# GuanLong Repackaged as... The Cube



## SpeedCubeReview (Apr 20, 2015)

A cube as appeared on Amazon called "The Cube" from the company aGreatLife. They sent me a sample to demo. It is a GuanLong that has been repackaged. I asked them about it and the replied with "This is actually the first initial version and we are currently in the process of doing improvements. We are launching a new version soon. This initial version does serve a certain demographic and of course we do provide full money back guarantee for anyone not happy." Which doesn't address the issue. They then went on to tell me I shouldn't post a review just yet.

After a couple days of no reply to my followup email I decided to post a review on Amazon. Twice the review was not allowed to be posted. Possibly because I described a different product in the review. I do not know for sure.

You can see in the picture below by Guanlong on the right, and "The Cube" on the left.

What are your thoughts on the issue. I don't think I will make video about it. I would like to talk to the company i bit more.


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## CubeCow (Apr 20, 2015)

Yeah, this is real fishy.


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## rock1t (Apr 20, 2015)

ViolaBouquet said:


> A cube as appeared on Amazon called "The Cube" from the company aGreatLife. They sent me a sample to demo. It is a GuanLong that has been repackaged. I asked them about it and the replied with "This is actually the first initial version and we are currently in the process of doing improvements. We are launching a new version soon. This initial version does serve a certain demographic and of course we do provide full money back guarantee for anyone not happy." Which doesn't address the issue. They then went on to tell me I shouldn't post a review just yet.
> 
> After a couple days of no reply to my followup email I decided to post a review on Amazon. Twice the review was not allowed to be posted. Possibly because I described a different product in the review. I do not know for sure.
> 
> ...



It's not anything new.
Newisland phoenix is a rebranded QiYi bullfight
Rephael 3x3 is a rebranded YuLong
Formula cube is a rebranded Sulong
They are rebranding because the Wholesale price from these 3 YJ cubes ( Sulong, GuanLong, Yulong) are cheap and they sell it for more..


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## SpeedCubeReview (Apr 20, 2015)

rock1t said:


> It's not anything new.
> Newisland phoenix is a rebranded QiYi bullfight
> Rephael 3x3 is a rebranded YuLong
> Formula cube is a rebranded Sulong
> They are rebranding because the Wholesale price from these 3 YJ cubes ( Sulong, GuanLong, Yulong) are cheap and they sell it for more..



It is not all the same situation. Form what New Island tells me they originally ordered the cube to be designed, and now the plastics company is selling it to QiYi. New Island is not "rebranding" QiYi's cube (From what I have come to understand from the emails to the company).

I understand the cost effectiveness of buying GuanLongs in bulk, but that doesn't change the ridiculousness of the situation. If YJ is selling the cubes to them to rebrand it is slightly better than a company buying the cubes, putting them in a new box, and selling them as their own. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of it.


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## Yarco (Apr 20, 2015)

Its kind of a scumbag move, but I admire their business sense... they are going to make a lot of money off non-cubers or newer cubers doing this. Its a common practice called "Private Label" where cheaper products are rebranded and sold for more. Its common with cosmetic products, and nearly all dietary supplements are private label.

Moyu could easily fix it by creating some English packaging, reaching out to wholesalers, getting cubes into stores in North America... but they seem content with what they're doing already.


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## Animorpher13 (Apr 20, 2015)

...That is probably not legal. I'm glad all the serious cubers know about this issue now, but all the other people who don't know so much about may get ripped off by these guys.


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## theROUXbiksCube (Apr 20, 2015)

You should definitely call YJ and these guys, its probably not legal


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## rock1t (Apr 20, 2015)

theROUXbiksCube said:


> You should definitely call YJ and these guys, its probably not legal



There's no law in China that is against knockoff/re-branding. You can't really do anything if the company is in China. That's why ShengShou still produce big cubes knock-off. But if a company produce these big cubes (except v-cube) and the company is not in china, they can be in **** for copyright infringement (c)


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## cashis (Apr 20, 2015)

I'm pretty sure that QiYi was before the Pheonix. New island themselves admitted it was rebranded


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## rock1t (Apr 20, 2015)

cashis said:


> I'm pretty sure that QiYi was before the Pheonix. New island themselves admitted it was rebranded



They were. Newisland is a re-branded QiYi bullfight.


