Amazon attempts to eat EBStop's lunch

[Velorath]

Not long after Toys R Us started testing out the waters of the used game market, Amazon has now set up a way for people to trade in their games for Amazon.com gift cards.  Now I'm no advocate of trading in games, but I did find it amusing that Amazon managed to set up a fairly easy to use way of setting up trades online, as opposed to EB's "just bring a bunch of games in and hope they're worth something" method.  Obviously Amazon is an online only business so they have to have a trading system that's easy to use online, but I've always been surprised that EB doesn't at least keep a decent listing of game values up on their site.

Edit:  Of course the other benefit to using Amazon is that they sell a lot more than just video games making their gift cards a lot better than store credit at EBStop.

[Yegolev]

There is or perhaps was not any value in maintaining a published list of values for EB.  Now, maybe there is since Amazon has trade-in values online.  Competition!

[Cyrrex]

It would be nice if that also got them away from the douchebucket tactic of setting the price of used games to 5 puny dollars less than retail price of a new version of the same game.

[Sky]

Can you see if Gamestop employees had to survive using a traditional sales model? 

Also, if I buy games on Amazon, I get triple rewards to buy more games. Gamestop is a pile of shit, I've had a horrid experience every time I've stooped to slinking through their doors. I have no idea why people still shop there.

[Yegolev]

I don't know why people shop there, either, unless they just don't have internet access or simply have zero patience.  The only thing better than buying games from Amazon is buying them from a digital portal (as long as it works, of course... HAY STEAM).

I also don't understand people who buy a used game for $55.  It is worth $5 only if the unit is pristine, but it seems that people like to rub the discs on their shoes and piss on their manuals before trade-in.

[LanTheWarder]

This can only lead to cheaper games. Which is a great thing in my mind.

If it causes Gamestop to lose money that is also a huge plus.

[schild]

When I can't find a new game, of something old and have to find used, I demand to see the quality of what I'm getting into.

Little kids with greasy fingers and shit, yea, I don't buy their second hand goods.

This is not the best service for the internet, I don't think. Amazon is too big to have any sort of actual quality control :(

At the same time, I hope they fucking DESTROY GAMESTOP. DESTROY CRUSH KILL.

So really, it's like Dollhouse.

[Segoris]

I love this move from Amazon. I hope this does force Gamestop into making some guide of used game values. Gamestop bought FunCo Land, which was a shop that ran similar to Gamestop (I don't know if it was only local to my area or not), a few years back and they used to do a monthly newletter showing various game values (including trade in) which was awesome. I would love to see this again while avoiding shipping to/from Amazon if all things are equal.


Also, as Schild mentioned, seeing the quality of video game discs is important to me. The few times I've bought games off of ebay it's been hit or miss on their condition. That is why I'd prefer to buy used in person. Sure, if the price was right from Amazon I wouldn't mind, and they'll probably have a return policy to include poor condition, but if I can stop at Gamestop on my way home instead of dealing with shipping to and from for a return/exchange, that would be my pref.

[Hawkbit]

Little kids with greasy fingers and shit, yea, I don't buy their second hand goods.

There's so many skanky fucking people in the world.  I trade games in, but almost always buy new.  I found a booger on a page in a Gamecube Smash Bros I got from Gamestop years ago.  Mmm Mmm good.  I got a refund.  

On the rare occasion I buy used, if there's even a scratch on the disk or any fluid marks on the manual, it's a no-go.

EDIT:  And even then I bring the whole thing home and scrub it down with lysol/windex before it can touch my console. 

[NiX]

At the same time, I hope they fucking DESTROY GAMESTOP. DESTROY CRUSH KILL.

So really, it's like Dollhouse.

Yes, yes, yes! I hope to god Blockbuster, Toys 'R' Us and Amazon crush the ever living shit out of EBStop. Finally their model of gouging people out of greed and bragging about it at every turn has a chance of coming to an end.

[Sky]

I really dislike the kids who work at the local one, they TRY SO HARD to be hip and with-it. They try and engage me with their witty banter, and I just shut them the fuck down as quickly as possible, the ignorant consoleturds. Get Cloud's cock out of your mouth and try getting in some PC games that people actually want to buy. Oh wait, I'll just go home and order it online, as I should've in the first place.

I've still got the $6 card from turning in like 20 xbox games last year 

[HaemishM]

I don't know why people shop there, either, unless they just don't have internet access or simply have zero patience. 

Because prior to this, they were about the only place to buy used games, and some of us don't like paying full price for games. Hell, I bought my first full price game in over 2 years this week with Empire.

But yes, shopping at Gamestop is a penis-smashing pain in the balls. When I worked at EB in the early '90s, I thought there was no way that company could get worse. But I LONG for the days of EB. Gamestop is just excruciatingly bad in every way and always has been. I was disappointed when they bought out EB, and EB managed to maintain their separate identity (with less suck) for years. But it was like one day the EB became Gamestop and it turned into a festering pile of ass overnight.

