Grail Diary for only $34? Is this company using anyone’s photos for potential bait and switch?

[Moviefreak]

I wonder a couple things…

1. Who’s photos this company is using to sell their stuff?

2. What will the diary you receive actually look like?

The Grail Diary -Classic Movie Fan Made Prop Replica

The Grail Diary -Classic Movie Fan Made Prop Replica

www.staticwinds.com

 

[kevin926]

I did go for it just to see what it's about.

Cosplay or garbage, nothing more. I'll post pics when I get home but it's pretty entertaining and nothing like the stock photos. The inserts are printed on small cut outs, the pages are basically copied and printed with white boarders around them. . The paper wrap is more like a foil Christmas style wrapping paper.

There is a better version on Esty for 60 dollars and at least theirs are full page prints and the inserts look way better. Still just cosplay piece but better than garbage.

 

[kevin926]

This is the Etsy Version, much better and at least the inserts are the correct size, the paper is real. The book is not weathered as the photo shows though

Indiana Jones Grail Diarythe Grail Diarymovie Prop & Inserts - Etsy

This Memorabilia item by TOONGdgjgsfdfa has 505 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Jamaica, NY. Listed on Aug 9, 2022

www.etsy.com

Amazon garbage version and sells to the other sites like you listed.

Amazon.com: The Holy Grail Diary - Indiana Jones Fan Made Prop Replica Indiana Classic Movie Diary Prop Best Gift for Indiana Jones' Movie Fans : Toys & Games

Buy The Holy Grail Diary - Indiana Jones Fan Made Prop Replica Indiana Classic Movie Diary Prop Best Gift for Indiana Jones' Movie Fans: Party Favors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Moviefreak]

I’m curious if the photos being used are one of our member’s here. If that is the case, maybe they can try to get them to stop using them.

 

[kevin926]

Its defiantly bait and switch. Some of these photos are the same in the other listings if you go through some of the other sales threads at Amazon or Etsy.
Those pictures shown certainly look like something that came from here 100%

 

[kevin926]

Ok as promised
Amazon and Etsy
Etsy on left
Amazon on the right

Amazon details are terrible and notice how small the inserts are.

Etsy version, much better but the inserts aren't accurate. They are full size and look good though. Extra photos that I will share later.

I will say that at least the Amazon version does have a couple of nice photo prints, but the rest of the inserts are terrible and way undersized
Amazon book has the boarder around the image or text
Etsy has full pages, and the inserts aren’t too bad.
In a nutshell, Amazon is dollar store
Etsy can be compared to Rubbies props

Either way Moviefreak is 100% correct
The photos showing these books are stollen and probably from one of you.

 

[Synz314]

That is obviously a scam site. There are TONS of websites just like it. Those photos are stolen from Swak Props on Etsy, who is indeed a member here.

 

[mrwax]

Whoa, that Amazon one is even worse than I anticipated, thanks for posting some real pics!

 

[kevin926]

Whoa, that Amazon one is even worse than I anticipated, thanks for posting some real pics!

Consider it a PSA

To most PSA stands for Public Service Announcement but here at the RPF, It stands For Prop Scammers Alert

 

[kalkamel]

That is obviously a scam site. There are TONS of websites just like it. Those photos are stolen from Swak Props on Etsy, who is indeed a member here.View attachment 1606165View attachment 1606166

Yup. Those are my pics they stole. They've also used pics of Ramseyprop's Grail Diary. These ads pop up on FB many times and both myself and Ramseyprops have reported them to FB on many occasions, but they still keep popping up like mushrooms, with different named vendors.

 

[Sarednab]

My advice is always to "mark" your pics with watermark. Yes, he still can stole your pics, but he have to work a little more on it, so he will prefer to go to next pics

 

[kalkamel]

My advice is always to "mark" your pics with watermark. Yes, he still can stole your pics, but he have to work a little more on it, so he will prefer to go to next pics

Yup. All my pics are watermarked now.

 

[Starganderfish]

I ordered a grail diary from Aliexpres and it looks exactly like that Etsy one. It costs me about AU$31 total (US$22) and seems to be a mass-produced effort from a Chinese Factory. I am pretty confident that the Etsy seller in the original post just bought a bunch of these (either direct from the Factory or from a Chinese seller) and has marked them up and is selling them on.
I reviewed it HERE but the short version is it's a decent enough mass-market effort that could be halfway decent with a little upgrading and effort, Worth the price, but definitely not a display quality piece on its own.

 

[Petertiger]

The German newspaper is one of my invented inserts about the Jones boys being wanted taken from here

 

[el toro]

I ordered a grail diary from Aliexpres and it looks exactly like that Etsy one. It costs me about AU$31 total (US$22) and seems to be a mass-produced effort from a Chinese Factory. I am pretty confident that the Etsy seller in the original post just bought a bunch of these (either direct from the Factory or from a Chinese seller) and has marked them up and is selling them on.
I reviewed it HERE but the short version is it's a decent enough mass-market effort that could be halfway decent with a little upgrading and effort, Worth the price, but definitely not a display quality piece on its own.

Damn. I just read your review of those Alixexpress props, and that idol’s eyes are nightmare inducing. I’m warning others not to look directly into the idol’s eyes lest you desire being turned into a pillar of salt.

 

[Liberance]

I almost asked about this here once. There's been some major spike on sites like this recently. Social media "suggests" me this crap from time to time, always from different sources and with similar pictures. What gives?

I thought collecting props was obscure enough of a thing to stay away from this stuff. Why now.