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

This is extremely poor ethics and morally wrong. Even if there's nothing illegal about it, I feel like the cubing community has a responsibility to try to hinder their sales as much as possible. Flood them with bad reviews. Make YouTube videos explaining how aGreatLife is a ripoff. Flood the big youtubers with requests to make the same kind of videos. Let's NOT stand by idly and let this happen.


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## Stefan (Apr 21, 2015)

Whoa, what? People buy something and resell it for more? No way! I'm sure all the other cubes stores don't do that.


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

Stefan said:


> Whoa, what? People buy something and resell it for more? No way! I'm sure all the other cubes stores don't do that.



If you can't see the difference between what this company is doing and what cube vendors do, then I don't know what to tell you.


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## Stefan (Apr 21, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> If you can't see the difference between what this company is doing and what cube vendors do, then I don't know what to tell you.



I see the difference, I just don't think it matters.

And lol about this not being legal.



rock1t said:


> But if a company produce these big cubes (except v-cube) and the company is not in china, they can be in ***** for copyright infringement (c)*



Their cubes are protected by copyrights? Since when?


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## NewCuber000 (Apr 21, 2015)

If a cuber is going through amazon looking at all these great cubes like the Gans356, the Yuxin and more for relatively good prices, and have done their research on what cubes are good and popular speedcubes, it's pretty rediculous that they would go for some overpriced, unknown thing called "The cube" over those. what logical person would do that? If you decide that's your best option then I'm sorry but you kind of deserve to be scammed XD


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

NewCuber000 said:


> If a cuber is going through amazon looking at all these great cubes like the Gans356, the Yuxin and more for relatively good prices, and have done their research on what cubes are good and popular speedcubes, it's pretty rediculous that they would go for some overpriced, unknown thing called "The cube" over those. what logical person would do that? If you decide that's your best option then I'm sorry but you kind of deserve to be scammed XD




This is not about experienced cubers. This is about people brand new to cubing being exploited. At least if they see it called a YJ GuanLong, they can look for other venders for better prices on the same cube. I don't believe that ANYONE deserves to be ripped off simply because they lack knowledge about a subject. This is exploitative and immoral.


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## cashis (Apr 21, 2015)

Morality isnt really something thats common in cubing, to be honest. It happens. Nobody was freaking out over the New Island, the Raphael, or anything else thats rebranded. It happens all the time, and its something that cant be avoided until china changes their laws. Sorry, DeeDubb, but it happens. At least they're getting a good cube.


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## Stefan (Apr 21, 2015)

$9.99 with free shipping for a good cube isn't even expensive. And would you rather have newbs be confused or turned off by all the China names and go with the known Rubik's brand?

Btw, I'm not 100% sure, but isn't Lubix just some repackaged silicone oil? With a steep markup? Am I mistaken about that, or why are you people not outraging about that? (Not hating on Lubix, just the first example that came to my mind.)


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

cashis said:


> *Morality isnt really something thats common in cubing, to be honest*. It happens. Nobody was freaking out over the New Island, the Raphael, or anything else thats rebranded. It happens all the time, and its something that cant be avoided until china changes their laws. Sorry, DeeDubb, but it happens. At least they're getting a good cube.



If it's not part of cubing, it should be. Just because it happens doesn't mean it should. I wasn't around for those other situations, so I can't speak on them. This one is not a rebranding. It's a company who is essentially selling a box for 1000% markup.



Stefan said:


> $9.99 with free shipping for a good cube isn't even expensive. And would you rather have newbs be confused or turned off by all the China names and go with the known Rubik's brand?



It's simply not a $10 cube. If they could sell it for $10 as a YJ Guanlong, why wouldn't they? I agree there's a problem with Chinese cubes being confusing and possibly inaccessible to newb cubers, but this is not a moral solution in my mind.



Stefan said:


> Btw, I'm not 100% sure, but isn't Lubix just some repackaged silicone oil? With a steep markup? Am I mistaken about that, or why are you people not outraging about that? (Not hating on Lubix, just the first example that came to my mind.)



