GameStop Allegedly Selling Used Games At "New" Prices"

[CoFree]

GameStop Allegedly Selling Used Games At "New" Prices"
by: Raymond Padilla

According to Kotaku, several GameStop stores in America are allegedly (and deceptively) selling used games as new. The site has reported:
"According to a number of GameStop employees and managers across the country, all of which spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, new copies of games rented out to employees are often mixed in with the unplayed display copies. And both are sold at 'new' prices."

This is extremely shady and possibly illegal. As expected, GameStop had no comment at this time. The Federal Trade Commission, however, did. Public affairs specialist Betsy Lordan said:
"The Federal Trade Commission protects consumers from unfair or deceptive advertising and marketing practices, and we encourage any consumer with a complaint about a company's business practices to contact us."

It will be terribly interesting to see how this pans out. The sources seem very solid and with enough complaints, the FTC could launch an investigation (if it hasn't done so already).

Have any of you purchased a new game with some defects? Do you think it might have been played by a GameStop employee before it reached your hands? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

[Shootsteel]

Gamestop should STOP opening the packages prior to sale. I hate that handle my new $60 game prior to me coughing up my coin. I get it, their statement is they want to check that the game is there when it leaves the store...then why don't they pre-open game consoles too? If they want to check, Gamestop should wait until it is purchased then open it in front of you. Thats all I am saying.

[BobSeager]

I bought a game there a long time ago, Tetris DX for the gameboy color.

It was 'new' in the usual fashion that eb/gamestop sell new games...open-box. I honestly think they have this policy so they can rotate games. I said I wanted the game, new, and they went into a drawer of lose cartridges and grabbed this and put it in a box. I asked them bluntly 'is this new' and they said yes.

When I turned it on, it already had a profile on it, some kid named 'Ivan'

It's total BS because as we all know, the very definition in this business of used is broken-seal, open-box, anything you want to call a non-factory sealed product. My friend got a game there and they did the same thing, they said they'd seal it...they put a sticker across the jewel case to seal it. Nobody anywhere considers that new.

I have not bought anything at ebgames/gamestop since.

[HaGGardSmurf]

Wow, I never knew they sold 'new' games in open boxes...

Every time I have bought from ebgames, if it was a new game, it was wrapped in the factory plastic and had the stickers on the edges. It may be different in canada, because I have never seen them sell a 'new' game in an open box. Especially pre-orders of games that are sold at midnight.

[CoFree]

I have a guy in a good spot in gamestop
Im going to talk to him about this.
I know some of the games are in a wrapped pack
but
at other times there are not and in a open pack


I think the game company are going to run fast with this.
they are hating the used game sales at this point more than the pirate.

[iamwatt]

swindles! it's always something else. . .

[sadalius]

Well, not only that, but their rates at which they buy used stuff is a little crazy too. Just last week I took a Nintendo DS lite and a Sony PSP slim in to see how much I could get out of them. Both of them were in great shape. No scratches, dead pixels or anything. If I bought a new Nintendo DSi, they would have given me 70 US dollars for my DS Lite. They offered me 65 US dollars for the PSP. What made me really upset was the fact that there was a display case of used PSP's close by to the counter and the cheapest one was $139.00 US dollars. One like mine was selling for $149. Well over 100% profit margin. I told them to forget it that I could get more from Ebay for them. Which I did. Then went to Wal-mart and bought my DSi and had plenty of cash left over for things like a carry case and a few other things.

EB/Gamestop seriously needs to look at their policies. For sure on the selling used games as new ones. And when you go to sell your stuff, they either need to increase the amount they give you for your stuff, depending on the shape it's in, or lower the price of their used stuff.

[CoFree]

And when you go to sell your stuff, they either need to increase the amount they give you for your stuff

you said
it
hell i told one guy in the store i go to
that
"i would rather through the game in the trash than give it to them to make that kind of money on."

[HaGGardSmurf]

Yea you guys are 100% correct, they rip you right off..

A friend of mine traded in GTA IV like 2 months after it came out for like 20 bucks. It was brand new and played only like 3 times. I traded in a few xbox 1 games back in the day, but I dont anymore, its not worth it at all.

[strykr535]

lol... i always had a feelings i was getting robbed by this place

[COEBRA]

I hope they go down hard !! If I'm buying a game in "NEW" condition, I expect to get a "NEW" game... I wont except an "out of the drawer" game... if its not in the original packaging, then my money doesn't come out of my wallet !!

