GameStop and their policies

B. W.

2[H]4U
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There was a story posted on digg about GameStop's policy of opening games to put the cases on display, and keeping the disc, while selling that copy as "new". GameStop also has a "check out" system where employees can borrow a game for a certain amount of time to become knowledgeable about it, and still sell that copy as new.

In your eyes, is there something wrong with this policy, and what do you think new games should be (unopened, unplayed, etc.)? I've taken a few games from the display cases without realizing it, but I never bother trying to return them because it's too much of a hassle. This policy isn't limited to GameStop or videogame stores in general.
 
caveat emptor

the buyer should know how to tell the difference between factory shrinkwarp vs being redone in the backroom.
 
If you don't agree with it, then don't buy from them.

But why on earth would anyone buy from gamestop, when you can buy the same game for cheaper, no tax and free shipping from many online stores?
 
mainly because of instant gratification, why wait when you can have it the second its released !!!111111

/sarcasm off

Oh yeah, with the gamestop employees renting the games out, usually what they would do is just bring them back, and shrinkwrap them up with the machine in the back, least thats what they did when the Ex was workin there.
 
I ran into this when I purchased Hitman for the 360. I purchased this wondering if the game was going to be good and luckly that day, there was a demo available on Live. The guy sold me the last copy of the game which was opened however he did not place the round clear sticker on there in case I wanted to return the item as un-used which is what EB does in my experience.

I realized the demo sucked and returned the game and the guy was giving me problems. I told him that he sold me the game opened and as new and not to mention he failed to place a clear tab sticker on this to allow me the 7 day return policy in case of buyers remorse.

PS - I don't buy from Game Stop anymore and they did end up taking the game back!
 
I have no issue with the case being opened and put on display as a lot of places do this for various items. The compusa in my area did this for a lot of items. As long as the game is new. If it is one that has been taken home and has prints and shit on it them I would be mad.

The gamestops in my area throw the game in a sleve and seal it. When you buy a copy where the box was on display the put the game still in the sleve in the box. They know if it has been opened as the sleaves seal would be broken.
 
I hate those fucking stickers, you peel them off and the adhesive has a half-life of 5 years. I tend to avoid gamestop if at all possible just for that reason.
 
I hate those fucking stickers, you peel them off and the adhesive has a half-life of 5 years. I tend to avoid gamestop if at all possible just for that reason.

The price stickers that they put on the shells piss me off. Usualy the guy gives me a new shell without the price sticker on it though if all he has left is the one where the box was a display.
 
i dont have a problem with it, as long as the game isnt damaged....whats the difference? does opening a game instantly make it less valuable? no, not truthfully, it's not like they start to degrade as soon as exposed to air......now if i get one that is supposed to be new with scratches on it...yeah, thats not cool, but any reasonable employee would take one look at it and say, yeah, you're right, not new

i love Gamestop, but only for used games, i never buy new (other than GoW), and will buy Forza2 new, but there's no doubt i will/have loved these games, worth every penny, but any other games i wait until they have a used copy in the store, 7 day no questions asked return policy FTW!!!
 
I had no idea, that pisses me off a bit. How is this practice not in violation of some sort of distribution agreement or something? I wouldn't mind if they told the customer, but I have bought from them before and I didn't even notice this. I guess I'll stick to used games from them :(
 
I've never had a problem with our local gamestop. I buy from there all the time, only I usually buy the used stuff and only games at that. They're good for trading your old crap in too. My son got 2 xbox360 games after trading in a bunch of his old Gameboy Advance games (GBA was lost). It's nice when you're not concerned about squeezing every last penny out of a game that you hope sells on ebay, or it's a game that no one plays anymore and then trading it in there is more profitable than tossing it.
 
If I buy a game new, it needs to be factory sealed and that also means some guy did not take it home for 2 weeks throwing it in and out of his console. I disagree with this practice and find it unfair for the consumer. If they claim it is for security reasons, they need to get more people on staff or upgrade their security system but not make the consumer suffer in the end.
 