I'm not sure, I thought they did something to it. I've never bought any, but I've bought cubicle lube which is possibly the same thing. To me, it was worth the convenient dispenser/quantity, and tacking it onto an already existing order to save on shipping (since I live in Korea, traxxas is a bit harder to get ahold of with cheap shipping).

I did buy a Lubix WeiLong as a noob, which I was a bit duped on, but at least they put in some work modding the cube, which has some value. It's still a good cube, but I wouldn't buy from Lubix again, now that I'm more knowledgeable.


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## Musicalboy2 (Apr 21, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> It's a company who is essentially selling a box for 1000% markup.



How do you feel about bottled water?


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

Musicalboy2 said:


> How do you feel about bottled water?



I will usually buy a bottle and refill it until I lose it (I used to buy aluminum ones, but i have a horrible habit of leaving things places, so it got spendy). I think bottles of water are hurting the planet, but at the same time, it's better for people to drink water than sugary terrible stuff. Much like lubix, there is a convenience factor of having a quantity needed in a form that's easy to use, which at least gives the consumer SOMETHING.

Regardless of my feelings on bottled water, there's very little I can do to make a difference. However, with one small company exploiting people, there's a lot that I and our community can do if we work together.


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## GuRoux (Apr 21, 2015)

reselling, i'm assuming without permission, is bad enough. putting your name on it is even worse. definitely immoral and should not be promoted.


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## cashis (Apr 21, 2015)

I'm not meaning to argue, but the other companies are also doing the same thing. The only difference between the New Island cube and the QiYi cube is the box.
Heck, rubiks themselves just did it with a witeden 4x4


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## DeeDubb (Apr 21, 2015)

cashis said:


> I'm not meaning to argue, but the other companies are also doing the same thing. The only difference between the New Island cube and the QiYi cube is the box.



Ok, we should do the same thing to them as well. I wasn't aware of that situation. The Cubicle at least put a notice on their website informing people of the rebranding, and New Island admits it. It seems like it's possible that New Island is working with Qiyi and possibly has their permission. I don't know about the situation with "The Cube", but it seems like they are just doing it on their own. Especially considering exactly HOW MUCH Cheaper the GuanLong is at wholesale (as low as .50 directly from Moyu + shipping, or .80 from zcube), there's no reason to work with YJ/Moyu when you have that kind of profit margin.

If YJ/Moyu gave permission to do this, then whatever. It's still a horrible ripoff, but at least it's working in coordination with the original manufacturer.


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## Stefan (Apr 21, 2015)

GuRoux said:


> reselling, i'm assuming without permission, is bad enough.



What the...? Why would you need permission to resell something?


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## GuRoux (Apr 21, 2015)

Stefan said:


> What the...? Why would you need permission to resell something?



yeah, i guess you're right, wasn't really thinking there.


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## Ordway Persyn (Apr 21, 2015)

cashis said:


> I'm not meaning to argue, but the other companies are also doing the same thing. The only difference between the New Island cube and the QiYi cube is the box.
> Heck, rubiks themselves just did it with a witeden 4x4


To my knowledge the new rubik's 4x4 is just based on the witfour, and not a repackaged cube.


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## DeeDubb (Apr 22, 2015)

If anyone cares enough, they can leave a review similar to this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1IXL7M8FA7MBD/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00OKIFV3Y

It took me about 5 tries to get one accepted. You CANNOT mention anything about the company in your review, or Amazon reviewers will reject it. You can only talk about the cube itself.


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## cashis (Apr 22, 2015)

Ordway Persyn said:


> To my knowledge the new rubik's 4x4 is just based on the witfour, and not a repackaged cube.



Oh. I was under the impression it was exactly the same.


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## Stefan (Apr 22, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> You CANNOT mention anything about the company in your review, or Amazon reviewers will reject it.



Yeah, it's really annoying if people downvote a product when their problem is actually something else. Kudos for doing something about this abuse, Amazon!

