DVD in shenzhen

Posted by christiane (1026 days ago)

Is it safe to buy DVD 9 in shenzen, where are the good places, and those to avoid?

Posted by Jif (1026 days ago)

Avoid policemen, criminals posing as policemen, Chinese customs and HK customs. Otherwise it is safe.

Posted by AA1 (1025 days ago)

It is definitely NOT SAFE to buy DVD 9 in SZ. Many people got caught and fines are $10,000 each DVD (not each set, if they come in a series).

Posted by ceeh (1025 days ago)

I've been buying DVD 9's in Shenzhen for 3 years at least twice monthly and have had no problems as long as you do not buy them in the 100's.

Posted by dimac4 (1025 days ago)

Apparently there are now serious checks at the borders coming into HK - Disney is apparently spearheading a massive push on piracy and copyright infringements in HK. Just what I heard from people who go across lots.

Posted by Eddy (1025 days ago)

I've been buying dvds in SZ for the past 4 years, about 30 each time. never had pb. I always go to the same lady. I only take the dvds back in a folder. I do not take the plastic cases.

Posted by chiki (1025 days ago)

so perhaps it is safer for one to come back carrying the DVDs in a separate folder and claim that they were NOT bought in SZ IF caught?

Posted by john5023 (1025 days ago)

"DVD 9"?

Posted by Eddy (1025 days ago)

yes, DVD 9.. going rate is 8$/piece
And I carry them in a folder as it doesn't look as suspicious as a bag full of hard cases...

Posted by moonriver (1023 days ago)

DVD 9s NOT SAFE to buy in SZ, as the consequence if caught is $10,000 each !!!

However, I am buying many, from a guy in the LoWu Mall who works thru a courier to deliver to me in HK at $1 each, minimum of $80 which is not easy to fill if you are buying sets eg the CSIs, Friends, series. No, don't deliver to home. I do trust this guy who has not let me down.

He has been caught a couple of times and goods confiscated which he absorbs.

I have friends caught at Border. Not by HK customs. They don't jail you for this. By the SZ Customs who is fleezing 5 digit figure amount from both Chinese and Westerners. Being in a SZ jail until a friend brings the cash is horrible. Don't do it. Getting caught by SZ customs is Russian Roulette. IT'S not worth it to play that number. Consequence can be overwhelming.

Posted by xpreshn (1023 days ago)

just curious - and not being flippant - if stopped at some point returning to HK, how would authorities prove to you that the dvd you had bought was not acceptable?

Posted by Darling (1023 days ago)

I was in SZ last weekend and bought 20pc of dvd 9,i brought my own cd folder with me,and i don't carry backpack just my shoulder bag..

Posted by Pumpkin (1023 days ago)

Totally agree its not worth it.
Pay $15 and buy them at pedder st MTR after 10pm.

Posted by dimac4 (1023 days ago)

Or respect copyright laws and don't buy pirated goods at all - now there's a new concept that could be tried out in Hong Kong.

Posted by AA1 (1022 days ago)

The DVD 9 only selling for $7 each, so the packaging outright announces it. I am not technical enough to comment on the actual disk.

Posted by TGIF (1022 days ago)

I'm with Dimac4 on this one. The only thing more moronic than people openly asking where to "safely" buy illegal goods is that this site doesn't seem to mind hosting such threads.

Posted by dimac4 (1022 days ago)

Good point TGIF...I suppose sponsorship isn't forthcoming from the customs dept!;-)

Posted by Jif (1022 days ago)

Probably because Universal, Sony and the other studios do not sponsor Ed.

By buying original DVDs only I am paying for all the thieves here!

Posted by Ed (1022 days ago)

Nothing to do with sponsorship - if someone wants to ask a question about bringing CD's over the border then I have no problem with that.

I have however seen on this forum that someone was nailed with a 1k fine for each illegal copy they were caught with...

Posted by TGIF (1022 days ago)

Ed: I agree that the risk is clear, and it's certainly a "let the buyer beware" situation, however as an IP lawyer I am mystified by the "it's ok if I don't get caught" attitude to copyright issues by HK people.

I respect that fact that this is your site, and I respect that you decide on the guidelines, but surely you could encourage people to perhaps discuss this sort of matter on a non-public forum (i.e. by email or private messages).

Would it be different if they were discussing bringing weapons down from China, or if HMV was a site advertiser?

(I am happy to take this discussion offline if you want to pm me)

Posted by Jif (1022 days ago)

I am mystified why sex talk is not allowed on this site if it gets to explicit or if it concerns prostitution, yet discussing the crime of smuggling counterfeit goods (actually two crimes!) is.

In the end it is Ed's site and if I don't like it I can opt not to participate, however I feel it is immoral to condone criminal acts. Just my 2 cents. I don't want to turn it into a Speaker's Corner discussion.

