Game Stores Selling Opened Games as "New"

[Ando85]

I've heard that that "last copy" is the one the employees are allowed to rent.

Need verification on this.

As far as my workplace was concerned, that's false. We weren't allowed to use any store games, under any circumstances. We wanted a game, we'd have to buy it.

Are you sure it is like that everywhere? I had two friends who work at two separate Gamestops tell me they were allowed to take the games home. Not saying you are outright wrong but maybe they operate differently in different regions?

You do make a good point about the opened new games. To me I would prefer a sealed copy, but even if I have to get the last display copy it really isn't that big of a deal since I'll be opening the game up anyways. The game is still in really good condition and runs fine. I actually buy used as much as possible to save money and I have never encountered any problems with the game not working. If it did I could simply take it back.

It does kind of annoy me when the instruction book is gone, or they put it in a generic case. But, really it isn't that big of a deal. If I can play my game I am usually happy.

 

[everythingbeeps]

I honestly dont see the problem. Also did you know that gaming stores can put new shrink wrap on a game quite easily? So even your "unopened" games arent safe

Well no. Any idiot can tell the difference between shrink-wrap and cellophane*. True new games are wrapped in cellophane (i.e. the plastic that's a nightmare to take off), whereas shrink-wrap describes that softer plastic that you can rip apart easily. Game stores can do the latter, but they cannot do the former.

If a game's in shrink-wrap, I never trust that it's new, no matter the store.



*it may or may not be true cellophane, but it's comparable.

 

[everythingbeeps]

The employees have to do this however. They must reach a certain amount of reserves each month or they get disciplinary action and may eventually lose their job if it continues. I find that utterly ridiculous for a minimum wage job. If anything they should get a commission, not threats of losing their job.

This is good to know. I already pre-order most new games I buy, even when I know there's little reason to do so. Now I have a reason. I'm also oddly compelled to go reserve something right now, just for the hell of it.

 

[mykalwane]

Here is what I did when it happen to me. Took it home and played the game since I couldn't wait to play it. Went back the next day when they had gotten new orders in, and had more sealed copies of the game. Exchanged it and took home sealed game.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Snip.

Sorry, but no. New copies do not stay sealed behind the counter. I'll pick up a display case for a "new" game and they'll pull out a disc and slide it into that particular case, as they would with any pre-owned games. And whether or not the GameStop you go to practices this, the GameStop *I* go to(the only one closer than a 2 hour drive away) allows its employees to take home "new" games that were gutted merely so that they could have a display case on the wall.

Make sure your facts are correct before you correct me.

 

[GonzoGamer]

There are probably enough gamers that don't care/are total pushovers that Gamestop feels that they can do that. I don't see why an opened copy shouldn't have the used price; it's only $2 off the new price.
I just don't shop there.

 

[Astoria]

I can't believe how picky some people are. Bitching that the game isn't sealed is like bitching that a t-shirt doesn't have the tag on it anymore. The product itself is not damaged in any way at all and that's what you're paying for, the sticker on the box has no value it's just there as a extra precaution so the case doesn't open when it's being trasported. If they've taken something out of the case or it has been put in a console/pc then that's a different matter but if all they've done is taken it out for security reasons then get over it.

 

[WhyWasThat]

Personally, I love the feeling of getting a sealed copy and opening it for the first time. So I'm always a little disappointed when they take the battered display case I bring up and just stuff the manual and disc in, and hand it to me as 'new'.
I enfuriates me, actually.

 

[hedges1001]

Here's why it matters: I. Do. Not. Like. To. Over. Pay. It's a ripoff. End of.

Except you're not overpaying, except by using a determination of value that just does not matter. Sealed or opened doesn't affect the current value of the game. It may affect some nebulous future value of the game, but with digital distribution, there just won't be any value to old games, since their value is based on rarity and there's literally a million of them out there.

It matters because that determination of value applies to anywhere else I would buy it -- or to Gamestop itself, if they happened to have a copy that they had labeled as used. Face it, used is worth less than new, opened is used, gamestop routinely rips off their customers.

there is also the fact that some people dont know the definition of used. used is a game that has left the store, gone to a machine what plays it and is the played and THEN traded-in, then sold as second hand. not a disc that's been removed from its box.