From here:


Daniel C. White said:


> At the time of this review, the company has not responded to any of these claims, but they have responded to almost every positive review. *This shows that they are reading these, but afraid to reply.*



All their responses were 11 days ago. Those claims were posted 5 days ago and later. Thus this does *not* show they've read them. And they only responded to the first four out of the 14 positive reviews, that's not _"almost every"_ like you claim. That they stopped after the earliest four also contradicts your point.

From here:


Daniel C. White said:


> I'm trying to let people know that this ISN'T "The Cube"


Well actually it is. The fact that it's likely also something else doesn't change that.

From here::


Daniel C. White said:


> It seems they don't even provide instructions! If they printed out a booklet with English instructions and included that, it would at least be SOMETHING.



Um, what? From the cuber buyer you tried hard to make him angry:
"Just look at the wonderful packaging. I seriously love how aGreatLife designed it, this is my first time seeing a box like that"
"Comes with online guide if you need help"
link
How did you miss this?

You can also see the indeed nice box and the reference to the online guide in the pictures of the top review, which is shown right on the front sales page:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KYFB0ZZTMALA/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00OKIFV3Y
How did you miss this?

Quotes from the buyer you tried even harder to make him angry:
"I feel his price is actually very reasonable given all the info."
"He is actually giving the cube at a great deal."
"Just buying at low cost and selling at the price they want to sell it at, is free marketing."
link, link and link with good points.

TL;DR You're sloppy, misleading, and can't even convince the "victims", but are a source of lulz (I really had to laugh when I read steve's last replies to you containing the above quotes).


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## DeeDubb (Apr 22, 2015)

Stefan said:


> Stefan's stuff



A. I don't eat at Chick-Fil-A because I don't like the stance they took on gay marriage. It doesn't matter how the food tastes. Amazon doesn't allow me to downvote a seller without buying their product, which I'm not going to do.

B. What the hell is an online guide? Something I can google myself? I said it should INCLUDE a guide in the box, which would be something. New Island actually puts a guide in the box. I still don't think it's worth the extra cost, but it's better than nothing.

C. I'm just trying to inform people so they can make a more educated decision. If they think $10 is fair for a YJ GuanLong, that's fine.

D. You're right about me not noticing how far back the replies from the company were. I'll edit my comment to reflect that.

E. I wasn't trying to antagonize anyone. 

The first one clearly knew it was a rebranding, but barely mentioned that in his review. He says "This cube is a rebrand and brings better satisfaction." So I asked him "How in the world does a new box bring better satisfaction?" Is that not a fair question? 

The second one you reference made his points and I made mine. He seems to be a professional Amazon reviewer. He's not a cuber. He was given a heavy discount ($1.99) to make his review. He said even said: "I wouldn't have paid for it." and "If I could buy the same product for less; I would buy that. I feel for the person getting ripped off but if the option to pay less is availble; I will pay less."

EDIT: His last comments, which I just read retract this a bit. He's saying that the guy isn't actually making that much money, but other's are selling GuanLongs for as low as $5.53 on Amazon with free shipping (and the Cube isn't even free shipping unless you spend over $35, unless I'm understanding incorrectly), so I think he's still wrong in saying that $10 is a fair deal, but he's done with that argument and so am I. Anyone who reads through those comments will be able to make the judgment themselves and decide if they want to buy The Cube.

Like I said, some people will think it's wrong, others won't. If you want to get your lulz from that, it's fine.

*My main point is:* Would anyone who is informed, knowing EXACTLY what they are paying for still buy this product based on what they'll receive. I feel like the vast majority wouldn't. If I'm right about this, then the vast majority of this company's sales will be due to consumer ignorance. This feels very wrong to me. If you disagree, and don't feel like this is wrong, that's fine, but at that point it becomes a completely subjective matter of morality, which everyone has their own personal feeling about, so it'll be hard for you to convince me or me to convince you otherwise.

I'm only asking for the people who agree with me, and want to do something about it, to write a review and help educate people.


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## jms (Apr 22, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> *My main point is:* Would anyone who is informed, knowing EXACTLY what they are paying for still buy this product based on what they'll receive. I feel like the vast majority wouldn't. If I'm right about this, then the vast majority of this company's sales will be due to consumer ignorance.


