Boxtops 4 Education point buyers- some just learned advice. ;)
Buy in small quanities-from a seller who is NOT selling many lots of 100+ at a time....- and possibly ask if the photo shown is of the ACTUAL lot you will receive.
I recently purchased two seperate auctions for 100 Boxtops4Education. (200 total) from a seller who has sold several thousand BT4E points in the last 30 days.
I bought them like all moms will- to help out our schools. Upon sorting them to turn in to our school, I noticed something...odd. 81 out of the 200 total -- i believe are most likely not real/authentic.
It never would have occured to me to find something like this upon arrival....that someone printed these up from their home computer, to rip off bidders! I'm not out a huge amount of $$ -I AM embarassed that I was taken.
I called the company headquarters and they say that any points they find that are not authentic they simply do NOT honor.... they say there isnt much they can do- its not illegal to counterfeit them....
I think..... its wrong on principle.
Why I know these 81 are not genuine.
They look and feel completly different, the thin stiff paper these are printed on is unlike any other point i have ever handled. The back is slick, shiny and smooth - not cardboard as is typical. (It feels like photo paper or stiff cardstock.)
(((. ---yes i know there ARE plastic points, this is on thin stiff shiny paper. )))
- But the most obvious differences are the details of the logo are fuzzy, the lines & smallest print is blurred.
- The pink is faded pink not the deep vivid fuschia pink
- The coin is NOT purple, but nearly white-
- The yellow pencil has visible purple pixel dots in it...
- and all of 81 of these have the same code OEP and expire 6/1/10.
I found a few points in my lot of 200 that does also have the code OEP with exp date of 6/1/09. side by side, the difference is pretty clear (see my pic) The upper one (exp 6/1/09) is sharp detail, more vivid in color, in hand comparison the top one is thicker, obviously cardboard packaging-- and not shiney on the back.
Looking at the remaining 119...none of them have diff in colors, pixeled, or fuzzy detail.
The BT4E representative I spoke to today says there is no way she could tell me the product the OEP point came from. She did say, that if they find codes that are questionable, they dont honor them.
but my seller had many running listings of 100 lots of points-- and current listings show a photo in the listing of bags full of OEP exp 6/1/10 points...
I understand there are HONEST sellers out here selling the points because they save them and dont have children in school- but BEWARE OF LARGE QUANTITY LISTINGS!!!
Thanks I hope this helps!