Canadians: You Have a Friend in Goomba :)

[goomba478]

http://www.gamesforcanada.com/images/gfc-header.jpg

Original Greeting: "Hello to My Friends Up North,

I've been hearing over and over how you guys never get the good deals online when it comes to sites like Amazon, Best Buy and others. Sometimes (rarely) they will offer you the same deals as they do on American sites but then they'll go ahead and charge you $20+ for shipping which is HARDLY a deal.

As we all know, at least those of us who trade games internationally, mailing to Canada from the US costs about $2-$3, and there's no real reason that companies should be ripping you fine folks off so much. Especially now that the Canadian dollar is worth essentially the same as the US $, there's just no excusing it.

Anyhow, to try and make things better for all of us, I'm extending a helping hand and offering to you Canadians up north (from where I am anyway). If you see any games/DVDs/CDs/etc. that are available in the US at a price significantly lower than in Canada and you would like me to order it on your behalf, I will do so. I am a member of Amazon Prime and can get most games in 2 business days after purchasing them and so therefore the wait would be minimal. Shipping to Canada usually takes about 5-7 business days first class, or I could ship Priority Mail if you want to pay (I'm a real cheapskate so I usually go for the cheapest shipping personally).

All that I ask is that you pay the full price of the item plus actual shipping and throw in a dollar or two for the service (as I will have to pick up the items, pack them, fill out customs forms, buy a bubble mailer and mail them to you).

This could significantly save you a LOT of money (especially over eBay prices) and it'd help me too since I'm in a bit of a slump lately. The $1 or $2 I make isn't much, but it'd add up if I had enough people ordering and I think it'd be good for everyone =) Let me know if you're interested! I have over 10 years of experience with selling games/shipping internationally and you can read my feedback on eBay if you like (I am a Power Seller with 100% positive feedback).

I can accept Paypal, Credit Cards (through Paypal), or Money Orders (in US Dollars). Obviously Money Order is a little slower though as I'd have to wait to receive it in the mail.

I'm looking forward to hearing from some of you guys =) I think it'll be a win-win situation! Happy CAG'ging.

UPDATE: The beta version of my new website is up that will be the focus of this service. The website is located at: http://www.gamesforcanada.com

At the moment it is fully functional, but I'm still working out all the sections, shipping prices, checkout options etc. Feel free to check it out and give me any feedback on how I can make it better. I take each and every suggestion you give me into consideration and want the website to be a place you visit regularly. Thanks again guys!"

GamesForCanada is alive and well! To help make this service easier during our website transition (Full new site is launching late February 2009!) I have created two full tutorials on how the service works. Feel free to take a look! Click the links next to the tutorials to read the CAG Blogs version, or hit the "Spoiler" button to see the text and photos directly on this page. Keep in mind that doing the spoiler option makes all the text red which is kind of hard on the eyes =P The blogs versions are definitely nicer looking.

Text Explanation (Detailed instructions on how to order): http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/blog.php?b=5557 (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/blog.php?b=5557)For those of you who don't know, April 2008 was the starting point of a new service called "Games For Canada" that I started as a make-shift store. The idea of it is to help Canadians (or any other country) reach hard-to-find items available in the US as well as US-only deals that are not available in other locations. I started the site as a mere idea on the CAG Canada forums and 7 months later we have 1789 replies / 64054 views for our post....not bad if you ask me!

While the service has been an overwhelming success, the actual site for GamesForCanada.com has never been truly realized to its full potential. I'm in the process of hand-coding the entire site myself right now, but it won't actually launch in full until late February. Beta-Testers will have access starting in early February to help me test things out as well. Anyhow, onto the main point of this.

------------
Many Canadians ask me "How exactly does this work". So here I am going to include a detailed overview of the service. In a separate post I will show you (with photos) how a typical order goes:

1) A customer may reach me at one of many places:

* My website: http://www.gamesforcanada.com (http://www.gamesforcanada.com/) (again the full site is not launching until late February 2009, but at the moment the store does work and the Direct Request form for items not listed IS working. It just looks really generic ^_^;;)

* Our CAG forum thread located here: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179597

* Direct Email: GamesForCanada@improcomics.org (use only for GFC use please).

2) Our services are NOT LIMITED ONLY TO VIDEO GAMES! We have ordered everything from headphones and computer parts all the way to breath mints, chewing gum and breakfast cereals (no lie). Virtually anything that can be ordered online can be ordered through our services. As long as it's available in the US (preferably online as that's easiest) and legal to ship internationally, it can be purchased through my services!

