Second Hand Shenanigans

[ETC]

Apparently GAME's share price is 90% lower than it was this time last year.

Ouch.

Guess thats what happens when they offer to do you a favour by giving you it preowned for a quid less, is it just me but the game shops where I live are a hell of a lot more aggressive in dong this than the gamestations only thing that would be sad for me if game went bang is that my favourite shop would go Down (it's a gamestation but nice staff and next to indies and lots of competition so they are pretty good for price)

[mekanor]

Is it any wonder we get things like catwoman/cerberus network/online pass codes for new games when this sort of stuff happens? It's all just one big vicious cycle.

[Hartley Hare]

I was in Game the other day, said I was after two 3ds consoles and two copies of 3ds mario for the kids, red and blue and would they price match tesco at ?300.00 all in. Not a sniff, even half way, save me moving the car i said, nothing but a typical game stare of disgust, so balls to Game as they only have there management to blame. Went to Tesco and picked up both with ease and saved a cool ?40.00 that was ultimately spent on other stuff, every little helps.

[Neon Ignition]

The trouble with the GAME group isn't so much the state of the industry but more a state of their arrogance and ego. For quite a while there they had quite the monopoly going between the consumer trickery used with the GAME and Gamestation brands but these days it all comes down to pricing and they've resolutely refused to be competitive at all. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Indies, HMV... you name it, it does better day 1 new prices, better trade in values and better 2nd hand prices than GAME group. There's a gap slowly opening up in the market for game retailers and it's one of GAME groups making.

[ETC]

The trouble with the GAME group isn't so much the state of the industry but more a state of their arrogance and ego. For quite a while there they had quite the monopoly going between the consumer trickery used with the GAME and Gamestation brands but these days it all comes down to pricing and they've resolutely refused to be competitive at all. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Indies, HMV... you name it, it does better day 1 new prices, better trade in values and better 2nd hand prices than GAME group. There's a gap slowly opening up in the market for game retailers and it's one of GAME groups making.

the only thing thats good about the one where i live is it is about 50 yards from hmv so i can really upset them by making them match everything then tell them to stick it (as the staff in this game are the most arrogant bunch i have ever seen) walk over the road and get it from hmv anyways :P i usually do this just as they are running through the pre owned gumph after i have already said i want it new (they just cant help themselves) so ill just say oh well ill just go over the road if you dont want to sell me a new on e must happen there at least 10 times a day they especially hated it when i lent a guy in the shop my iphone as they were going to give him ?14 for Assassins Creed Revelations yesterday when its ?35 in hmv the stare i got when i loaded the app and said oh just show them that (in case no one knew I hate that store... conned a lot of people I know that knew no better)

[booth83]

current share price for game is 6.55 pence, just before kinect released last year it was 80-odd pence, and that's the highest it's been for a few years now, can't see it getting better anytime soon.

[QualityChimp]

If they bothered putting their second-hand games in alphabetical order, then their shares would go back up...

[Fader209]

I was in Game the other day, said I was after two 3ds consoles and two copies of 3ds mario for the kids, red and blue and would they price match tesco at ?300.00 all in. Not a sniff, even half way, save me moving the car i said, nothing but a typical game stare of disgust, so balls to Game as they only have there management to blame. Went to Tesco and picked up both with ease and saved a cool ?40.00 that was ultimately spent on other stuff, every little helps.

Was that a manager you spoke to? I'm guessing the average store clerk doesn't have the position to lower prices that much, could be wrong though.
You can always count on these places to try and get a pre-order out of you when all you want is to leave with your current purchase.

*Andy pays nearly ?40 on Skyrim*
Guy serving: "Would you like to make any pre-orders?"
Andy: I'm not made of money dammit "No thanks, this game will keep me going for a while."
Guy: "Interested in Saints Row or the new Assassins Creed?"
Andy: "I HATE Assassins Creed."
Andy leaves.

[Flabio]

And when you do decide you want to pick something up from the shops, it's a lottery as to whether they even HAVE it in stock now unless it's top ten material.

GAME had KoFXIII but not UMvC3. HMV was the other way around. How am I meant to price match them down if they don't stock the damn thing to compare? Heh.

[Daragon]

Not strictly related to this particular topic surrounding second hand games, but stores really do need to stop unsealing their games and stuffing the disk and manual into a drawer.

Whichever way you look at it, once you take that seal off and touch the manual and disk, they're no longer new - they have had a previous "owner".

Heck, I'll bet when GAME employees take games home to try out, they go back to the store as brand new stock. The only way to be sure of that not happening is to get a sealed copy. No wonder their business has taken a massive hit this year, people are getting wise to their ****.

[Flabio]

The problem is that videogame cases, despite being modified DVD or Blu-Ray cases for the most part, don't take any of the common anti-theft dongles that shops like HMV stick in DVD cases. The little stick on RFID ones are no use if the perp legs it because they don't prevent you from opening the box like the hefty ones that need a maglock to remove do.

Some stores in the states keep all the games inside locked glass cabinets instead...

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah, or huge individual clear plastic boxes. Ugly and not exactly welcoming.

[ETC]

The problem is that videogame cases, despite being modified DVD or Blu-Ray cases for the most part, don't take any of the common anti-theft dongles that shops like HMV stick in DVD cases. The little stick on RFID ones are no use if the perp legs it because they don't prevent you from opening the box like the hefty ones that need a maglock to remove do.

Some stores in the states keep all the games inside locked glass cabinets instead...

But why is that my problem when all I want is a sealed copy surely that is a problem for the industry or retailer to sort either by better case design or a big burly security guard besides which does that really validate game opening every and I mean every copy they have including ones behind the shelf

[gamerade]

As per the above posters : If it aint sealed it aint NEW.

I'm 100% sure i've been ripped off by HMV and Gamestation when buying so-called 'new' games.
If a trade in looks MINTY MINT it goes in the 'new' section, rip-off B'STARDS.

Buy online ONLY.

[Flabio]

Most of what I've bought from HMV and GAME recently HAS been sealed. For the big titles they keep a pile of sealed ones behind the counter.