Pay attention when you are buying rare and deleated CDs at webshops, online auctions or record fairs / CD fairs. Since some time there are a lot of piracy copies offered on different platforms like online auctioneers, webshops and record fairs. These copies are made in such a perfect style that collectors maybe cannot distinguishing the original from the counterfeit.
Be careful when you find a desired item you are looking for a long time to complete your collection! A few years ago you could see exactly which CD was a conterfait and which one was an original. Today this is much more difficult. Often it fails because of the missing opportunity to compare the just found or bought CD with another one of the same state. Which collector has two copies of the same rare CD in his collection? Probably only a few collectors have. Unfortunately some of our customers had bought piracy copies in the recent past. That's the reason why we opened this warning for you. We want to help you to not be cheated by shady guys with faked CDs. We know about the problem very well and want to share our experiences with you. On this side we show you on which details you should have an open eye.

First we are listing all CDs from which we are knowing that there are counterfeits offered. This list is not complete and if you have informations about other counterfeits please let us know. You will help other collectors with your information. Be careful with buying the following CDs:
- ABBA - I Love ABBA
- Blue System - My Bed Is Too Big
- Bohlen, Dieter - Best Projects
- C.C. Catch - Welcome To The Heartbreak Hotel
- C.C. Catch - Catch The Catch
- The Cross - Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know
- The Cross - Blue Rock
- Fancy - Get Your Kicks
- Fancy - Contact
- Fancy - All My Loving
- Gazebo - I Like Chopin
- Gazebo - Telephone Mama
- Michael Jackson - Smile (PROMO)
- P.Lion - Springtime (Carrere)
- Princess - Princess (Teldec)
- Radiorama - The 2nd
- Radiorama - Desires And Vampires
- Shaw, Tommy - Ambition
- Silent Circle - I Am The Believer
- V/A - Soundtrack "Renegade" (Terence Hill Film)
- Zadora, Pia - Let's Dance Tonight

Now here are some photos (photos made by the collector friend Ziad Hakim - Thank you very much!) of the CD Single "My Bed Is Too Big" by Blue System as our example. Here you can see the differences between an original CD and a counterfeit. The differences are to be found at the matrix ring of the CD and the writing in this ring:

Piracy Copy:


The front (label side) of the piracy copy


The back side of the piracy copy. You can see the matrix ring (inner ring)
of the CD. In contrast with the original CD you see, that there is no second
small ring around the matrix ring (see photos below). The writing and the
matrix number is different to the writing and matrix number of the original
CD. The word "SONOPRESS" is written larger than on the original CD...

Original:

The front of the original CD

The back side of the original CD. Here you can see the second ring
around the inner ring (matrix ring). This ring is not to be seen on the counterfeit.
 Also the writing of the word "SONOPRESS" and the matrix number is
smaller than the writing on the matrix ring of the conterfeit CD. Look out!

Some more details which can help to identify a conterfait CD:
- A 20 years old or older CD is conditioned like new. It has no marks and it seems it is unplayed. Be careful, this could be a piracy copy!
- The inlay card or booklet smells new. You are smelling fresh printing ink if put the booklet or inlay directly under your nose. That's unusual for CDs which are 5 years old or older!
- Very rare CDs you are looking for a very long time suddenly are offered very often by one or more sellers.
- Very rare CDs which costs elsewhere a higher price are offered for a ridiculous price. This could be a trap!
- One seller has more than one copy of an extremely rare item. He offers more than one copy at the same time or after selling one copy he is offering another one, and another, and another... Be careful. There is something not right...

If you be careful while buying CDs via internet or on record / CD fairs and watch to the details we gave you in this warning you are on the save side! If you have bought a piracy copy because you could not see the CD in detail (like at online auctions) remaining for your right to return the counterfeit and get back your money. If you were cheated by a German seller, send the CD and the details (name, adress and other informations about the seller) to Promedia GmbH, Grevenweg 72, 20537 Hamburg and explain your problem. Try to get informations if there is also a company or authority at your homeland which is protecting copyrights like Promedia in Germany. If you have such an institution in your homeland send the CD and the informations about the seller not to Promedia Germany but to this institution in your homeland.
We hope you will not have any problems like this and have fun with your hobby "Collecting CDs and Records" beyond.  

By the way: All our offered items are ORIGINAL! We can guarantee that for 100%!