Yeah, but would any informed person buy a Guanlong from, say, Amazon and pay $5.99 when they could buy from zcubes or something, and pay perhaps $2, for example.

I'd say probably not, but the reason they buy from Amazon is they are ignorant about the fact they can get the same cube cheaper elsewhere.

By logical extension of your argument, the whole profit motive is immoral.

Or am I missing something?


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## DeeDubb (Apr 22, 2015)

jms said:


> Yeah, but would any informed person buy a Guanlong from, say, Amazon and pay $5.99 when they could buy from zcubes or something, and pay perhaps $2, for example.



It ends up being pretty close to the same cost with shipping, and also there's a trust factor, so I can't blame people too much for buying their first cubes from Amazon. At least they have an opportunity to look around for better prices on the same cube if they know the name of it.





jms said:


> By logical extension of your argument, the whole profit motive is immoral.
> 
> Or am I missing something?



You are missing something. Profit is important. People have to make a living in a capitalist society. However, when profit is made primarily through misleading the ignorant, I find that to be immoral. I would personally never run a business that way.


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## Stefan (Apr 22, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> New Island actually puts a guide in the box. I still don't think it's worth the extra cost, but it's *better than nothing*.



An online guide isn't nothing. Neither is the box.



DeeDubb said:


> the Cube isn't even free shipping unless you spend over $35



Oh, I didn't see that last night. Sorry if that was there and I missed it.


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## SpeedCubeReview (Apr 27, 2015)

So the reviews on the Amazon page pretty much doubled in the past few days. All 5-star reviews. Suddenly after a few 1-star reviews went up saying it is a GuanLong.


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## molarmanful (Apr 27, 2015)

I love how the Amazon product title is so big. And I love how all the non-cubers/beginners are wooing the cube in the reviews.


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## DeeDubb (Apr 27, 2015)

ViolaBouquet said:


> So the reviews on the Amazon page pretty much doubled in the past few days. All 5-star reviews. Suddenly after a few 1-star reviews went up saying it is a GuanLong.



Well, I did what I could. We have the community to dominate their artificial inflation of positive reviews and downvoting of all the negative reviews, but not many seem to be as concerned about this as me.

EDIT: Not meaning my last sentence to be positive or negative, just a statement. If this doesn't bother you, I don't think you're a bad person or anything. We just have a different way of thinking.


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## supercavitation (Apr 27, 2015)

DeeDubb said:


> Well, I did what I could. We have the community to dominate their artificial inflation of positive reviews and downvoting of all the negative reviews, but not many seem to be as concerned about this as me.
> 
> EDIT: Not meaning my last sentence to be positive or negative, just a statement. If this doesn't bother you, I don't think you're a bad person or anything. We just have a different way of thinking.



Just got my response from Amazon, they won't post my review. Didn't mention the Guanlong once.


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## DeeDubb (Apr 27, 2015)

supercavitation said:


> Just got my response from Amazon, they won't post my review. Didn't mention the Guanlong once.



Yeah, I had a few rejected. You CAN mention the GuanLong, you CAN'T mention the company.

Just say something like "Repackaged Chinese Cube" or something like that. Avoid talking about "them" repackaging it. It's really annoying. Amazon does a good job of protecting the sellers.


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## SpeedCubeReview (Apr 27, 2015)

I have uploaded a video talking about "TheCube" This will probably be the last I will say on it. Although I dislike what is happening, I want the SpeedCubeReview site to say positive.


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## Ordway Persyn (Apr 29, 2015)

Wether this is a repackaged Guanlong ( like i think it is) or just a clone Its still a rip off, its 10x more expensive than a Guanlong and you shouldn't waste 
your money on it. (that must be one really expensive box)


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## Praetorian (Apr 29, 2015)

it's funny cause guanlongs don't even corner cut like a dream


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## pdilla (Apr 29, 2015)

I kinda want to put a "The Cube" box in a box of my own...

Maybe charge a few dollars more if I throw a written guide in it...


SRS EDIT----


My sarcasm aside, what this_ seems_ to be is an example of so-called "Reverse Passing-Off".