3) After you contact me and let me know of the items you want, I will need from you the following information: Your Full Name, Mailing Address, Email address and Telephone number. Giving me this information allows me to add you to my Quickbooks Business software as a customer. After you are a customer I can send you official estimates and invoices (all of which have detailed line-by-line descriptions of your order.

4) You will receive an Email from me with a PDF attachment that has all the details of your order, a final price to pay and payment instructions on how to pay me. I currently accept: Paypal, Credit Cards & Postal Money Orders (in US Dollars only).

5) After you pay for your items in full, I will order them for you, have them shipped to my house and will mail them out to you as soon as they come in. Typical mail time to Canada is about 7-10 days for First Class mail and about 5-7 for Priority Mail. Sometimes it depends on customs, but these are the averages for most items. If you want it shipped faster, I can do so but note that shipping faster than Priority is Expensive. We have done one Overnight delivery to Canada and I'm happy to say it was a success :)

6) The Keys to my service are the following:

** We charge only the prices of the actual items you order. If you find a website like Amazon.com selling a $60 game for $20, you will pay the $20 plus shipping/fees. We do not jack up the price of Direct Request orders simply for the sake of making extra profit. Just don't do it :)

** We charge you actual shipping and handling costs. Rather than have flat fees for our orders shipping costs, we go by the actual weight of the items. Unlike other sites, our shipping is surprisingly reasonable and it's a LOT cheaper than the average stores/auction sites will charge you. Larger items may include small fees for boxes/tape/delivery and such, but again our prices are infinitely more fair than the average site will charge to Canada (or other countries).

** For our service fee we charge only $2.00 USD for the first item, $1.00 USD for each additional within the same package/order. This is to keep things fair as I have to pay for bandwidth, time spent ordering, repacking, shipping, etc. and at the end of it I make a small amount of profit. Not much, but it adds up and it's a fun hobby so I'm not complaining :) For Europe and countries other than Canada it is $3.00 USD for the first item and $1.00 USD for each additional item.

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Again, this is a rather lengthy article, but it's important and I will point to it in the meantime as I put the actual website together. When the final site is up I hope to have YouTube videos and such to explain the process more visually but in the meantime, this is the wordy text version. The next post will feature photos of how I pack an item for GFC services to give you an idea how much work goes into one of these :) Thanks guys!

:newbie: Shipping Estimates for Common Item Weights:
Shipping to Canada (GFC):

=Please note these weights are subject to change. Some items may require slightly more for packing materials/handling charges. This will give you a fairly accurate price though for shipping charges! =

** All the following weights up to 4 pounds are shipped with USPS First Class Mail:

$03.00 USD = 5 ounces – 6 ounces (typical video game DVD rate)
$03.50 USD = 7 ounces
$04.50 USD = 8 ounces – 12 ounces
$05.50 USD = 12 ounces – 15 ounces
$06.50 USD = 1 Pound
$11.00 USD = 2 Pounds
$14.00 USD = 3 Pounds
$18.00 USD = 4 Pounds

** All the following weights are more than 4 pounds and therefore are shipped with USPS Priority Mail instead **

$27.00 USD = 5 Pounds
$29.00 USD = 6 Pounds
$31.00 USD = 7 Pounds
$33.00 USD = 8 Pounds
$35.00 USD = 9 Pounds
$37.00 USD = 10 Pounds

For all weights over 10 pounds, add $2.00 USD per pound (rough estimate that follows USPS guidelines)

[firehawk12]

Sounds like a plan. Maybe I'll take you up on your offer if I see something good down the line. :)

[goomba478]

Absolutely ^_^ Just let me know. I have several ways to contact me. The best is probably through CAG but if I get enough people interested I'll give you guys my personal Email address and or SMS address (on my iPhone) so I can order them ASAP. Some deals I realize are not up for very long, so I can't promise to order anything and everything at any time, but I will do my best, especially for normal items. Just let me know :)

[poiuiu]

I hope you're up to the task of setting up your own make shift online store.

But regardless, you are a good man.:applause:

[goomba478]

That's the idea actually. Originally I was going to start a store doing just that but open to the entire world. Unfortunately, I'm not ready yet to go worldwide just yet so I'm trying it out with you guys first since I mail to Canada almost every day lately and have enough experience with it. Not to mention there's a LOT less scam artists in Canada than some other places I've dealt with lately ^_^

I think it'll be a great way to get a taste for the business as lately all I do is have my games (on eBay) sit around and go unsold or have them sell for ridiculously low prices that cost me mucho dinero. On some recent games I've lost as much as $30 per title which is really getting expensive. I'd much rather make a buck or two and help you guys out then I would giving eBay 100's of dollars each month for negative income =P Not exactly helping my credit card bills to have losses on so many sales =P

Like I said, let me know guys ^_^ CheapyD is your man in Japan and I wanna be your Goomba in the US of A.

