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Reader Comments (61)

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 4:04PM (Unverified) said

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Gamestop does sell a large amount of used games. They have paid the developers for the new games, and the original consumer pays Gamestop for a new game. When a consumer decides to trade in a game, Gamestop credits them an amount approximately 50% of the original price for games that are 1-3 months old. Yes, they put it back on the shelf for sale as Used at $5-10 off the original. But that is not 100% profit. It is a simple factor of operating costs.

Gamestop has an advantage. You can see how some games start at $50, and within 3 months, they drop to $25. Think of all the really sweet games you played for a current gen system. You can buy them brand new, or wait a little and save money (still buying new). AND, when a title has outlived its shelf life in stores that only sell new, the inventory is depleted, and no more are available. If you want to buy it, where do you go? Ebay or Gamestop. They give you an option to find games that are older. Regardless you have options.

Selling used games is not illegal, and those who think so are not thinking clearly. Can you honestly say that the last garage sale you had cheated the original manufacturer of the toaster oven your mom sold? You get to keep that money, with very little overhead.

BTW I worked at EB for 4 years, and got to know the ins and outs of the operation. Yes, it looks like you got $25 for a brand new game trade, and they put it back on the shelf for $45, but that $20 is not straight profit -- there are other costs associated. If you don't like the idea, try selling it on ebay. And remember all the additional costs ebay passes on to you, listing fees, reserve fees, final value fees, and then you have to ship it. Your call; but you have options. Don't shop there if there business model bothers you.

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 5:09PM Saria the Cat said

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Finally, someone who knows what they're talking about.
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Posted: Oct 25th 2007 12:55PM (Unverified) said

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Possibly the best articulated statement on the industry I have seen yet here. The garage sale counter-argument is sublime.

Here's the reality--my company wouldn't be able to exist without used margins. It's how we afford to pay the high wholesale prices for new gen, so as to give you a wider selection. Used games aren't for everyone--and we understand the developers are disappointed in our trade and used business model... that is, until we show them the ratio of trade $ used as currency to buy new games. I can't go into it, but I will state that the strong majority of trade dollars and bonus trade % programs go into new product.

My company gives you more options. Options on how to pay instead of cash or credit card debt. More games, as 99% of the time, rare, delisted and older games you will not find at the regular retailers. And you can get it NOW as opposed to paying off of Ebay. When you consider the average price for a family of 4 to go to the movies, live music concert, or sporting event for one night, only getting 20% of the value you paid for on a $60 game for 3 months is a pretty good deal. I believe that.

You know, I remember going into my favorite comic shops when I was a kid, and yeah, maybe you had to pay a little more for back issues or hot comics, and maybe I wouldn't get a great amount of trade on that copy of X-men I would hope to swap for a McFarlane Spider-man, but what I loved was that it was a place where I was surrounded but what I loved. I could talk about my hobby and what I loved. If only they had trade in specials, reservations, and discount cards! I would have been such a happy kid, with a hell of a lot more comics!

As a District Manager for Gamestop, I tell you all; I am thankful for any support you give my company. We are making huge changes in how we do our business. The new gaming customer (read: non single childless males) is just now learning about gaming thanks to the Wii and DS. Curse those soccer moms and grandmothers all you want, but they have the spending power to push our hobby and business forward, which is good for the industry.

We know our environment can be aggressive, but it's retail. We have to be able to go toe to toe with the Wal-Marts and Best Buys. We don't sell CDs, or microwaves, or PCs. We have to do the most with what we have.

And if you DO ever have a good or bad experience in one of our stores, speak up. We can't fix what we don't know is broken. If we can address it, we usually do. Sometimes we have to stick to our policies... I am sorry if you hold it against us. But speaking for my employees and district, I do believe we take care of people.

I love games. And I love gamers. What an industry to be involved with and to enjoy as a player!


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Posted: Oct 24th 2007 4:22PM (Unverified) said

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What?? You are saddened by your Gamestop closing??

Go find the closest mom & pop shop and support them!

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 4:55PM (Unverified) said

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DEATH TO GAMESTOP

Srsly, IT'S NOT NEW IF YOU PUT YOUR GRUBBY OILY STINKING HUMAN HANDS ON MY GAME AND TOOK OFF THE WRAPPER

Their stocking system sucks. By default they must have four copies of a new game "on the floor" so that people can look at the cases, read the manual, etc. STOP OPENING NEW GAMES. If they would just keep ALL of their new games behind counters like Game Crazy, there wouldn't be problems of people stealing cases.

