u/GremmyRemmy

I saw the post this morning about someone who had been scammed on the Novi Stars selling/trading Facebook group. 

First of all, the people involved were admin so I would get out of that group if you are in it, you have no guarantees of a safe transaction with any member, if even the admin are doing this. They'll not care if another member does it too and some of those "members" will be alternative accounts or bots!

I had sent lineage Endure a message but because of the lack of photos and the fact that she had no itemized list of what she had, or any prices I couldn't be bothered to go any further. Today I went back and asked for photographs and they are AI generated. 

https://preview.redd.it/yk18m8oclb0h1.jpg?width=1758&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=492525787acc55c1e5d721538e66f034ea13ef21

I really recommend that if you are looking at a listing that you compare photographs to other older images. If we look at the comparisons, real on the left and fake on the right it becomes more obvious. The text above Diz is completely illegible, at first I wondered if it was just an eastern european release and the quality just wasn't high enough to make out the language, but it is complete gibberish. In fact if you check out Diz himself there are a lot of extra artifacts and strange shapes because the engine could not understand his markings.

https://preview.redd.it/jscfpjpamb0h1.png?width=1315&format=png&auto=webp&s=1348c2d930920d8cf9048e71561eb395614b1cc6

Equally if you look at her stand the heels are not symmetrical. One heel indent is merging with the front of the Sole indent. Also check out her left ponytail and her right hand. Vera's stand is harder to see but I think it's also melting, she has some strange artefacts on her legs and her arms aren't quite right.

https://preview.redd.it/ny4q0yfdmb0h1.png?width=1254&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a87b16a683ecc21e64729b1645062022d2720da

https://preview.redd.it/4bkha7zmmb0h1.png?width=1565&format=png&auto=webp&s=399a527c8c7a0bb9da2d29e26d09ab1d43f0711e

Left, Real! Right, AI!

Same goes for Mae and Una's pets, the text around them and the doll's faces. For me the text was the big red flag, and I would urge anyone to check when looking at photos. (Mae's stand is missing an entire shoe indent)

I would have originally said that I recommend asking for extra photos if you are unsure on something but this proves that even if a seller seems friendly enough and happy to provide pictures they could be running them through an AI engine first. So while I still stand by the advice, it now comes with the additional recommendation of going over the image as best you can. Ask friends and real people to help you look, AI detectors are NOT reliable.

It sucks that we have to be so careful when purchasing, my general second-hand market tips would be to read every listing twice and take screenshots before you buy anything. This is the best way to maintain evidence of an unaltered listing. 

I also would not agree to pay in any method that cannot be protected. Shit happens and people get banned from PayPal for the silliest things, but if a seller tells you they cannot accept multiple trusted sources that offer buyer protection, and urge you towards "friends and family" payments or gift cards then there is a reason. I've done bizum in my country, and friends and family for small sales and sometimes with people who I've worked with before and believe I can trust, but for a first sale with a stranger, please don't accept unprotected payment methods, especially for large amounts. Walk away, another doll will come to you from a more reliable source!

Once you've gone through with a sale, keep the screenshots and write down your tracking number. Take screenshots of the tracking updates as well as sometimes these will get lost to time as the website moves on. (something I sold on vinted was marked as lost and vinted took away the option for me to track the parcel through the app. But because I have kept the information my buyer and myself were able to continue watching the parcel's progress and eventually get it safely to him) 

I also recommend filming an unboxing (likewise if YOU'RE the seller, film the packaging step) so that you can prove that there's no foul play on your part. 

And those are just my two cents on how I try to keep myself safe when purchasing online. I've run a small business since 2012 so I'm used to scammers, ghosters, problems with transit companies and have learned to spot shady dealings, but I know that it's not always common knowledge!

Gosh imagine a custom Mimi with her eyechips done up like this....... She'd look so spooky cool.