Posted by Tangerine (1022 days ago)

Just out of curiosity, how much is a legit DVD in China?

Posted by Ed (1022 days ago)

IP Lawyer - I think there's no better place to discuss this issue - as stated by me and others on here anyone trying to bring CD's, DVD's etc... through the border is risking serious penalties... a lot of people obviously are not aware of this and by keeping this conversation public the word will spread - and hopefully discourage this illegal practice. If we take the conversation private then people dont hear about real world experiences where people were nabbed and fined....

Posted by Irish is back (1022 days ago)

Ed,

Thats ok then, when we get caught coming through a checkpoint clearly noted as "safe" on Asiaxpat we will simply tell the police that we got the information on here.

Nothing to worry about !

Posted by Ed (1022 days ago)

Feel free to do so but the fact of the matter is you are infringing IP by bringing knock-offs into HK - there is no such thing as a safe checkpoint and you do so at your own risk.

The comments on this forum do not supersede the law...

Posted by alleycat (1022 days ago)

Hi Irish,

Nice to see you back..
Now what would a nice Irish lad like you be doing buying copy DVD's?

Posted by Irish is back (1022 days ago)

Hi alleycat,

Never left, just watching to see if any threads warrant my comments LOL.

Funny but I have not bought a copy DVD in over 3 years (bull) and indeed surrendered my collection to the authorities (bull)

Posted by dimac4 (1021 days ago)

So can people tell me - why do people buy the pirate DVD's - is it price alone? Is it a protest against the multimillion dollar movie industry, or is it they like the poor quality? Or are there any other reasons??

Posted by rodigan (1021 days ago)

out of interest, what specifically is the crime in hong kong? is owning an copied disc a crime? or is it the act of making a copied disc? selling it? importing it?

Posted by harrycarry (1014 days ago)

In answer to the original question, it's best to avoid 5/F of Lowu Commercial City where the sellers close the shutters of the shop and effectively have you trapped inside a sealed box.

DVDs are cheaper at East Gate (Dong Mun) and are openly on sale in all the shops there, where you can browse openly. The copies are generally good quality. Also, East Gate is only three stations along from Lowu on the new mass transit railway.

I believe Customs and Excise are only interested if you are carrying large numbers of the same movie, obviously intending to re-sell.

Posted by Miss P (1013 days ago)

yes they tried that pull down the shutters trick on me (usual practice) new twist - wouldn't open it when i jubbed at the price I did my block...the girl opened it bloody quick when I said police among other things ,mostly uncomplimentary .Stupid really of them,I was a regular and haven't been back...the scary thing is,it must work on some tourists ...assume they pay up?Poor devils...
Miss P

Posted by nicolette (1013 days ago)

Is there a mall at East gate? What else do they sell, any fake bags?

Posted by harrycarry (1013 days ago)

They sell everything.

Posted by Jif (1012 days ago)

A question for harrycarry, experience with both?

Posted by nicolette (1007 days ago)

how do you get to east mall from shenzhen, please be specific.

Posted by moonriver (1007 days ago)

Be careful if you go to Tung Moon aka East Gate, It's FULL of muggers, pickpockets. This is their Times Square and we are their merchandise, albeit merchandise.

Posted by harrycarry (1007 days ago)

You have to beware wherever you go across the border, Shenzhen in particular. Everywhere in Shenzhen there are muggers, pickpockets, beggars and thieves. It's a bit of a frontier town, like the old wild west, which attracts some of the best and some of the worst from all over the PRC. You have to take sensible precautions and I, for one, prefer to walk along the pedestrianised area of Dong Mun (East Gate) rather than the cigarette smoke-filled rabbit warren corridors of Lowu Commercial City. Especially I do not like being locked inside the small shuttered rooms of the pirate DVD shops on the 5/F, or pawed and mawled by everyone you pass and hustled to buy stuff that you have absolutely no interest in, including DVDs.


In answer to Nicolette's question, the MTR station is immediately in front of the entry into Shenzhen from Lowu station. It's a bit of a pantomime getting money changed from HK$ to Yuan, and then another counter to get coins, and then to the machines to get tickets (plastic disc), which appear to have interminable queues. The trains run every 15 minutes and it's the third stop after leaving the terminus at Shenzhen. You can get a taxi from beneath Lowu Commercial City but the queues are usually longer than you might imagine, and you might get a taxi driver who refuses to understand Dong Mun. Even then, I wouldn't recommend taxis for women travelling alone or foreign couples. You might disappear off the face of the earth, and nobody over the border would care.

Posted by weh (1007 days ago)

Correction for harrycarry's letter. Dongmen is SECOND stop after leaving the terminus.