India is well-known for scams. If there is something to be exploited, folks will exploit it. Same goes for Beyblades. Not everyone interested in buying Beys is in multiple groups, knows reputed sellers, or knows experts for price check or fake/original comparison. As such, there is always an opportunity for bad actors to scam these people.
I’ve been scammed multiple times myself, before I was part of a larger network or community of Beyblade collectors and Bladers in India. And if you are concerned too, then this guide is for you.
#1 Scam: Selling Fakes
There are several scams you need to know about. The first one is selling fakes without telling you it’s a fake.
The easiest scam is to sell you a fake. New collectors don’t know how to tell a fake from a real one. Plastic Gen Beys have fakes, MFB Beys have fakes and midfakes, Burst Beys have cheap knock-offs, and even Beyblade X has many non-original/non-licensed third-party brands giving you inferior stuff.
The main problem with fakes is that they are made with cheaper materials, are weaker (can break on their very first spin), are very light (so terrible competitive value), and might contain lead in their metal parts (which is hazardous, especially for younger kids).
There are several ways to tell if it’s a fake. When you are making a deal, always ask for a picture of all parts separately (disassembled) and both sides.
If someone is just terrible at scamming people, they will not be able to give you more pictures if you ask. So, always ask for more pictures. And if they have already given you a lot of pictures, ask for a video of the Bey.
With these pictures, you can tell apart if a Bey is fake or not (mostly), given that the pictures are clear. So, before you do anything else, look for these signs:
Plastic Gen Beys
Plastic Gen Beys have production-related codes written on their parts. Which generation it is (Bakuten, V/V2, G/GT, HMS, etc.) determines where such text will be. But you can expect these:
- Underneath the attack ring
- On the blade base’s edges
Also, keep in mind that if a Bey does not disassemble (or disassemble the correct way), like if it has a screw, then it’s a fake.
Over time, you will learn how to spot fakes by just taking a look at its picture. They look cheaper and low-quality, lacking many details. Some are just cooked-up designs, and not actual Beyblade replicas.
Metal Fight Beys
Metal Fight Beys have fakes and midfakes. It’s extremely easy to tell a fake apart. It will lack material in key areas. MFB fake manufacturers don’t even try. They sell for ₹100-500 a piece, sometimes 4-5 pieces in a combo pack of ₹500. If you are buying online, it’s most likely fake. It will not have the Takara or Hasbro logo.
And nobody sells MFB fakes. It’s just not economical because they are so cheap. To make a profit, they need to sell them for much higher and the risk is too high.
But let’s talk about midfakes.
Some people actually buy midfakes. They are a serious alternative because the prices of original Beys have skyrocketed now. From what we understand so far, midfakes can match or even beat their original counterparts in terms of performance.
Most sellers will clarify if it’s a midfake (or “mid”). To check yourself, you can check the code. TT/Hasbro or original MFBs have a particular code on the box. If it doesn’t match, it’s a midfake. How do you check the right code? There is a Reddit thread, but it could be incomplete. Ask on this subreddit itself to double-check.
Think of midfakes as Beyblades made by a different company apart from TT, Hasbro, Sonokong, and Funskool. These are not bad performance-wise, but some midfakes can be unpredictably less durable.
There are codes on MFBs too, especially on the face bolt. Some also have codes inside the tip (hollow part) and underneath the wheel.
Face bolts have codes. The “front profile” Quetzalcoatl has “D,” and the black Hades Kerbecs has “G8”. Always ask for face bolt codes. Also, when you see the fusion wheels of Beys, they might have codes too, like “A4.”
With all that out of the way, here are some pictures for fakes.
Burst Beyblades
With Burst, Takara tried to fight the problem of fakes in a digital way. Under the upper layer, you have a QR code that can be scanned. Ask for the picture of that.
Notably, fake Burst Beys are not a huge issue in India. Burst has some official supply through third-party importers and even known toy brands. For example, Amazon listings of Burst Beys are original. In malls, you can find Burst Beys in Hamleys. And so on.
And resellers don’t bother hunting for fake Burst Beys to scam you. Burst Beys are cheap, and everyone knows that, so if you are a Burst collector, you are safer compared to MFB collectors and plastic gen collectors.
Beyblade X
The supply of Beyblade X is good (not official, but good). This is because it’s currently in production. When Bladers/collectors in Japan, the US, Korea, etc. want to sell their lots, they list them on marketplaces, and sellers import those lots. Many sellers also import new BBX items (in box) in bulk from their contacts overseas.
The possibility of you encountering a “fake” Beyblade X item is quite low, though Chinese manufacturers do produce knockoffs. If you go to Alibaba/AliExpress and search, you will find parts being sold for much cheaper—these are fakes. But typical sellers are not running an import/export business, which is required to import from China, so you are safe for the most part.
Note: The Plastic Gen × Bakuten Shoot repro Beys that have been circulating on the internet are not original. But they are also not what I’d call “fake,” as the word fake has a bad connotation. These are more akin to MFB midfakes. They are made with proper attention to detail, have parts that disassemble neatly, and can be a fun item to have (especially given how Takara has done such a terrible job in making the Bakuten Shoot × Beyblade X products on their own—the designs are just bad).
Other Scam Types
Apart from selling you fakes, here are some other things to take note of:
- Sellers might mix mids or even fakes in their typical sales listings. Sometimes, they don’t do proper checks themselves. A reputable seller will refund you if they accidentally sell you a fake.