If I buy a game new, it needs to be factory sealed and that also means some guy did not take it home for 2 weeks throwing it in and out of his console. I disagree with this practice and find it unfair for the consumer. If they claim it is for security reasons, they need to get more people on staff or upgrade their security system but not make the consumer suffer in the end.

i agree somewhat, but if a guy took it home and played it for two weeks, then returned it without as much as a fingerprint on it, what's the problem? you would never know the difference unless they told you.....and even then it's all in your head if the disc is the same condition as a disc just opened from a sealed package
 
i agree somewhat, but if a guy took it home and played it for two weeks, then returned it without as much as a fingerprint on it, what's the problem? you would never know the difference unless they told you.....and even then it's all in your head if the disc is the same condition as a disc just opened from a sealed package

Personaly I don't care if the game was just opened and threw in a sleve. If it was taken home or dropped into a game system they need to sell it as used though. That would piss me off.
 
Personaly I don't care if the game was just opened and threw in a sleve. If it was taken home or dropped into a game system they need to sell it as used though. That would piss me off.

LOL, you guys are funny.....somehow the unmolested shrinkwrap makes the game play different, look different, .......whatever......

how about a brand new car that has 10 miles on it because OMG..."somebody had to drive it a little bit to get it to the dealership"......it's not worth any less, same car, nothing changed
 
that's a far stretch from a retail package that went from a box on to the shelf vs a car that certainly didn't hover itself from the assembly line to the dealership.

the unmolested shrinkwrap guarantees me that some slob at the store didn't fingerprint up the disk and possibly make it worse by attempting to clean it with spit and his shirt.

when you buy a "used" game, you expect and tolerate certain defects

i would certainly ask for a factory shrinkwrap game from th store instead, or go elsewhere if they didn't have one.
 
LOL, you guys are funny.....somehow the unmolested shrinkwrap makes the game play different, look different, .......whatever......

how about a brand new car that has 10 miles on it because OMG..."somebody had to drive it a little bit to get it to the dealership"......it's not worth any less, same car, nothing changed

I see a difference. If it is used(put into a system) then it should be treated as such. The chances of it having even very small marks on it is there. Since you are not going to open it in store to inspect it you will not know untill you get home.

As far as a new car I believe most people seem to want less then 40 or 50 miles on it. Difference with a car is you expect it to be driven some. Has to be moved around the lot and all.
 
LOL, you guys are funny.....somehow the unmolested shrinkwrap makes the game play different, look different, .......whatever......

how about a brand new car that has 10 miles on it because OMG..."somebody had to drive it a little bit to get it to the dealership"......it's not worth any less, same car, nothing changed

The shrink wrap is simply insurance that tells the customer the product has not been damaged. If an employee takes it home there is a chance of damage.
 
Iunno about you guys, but my new car had 2 miles on it... I wouldn't have it any other way.

I also do not buy my new games from Gamestop/EB anymore, and I haven't for a while, but I do go there to get credit to buy other used games I've been eyeing for a while, something I want to play and don't care if the box is in pristine condition.

I generally check CircuitCity/Fred Meyer/Best Buy on the day games are released because they all price check and often one of them has a 39.99 deal for that game on the day of release.
 
i agree somewhat, but if a guy took it home and played it for two weeks, then returned it without as much as a fingerprint on it, what's the problem? you would never know the difference unless they told you.....and even then it's all in your head if the disc is the same condition as a disc just opened from a sealed package

There is too much going on here. It could have been left in the guys car for who knows how long and sustained heat or temp damage. People have pets and allergies can be passed through opened packaging.

Buying a new game means it has been factory sealed and you're the 1st to open it leaving all faults between the factory and you. Someone having the game between you and the factory is just bad.
 
I see a difference. If it is used(put into a system) then it should be treated as such. The chances of it having even very small marks on it is there. Since you are not going to open it in store to inspect it you will not know untill you get home.

