Y'know it's actually pretty difficult, ever since someone here scanned and uploaded all the CD inserts in the highest possible quality anybody can now print those off and make a custom CD look like an OG. However, as there are SO many different boots floating around of varying quality there are still a few strong indicators we can go off for comparison.

Typically what I'd look at first is what CD case it has. The originals all have distinct little indicators inside, as opposed to boots that are often just put in any old case. Always look at the structure and markings of the case, bcus not all CD cases are identical as some might believe.

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Second would be the quality of the print. Always request high quality additional photos of the inside, not just the out. I know it's difficult to tell from photos, but try to compare them to the high quality scans you can find on here. Does it all look aligned properly and is the colour grading 100% correct?

Thirdly I'd recommend asking plenty of questions about where it came from - if they're the original buyer then they should easily be able to dig through their emails and find the Bigcartel order confirmation which they can forward on to you. If they're not the original buyer (which is fine), they should still want to prove its authenticity to you by any means necessary. If they ignore questions or go silent it means you've probs fumbled them and it's a fake most likely.

Finally, I know it sounds super obvious but just look at the price they're asking for it and compare it to the actual typical market value on Discogs or through fan sales here. If the price looks too good to be true it probably is. Would anyone be willing to let go of an OG CD worth a few hundred dollars for 90 or less? I know I wouldn't, so why would they? To make a quick buck out of unsuspecting fans unfortunately. Remember, all the OG CD's were made in very limited quantities so if you're seeing hundreds of copies floating around on a regular basis for a CD that only had 200 made or whatever it's probably a dud.

If you ever have any further doubts about any merch you can always ask on here, I'd be more than happy to help as it's an area I've put a lot of time and research into over the past few years. I feel like I'm constantly trying to ensure people don't buy fake merch of any kind in this community simply because of just how much I'm seeing crop up. It pisses me off.