- Some scammers don’t have the Bey at all. Maybe they tell you it’s in pre-order or that they actually have it, without having it. That’s why you should always ask for more pictures or videos aside from what they shared already. If the backgrounds, lightning, camera quality, item quality, etc., match, then it’s probably in-hand.
- This one is rarer. Sometimes, you will see excellent quality pictures and buy, only to receive a Bey that is not as advertised. Sadly, nothing can be done in these cases except for reaching out for help/support. Many scammers even take pictures from other people’s sales listings and advertise as their own.
- If you paid for a Bey in part, promising to pay the remaining amount later, but then you changed your mind (or wanted to put the money toward something else), then you’re at the mercy of the seller. This happens a lot more commonly than you’d think. In many cases, the seller simply refused to pay back or sell you something else. Not all sellers honor buyers the same way. Avoid stretching out your payment by a lot. Save up and then buy.
- Scammers will often create urgency. If someone is too desperate to sell, avoid buying, unless you’re 100% sure they are legit. Good sellers aren’t desperate to sell a single Bey to a random stranger. And if you are in need of a particular Bey, then you can always find it later (unless if it’s too rare, at which point it’s up to you whether you want to take the risk or not).
- Listings on OLX and Facebook Marketplace are almost always scams or inflated. You will find people selling Beys on OLX for astronomical prices. Their intention could be to scam unsuspecting people, or they simply don’t know the worth of their Beys themselves.
Stick With Reputed Sellers
Over time, as you buy more, you will learn about a few reputed sellers. On the Indian Beyblade subreddit, I made a post a year ago about reputed Beyblade sellers in India. Though I am by no means a 100% knowledgeable source, but this list can be a good starting point as I have written it for the new collector.
How beginner-friendly the reputation, quality, shipping, etc., are is all there. I have also mentioned how reasonable their prices are. You can find this list here: Reputed Beyblade Sellers in India (Alphabetical Order).
If you are just getting started on your journey, the 13 sellers mentioned here should be more than enough for you. Most have WhatsApp groups. The list includes the older sellers—like Beyblade Shop India, which has been selling since 2017 (website since 2021)—as well as newer sellers—like the IBU WhatsApp community and the Let It Rip group.
Know Price Ranges
This one takes time. There is no shortcut here.
Every Beyblade generation has a rough price band in India, and once you internalize it, half the scams stop working on you automatically. Scammers survive on confusion. Familiarity kills them.
- Plastic Gen is the easiest place to get burned. Loose common Beys can range from ₹1,500 to ₹4,000 depending on condition. Complete combos, anime Beys, boxed items, HMS, or GT parts can jump far higher. If someone offers you a “mint Dragoon GT” for ₹900, you are not lucky. You are being played.
- Burst is simple. Stock Burst Beys are cheap. Everyone knows that. Inflated prices here usually mean ignorance, not malice—but ignorance still costs money.
- Beyblade X is currently stable because supply exists. Prices make sense. If you see BBX being sold for absurd money, it is either a scalper or someone betting on your lack of market awareness.
Many people have a pretty good idea of what items should cost. For example, a mint Dragoon GT can cost ₹10,000 to ₹15,000. A mint Takara L-Drago Destructor F:S can cost ₹2500 to ₹3500. Rarer items like Killer Eagle can cost more. Extremely rare items or limited edition sets, like the Valkyrie Bolt Gold Metal Coat can cost over ₹15,000. Some items even go for ₹30,000, ₹40,000, ₹60,000, depending on their rarity and condition. It’s also not rare for people to buy Beys in lakhs and pay in part or EMIs from reputed sellers.
Some items are just impossible to buy.
The trick is repetition. Watch sales posts. Observe what actually sells. Not what is listed—what gets sold. Within a few months, your gut will start rejecting bad deals before your brain catches up.
And yes, sometimes good deals exist. But genuine good deals come with context, pictures, explanations, and reputation. Scams come with urgency.
Be a Part of the Community
Buying Beyblades alone is how most people get scammed.
Once you join Indian Beyblade WhatsApp groups, Discord servers, or Reddit threads, the game changes. You suddenly have ten people you can ask, “Is this price okay?” or “Does this look real?” And someone will reply, usually within minutes.
Price checks are normal. Fake checks are normal. Nobody gets offended by these questions unless they are hiding something. Communities also expose repeat offenders fast. A seller who ghosts buyers, ships junk, swaps parts, or misrepresents items does not stay hidden for long. Word travels. Screenshots circulate. Names stick.
You also start learning passively. You see discussions about codes, weights, molds, releases, and variants. That knowledge compounds. Eventually, you stop asking and start answering.
Most importantly, community buying shifts the power balance. Scammers rely on isolation. Communities remove it.
Wrapping Up
Beyblade scams in India exist because the hobby sits at an awkward intersection—nostalgia, scarcity, and poor public knowledge. That makes new collectors easy targets.
But this is not a hopeless space.
Ask for more pictures. Ask for videos. Learn how parts should look. Learn rough price ranges. Avoid urgency. Stick with known sellers. And plug yourself into the community as early as possible.
Every experienced collector you see today has been scammed at least once. Sometimes more. The difference is that they learned, adjusted, and moved forward.
If you do the same, the hobby becomes what it should be—fun, social, and genuinely rewarding.