[Ard]

Yes, yes, yes! I hope to god Blockbuster, Toys 'R' Us and Amazon crush the ever living shit out of EBStop. Finally their model of gouging people out of greed and bragging about it at every turn has a chance of coming to an end.

You mean the same Blockbuster that just had a bankruptcy scare that tanked it's stock and is working on restructuring and refinancing, which may or may not still involve bankruptcy?

[Yegolev]

Blockbuster can eat hobo dick.

[Hawkbit]

Blockbuster can eat hobo dick.

Yep, haven't used them in nearly 10 years because they called my house on Christmas Eve to tell me that I had $4.50 in fines on my account even though nothing was checked out.  Then the dumbass proceeded to not understand why 3pm on Xmas eve isn't the proper time to call someone.  I told him to shut the account down and stcik the ppwk up his ass, merry christmas mf'r. 

Amazingly, the last house we bought (6 years after the incident) the $4.50 charge showed up on my credit report and I had to finally go pay those jackholes. 

I'd rather not watch movies at all than have to borrow from them. 

[Strazos]

I hope GS gets slaughtered by this, and I say this as someone who still works there every now and then.

And to be fair, I actually try to leave people alone when they're in the store after asking them what they need when they walk in. If a Dist. Mgr saw how blaise I was, and how I refuse to hustle people, I'd probably get fired, but...we're a quiet store most of the time.

[NiX]

You mean the same Blockbuster that just had a bankruptcy scare that tanked it's stock and is working on restructuring and refinancing, which may or may not still involve bankruptcy?

They've been doing used games long before this, so it's not like their trade-in stopped the minute the word "bankruptcy" was thrown out.

[UnSub]

Get Cloud's cock out of your mouth and try getting in some PC games that people actually want to buy.

Well, I can see the problem from here.

[Merusk]

Yep, haven't used them in nearly 10 years because they called my house on Christmas Eve to tell me that I had $4.50 in fines on my account even though nothing was checked out.  Then the dumbass proceeded to not understand why 3pm on Xmas eve isn't the proper time to call someone.  I told him to shut the account down and stcik the ppwk up his ass, merry christmas mf'r. 

Amazingly, the last house we bought (6 years after the incident) the $4.50 charge showed up on my credit report and I had to finally go pay those jackholes. 

Actually, it's the perfect time to catch someone.  Just like all the folks who bitch about getting "dinner time" calls. They call then because they know you're most likely to be home and answer the phone. They're attempting to collect a debit, after all, and debit collectors aren't going to be nice about it.

You shouldn't be amazed it showed on your report, either.  They do that almost as soon as they figure out you're not going to pay them and they don't have a CC on file.  (Had it happen to me in college.)

[Ard]

They've been doing used games long before this, so it's not like their trade-in stopped the minute the word "bankruptcy" was thrown out.

My point was more that I don't see how Blockbuster is going to be eating anyone's lunch when they're on the defensive in their own home turf.

[Hawkbit]

Actually, it's the perfect time to catch someone.  Just like all the folks who bitch about getting "dinner time" calls. They call then because they know you're most likely to be home and answer the phone. They're attempting to collect a debit, after all, and debit collectors aren't going to be nice about it.

You shouldn't be amazed it showed on your report, either.  They do that almost as soon as they figure out you're not going to pay them and they don't have a CC on file.  (Had it happen to me in college.)

I completely understand your point, but I figure I spent maybe $20 a month with them.  It really was about ten years ago, so that's roughly $2400.00 (120months x $20) they lost out on.  Minus my $4.50, of course.  If they called me at 3pm on just about any other day, ok.  W/e.  I guess I should thank them.

[schild]

GoDaddy Outbound calls people on Thanksgiving. Myself and Cory Jacobs were assigned to that one year. After making 2 calls, we both stopped for the whole day, ate catered food and played Line Rider and Grow. It was pure evil, a surefire way to lose customers. One of the many reasons I left.

[angry.bob]

GoDaddy Outbound calls people on Thanksgiving. Myself and Cory Jacobs were assigned to that one year. After making 2 calls, we both stopped for the whole day, ate catered food and played Line Rider and Grow. It was pure evil, a surefire way to lose customers. One of the many reasons I left.

This always annoyed/annoys me. They haven't called me in a while, but GoDaddy always called my house at the most fucked up times to thank me for my business and make sure I was satisfied. Hell, it was probably even you.

[schild]

This always annoyed/annoys me. They haven't called me in a while, but GoDaddy always called my house at the most fucked up times to thank me for my business and make sure I was satisfied. Hell, it was probably even you.

No, it wasn't. When I was in the outbound time, the rare few times I thought I might be calling an f13 member, I crosschecked the email addresses to make sure it wasn't.