 

[Dr Jones Sr]

Hey, but this is the only Grail Diary I've seen that comes with Deposits!

Indiana-Jones Grail Diary Prop Replica Diary With Deposits Avid Movie Fans G HJ | eBay

1PC Diary book only, Without inserts pages pieces. Now you can have a great cosplay accessory for Halloween, comic conventions, or whatever you want to be Indiana-Jones or him Father Henry-Jones when he was old!

www.ebay.com

 

[Starganderfish]

I almost asked about this here once. There's been some major spike on sites like this recently. Social media "suggests" me this crap from time to time, always from different sources and with similar pictures. What gives?

I thought collecting props was obscure enough of a thing to stay away from this stuff. Why now.

Honestly, I think collecting things is a lot more popular than people think. I also collect Transformer's and it's grown into a pretty large market, over the last several years, particularly in China. We often speculate on it and what many of us think is that, both in the West and in Asia, there are now multiple generations of people who grew up with huge pop culture phenomena on TV and at the movies. From the 80's onwards, there are people who are now old enough and with disposable income to indulge in that nostalgia. In China particularly there's a huge cohort of people who grew up with American TV and cinema and have been influenced by it. With the new successful middle class in China, they can not only indulge in that for themselves but they've recognized that it's a growing market both in Asia and the West that they can make some money from.
Another aspect, I personally feel, is that geek and nerd culture is a lot more acceptable and even main-stream now. Growing up as a Teenager in the 80's and early 90's, being a nerdy kid who liked comics and computers and games etc was NOT something that got you a lot of cred. That sort of thing was almost embarassing, at least where I grew up.
That's changed hugely in the last 10-15 years and more people are willing to demonstrate that side of themselves. An adult with a lightsaber in the 80's was kind of weird. An adult with a lightsaber now is cool.

 

[Liberance]

Honestly, I think collecting things is a lot more popular than people think. I also collect Transformer's and it's grown into a pretty large market, over the last several years, particularly in China. We often speculate on it and what many of us think is that, both in the West and in Asia, there are now multiple generations of people who grew up with huge pop culture phenomena on TV and at the movies. From the 80's onwards, there are people who are now old enough and with disposable income to indulge in that nostalgia. In China particularly there's a huge cohort of people who grew up with American TV and cinema and have been influenced by it. With the new successful middle class in China, they can not only indulge in that for themselves but they've recognized that it's a growing market both in Asia and the West that they can make some money from.
Another aspect, I personally feel, is that geek and nerd culture is a lot more acceptable and even main-stream now. Growing up as a Teenager in the 80's and early 90's, being a nerdy kid who liked comics and computers and games etc was NOT something that got you a lot of cred. That sort of thing was almost embarassing, at least where I grew up.
That's changed hugely in the last 10-15 years and more people are willing to demonstrate that side of themselves. An adult with a lightsaber in the 80's was kind of weird. An adult with a lightsaber now is cool.

Sure, I totally get this, I just saw props as very specialized. I also collect retro videogames and that's just something that anybody who likes games a lot might do. With movies, I can see people buying posters, physical media, and mass-produced licensed merchandising. It's probably the reason why stuff like Funkos is popular (apologies to anyone who likes those, I just genuinely consider them the epitome of trash merch). But fan-made replicas of film props? It feels like one step too far for the average person.

I guess the only difference is that most people might not even be aware they can get these things until they see them, and what a lot of these scam sites are doing is simply reaching the casual buyer with low-priced knock-offs. I suppose they target a different customer from a fan who sits there thinking "man, I wish I had that pendant from StarGate!", which eventually drives them to look for it or even make it themselves.

Yet, again, why now and not two, five, or ten years ago? Oh well.

 

[Starganderfish]

Sure, I totally get this, I just saw props as very specialized. I also collect retro videogames and that's just something that anybody who likes games a lot might do. With movies, I can see people buying posters, physical media, and mass-produced licensed merchandising. It's probably the reason why stuff like Funkos is popular (apologies to anyone who likes those, I just genuinely consider them the epitome of trash merch). But fan-made replicas of film props? It feels like one step too far for the average person.

I guess the only difference is that most people might not even be aware they can get these things until they see them, and what a lot of these scam sites are doing is simply reaching the casual buyer with low-priced knock-offs. I suppose they target a different customer from a fan who sits there thinking "man, I wish I had that pendant from StarGate!", which eventually drives them to look for it or even make it themselves.

Yet, again, why now and not two, five, or ten years ago? Oh well.

Yeah, I think you hit the nail there. Like you said, they're getting suggested on facebook and folks say "wow that looks good and it's not that expensive". The sellers are showing them pictures of cool props and selling them cheap crap instead.
As for why now? China, Vietnam and India has ever increasing small-run manufacturing capacity, technology has improved and gotten cheaper with CNC, 3D printing, digital prints, moulding etc.
Sites like Etsy are more prevalent, Amazon is opening up more and more as a sales and fulfillment platform for smaller independent retailers to sell random crap.
Plus people have been locked at home for months at a time during the pandemic and spent a lot of time indulging hobbies as well as binge watching content.
Then there's the whole culture of "the side hustle" which is really code for "cost of living is too high, wages are too low, I need another source of income" so being able to make and sell crap for a bit of extra cash is hugely tempting.
I don't think it's any one specific thing that's changed, it's just a whole bunch of small changes and evolutions in technology, commerce and society that have increased the prevalence of this. That's my speculation anyway.

It's a fascinating question and definitely food for thought. Thank you for raising it. I like this kind of thought expriment.