You’re hosting game night. The drinks are cold. You finally pull out that expansion pack you snagged for a "steal" on a random marketplace site. But as soon as you slide the cards out of the box, something feels... off. The cardboard is flimsy. The black ink looks grayish, almost like it was printed on a dying inkjet in someone’s basement. Worse, the cards are a different size than your main set, making it impossible to shuffle. You’ve just realized you bought a cards against humanity fake. It happens more than you'd think.
Honestly, it’s a massive problem. Because the game is licensed under Creative Commons, the creators—Max Temkin and the rest of the Chicago crew—actually let you download the PDF for free. They want you to play. But there’s a huge difference between a DIY "print at home" project and a third-party seller charging you $20 for a counterfeit box that claims to be the real deal. These bootlegs are flooding Amazon, eBay, and even Walmart’s third-party marketplace.
Why the Market is Crawling With Counterfeits
It’s basically a math problem for scammers. The real Cards Against Humanity (CAH) sets use high-quality, 300gsm (grams per square meter) cardstock with a plastic finish and a linen texture. That stuff isn't cheap. Scammers, on the other hand, use low-grade paperboard. They skip the protective coating. They don't care about "bleed" or color matching. When they sell a fake for $15 that costs them $2 to manufacture, the profit margins are insane.
Most people don't notice until they try to mix the cards into their original deck. That’s when the nightmare starts. You go to draw a card, and it’s a millimeter shorter than the rest. You can see it poking out. The game is literally ruined because you know exactly where the "fake" cards are in the stack. It kills the spontaneity that makes CAH actually fun.
The Dead Giveaways: How to Tell if It’s a Cards Against Humanity Fake
If you're holding a box and wondering if you got scammed, look at the logo first. The real logo is iconic—Helvetica Bold, perfectly spaced. Fakes often get the font slightly wrong. Maybe the "C" is a bit too wide. Maybe the kerning (the space between letters) looks cramped.
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Texture and Feel
Real cards have a "linen" finish. If you hold them up to a light, you’ll see tiny, cross-hatched indentations. This isn't just for looks; it creates air pockets that make the cards slide against each other smoothly. Fakes are usually glossy or completely flat. They feel like cheap business cards. If they stick together when you try to fan them out, they’re 100% counterfeit.
The Smell Test
This sounds weird, I know. But give the cards a sniff. Real CAH cards are printed with high-quality inks that don't really have a scent. Bootlegs often smell like heavy industrial chemicals or cheap glue. If opening the box gives you a headache, send it back.
Spelling and Grammar
You’d think scammers would just copy-paste the text, right? Wrong. Many cards against humanity fake versions are printed in factories where English isn't the primary language. I’ve seen cards with "Your" instead of "You're," or weird capitalization that isn't in the official version. The real game is polished. The jokes might be crude, but the editing is professional.
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The Creative Commons Confusion
Here is where it gets tricky. The CAH team released the game under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
What does that mean?
- BY: You have to give them credit.
- NC: Non-Commercial. You can't sell it for profit.
- SA: Share Alike. If you change it, you have to share it under the same rules.
When someone sells a "fake," they are violating the "Non-Commercial" part of that license. They are stealing the intellectual property of the creators. While CAH is famous for their "anti-marketing" (like the time they sold actual bull poop or dug a giant hole for no reason), they take their brand seriously. They’ve spent years building a specific tone. When you buy a bootleg, you’re often getting a weird mix of real jokes and bizarre, AI-generated nonsense that doesn't even make sense.
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Does It Really Matter?
Some people argue that if the cards work, who cares? Well, you should care. Beyond the quality issues, there’s the ethics of it. The CAH team puts a lot of money into charity. They’ve funded science scholarships for women, paid for the "Holiday Hole," and even bought a plot of land on the US-Mexico border to make it harder to build a wall. When you buy a cards against humanity fake, that money goes to a random person who likely contributes nothing back to the community or the game's development.
Plus, there’s the "expansion" problem. Most fakes are "all-in-one" bundles. They claim to have the Red Box, Blue Box, and Green Box all in one package. CAH rarely sells them like that in a single cheap pack. If the price looks too good to be true—like $30 for $100 worth of expansions—it’s a fake. Period.
Avoiding the Scams on Major Platforms
Amazon is the biggest culprit. They use "commingled inventory." This means if a legit seller and a scammer both send their "Cards Against Humanity" boxes to an Amazon warehouse, they all go into the same bin. You might buy from the official CAH store but get a box sent from a scammer's pile.
To avoid this, check the "Sold by" and "Ships from" info. It should ideally say Sold by Cards Against Humanity and Fulfilled by Amazon. If the seller is "SuperHappyFunTimeStore123," you’re rolling the dice.
What to Do if You Already Bought One
Don't just eat the cost. If you realized you have a cards against humanity fake, do this immediately:
- Request a Refund: Most platforms (Amazon, eBay) have strong buyer protection against counterfeits. Use the word "Counterfeit" in your claim. It’s a trigger word for their legal teams.
- Report the Seller: Help the next person. Reporting the listing is the only way these shops get taken down.
- Check the "Don't Buy This" Section: Go to the official CAH website. They often have warnings about current scams.
- Buy Direct: If you want to be 100% sure, just buy from their official site or a reputable brick-and-mortar store like Target. Target has an exclusive partnership with CAH, so you won't find fakes on their shelves.
The Bottom Line on Counterfeits
A fake deck is a buzzkill. It looks bad, feels bad, and ruins the mechanics of the game. If the "Black" cards aren't actually black and the "White" cards are a dingy yellow, the aesthetic is ruined. The game is built on a specific, minimalist design. When that's compromised, the whole vibe of your party shifts from "edgy fun" to "cheap knockoff."
Stick to the real deal. Your hands (and your friends) will thank you when the cards actually glide through the air instead of sticking together like wet napkins.
Next Steps for Your Game Night:
First, verify your current deck by checking for the linen texture on the card surface under a bright light. If you discover you have a counterfeit, document the differences and open a dispute with the retailer immediately. To ensure your next expansion is genuine, purchase directly from the official store or a verified retail partner like Target to guarantee you're getting the high-quality 300gsm cardstock the game is known for.