[Azazel]

I've been buying some secondhand xbox and ps2 games over the past year or so. Mostly upgrading pirated or original PS2 games to Xbox versions so I can play them on the 360, or PS2 exclusives that I only had the eyepatch version of which are now out of print.

The stuff off eBay is pretty hit-or-miss, but it's overall better quality/condition than the stuff I find at EB (and then refuse to buy).

[Azazel]

Because prior to this, they were about the only place to buy used games, and some of us don't like paying full price for games. Hell, I bought my first full price game in over 2 years this week with Empire.

You guys in the US must have a totally different situation to us here. In EB, secondhand games tend to be like $5 cheaper than EB sells the same game for new. But you can generally go to the department store (Target type places) or the big Hi-Fi chain and get the same game for $10-20 less anyway.

Their older-title secondhand stuff is often priced higher than new stuff in those same dept stores or the hi-fi chain when they have their weekly selections of specials (there's something every week). I honestly don't know how those fuckers stay in business.

[schild]

You guys in the US must have a totally different situation to us here. In EB, secondhand games tend to be like $5 cheaper than EB sells the same game for new. But you can generally go to the department store (Target type places) or the big Hi-Fi chain and get the same game for $10-20 less anyway.

No no, exact same here.

[Azazel]

Then why is Haemish going on about preferring to buy secondhand? Or is it the whole "trade-in" thing?

[schild]

Then why is Haemish going on about preferring to buy secondhand? Or is it the whole "trade-in" thing?

He's part jew.

[Rasix]

You guys in the US must have a totally different situation to us here. In EB, secondhand games tend to be like $5 cheaper than EB sells the same game for new. But you can generally go to the department store (Target type places) or the big Hi-Fi chain and get the same game for $10-20 less anyway.

No no, exact same here.

Que?  Most other stores I've been to have prices as bad as GS or worse.  Target never knows when to start charging less for a game, and you'll see last year's Madden for full price.

I don't buy used there unless it's dirt old and thus around the $20 mark.  The couple of other places that sell used games usually have crap selection and there's no break on price. If there were a place to get new and used games cheaper in my area, I'd go there.

[schild]

He said Target type, meaning big box. And generally, where you'd go for games out here that aren't Gamestop, i.e. Fry's and TRU, it's generally the same scheme he was saying. Particularly Frys.

[Azazel]

We pretty much have this.
http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=13784&sid=1020688948731822b714e23cf2170623

Linky is a weekly-updated compilation of all the discounts/bargains of interest from the big box retailers, EB and EB-alikes, JB Hi-Fi, TRU, etc.

When checking it out, bear in mind it's a shitty time of year right now, and also that A_NEW_RELEASE_GAME_001 comes with a RRP of AU$90-110.

 

Which is why, you know, fuck EB and fuck trading-in a game for $9 credit against a RRP of $110

[HaemishM]

I don't buy used there unless it's dirt old and thus around the $20 mark. 

This. I don't tend to buy shit new AT ALL. Empire was an exception. The stuff that's still at full priced new is only $5 off at Gamestop, and I usually will just pay the extra $5 for the new copy in that situation. But again, I rarely buy games at new prices at all. schild got it spot on.

[NiX]

My point was more that I don't see how Blockbuster is going to be eating anyone's lunch when they're on the defensive in their own home turf.

In Canada they've been trying very hard to push the GameRush brand and their trade in is about the same as EBStop, which has something like a 300%+ mark up and the overhead is not that high when it comes down to it. Blockbuster typically has more competitive prices here and is actually willing to lower game prices when they get too old. Of course, it could be completely different across the border and would explain their money woes.

[Jain Zar]

I don't buy used there unless it's dirt old and thus around the $20 mark. 

This. I don't tend to buy shit new AT ALL. Empire was an exception. The stuff that's still at full priced new is only $5 off at Gamestop, and I usually will just pay the extra $5 for the new copy in that situation. But again, I rarely buy games at new prices at all. schild got it spot on.

I hardly buy new either.  Wait till its discounted mostly.  I hardly even buy used unless its ancient.  (Though by current standards ancient is now September 08 or something.  Oh the 8bit days where a game was available for YEARS..)

Why spend full dollar unless I HAVE to have it now or its some niche thing Atlus made a half dozen copies of, or a non Nintendo published DS game that isn't a kiddie licensed pile of shit?

I buy most of my games at Wal Mart or Target these days, with Amazon for whatever they only stocked a minute amount of copies of, or the aforementioned Atlus/non crap DS game.
Which is how I had to get Castlevania Ecclesia.  What kind of world do we live in where Castlevania isn't stocked in the 2 biggest retailers in the fucking USA?
Once in a while I will see what I want at Best Buy, but its rare. 
Gamestop is sometimes easier to procure the niche at, but as mentioned in this thread and so many other places, they are a steaming pile of shit.