The Tomy CGTSJ bootleg epidemic

Where there are successful licenses, there will always be bootlegs. This is especially true for Pokémon—during the 2000s boom of Tomy figures, a large number of bootlegs appeared. Some existed because the originals weren’t widely distributed in certain regions, while others simply took advantage of strong demand.

The main issue today isn’t so much the older bootlegs, which are relatively easy to spot with experience, but the new wave of replicas. These are near 1:1 copies, often made from resin-like plastic, and are extremely well produced. In some cases, they’re even sold openly at affordable prices, which can help collectors who don’t want to spend heavily—serving as “good enough” placeholders.

However, the real problem arises when these high-quality bootlegs are sold as originals. Because they look almost identical, they can easily deceive buyers and lead to scams. This seemed to appear at the same time that Tomy figures keep in value.

## How to spot them: - Bendiness: The figures are more rigid, very difficult to bend. As for bases, I noted that the bendiness is different. In the originals, it's easier to bend on the sides and in the middle is impossible, while these bootlegs can be bent the same way regardless of where you try to bend them. - Weight: It's the best way to check if the figure is original or not; they do not weigh the same. - Touch & feel: The figures don't feel the same, a bit different texture, different sound when you put them on the table, etc.

## Recommendations: 1. Do not buy from people who have an absurd amount of rare figures unsold. If they are not sold and they are cheap, it's because there's something fishy. 2. Ask for videos and ask them to weigh the figures. Be careful because many people who try to scam with these figures know what they are doing, because they are also collectors. 3. Do not buy from random sellers with few reviews; buy from people who often sell, so their reputation is at stake. A random seller has nothing to lose. On high-end figures, there's no such thing as bargains. 4. Ask someone who knows better than you. Double-checking with other people is always a great idea :)