Fake Zion Williamson basketball cards are draining big bucks -- thousands of dollars -- from unknowing buyers over on eBay

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The speculation and big business that will be Zion Williamson basketball cards this season and in the future is already apparent -- but in a negative way -- over on eBay.

How do we know? The sales of fake cards. Yes, fake cards.

Fleer, Gatorade, McDonald's, DC Comics, Marvel Comics and even Rated Rookie (on an opposing company's design) trademarks can be seen on Williamson cards not made or authorized by their respective owners -- and there's no compensation being made to owners of intellectual property of the Duke Blue Devils the NBA or the New Orleans Pelicans for the use of their logos and other legally protected intellectual property.

The memorable designs of the past like the 1986-87 Fleer set above -- owned by Upper Deck -- are also being absconded (though many designs aren't generally trademarked) and other notable athletes such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James -- guys whose image rights are also in high-dollar demand -- also are having their likenesses used without authorization (in NBA uniforms) to make money selling fake cardboard that's all over eBay. (Jordan is exclusive to Upper Deck for card appearances and his ink is also an exclusive there just like it is for James.) Photographers also aren't being compensated for the use of their work like they would be when card companies pay them or their employers to use images. Then there are "graded" cards with autographs attached, cards with facsimile autos in slabs and many cards in sealed holders emulating card companies' uncirculated efforts.

Right now, there are nearly 1,300 different active eBay auctions for "Zion Williamson" in the basketball cards category -- meanwhile just two legitimately authorized cards exist right now. Expand that search to all items and there's plenty more to be found.

The only real -- 100 percent authorized -- cardboard for the former Duke star is his Panini Instant draft night card, above, and its parallels that are severely limited. The main card remains for sale -- printed to order -- after another week for that one, so any listings are pre-sells of the legit cards which will physically be printed once that sales window closes.

The rest? Simply not legit.

Meanwhile, thousands of dollars have been spent on unauthorized Williamson cards. Fantasy cards are perfectly legal for people to make and enjoy or share with friends -- selling them is a whole different story. Companies can lose business, too, if their designs are used and unsuspecting buyers are burned by sales of cards that are not legit and could be made -- in bulk -- once again at any time. If those collectors stop buying cards because they were burned, then it tickles down to dealers, shops and other sellers having lost sales. It's not a new development in the hobby as "Broder" cards were an unauthorized issue and thorn in the hobby back in the late 1980s and 1990s. However, people weren't paying hundreds of dollars per card even for the most-creative of creations -- Madonna and Jose Canseco Truth or Dare or Will Clark's 1985 USA card for example -- back in the days before eBay.

Sales of fake Williamson cards aren't just big-dollar on eBay, they're high-volume, too. A look at completed auctions shows nearly 2,200 completed auctions in merely the basketball cards section. Take out any "Instant" cards and it's still over 2,000 listings with sales as high as $900 for one of the cards in the gallery below and others at $760, a mere $750 for a Zion-Thanos mash-up, $600, $500 and countless other sales. Some listings throw in companies' trademarked terms such as Refractor, Cracked Ice and familiar phrases such as Future Stars and Rookie Tickets. Others use familiar logos associated with just one company and others make their own parallels and offer variations printed with varying stocks and volumes -- just like the real thing ... or at least the real things that will be coming in the upcoming cardboard year.

Limited "Refractor" versions of 1986-87 Fleer cards have sold for hundreds -- meanwhile, these unauthorized card-makers are competing with themselves with the same design frames having different images and different volumes selling in volume at lower prices than those -- competing with the high-end creations that are, again, all illegal. For one card, NBA Hoops, a Panini-owned brand now that's been around since 1989, has its first design kiped and being sold with the name "NCAA Hoops." Panini also owns the rights to use Collegiate Licensing Company school logos at this time -- but NCAA Hoops isn't one of their creations.

Who enforces and cracks down on these problems? Card companies, leagues/schools and players' agents who want to protect their own markets and future earning potential via the business relationships they have.

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

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