Buying KAWS Vinyl Statues is a NIGHTMARE

General art-related discussion.
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quexzea
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:28 am

I decided I'd like to have a KAWS vinyl statue, one of the early companions... Prices are crazy, but what is crazier are the fakes and how nobody selling these seems to have an invoice from kawsone or any type of documentation...I can't stress enough to all of you that if you're going to collect art of any kind, keep your invoices and paperwork!

And the Star Wars KAWS... Just forget it.

Stick to his prints...

Does anyone know of a place I could go to read about bootleg KAWS vinyl and/or what to look for? It's a total bloodbath. I feel sorry for the people who have real ones and don't have any paperwork...
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:40 am

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lujborg
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:41 am

Been a problem for a long time. one would think that in this day and age, finding a receipt for something you likely purchased online would not be a big deal. i'd steer clear of people asking top dollar that don't have the documentation (although that can be easily faked as well).
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NoObism
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:44 am

Most of the bootlegs are horrible in appearance and obvious fakes, paperwork is good but can be faked easier than the statues.
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alittle
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:48 am

Some of them are a little less obvious, but even still, there are ways to tell them apart.
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gorkie
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:55 am

I came super close one time to buying one of those tall fake ones from http://www.lxab.co

Still kind of want one.
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alittle
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 1:07 am

They are on sale! Act fast!

I think they used to be about $1K cheaper.
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gorkie
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 1:09 am

alittle wrote:They are on sale! Act fast!

I think they used to be about $1K cheaper.
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quexzea
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:41 am

gorkie wrote:I came super close one time to buying one of those tall fake ones from http://www.lxab.co

Still kind of want one.

That website is what completely drove me over the edge! There are 5yl Companions on there that claim to be official Medicom products, so what does that mean? The Star Wars ones claim to be from the same exact factory. They look the same too, I know, because I bought a Darth Vader on Ebay. I found that site a few days later and sent the damn figure back to the seller. It was heart breaking, because I loved it. So Medicom are just a bunch of crooks? No ethics? I guess thats China for you... Totally messed up. As far as those 4ft companions go, they are actually priced accordingly for a copy. (The "real" ones go for like $20k-$50k) I'm not spending 2k on that any time soon, but if you HAD to have it.... They sell copies of his prints too. What a nightmare. Has KAWS commented on this? I guess this is why we haven't seen a vinyl release from him in while. He probably hates Medicom. Screw the entire vinyl toy industry in fact... Except maybe Ron English and Tara McPherson; at least you can order stuff directly from them! I feel bad for vinyl toy collectors, it's going to be a colossal clusterfvck one day... No offense.

Thank you EB for hearing my rants tonight! I appreciate it.

In the end I settled on a "passing through" from toy qube, whom from what I could gather, is a reputable dealer.... But, I'm DONE with this crap.
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alittle
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:59 am

It means they were produced in the same factory, however, they do not appear to be from the initial run. There are slight differences between the original release and the labiology figures that allow you to distinguish between the two.

Read the Kid Robot forums. There is a huge KAWS thread there and they discuss these figures in detail.

I'm sure KAWS is not pleased, but anyone doing production in China should have been able to see the potential for such a scenario to arise.
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Codeblue
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:02 am

I've got a genuine Resting Place, just sayin.
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alittle
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:03 am

Which color?
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Codeblue
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:04 am

OG.
RupertPupkin wrote:I live by this rule and this rule alone: people are drymounting idiots.
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alittle
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:08 am

Price?
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Codeblue
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Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:09 am

More than ya wanna spend.
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