*sigh*

I'm posting this again:

Brand New
Items must still be in manufacturer's seal
Opened items can't be listed in this category even if they were never used

Like New
Opened and used items that still appear brand new
Must include all boxes, instructions, and artwork from manufacturer

Very Good
Cases and boxes can show wear (scuffs, cracks, scratches)
DVD, CD, game disc, or game cartridge can't be scratched or scuffed
Items must include all boxes, instructions, and artwork from manufacturer

Good
Item can be missing only one of the following items:
Media box or sleeve
Artwork
Instructions
DVD, CD, game disc, or game cartridge can be lightly scratched or scuffed
The media item must work without the need of repair or resurfacing
Skipping CDs, DVDs, and game discs can't be sold
Fuzzy or snowy VHS tapes can't be sold
Games that don't load or play can't be sold

Acceptable
Media items in generic cases
CDs and DVDs must be in a plastic case (no paper sleeves)
Items missing more than one of the following:
Media box or sleeve
Art work
Instructions
DVD, CD, game disc, or game cartridge can be lightly scratched or scuffed
Media item must work without the need of repair or resurfacing
Skipping CDs, DVDs, and game discs can't be sold
Fuzzy or snowy VHS tapes can't be sold
Games that don't load or play can't be sold


Unacceptable - The following items cannot be sold on Half.com:
CDs and DVDs that skip, jump, freeze, or otherwise don't function properly
Games that skip, jump, freeze, or otherwise don?t function properly Imported DVDs (U.S. region 1 DVDs may be sold)
Region-free DVDs manufactured outside the United States
Promotional music
CD jewel cases with promotion marks (saw cuts, punch-outs, drill holes, UPC strikes)

Source: http://pages.half.ebay.com/help/policy/pricing.html

I sincerely hope I never buy something online that was put up by one of the chuckleheads in this thread that are saying opening the shrinkwrap does nothing to the value. They'd fleece me.

ok first: that's really a list for standards for e-commerce where the situation is completely different (net vs store) a net seller only needs a digital photo of a product and the customer has the RIGHT to return a product with a full refund within 1 week of reciept, this isnt the case in store since the product is on display. TLR your list is being used in the wrong context if this were a thread about e-bay it'd be in context

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

It's still a new copy of the game it's just not in the wrapper. It should only be an issue if you're collecting them for the sole purpose of keeping them sealed and in 'mint' condition.

But it could also be an issue with, like what happened with Gamestop a couple years(?) ago, when the stores were instructed to remove tickets from the boxes that were essentially free time on a rival service that Gamestop pushes on it's customers, but was still included in the price of the product.

 

[Yopaz]

Many stores remove the CDs and place them elsewhere. It means that people can't steal games as easily, since stealing the box would mean they only get an empty box. Its still a new game, they just removed the CD beforehand.

I don't care, so long as I can return it as a new copy if need be.

Yeah, this is quite common. It also means there will be more storage space for boxes meaning they only need one box on display while having several copies of the game in the back room.

However my favourite place for games (huge electronics store that sells pretty much everything) got sealed copies on display inside boxes that have a plastic casing which has to be removed before you leave or it will trigger the store alarm. While I got nothing against stores keeping the discs behind the counter carefully packaged I do prefer to get my games factory sealed the way you get them when ordering from online retailers or from the store I mentioned. The games are still new, but GameStop is the only store where I have ended up getting new games that had disc errors from the first day. This might be a coincidence though.

 

[Ranylyn]

Regardless, the cop wouldn't do anything as nothing that I know of is being against the law.

You're clearly not familiar with the law, then.

The issue isn't selling something used. It's CALLING it new. First off, this is fraud. New is worth more than used, and as such, they are unlawfully swindling customers out of extra dollars. This is quite literally a scam. Would you tolerate a doctor selling you placebos instead of what you actually think you're paying for? Would you knowingly pay full price for a replica painting just because the trader tells you "No, no, it's the original!" Fraud essentially encompases any dishonest attempt at profit.

Honestly, based on my experiences working in a warehouse for a furniture store, and unpackaging floor models to set out on display, I could go on all day about business practices involving displays and customer stock, but I won't subject you to a wall of text. I WILL, however, tell you to think before you post.