[NolbertoS]

Nice gesture goomba. I'd take you up on your offer, if I didn't have a gf in the States who receives the shipping from the games I order :p...Lucky to have her, as amazon, usually has great DOTD or price reduction on games regularly, compared to amazon.ca

[Firestorm]

Where have you been all my life.
I shall note this.

[Phorty Ounce]

This is the greatest news to happen to me since I found out that tuna salad is made with mayo and celery.

Cheers, Goomba. I will bookmark this.

[goomba478]

Just so you guys know, I will be putting together an actual page for this soon enough since there's obviously some interest in the idea ^_^ I better order some more bubble mailers =)

For now, by all means bookmark this thread. Look forward to doing some mailing! Time for this Goomba to go to sleep. Lots of things to do tomorrow. Happy CAG'ing guys.

[Lockescythe]

What about Toys R Us/etc clearances?

Any chance if theres something newly added to the 10$ game bin we could be allowed to ask if you can find it at your closest location? Games here seem to NEVER drop below 14.99 unless they are horrendous games or cheap in the first place.

[jeffx]

I'll keep an eye on this. Instead of a flat 2$, you could look at % ranges, like from 5 to 15% depending on the amount.

[magiic]

Thanks Goomba :)

[goomba478]

Lockescythe, I wouldn't mind checking local Toys R Us stores for you, but in truth there is only one around here where I live and there must be a LOT of CAGs because every time I go there all the good games are always taken. If it is something I can get online it's a lot easier obviously since I can verify the price online and have it directly mailed to my house, but sure from time to time I could definitely check out bargain bins locally for you guys.

JeffX, I like the idea of a percentage commission but I'm not sure how I'd work that out. Maybe I can come up with a magic formula that fits all situations, but for now I think just a flat $1-$2 would make it easier on everyone =) By all means if you want to give more, you can, but I'm not begging or anything ^_^

[jeffx]

well, I'm just saying, it's nice to be helpful and all, but if someone orders 100$ worth of stuff and only "tips" you 1-2$, that's kinda _really_ cheap. which, admittedly, is understandable given the name of this site ;)

a percentage would solve that. flat 2$ under 50$, 5% = 50$<x<100$, 7% = 100$<x<200$, 10% over 200$, etc... or maybe I'm just thinking too hard, thanks/because of my differential equations class!!

anyway I'm looking at my options for Persona 3 FES... I might take you up if amazon.com is the best one.

[goomba478]

Definitely, I totally hear you JeffX :) But like you said this is for CHEAP gamers who may not want to pay me a percentage. Once I get a website up for a similar type service then I'll iron out all the details, but for now I just want to try and see how it goes ^_^ I'm just waiting for my first order to get started.

Today's Amazon Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360 is a pretty good deal for those of you looking for a bargain =)

[gamer602]

How about EB games orders? Some cheap games $5 actually qualifies for deals here up north...have you bought anything from EB? Do you have an EDGE CARD? I'm all for this idea....

[goomba478]

In fact, I just had a whole box of EB Games come today (using the CAG's 26% discount thing ... 16% CAG/10% EDGE). Of course I have an EDGE card ^_^

I could definitely do EB Games/Gamestop orders for you guys, but keep in mind that the online store doesn't guarantee that your games will come with cases/manuals. The online site lately is getting better and better though, so I have more faith in it than I did 6 months ago that's for sure =) Just let me know!

[gamer602]

Great! How long does it take for EB orders to arrive? Do we just send you a PM? How much would it be to ship lets say 10 games to Canada? Also, do you take Canadian or American?
Cause its 14.99 to ship 75 dollars of game to Canada... so that means i can get around 15 games for only 15 shipped to Canada.. would you be cheaper?

[goomba478]

EB Game orders all depend. I typically use the free shipping (1 1/2 weeks total) because after all I'm a CAG but if you want to pay the extra money from EB Games you can get the games in about 3-4 business days usually. I have no control over the speed of the companies unfortunately, but to save money it's not bad at all (especially for older titles). Amazon is nice because I can reliably guarantee that they will always ship in two days thanks to the Amazon Prime. They have yet to let me down in the 2-3 years I've been using that service.