[KingKoopaHN]

Im going to respond to all this non sense by saying yes I am an ASM at a gamestop here in Texas, and yes I am a pirate at heart. But when it does come to a business point of view I believe gamestop is a great company. If any of you guys owned a company and made 100%+ on profit isn't that a good thing? Last time I checked for a company to make it in this country, there has to be a mark up. Now as a customer I understand that they don't give crap for games or systems as trade in's but come on who tells you, that you really have to trade it in to them? Just because you think they should run their business a certain way just means they wouldn't be around. Companies don't make crap off new game sales or hardware, and as for employees playing brand new games it's not done at our gamestop only thing we can check out are used titles. I have in the past taken home one or two brand new games to make a "BACKUP" of the game I will soon buy but I make sure I take great care of it. LOL How I see it quit complaining and mod your system or just don't buy from gamestop. That simple.

-Your favorite GameStop employee.

[matt1987]

everytime i walk into ebgames i get a hard on because i know i'm about to get fvcked.

[CoFree]

I would like to put in my 2 cents here.
first ill get the big stuff out of the way.

If gamestop is sell used games as new on purpose head should roll.

I have in the past taken home one or two brand new games to make a "BACKUP" of the game I will soon buy

well that is not talked about here.
as making a backup of a game you don't own is a sure way to get the men in black to show up.

But when it does come to a business point of view I believe gamestop is a great company.

I have a good friend that is a manger of a gamestop close by and he would say the same thing.

If any of you guys owned a company and made 100%+ on profit isn't that a good thing? Last time I checked for a company to make it in this country, there has to be a mark up.

yep you are right
we all are in business and work to make money and take care of our self and/or family.

Companies don't make crap off new game sales or hardware

that is a fact

I have in the past taken home one or two brand new games to make a "BACKUP" of the game

I know if cooperate new that, someone would be looking for a job.

How I see it quit complaining

well i think this thread as got more input than most of the other front page new put together.
and
as a admin on a web site business i like seeing all the input from the members.

just don't buy from gamestop.

lmao
I think its a safe bet most don't buy there games from anywhere.


but
all that being said.
you need to keep in mind that gamstop is one of, if not the biggest company
doing what they do.also they make a shit load of money. Of that a lot is made on used games, from kids and parents that don't have a clue.
so as far as im concerned there ass is one big bulleye for me to shot a arrow into.

guys
dont start trashing KingKoopaHN in any way,
he posted a very good post, of just his opinion.
any attacks on him will not be tolerated.
as i did, of course, you are able to state your opinion lets just keep it nice.


wow
If everyone is out to make money i wonder why
This site has no advertising on it in any from.
I wonder what makes a person give away something not wanting anything in return
as this great member did.Shootsteel
you can find his thread here.
http://www.robinhoodsplayground.com/for ... 052#p29052" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[iamwatt]

wow
If everyone is out to make money i wonder why
This site has no advertising on it in any from.
I wonder what makes a person give away something not wanting anything in return

seen a few post where people ask how you make money with the site? like what's the catch? or can they donate? seems to good to be true. . .

it's easier for someone to believe in a negative then a positve. as people we naturally feed off of negative things because that tends to be all that we experience. there's always something wrong happening. watch the news and every report is something bad or some type of nonsense, then when the news is ending they share one good thing. . .

when you find someone that's willing to give of themselves without an expectation of recieving something in return, then you found someone with a good heart, we all got it in us though. . . some more willing than others

just to comment on what KingKoopaHN said: valid points were made, but what it comes down to when sticking to the main idea of the article, is that, great company and all, those stores that have been pulling the okie doke on it's customers makes it a not so great company. never would you want to go to the grocery store to by some juice and they tell you they had to open it to make sure it was fresh but its still brand new. . . ain't nobody buying that. so that shouldn't take place with video games. for a kid and for some adults that's the best part of getting something new is removing it from the packaging.

plus, the fact that you took games out of the store and made backups of em (and ima reach with this one) and more than likely brought em back and they were sold as new, makes your store one of those stores and somewhat voids your opinion because you're judgement on the situation is already skewed. . . personally i think you should of left that part out.

funny, i read this today, well this is just a quote from what i read. . .
"you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral" - oswald chambers