Captcha: deep thought (which is what gaming retailers need to give about their methods)

 

[everythingbeeps]

used
   
adjective
1. previously used or owned; secondhand: a used car.
2. showing wear or being worn out.
3. employed for a purpose; utilized

Just putting this out there, because some people don't seem to understand what the word means.

#2 seems to fit perfectly. As I've said, "new" copies still wind up being scratched and scuffed from the paper sleeves, so they end up "showing wear".

So hey thanks for finally putting an end to the confusion, it turns out that by definition opened games are used!

 

[Chased]

Wow awesome responses thus far.

[snip]

The main problem is that you're paying for new, and getting something that is categorically used. It may be in "Like New" condition, but it's not new.

I can't see any meaningful difference between between "new" and "works just like new".

If they want to sell it to me for less then great, but I wouldn't demand it.

Anyone who genuinely gets their panties in a bunch over a disk having been removed from a box gets nothing but thinly veiled derision from me.

Very meaningful difference: like new is less valuable on the open market. Only in gamestop do you pay the same for an open item that you do for a sealed one, therefore, in gamestop you get ripped off. I mean, seriously, go on Amazon and look at the gap in prices between "new" items and "like new" items. Or go into a Best Buy and try to buy a TV that has been used as a display unit. In both cases, the open item is going to cost a lot less.

Retailers take the disks out of the case to protect from theft. Its a fact. A retailer would have to be collosal morons to place sealed coppies on the shelf.

I worked in an Australian game shop for 2 years and it is common practice. Every game retailer in Australia does this and you know what? Never once did I have a customer complain about getting an opened copy.

If you pre-order or reserve a copy, sure I would want a sealed copy too. But if you grab one off the shelf, don't expect a retailer to pull a sealed copy out of their ass, particularly if its an older game which doesn't warrant having display coppies on the shelf.

And that's why I don't buy new games from game retailers. If I'm gonna buy new as a planned thing, I'll go to Best Buy or Walmart, where the games are kept in some sort of a theft deterring case -- either a big glass one for everything, or a small plastic one for individual games. A new product, by definition, is sealed. I'm not gonna pay full price for something that isn't. It's really not that difficult of a concept.

But why do you even care? I'm really struggling to understand it.
I don't even buy discs anymore really, and if I do it's from amazon so it's a non issue for me, but I think having a seal broken on a box is probably worth games not being stolen. It makes literally no difference to the product that you receive, in fact, maybe the disk would even be safer locked away in a drawer than on display being picked up in it's case by everybody that walks by it.

Basically because I don't like overpaying for things. It's a rare exception for me to buy a game new in the first place. If I'm buying new, I want new, dammit. Don't give me used and charge me for new. If I wanted used, I'd buy it used.

It is new, it's never been in another console's/pc's disk drive, they're just protecting the new copy. Why does breaking a box seal alter anything about the actual goods? It just seems very picky to me.

Broken seal = no longer in new condition = less valuable = I'd better be charged less for it, otherwise I'm going elsewhere where I can either get it sealed, pay less, or both. By definition, if the seal is broken it's no longer in new condition. The shape the disc is in is immaterial -- I've bought some absolutely beautiful used games, but I've never paid the full new price for one, and I'd be crazy to do it barring, say, a rare game that is now more valuable than it was when it was new. And then I'd still be crazy to pay as much for a copy with a broken seal as it would cost me to get a sealed one.

I agree with Owyn on this topic. Selling an opened game is not new. The seal has been broken and especially in an industry dealing with used merchandise, an opened game should should be discounted since it's impossible to tell if it's been used.

I also forgot to mention, when I bought Red Dead, the guy straight up told me that they play the "gutted games." I'm by no means hating on the dude, that's the stores policy and he gave quick response to this question so he seemed honest. Still, playing a new game makes it used regardless if an employee played it or my grandmother.

 

[Lev The Red]

when i bought Fallout 3, the dude at GameCrazy gave me an opened case. he looked pretty high, so i was able to finagle him into selling me a game that had come out 3 days earlier for about $30 by making him think it was used.

back to the subject. i have mixed feelings about it. i understand why they do it (it makes theft more difficult), but that doesn't mean i like it. if they're gonna do it, they need to have 3 tiers of games: New (aka "unopened"), Opened (but unused), and Used (opened and previously owned). Opened games should be cheaper by maybe $5-10.

 

[Gibboniser]

Not really sure what's the big deal with the sealed box fetish.