As far as a new car I believe most people seem to want less then 40 or 50 miles on it. Difference with a car is you expect it to be driven some. Has to be moved around the lot and all.

i inspect all my games i get from Gamestop at the counter because of this very reason, that it has been taken out of the original packaging, matter of fact, the employees at my local Gamestops will turn around, pull open the drawer, find the game in the sleeve, and pull it out right in front of you and turn it over to allow you to see the disc, you don't have to buy it is it isn't of acceptable quality, they do this with all new and used games at my local stores...not sure about all of them

but even if you did get it home and it didnt work at all, you walk back in with receipt and they exchange it for another copy, no questions asked

i think this is alot to do about nothing really, either it works or it doesn't, the packaging it is in doesn't determine it's functionality, and the retailer is covering you in the rare event it is damaged or faulty, so there's really no issue
 
i inspect all my games i get from Gamestop at the counter because of this very reason, that it has been taken out of the original packaging, matter of fact, the employees at my local Gamestops will turn around, pull open the drawer, find the game in the sleeve, and pull it out right in front of you and turn it over to allow you to see the disc, you don't have to buy it is it isn't of acceptable quality, they do this with all new and used games at my local stores...not sure about all of them

but even if you did get it home and it didnt work at all, you walk back in with receipt and they exchange it for another copy, no questions asked

i think this is alot to do about nothing really, either it works or it doesn't, the packaging it is in doesn't determine it's functionality, and the retailer is covering you in the rare event it is damaged or faulty, so there's really no issue

I can safely say mine does NOT do that, in fact they put it back together in a case on the back half of the counter so you can't see it beforehand, I don't swipe my card until I see it myself when buying my games there, which I only buy used anyway, so the standards are lower.
 
but even if you did get it home and it didnt work at all, you walk back in with receipt and they exchange it for another copy, no questions asked

i think this is alot to do about nothing really, either it works or it doesn't, the packaging it is in doesn't determine it's functionality, and the retailer is covering you in the rare event it is damaged or faulty, so there's really no issue

No it doesn't either work or not. A damaged disk could take you days or weeks to figure out depending on how long the game is. Also the idea is not to have to return to the store to get another copy. To me I don't want to waste that time which is one of the reasons I buy the games new. I could care less about the 3 or 4 bucks difference in buying it used. I would rather have a new disk and have a very low chance of something being bad on it.
 
I could care less about the 3 or 4 bucks difference in buying it used.

Damn...that's all they're marked down there? I see a lot of the newly released games for ~5 less in which case I'd spend the 5 and get new...but I picked up DOA4 for 19, NHL2007 for $24, and mlb 2006 for 19. When I looked at the new section for those games,...they were all above $39. far cry from $3-4 difference.
 
Damn...that's all they're marked down there? I see a lot of the newly released games for ~5 less in which case I'd spend the 5 and get new...but I picked up DOA4 for 19, NHL2007 for $24, and mlb 2006 for 19. When I looked at the new section for those games,...they were all above $39. far cry from $3-4 difference.

Depends on the game. Even at 5 bucks I would rather just get a new copy. Sure if it is like 10 or 15 bucks then that would be different. With the older games you have to be careful too. I've seen a lot of times the used game is the same price as teh new copy or the new copy is cheaper. DOA4 and mlb were a sale at CC(I think) for like 20 or 30 bucks a while ago. Know a few people that picked them up.
 
Damn...that's all they're marked down there? I see a lot of the newly released games for ~5 less in which case I'd spend the 5 and get new...but I picked up DOA4 for 19, NHL2007 for $24, and mlb 2006 for 19. When I looked at the new section for those games,...they were all above $39. far cry from $3-4 difference.

