Alright, I'll try to do it in a short story here.

About more than 1 mounth I was around Kijiji (Canadian seller/buyer website) and saw an Earthbound listed as an excellent shape for $140. I jumped on it and bought it to the guy paying by Paypal. After like 2 weeks I still didn't received the game, and I saw he relist it on Kijiji. So I contact the guy and he told me it was a mistake (The listed game was his game, and the one I bought was one from his friend or something) and the game was going to be shipped for real since it was his friend who had it and he had some problems or something. Then 1 week after (3 weeks from when I bought it) I write to the guy saying I didn't received it. No answer/no game 1 week after I contacted him. So I sent him a warning message saying I'll active a dispute through Paypal if he didn't refund me. Surprisingly he answer me pretty quickly this time saying something weird about his friend had the cart and it was a mistake again and he was going to shipped it to me.

So I just received the game today. When I opened the package and take the cart in my hands I already feeled like it's had something weird. Label was too beautiful (really shinny really looking like a "like new" condition). Label looks also like it's a little blury like if the printer isn't that neat. The fake label have also some kind of «waves» on it (check out pictures below). I compared the fake cart whith a real cart I already had and found some differences between the 2 carts, so I already knew I had a fake cart or something. I tested it in my Snes and it worked. Then I tryed to open the carts to see the differences between the 2 and guess what? The fake cart have some glue on one of the screw, so I can't open it. Also it looks like they "damaged" the label a little to make it looks like more legit, but it still looks too "fresh and new" to be real.

Edit: I just noticed about a different color for the top label EarthBound writing. Pic added

Now I wrote to the guy saying him he sent me a bootleg and I want to get refund today, if not, I'll active a dispute through Paypal.



So if anyone have some opinions/similar stories about EB snes that can help here feel free to post it, I'll be glad to have some opinions/help.






Here's a screen shot of the add I took in case he put it down.








And here's the differences between the 2 carts:






I don't know if it means something here but the back label for the fake cart say "MADE IN JAPAN SNS-USA/CAN-1" and the one from the real cart say "MADE IN MEXICO M / SNS-USA / CAN-1



Here's the screw that got "glued"





Wavy sticker (FAKE CART)




Different color for the top label EarthBound writing.

My back is the same as your legit one for whatever it means as I'm not the first owner, but mine didn't have waves or not so mysterious glue either.

Alright, thanks for specify that. I also added another difference between the 2 carts (Top label EarthBound color isn't the same).

Was there a Earthbound "Made in Japan" on back label!? Or are they all "Made in Mexico"?

The fake one have "Made in Japan".

Open it up. I'd like to see the board.

If you play a fake of Earthbound you can't beat the final boss. The designed the game to make it impossible if a fake is made.

As I said I wanted to, but I can't since it's have some glue on one screw..

Edit: lol, I don't think I'll play it to go through the whole game now, maybe if I can go to the last boss with cheats or something I might try it.

I don't think that's guaranteed. The anti-piracy check was targeted more towards the copiers that used floppy disks. I would expect a repro cart with an appropriately sized rom chip to play normally for as long as the chip actually functions.

dig the glue out?

The glue is stick in the cracks where it's too tight for I can go there. I guess they didn't wanted that anyone can open it due to the obvious it's fake inside.

Mine has the "Made in Japan" label on the back. But the back doesn't mean crap. It is common practice to swap the back out if they get too raunchy. But your front label on the fake one does look fishy. But we will never know for sure until you open that sucker up.

A few fakes including EB has floated here locally. I'm sorry you had a bad deal

It could have a legit board inside and maybe just a repo label.
Very sus with the use of the glue though.
I would crack that bitch open.
Use some sort of nail polish remover or something to dissolve the glue.

I wouldn't hesitate and open a dispute right away. Call me an asshole but I'm sure he knew and not to mention he made you wait 3 weeks to finally ship. I would have opened a dispute right then a there.

Ahah, yeah, I'm actually doing it

You could carefully heat the glue up using a heat gun to try to get it open. But I wouldn't do that unless you have to in order to get refunded. And sadly people trying to pass off bootleg Earthbound carts as the real deal is not new. Another thing you could notice if they provide good pictures is the label corners were not properly rounded. They look as though they were cut by hand with scissors. The font in the lower left is wrong. The image is missing the little TM letters.

lol thanks for that, I didn't noticed it by myself, another obvious that it's a fake one.

Pretty much just came here to post that. It's a fake, open a case and return it.

In your dispute I wouldn't mention about it being a pirate copy.
I would just say it doesn't work.
When it comes to paypal and bootlegs, copied games etc. it turns into a headache and drags on for ages.
Unless it states sold as is or untested in the auction, I CBF going through the piracy headaches anymore and just say it doesn't work.
Send it back and get the refund... Sooo much easier.

Actually the game works, so I can't really lie about it.. And I already sent the message saying it's a pirate copy. But yeah, I'll remember that trick about the game that doesn't work.

All Earthbounds were made in Mexico.

Sorry about fake cart. Thanks for showin us - now I know what to watch out for.

Does the fake Earthbound have a small punch-code on the back?

If you mean on the back label, it's "01".

Open that sucker up man, if it's a fake it'll either have a TSOP on an adapter or a glob top rom.

EDIT : I'm not sure exactly what the rom does to check it's authenticity but I know there are purposefully hacked bad roms out there. If you start encountering a ton of enemies, your saves delete, the game freezes, etc it's a bad rom. Chances are it'll let you get to the second fight with giygas before it locks up totally and erases all of your saves too.

Hope it's not the case but it can happen. No way to really know until you get that far either.