Yes, for now you can just PM me here on CAG and let me know what you're interested in. I'll send you the Paypal address to send the money to and I'll put in your order =) Easy as that.

As for your shipping question:

I just weighed a box containing 10 Complete Wii games (game/case/manual) and with the cardboard box it weighed almost exactly 3 pounds. According to USPS I could ship that first class international (which tends to take about 1-2 weeks) for $12 or I could ship it Priority Mail International to Canada (takes 5 business days or so I believe) for $18. Games that weigh less (Nintendo DS/GBA/etc.) would obviously weigh less. That's a good idea though for larger packages.

As for money, I prefer US dollars in most cases but my account is set to take Canadian dollars as well. Thanks!

[goomba478]

So far I have at least 6 people that are interested or already putting in orders ^_^ Looks like this is moving along well. Keep in mind guys, I'm extremely organized and very efficient with my shipping. I ship games almost every day of the week for Goozex/eBay/CAG trading and I have tons of experience with this sort of thing. I won't disappoint you =) I'd rather be the kind of reliable service that you want to tell all your friends about ;)

[dave17]

I am interested as well. As for the price model for what you charge, the percentage thing is a bit overcomplicated and well what you get should be based on how much work you put in it, so if you're shipping a 20$ game you should get as much as if you're shipping a 60$ game. A better price model would be 2$ flat rate and then 1$ for each extra game.

[Azumangaman]

SCAM!
GET OUT!
SCAM!

No, I'm joking. I'm interested, but I'll have to hear some success stories (or not so successful) stories first.

[goomba478]

dave17, you're absolutely right. I also think it should be effort over price. I don't care if you want to go ahead and order a $200 game if it's just in a normal DVD case. I don't see why I should charge you extra for that, but if you are ordering Steel Battalion or something with the full controller that needs an extra large box, etc. then that's a different story :)

So for now I stick by my $2 flat fee charge plus actual costs. I think it's very fair for everyone.

As for you Azumangaman...I'm absolutely not a Scam artist. I know you were half-joking but I'm at least half-offended. No problem ^_^ I assure you that you'll have lots of happy success stories soon. I stick by my services and am very honest. Wait say a week or two and I guarantee you'll have some happy Canadians =)

[maigoyume]

just wondering, will you order off buy.com w/ google checkout?

[Azumangaman]

As for you Azumangaman...I'm absolutely not a Scam artist. I know you were half-joking but I'm at least half-offended. No problem ^_^ I assure you that you'll have lots of happy success stories soon. I stick by my services and am very honest. Wait say a week or two and I guarantee you'll have some happy Canadians =)
Yeah, the second I posted that (it was 110% joke, by the way), I realized that your rep for everything is really high...lol.

[goomba478]

maigoyume, I can definitely order from Buy.com but I won't get a discount for using Google Checkout unfortunately as that's only your first order. I can order from basically any website you find as long as it is a well known site and trusted. Offers such as Google Checkout and such though tend to be one-time use things which don't really carry over well for this sort of thing.

If you find a site that gives discounts for multiple uses of Google Checkout and the like though let me know, I'd definitely go for that :)

Azumangaman, no problem I know you were kidding. Just be careful :) Character assassination is something I would rather stay away from ^_^ Like you said, I have a pretty good reputation and I'd like to improve upon that rather than start the ball rolling the other way =P

[maigoyume]

even if i provided you with alternate email addresses? or is that too much trouble?

[goomba478]

maigoyume, I could definitely do that for you if you had a Google Checkout account that was linked to a credit card of yours. Unfortunately, I can't set up proxy accounts for this type of service as I want to stay out of any grey areas and want to avoid trouble with merchants/Google Checkout/etc. Let me know what you mean though about providing me with alternate Email addresses though :) I'm curious.

[maigoyume]

the thing with my credit card is it only allows people with a US address to create accounts, as long as you use a diff email address each time you'll be eligible for google checkout, a friend of mine used it about 10 times before they caught on, but since they "flagged" her, she can't use the discount anymore

Edit: credit card that you use also needs to be the same as your mailing address, hence the reason why i am unable to get it myself

[DoubleStop]

i am definitely interested, there have been a lot of good offers ive missed out on from amazon.com and other US sales

[goomba478]

Absolutely DoubleStop. Our economy may be in the gutter right now, but there sure are enough deals and offers for us Americans...there's no shortage of that. With gas going up, up and up I'm sure more people will be shopping from home anyway which means in theory the online deals will just get better and better. :) Let me know if there's anything you need!