actually, you are much better off getting the used game, unless you know for sure you are going to like and keep the game you are buying, you are paying more for less, and i typically don't buy games just having been released either, like, i am looking to get Oblivion now, i can pick up a used copy there with all the advantages of buying used for $29.99, vs. $59.99 for new, - my 10% discount because i joined their club thing (1 year of 10% off any used games + 1 year of Gameinformer for like $10), so like $27 for it

like when i bought OverGFighters new, and it sucked ass bad, and i got a "sorry about your luck" even though i returned less than 24 hours later with receipt and even in original bag, they just said "you should have bought used, if you had you could have gotten your money back or exchanged for a different game"

so i learned my lesson

get used games whenever possible, not only do you save a little cash, but if you get it home and it sucks you can return/exchange it within 7 days, something you can't do with a new game

seriously guys, i dont know where this stigma came from you guys have attached to buying used games, i almost never buy new games after that hard lesson learned, i have never had one single problem with any used game i have ever bought from them, the discs are always mint, exactly like new, not even so much as a fingerprint on them......exactly like as if it was new....there's no difference
 
i don't think anyone is contesting the value of buying a used game on the premise that it's used, rather an opened package being sold as new because employees wanted to "rent" the game.
 
seriously guys, i dont know where this stigma came from you guys have attached to buying used games, i almost never buy new games after that hard lesson learned, i have never had one single problem with any used game i have ever bought from them, the discs are always mint, exactly like new, not even so much as a fingerprint on them......exactly like as if it was new....there's no difference
We're getting off topic, but your experience buying used games is strictly based on your location and luck. I bought a used Dreamcast from EB Games. I had called before to see if they had any in stock, and they said they had one. I ended up getting a black 2K series version.

Their claim that they test all used equipment is bullshit. When I got home, I found out that the power cable was the wrong one (the type that you would see with older stereos, etc.). So I plugged in my Xbox cable since it fit only to find out that the console wouldn't receive input from the controller. I went back thinking I would get a refund only to be handed a regular model that the employee pulled from under the desk.

I got a working Dreamcast out of it, but the amount of effort required was ridiculous. I still buy used products because they me be the only items in stock, or some games might be a great deal, but saying you're getting a "mint" copy is borderline ignorance (this isn't flamebait, you're depending on the previous owner for the condition of your games), and basing it on the store's return policy should only encourage you to purchase your games elsewhere, in my opinion.
 
I love EB, just because retards in my town trade in old, rare games. Always fun picking up cheap black-label PS2 games as well, because for some reason, my local EB doesn't have many GH, which is a-ok for me.

Though the other one up here is weird...I purchased a few games used, and they gave me shrink-wrapped new copies of 'em? Odd.
 
I don't mind the policy at all. The guys at my local EB will always tell you if a game is bad before you buy because they have TRIED it. They don't make enough money to buy all these games on their own, so it is better they get to try them for free so they are actual experts on their products, unlike at most other stores that sell games (BB, Comp-USA, etc.)
 
LOL, you guys are funny.....somehow the unmolested shrinkwrap makes the game play different, look different, .......whatever......

how about a brand new car that has 10 miles on it because OMG..."somebody had to drive it a little bit to get it to the dealership"......it's not worth any less, same car, nothing changed

you cant quite comprehend. Game is advertised and sold as "New" Shrink wrap signifies such. Employee takes it home and plays with it, and re-shrink wraps it, yet its still advertised as New when its not. Simple, its a lie. Lieing to customers is wrong. If you disagree with that in anyway you are wrong. Its advertised as brand new, its not brand new - Nuff said.
 
you cant quite comprehend. Game is advertised and sold as "New" Shrink wrap signifies such. Employee takes it home and plays with it, and re-shrink wraps it, yet its still advertised as New when its not. Simple, its a lie. Lieing to customers is wrong. If you disagree with that in anyway you are wrong. Its advertised as brand new, its not brand new - Nuff said.

i understand well

but the point i am trying to make, is that of a disc is completely unharmed in the process, there's no difference between the brand new disc and the previously played disc, the disc isn't tarnished or damaged because it was played

the moment it gets a scratch on it, it's no longer new, but lets face it, the "new" game you will buy will have a scratch or three on it in little time by your own use, so as i said before, i think this is alot to do about nothing really

for all you know, the game you just bought new, was a game that was returned to Gamestop, which they sent back to the distributor, who resurfaced, tested, and then repackaged it, and sent it back to Gamestop "brand new", which you take hope and open the shrink wrap on and feel good about.....i bet you it happens more than you think, so that new game you buy may have never been new after all, it's just the fact you don't know about it makes it okay, but the moment you find out it was previously played, it's suddenly damaged goods?

