is indeed what happens. Its a reality - they need profit, and why not. I think it's very easy to understand and pretty plausible with the given life patterns of nowadays. Sadly we dont live in the pony world...

[FarDreamer]

If they were made before and design specs. changed, why wouldn't they just run them through the extra step to pad-print the missing marks?  Much easier than running a full new batch of ponies.   

A lot of companies don't, oddly enough.  I used to work at the corporate office for a big retailer and vendors would ditch stuff for all sorts of reasons.  There's also a big pet supply company that used to give the animal shelter I currently work at donations of things for reasons such as they updated their packaging.  I don't really get it, not that I'm complaining about the donations. 

[Baby Sugarberry]

Vendors rejecting 'flawed' merchandise I can understand, presumably that stuff isn't made by them directly and they don't have the means to fix it, but before it leaves the factory?  Makes less sense.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I bought these as well and agree they are great quality. No flaws as far as I can see. Maybe they are delivering higher qc than Hasbro because  they know a large proportion of thier sales go to collectors who are buying with eBay protection? It's just economics and we are a market after all. Even if too small for Hasbro! Anyway I'm very happy!