This is when a seller purchases a product from a competitor, replaces the original trademark with his own, then sells it under the new trademark. It is a form of Trademark infringement that violates § 43(a) of the Lanham Act.

This is *fundamentally different* from rebranding.

Rebranding occurs when a company, typically for marketing purposes, aims to change it's brand identity in the mind of consumers by making changes to it's logo, advertising style, or even its brand name itself. It is a change from _within_ a company. This stands in stark contrast to what seems to be occurring here.

The issue isn't merely selling someone else's product. Rather, it is the deliberate misrepresentation of someone else's goods as your own.

Now with that being said, there are a few things to consider;
First, the Lanham Act is the primary federal trademark statute of law in the _United States_. Apart from a few exceptions trademark laws apply only in their applicable country. I'm unsure where the seller is located, but if they are in a country where Reverse Passing-Off is perfectly legal, then the our complaints about it will fall upon deaf ears.***

Second, the seller may not be reverse passing-off at all. Perhaps they are manufacturing the cubes themselves, using YJ's design. This is extremely unlikely in this particular case, however, and would in any case then fall into legal issues about patents (if YJ owns any).

Third and finally, the company of "The Cube" may have already struck an agreement with YJ specifying that they will resell with their own mark. We simply don't have enough information to make a sound judgement of whether or not this is the case.

I hope to have cleared up some of the confusion that seemed to be floating around about what _precisely_ it is that is going on here. It isn't about merely selling someone else's products, or even selling it at a higher price. Both of these things are perfectly legal in the right context.


*TL;DR*
"_The Cube_" *would* be in the wrong *if *;
1. they are attempting to sell _YJ_'s actual product with "_The Cube_"'s trademark replacing YJ's
2. without permission from _YJ_
3. in a country that has outlawed this practice

It hasn't been shown that all of these are true as of yet.****



-----notes------


"Passing off (or palming off, as it is sometimes called) occurs when a producer misrepresents his own goods or services as someone else's. Reverse passing off, as its name implies, is the opposite: The producer misrepresents someone else's goods or services as his own."
-Dastar v Twentieth Century Fox, Justice Scalia

*The moral issue is another factor entirely, but I'd really rather not have to commit to and defend a moral theory in order to make the case that "The Cube" shouldn't have happened.

**Legalities aside, if it turns out that (1, 2) are true while (3) isn't, it's still a dìck move.


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## TheFearlessPro (Mar 14, 2016)

its so stupid.. I was reading the description of "THe Cube" and it said right there "Guanlong structure" I be like *facepalm*


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## SpeedCubeReview (Mar 14, 2016)

TheFearlessPro said:


> its so stupid.. I was reading the description of "THe Cube" and it said right there "Guanlong structure" I be like *facepalm*



Yeah after I called them out on it they adjusted the description but they're still trying to say that it's their own special design but just might be similar.


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## CubeBag (Mar 14, 2016)

I really hate that company


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## Myachii (Mar 14, 2016)

gj bump


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## Joel2274 (Mar 15, 2016)

I think I might have had the same problem on amazon but with a different seller. I was early into cubing and wanted to get a 4x4 and me being a noob, just bought the cheapest one on amazon. It was supposed to be a QiYi but when it came in, it had no logo on it or anything and came in an all black box with just a little chinese writing on it, no english so I couldn't tell. anyway, it broke after 2 days. Not popped, broke. My dad wasn't satisfied tho so he went into an email war with the company and got me my 6 bucks back. It wasn't really that big a deal but its stupid that you don't know if you're gonna get what you ordered on amazon anymore.


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## CubeBag (Mar 17, 2016)

Lesson learned, don't buy cubes off amazon.


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## Berd (Mar 17, 2016)

CubeBag said:


> Lesson learned, don't buy cubes off amazon.


I bought a 'Shengshou' Megaminx of Amazon, I got a QJ!


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## Ordway Persyn (Mar 17, 2016)

CubeBag said:


> Lesson learned, don't buy cubes off amazon.



Depends, I've got my shengshou 8x8, 9x9 and 10x10 off amazon with no issue.


