Glyde: a threat to GameStop?

[JordanPlayer]

The article on Kotaku explains exactly why GS's trade prices are low. I work for the company and enjoy my paycheck so you'll understand why I couldn't care less.

As for the used as new bullshit people keep shouting and crapping their pants about, it's the same as a new car. To provide the store and retail experience that GS offers then you're going to have to expect to see some miles on that new game if it's been on the shelf for over a year. If you want a factory sealed game then buy it within a month or two of it's release and you'll be guaranteed a sealed product at 90% of all GS locations.

Also, used games aren't re-shrink wrapped and sold as new. Just resealing random games and marking them as new stupid and results in a potential lawsuit for the company. That is a blatant violation of corporate policy and results in the store manager either receiving a final warning or being fired and all other store staff getting the boot.

I understand why the prices are low... it just keeps amazing me that people take their stuff here instead of putting a little bit of effort in to get a lot more for their games/gear.

However, a game on the shelf should NOT have multiple stickers on it that say NEW and has a price premium whenever it has obviously been used by someone (it doesn't matter if they kept it in perfect condition; someone still opened the game and played it). Point in case: I bought Valkyria Chronicles for PS3 recently and Gamestop had it listed for $20 New. I found the game at one Gamestop with NEW stickers on it; the game didn't have the manual so I didn't get it. Went to another Gamestop that had it w/ manual so I purchased it there. The game had NEW stickers on it so they put the disc in the case and took it to the back to shrink wrap it for you so that it looks brand new. I understood this was going to happen so it didn't bother me, but how can you be trying to sell a game as NEW at the same price when it doesn't include a manual??

I usually go to Gamestop to look for older Used games since I have an Edge Card and can usually get some pretty good deals... the reason the NEW thing bugs me is there are some games I would be interested in purchasing if they were listed correctly as Used.

The car analogy is weak... if a car leaves the lot and goes to a person's home it should be listed as used (or else someone can get in hot water); the same should be considered for games. You can't test drive video games out in the same way you test drive cars out (which is where the miles come from); so games shouldn't be having this issues aside from maybe one copy which should be listed as a Demo unit and sold with some sort of price reduction.

Finally, I wasn't saying they resealed games with Used stickers on them; they reseal games with NEW stickers that aren't in the original shrinkwrap... but these games have obviously been used before.

[J T]

It would be like buying a new car if only the employees at the car dealership could test drive the car, but you could not.

[dlmvii]

I used to be a gamestop apologist too, when I worked there I tried to defend some of their business practices. But the fact of the matter is, they are a terrible company, and customers don't even know the half of it. The way they treat their employees with such disdain is enough to make them horrible all by itself.

[Flak Beard]

I don't think I've traded in a game at EB/Gamestop since it was actually called "Electonics Boutique". It's a shame it had to all turn into one giant consumer rape machine.

My local flea market has a kick ass independent store called the Video Game Dungeon. They give pretty fair trade-in values, but if I want cash I just sell here on the Racketboy forums or Half dot com.

[DerekG52]

Seems like a neat site. I am going through some of my past ebay transactions to see how I would fare if I used the site. The going prices for buying / selling seem decent, but I think buying an item site unseen and relying on a sellers description of its condition could lead to some bad situations, similar to amazon or half. It also looks like there is no retro, only goes back to last gen.

[J T]

Anybody remember Software Etc.? I used to love that store. I think I got in trouble for looking at the Leather Goddesses of Phobos there. I convinced my mom to get me Sorcerers Get All The Girls, since the cover looked innocent enough. I couldn't wait to get it home and find my way to "the island of horny women."

[kgcarini]

[quote="Mod_Man_Extreme"]As for the used as new bullshit people keep shouting and crapping their pants about, it's the same as a new car. To provide the store and retail experience that GS offers then you're going to have to expect to see some miles on that new game if it's been on the shelf for over a year. If you want a factory sealed game then buy it within a month or two of it's release and you'll be guaranteed a sealed product at 90% of all GS locations.[quote]

I like Gamestop for their used game prices; however, I never a buy a game if its already been opened which means I do not but new games from Gamestop. A game is not NEW if it has "miles" on it. Comparing a game to a car is like comparing apples to oranges.

[the7k]

Gotta say, it is an interesting site. Unique in its simplicity.

Unfortunately, everything I searched up had no one selling. Guess I'll have to wait for its popularity to grow.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Honestly, I don't see why so many people complain about the whole "Used as New" thing at GameStop. If you wanted a new copy of the game, there are plenty of alternatives.

Big name alternatives at that. Wal-Mart. Target. Best Buy. You're Edge Card doesn't save you any money on new purchases anyway, so I have no idea why you'd buy them there to begin with.

And if GameStop really was the only way to get it, just buy it in a timely manner. With the exception of big name games like Assassin's Creed 2, Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock 2, etc., only one of the copies GameStop receives will be gutted - the rest will be factory sealed and behind the counter. So just buy your new games in a timely manner...

...or just call ahead of time and make sure they have a factory sealed copy. I've bought plenty of factory-sealed games from GameStop that I called in ahead of time to make sure they had, and sometimes they'll even hold on to it for customers who call in ahead.

In short, if you are buying new games at GameStop, you're doing it wrong. That's obviously not why they're around.

Anyway, as for an online alternative to GameStop, I gotta say I'm pretty interested in eStarland.com. They have a lot of retro stuff, and they apparently give pretty decent prices for trade ins - the only problem is that your trade ins have to be in Near Perfect condition. No scratches, no wear, no stickers/labels on any part of it, has to have manual and cover art in great condition, etc - which is honestly a plus, from the perspective of someone buying from the site.

Thank you.

Now everyone else please shut up about this and get the point. Honestly, if you don't want any games from GS then don't shop there, plain and simple!

[JordanPlayer]

^The point is that games that have NEW stickers plastered all over them shouldn't have been opened and taken home/used as store demo units... and they better well include the disc in mint condition with a manual at the least. What is the point of all this BS and then shrink wrapping it up to make it look factory sealed then? List it as USED like it should be, and there wouldn't be any problems. The whole debate about these games listed as NEW isn't a big issue for me because the price premium for them usually isn't worth it so I don't bother. It's just that they shouldn't be listed as NEW because this is deceiving to consumers; especially more casual people.

I honestly don't buy any brand new games at Gamestop unless I am trying to get it on launch day (usually reserve the thing)... I understand this fact of the conversation and that there are better retail/online alternatives. I also go to some Gamestop stores randomly to check out the Used games and prices for them in conjunction with the Edge card; you can get some really good deals this way.

ON TOPIC:
I like the idea of Glyde and how they cover all the shipping aspects; but I think the lack of pictures and a solid return/warranty initiative in place raise a red flag for me. If you are selling to get some money quick it is still faster on these forums and eBay.