Counterfeiters have gone from handbags to board games, and they’re getting faster
Counterfeiters have gone from handbags to board games, and they’re getting faster
Fake tabletop products are a problem, and it’s only getting worse
Everything was going right for Wonderbow co-founder Laia Gonzalez. Her small publishing company’s latest project, a board game called Kelp, had wildly exceeded expectations and was closing in on its final crowdfunding total of more than $1.5 million. Delivery was scheduled for October 2024, so there was plenty of time to begin finalizing the game’s components and coordinating with a manufacturer for production. Hoping for a little extra dose of dopamine, Gonzalez did a quick Google search to see if anyone in the vast and turbulent sea of tabletop influencers was particularly hyped about her company’s game. But instead of a new video of someone sitting in front of an overstuffed Ikea shelving unit, she was surprised to find Kelp already up for sale on Amazon. She, Wonderbow, and game designer Carl Robinson had become the latest victims of board game counterfeiters.
This is by no means a new problem, but every time I hear about it, it is only an issue in board games sold on Amazon, eBay, and other sites that sell on behalf of third party sellers. I have never heard of anyone getting a knock off game from a reputable board game store (online or brick-and-mortar). Those stores buy games from publishers, either directly or via a distributor (and I fear the day that distributors start dealing in knock-offs).
At this point, many hobbyists know what stores to buy from, but people who are not glued to hobby discussions do not. Unfortunately, I am not sure what publishers or customers can do about it except ask for politicians to hold Amazon accountable for trafficking fake goods.
...have I mentioned lately that I hate people?
Similiar issue with anyone creating car parts. You can create a very specific part for a very specific car nobody has made before. Then around the time you start earning back all the money it took to rnd it, some fucker on ebay is already selling chinese pot metal clones.
There are still good ones. Try not to let the bad apples mask them all
Right. Individuals can be okay. Awesome, even. But "people" as a whole include many individuals. And the more individuals you have, the more likely that one or more of them is an asshat. The problem with bad apples is that it only takes one to spoil the bunch.
Imagine a few dozen people sitting in a park enjoying a nice day. If one of them starts flinging feces everywhere, the problem is not just that person. Is that person and the mess they made and ruining everyone else's day.
Now imagine that society has spent generations financially rewarding shit-slingers. Not everyone is going to do it, but every day in the park brings a non-zero chance of getting pelted with poop.
People have incentivized being awful to other people.
The foreseeable result: No more (good) games. Thank you f***ing much.
Obviously, part of the responsibility falls on us the players as well to not support these practices. Unfortunately, there's obviously a market for this.