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## TheFearlessPro (Mar 17, 2016)

So they still have it in thw description. "This standard (Guanlong structure) 3x3x3..." LOL


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## CubeBag (Mar 18, 2016)

Ordway Persyn said:


> Depends, I've got my shengshou 8x8, 9x9 and 10x10 off amazon with no issue.



Usually they don't counterfeit or replace Shengshou cubes, just because they're so cheap to begin with.


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## shadowslice e (Mar 18, 2016)

CubeBag said:


> Usually they don't counterfeit or replace Shengshou cubes, just because they're so cheap to begin with.



Well berd ordered a shengshou mega and got a qj


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## Ordway Persyn (Mar 18, 2016)

CubeBag said:


> Usually they don't counterfeit or replace Shengshou cubes, just because they're so cheap to begin with.



Generally look at the reviews and usually if there are very few negative reviews it's probably the real deal. Also if you do get a fake cube you can report the person you bought it from.


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## CubeBag (Mar 27, 2016)

I say we spam them with one star reviews. I can't stand to see people get scammed right before their eyes and there's almost no possible way for them to realize that they did.


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## Ordway Persyn (Mar 27, 2016)

CubeBag said:


> I say we spam them with one star reviews. I can't stand to see people get scammed right before their eyes and there's almost no possible way for them to realize that they did.



Look at Erlier posts in this thread. You apparently have to buy the thing before you make a Review and you can't mention other products in the review.


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## dskids (Mar 28, 2016)

Am I the only person who doesn't view this as a big deal at all? 

There are countless examples in business of virtually identical products being rebranded and sold under different labels. In the cubing world, there are of course the NewIsland and QiYi cross branded puzzles, in the automotive world you have the FR-S and BRZ for example, just to name a couple. 

In this case I'm assuming that most people take exception to the fact that The Cube charges essentially 3 times the normal price for what amounts to a repackaged GuanLong. What most people are overlooking is that The Cube has added value in the form of a successful marketing campaign. They have developed attractive English language packaging, they have created an Amazon listing that articulates the benefits of a dedicated speedcube over standard Rubik's cube. They have actually described the item in detail in their ad... these are all things that the manufacturers themselves, and the Chinese-run speedcube shops on Amazon have failed to do. They even include access to their online solution guide, which is presumably a beginner-oriented guide with similar attention to content and accessibility (can't confirm, as I've not accessed it). 

How does The Cube pay for all this packaging and marketing? They charge more for their version of the cube. All it does is accomplish what any marketing campaign sets out to do: convince people to buy their product at the asking price. If the market won't sustain that price, the seller can change it or they will be out of business in short order.

As an experienced cuber you might be thinking to yourself that no amount of "packaging" could possibly justify the 300% markup on this item. You may view it is an immoral "scam". If you were selling a car and went through the trouble of washing and detailing the vehicle, making flyers detailing the features of your car, and posting them around town, on craigslist, etc, would you feel like you scammed someone if you ended up getting more for your car than someone who didn't do any of that?

Maybe you accept that The Cube can charge whatever they like but it is an outrage that so many members of the cubing community have apparently been scammed into buying this thing when they could have just bought a GuanLong. To that I would say: The people buying the cube were never going to buy a GuanLong in the first place. The people buying The Cube are going after a neat stocking stuffer with Prime shipping. Bonus that it purportedly turns better than an old dusty Rubik's and comes with an online guide. Makes a great gift under 20 bucks. That person was never going buy a $4 hunk of plastic covered in Chinese characters from a seller that only takes Paypal and ships in 3 weeks.

That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but what I'm trying to say is that The Cube is not ripping off wide-eyed, motivated young speedcubers on a budget. Anyone truly on a budget who cared about getting the most for their money would've seen the whole mess of cubes on Amazon ranging from $2-$25 and done a little research before pulling the trigger on a $12 cube. At the end of the day, the people buying The Cube are getting exactly what they wanted: an accessible, decent turning puzzle that doesn't look foreign, doesn't break the bank, and arrives at their house in 2 days. The fact that they _could've possibly gotten more for the money_ doesn't really change that, and I'm surprised people are so worked up about it. Your energy is admirable but direct it toward a more worthwhile cause than spamming a legitimate business' Amazon page with negative reviews.


