Wow, bootlegging has expanded over the years. I originally only kept an eye out for bootlegged CDs, DVDs, wall scrolls, and printed items. I knew some of the cloth merchandise, such as embroidered bags and jewelry and other convention-ish items, were created by locals, but some of that I always considered as one step away from fanart.
It sounds like the biggest complaints come from bootlegs that end up being shoddy reproductions. If that's the case, I must suggest that everybody keep an eye out for quality when they buy, regardless of whether you are looking for bootlegs. I have seen some pretty crappy (yet legitimate) figurines, for example.
While we're on the subject, here's how I generally find bootlegged CDs:
1. Large discounts for no obvious reason. Official albums can only be marked down by so much before they are being sold at a loss.
2. All albums are on the same price scale. This usually means royalties are not being paid... only production costs.
3. Once you find a brand name for one bootleg, you can use it to identify other bootlegs. "Ever Anime" is a common bootleg brand which fooled me.
4. As mentioned before, low-quality printed jackets are a clue-in.
Personally, I consider bootlegs worse than downloading the item illegally on the internet. On the internet, you are viewing/hearing the product without paying for it.
When you buy a bootleg, however, none of your money ends up going to the creators of the product, AND you end up slipping money to a company that survives by stealing other's works, AND you have less money to spend on
legitimate merchandise.
Why I didn't want to tell anybody: I don't want to feel responsible for kicking out dealers. Sort of would dampen the spirit of the weekend for me.
Well hey, you wouldn't be the one to kick the dealers out. Just informing staff doesn't even guarantee they will be kicked out, either. All it does is give our staff the proper information before making a decision. We're not nazis... we try to be as reasonable as possible.
However, the dealers have all agreed to certain terms when they signed up for their booths, and when they break those rules, they hurt the atmosphere of the con. And if they get away with it, then they will do it next year, and we will see more and more of the same.
This is what staff have to deal with. Unexpected bad stuff happens that gets addressed on the spot. It's not pretty, but the reward is that the con continues to exist and be fun. I don't necessarily ask that you dirty your hands for us -- we just want good communication between staff and attendees.
I actually have mixed feelings about ratting out bootlegs at conventions. On one hand, they're clearing ripping off anime companies, which is already a cutthroat business as is. On the other, anime dealers have a tough time and if they didn't know any better or get tossed out they hurt as well. And unfortunately, it seems like most anime fans don't really care either way if they buy a bunch of crappily made toys or posters if they are affordable. So to your attendees, kicking out bootleggers might not be good for them.
From what I know, few anime dealers sell bootlegs
accidentally, or if they do, then they don't do it on as large a scale as I've seen at cons.
The industry isn't hurting so much that we have to rely on illegal merchandise. Besides, vendors that rely heavily on bootlegging are ensuring their own survival at the cost of the industry's. Remember, the job of retail is to get the product
to us; the product can only continue to be made if the creators get paid.