Games(and other products as well) are only new if they have not been touched by human hands and if the packaging is still intact. I just HATE the fact that they OPEN the merchandise, put the game in a cd sleeve, then into a drawer, and can still call it NEW. I NEVER buy games from them, never ever ever. Unless it's pre-ordered, they'll open anything. So the only way to get a new game NEW is to pre-order it. In addition to the pre-order, I will only preorder from these stores if it comes with a good bonus, like the exclusive 20th Anniversary gift that came with Castlevania Portrait of Ruin.

As much as Game Crazy is the better store, they STILL don't get as much pre-order bonuses, and it makes me sad.

Oh, and their GLUE. The stickers they use on used games are HORRIBLE and IMPOSSIBLE to get off. An employee once said "Oh, just use Goof-Off". I was told by another person that it will MELT the plastic. Yeah, GS employees are retarded. One even had the gall to tell me that new games in factories are packaged my humans instead of machines. B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T.

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 4:56PM (Unverified) said

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Oh, but some employees are really cool when they're not bitching about their personal problems around customers.
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Posted: Oct 24th 2007 4:57PM Saria the Cat said

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I think Gamestop is as evil as (most) any retail, and I have come to hate retail since I had worked at EB Games for a year. But bashing used games is pretty stupid. Sorry, not everyone has the instant $60 to dish out for a new game every week or month. Glad you can afford it and be such a noble gamer, but other people (e.g. college students) aren't exactly rolling in dough. And, last I checked, the video game industry hasn't begun to collapse and developers haven't stopped making money.

Accusing a company of making profit is kind of like accusing a baby of crying all the time. Business is about making money. Gamestop makes about $5 or less per new game it sells. In order for it to stay in business, it needs a better source of revenue. This is where used game sales come in. It's really silly to say, "How dare Gamestop try to make money! They should be giving me $50 for my old game and not rip me off and only make $5 profit! How evil of them to make 60% profit off of every used game they buy. What are they, a business?" Of course the average gamer on a forum will give you a better deal or get a better deal, because consumers != businesses. They don't need to worry about making a real profit!

Also, consider the role Gamestop, the retailer/distributor, plays in your acquisition of video games. Developers NEED retailers like Gametop to play the middle man and advertise their games and get people to buy them. While Gamestop may be a pretty cold-hearted company that doesn't give a crap about people or its employees, it is also actually performing a service for the industry. Developers would lose more money if they tried to go wholesale.

And people who think shopping at any other store (Target, Best Buy, whatever) is "better" or more moral are delusional. How is any other retail store, let alone an even more massive, unspecialized chain, less evil than Gamestop?

That said, I do hate any major corporation because they are so close to money, the root of evil. But at least I can understand what is actually going on here.

Posted: Oct 29th 2007 8:08PM fulluphigh said

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I walk into a GameStop, I can CHOOSE to buy a new game, or buy a slightly less costly used game. I can even sell my games at mediocre prices. I can also buy really old games sitting on the used game shelves.

There's your problem, right there. Gamestop will buy a DS light of of you for $30, and turn around and sell it for 129.98. I'm not kidding. All of the gamestops in our area (As in our city, the surrounding areas and major malls), sell used DS Lights for 1 penny less then new ones. If I was joking, I would consider shopping there. Ever.

I've also seen several instances of Used DS and GBA games costing more then their new counterparts, after a price drop.

Same thing with all the accessories. Why should I pay full price for a used memory card?

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 8:48PM SushiX said

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I love these articles. People always want to moan about the plight of the poor developer and how they dont get any money back from used games. They REALLY do deserve the penny back from the .99 copy of Madden 2005. Or are you referring to cinematic masterpieces like Bubsy the Bobcat or Punky the skunk that wouldnt get made without that money?

When a game is purchased, you own the disc. You can do with it what you will. Destroy it, give it away, make a house out of all the used copies of Madden you can find and live your life as the crazy guy who lives in a game house, or sell it to someone. They have already gotten their cut. and if you decide to sell it to an actual store... Guess what?!

You have participated in a Free Market society! COngrats! Good Luck!

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 8:49PM SushiX said

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and Oh yeah.... Movie Gallery filed for Bankruptcy, so expect most of the GameCrazys to go out of business.

Posted: Nov 1st 2007 3:46PM (Unverified) said

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i would like to say hter is a new chain in town i am a manager at one its called Play n Trade. The are Privately owned and we get the same deals as gamestop there is roughly 400 of them out there now we give you a hell of alot more for your trade ins and we also let you play the games b4 you buy it at our store we have 8 27 inch LCD tvs were you can say can i try ace combat 6 or madden and we let you you prertty much make sure the game aint crap as most of you guys know 40 % of the games we buy are like wtf whyt did i buy this right??? we also have tornys and other stuff if you guys wanna know more about this chain goto www.playntrade.com

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