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## SpeedCubeReview (Apr 6, 2016)

dskids said:


> Am I the only person who doesn't view this as a big deal at all?



If right off the bat they said this is a GuanLong but defended the price with packaging, and all of the other things you mentioned I would be much less harsh about my review and honestly accepting of the idea. 

Since they tried to tell me multiple times that "the cube" was their own design, not repackaged anything, and had worked with a company to design a whole new cube I took that as direct lying and and attempt to deceive the customer.


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## CubeBag (Apr 10, 2016)

Ordway Persyn said:


> Look at Erlier posts in this thread. You apparently have to buy the thing before you make a Review and you can't mention other products in the review.



You don't need to buy a product to review the product, it will just say "Amazon Verified Purchase" if you buy it.


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## DGCubes (Apr 27, 2016)

So... apparently they now also sell "The Cuby" and "The Cubinati."
Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Cube-Precisel...=UTF8&qid=1461789281&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cube
If you change the color (lol) it changes to a 2x2 and Pyraminx. I wonder if these are actual new designs or if it's just another repackaging. They look pretty bad though. The Cuby doesn't even have the standard color scheme.


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## Matt11111 (Apr 27, 2016)

DGCubes said:


> So... apparently they now also sell "The Cuby" and "The Cubinati."
> Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Cube-Precisel...=UTF8&qid=1461789281&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cube
> If you change the color (lol) it changes to a 2x2 and Pyraminx. I wonder if these are actual new designs or if it's just another repackaging. They look pretty bad though. The Cuby doesn't even have the standard color scheme.


Oh gosh no.

Welp, time for some more investigation. Someone buy these and compare the mechanisms. THEN we can boycott this company.

Actually, scratch that. Boycott them now. They literally say it's a MoYu Pyraminx. Hang on a sec. 

Alright, nothing about the 2x2, but I like how they feel the need to say the cube is non toxic.


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## DGCubes (Apr 28, 2016)

Matt11111 said:


> Oh gosh no.
> 
> Welp, time for some more investigation. Someone buy these and compare the mechanisms. THEN we can boycott this company.
> 
> ...



That picture looks nothing like a MoYu Pyraminx. It's not even florian modded at all, and the stickers definitely aren't MoYu, unless it's just a 3D rendering of it. That'd be a new level of bad; a repackaging of a cube that's not even what they advertise it to be... maybe those pictures just aren't actually it.


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## Matt11111 (Apr 28, 2016)

DGCubes said:


> That picture looks nothing like a MoYu Pyraminx. It's not even florian modded at all, and the stickers definitely aren't MoYu, unless it's just a 3D rendering of it. That'd be a new level of bad; a repackaging of a cube that's not even what they advertise it to be... maybe those pictures just aren't actually it.


Maybe someone should buy these then... Just to check.


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## Abo (Apr 28, 2016)

There is a 'money back guarantee' if anyone wants to investigate, and this whole thing is overall not a huge deal, it provides to people that have no experience with cubes other than Rubik's brand, and seeing all these Chinese names could be intimidating to some, not having a clue as to what their really getting in the product


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## Ordway Persyn (Apr 28, 2016)

Oh gosh thats just too funny. Cubinati, really?


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## DeeDubb (Apr 28, 2016)

Well, it looks like the company has a successful business model. It's a real shame. I definitely tried to make an impact, but it's another example of people finding a way to make money off of nothing more than good branding and cheap Chinese labor (the irony is not lost on me, as I sit at my computer wearing a Nike windbreaker).


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## Drad (Apr 28, 2016)

I really want to buy there 3x3 in bulk and sell it as A cube and give all the profit to yj.


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## Matt11111 (Apr 28, 2016)

Drad said:


> I really want to buy there 3x3 in bulk and sell it as A cube and give all the profit to yj.


Yes. Please do this.


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## Sion (Apr 28, 2016)

So... in a sense, it's a premium moyu pyraminx?


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## Drad (Apr 28, 2016)

Sion said:


> So... in a sense, it's a premium moyu pyraminx?


I don't think it is its just a re brand.


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