it's a mentality sort of thing, like the first time with a new girlfriend, you really dont know who has played it already, but it's new to you, so that makes it okay, so long as you dont know about it
 
ok i was looking for a PSP a while ago. The Gamestop/Ebgames tried to sell me 3 different psps they claimed to be new each one had been opened and used with noticable screen scratches and grime. I laughed and the manager after denying they were used at first pretended to examine them further and then pretended to just realise the PSPs were used. He then said his employees must have switched them and he knew who it was and would fire him. I just left I was looking for a psp that didn't have the t-xxxx motherboard to do a firmware downgrade on anyway. This just reminded me of that. I have not entered a gamestop or EB games since then. :mad:
 
If I buy a game new, it needs to be factory sealed and that also means some guy did not take it home for 2 weeks throwing it in and out of his console. I disagree with this practice and find it unfair for the consumer. If they claim it is for security reasons, they need to get more people on staff or upgrade their security system but not make the consumer suffer in the end.



Agreed 10000000000000000000%
 
I haven't had much trouble with Gamestop in regards to this. Most of the games I buy, I know when they're coming out and I get them the day they are released. When I got FFXII, I got a shrink wrapped copy and I got a shrink wrapped copy of Twilight Princess.

If I see a game that is already out that I'm interested in, I'll most likely get it from Wal-Mart or Best Buy. I don't want to risk it not having shrink wrap on it.

Gamestop did pull a fast one on me once though. I went in one day and got Super Smash Bros Melee for GC and they gave me a used copy. I didn't notice it until I got home. The case I handed them had a "New" sticker on it and the one I had at home had a "Used" sticker on it. I went back that next morning and they exchanged it without even asking to see a receipt. They gave me a shrink wrapped copy. :D

I prefer to have my games new, shrink wrap and all. No telling who's been touching the case and game and where they've been.
 
mmmm I just bought GT4 brand new factory sealed from them, all seals intact:confused:
 
I haven't had a huge problem with opened "new games", although I've gotten more than a few used games that didn't work at all, and then they tried to say I actually had a broken PS2 and hassled me about exchanging it. Once I ended up with a demo disc for Drakengard when I got a used copy. I had to call around to 8 EBGames/Gamestops to find a copy (The original store didn't have any REAL copies), and the first one I found that had a copy gave me some BS about since it was a demo disc, their computers couldn't accept it as a return (even if they could SELL it to me just fine). I finally found a store run by an actual human being instead of a store-bot, and they actually had a copy, so problem solved.

I've also had a huge problem with them just not getting enough copies of games. Almost every time I try to get a game there that isn't a huge, big name title, they don't have it. Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusade? Nope. Hotel Dusk? Nope. I mean, it's a gaming store, that is all they do, if they don't have the niche titles, what good are they? Especially when I can walk next door to Walmart and find it there of all places. When Walmart has more games in stock than Gamestop, something is very, very wrong.
 
I just check the disks before I leave. I could buy new online but in reality I have only wanted 3 games ever for my xbox - Winning Eleven 8 (traded in for 9) and Far Cry so I don't really care that much.

Once I tried to buy lego star wars from EB and it said new copy but the disk the guy handed me was covered in scratches and fingerprints and came out of a drawer with no sleeve around it. When I checked the disk before leaving and turned around cause it really was unacceptable the guy actually tried to tell me that I was crazy and that it was brand new. That pissed me of because at that point the employee and his manager were arguing with me because I wanted to return a dirty, used disc that I was paying 30$ for a brand new copy.
 
This only happens when they are down to the last copy. Last copy with a display box on the floor. Now, don't tell me all they carry are the last copy of all games. :D
 
For everybody in this thread that buys from EB/Gamestop, why not buy your games from BB, CC, Target, Walmart, etc.? They usually get games the same time as EB/Gamestop and you don't have to deal with their reserve list BS.
 
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