[Lone_Prodigy]

Nooo... this means I have to go browse the U.S. deals which means I'll be spending more time and money.

Goomba: CAG Canada's Amerifriend. ;)

[goomba478]

Lone_Prodigy: Yup, I know I'm going to single-handedly try to re-vitalize the American economy by pulling in some much needed Canadian currency ^_^

Oh and I've registered "GamesForCanada.com" I'm going to try and make a website that'll streamline a lot of my policies and stuff. It'll make it a lot easier I think and take out a lot of the guess work =) So look forward to that in the next few weeks (I have to throw something together). Since I'll be doing all the ordering for the most part though I don't have to do anything too fancy just yet ^_^

Just looking out for you guys. =) I like the Amerifriend term hehe. Never heard that one.

[maigoyume]

you should make it your CAG username title :)

[goomba478]

Maigoyume, I'm curious what game or item was it on Buy.com that you were interested in? I'm going to look into your idea about the Google Checkout and make sure it won't get me into trouble. Just let me know what item it was you wanted ^_^ So I can do the research...

[maigoyume]

luminous arc, i just can't swallow the MSRP on it, and saving 33% is always good :) as far as i know its not illegal, but i havent' actually looked up on it much

[goomba478]

I want to make sure though because I just had my Google Checkout account terminated this week for not knowing all of the rules. My mom had sent me $100 towards my trip to China and she had in the subject "Money for your China Trip" and Google thought that I was illegally selling airplane tickets (which is a violation of their policies). Because of that they closed my account. I explained what happened to them and they re-opened my account but told me that I was on "special watch" and that they would be monitoring my account closely.

I just don't want to jeopardize my account :) I will try to find out though for you and get back to you ASAP ^_^ Thanks.

[maigoyume]

not a problem, i wouldn't want to cause you to lose your account just because of me, thanks in advance :)

[Icetron]

This sounds like a fantastic idea, thanks for helping us out Goomba. :) I'll definitely contact you if I need something.

[gamer602]

where are you located goomba?

[chemgear]

Sure why not! :)

I'm in.

[tattashot]

yessss Goomba, all over my face!

[Phorty Ounce]

yessss Goomba, all over my face!

^ I can't decide. Is that comment:

:puke:-worthy?

OR

Sig worthy?

[goomba478]

I am located in the fine state of Connecticut...sandwiched half way between New York and Boston. It's not the most exciting place in the world, but it's a nice place to live and pretty close to all sorts of things. I grew up on the other end of the state, but our state can easily be driven across in only about 2 1/2 hours, so it's rather small =) If my count is correct we're the 3rd smallest state in the country after Rhode Island and Deleware ^_^

and thanks Icetron. Look forward to putting in some orders for you =)

[AznChaos]

This is an awesome thing your doing goomba, and I thank you for helping us Canadians out. Anyways, would it be possible to get the Weighted Companion Cube plush? I always wanted it but the shipping price is ridiculous.

[goomba478]

I put an order in for 10 Weighted Companion cubes (one for Magiic) and they cancelled my order :( So now I'm going to just try ordering one and see if it goes through. I don't know if that's an indication that they are running low on their stock (hope not!) or if that just means that they don't like resellers taking all the ones they have.

I'll keep you posted AznChaos. I agree that $27 shipping for a plush cube is ridiculous. I could probably ship it for $5 or so ^_^

Please let me know if there is anything on Amazon or elsewhere you're intersted in. Condemend 2 is on sale for the 360 for only $40...great price :)

[magiic]

good to see my companion cube has not been forgotten about

[firehawk12]

Oh wow, I totally forgot about the companion cubes. If you're still getting them and are shipping by USPS, I totally wouldn't mind grabbing one too!

[goomba478]

I'm trying to see how it goes. If I get the first one then I will definitely put an order in for more. It sucks that they cancelled my intial one, but it may have to do with the fact that my credit card company (Bank of America) thought it was a fraudulent charge. The phone call was funny... it went something like this:

BOA: We noticed that you had a rather large charge on your card yesterday and wanted to notify you to make sure that your card wasn't stolen.

ME: Yes, I ordered about $600 worth of plush toys from a video game company.

BOA: Yes I see here that you ordered it from VALUE.com...

ME: Actually that's VALVE.com ... they're a video game company.

BOA: Okay, well whatever. Yes, alright.

Guess they don't see why someone would want plush Companion Cubes ^_^

[jeffx]

well, one game for SURE I will need you for is Chaos Wars
it is Gamestop/US exclusive. and I need it!!!

[gamer602]

Gamestop exclusive means that itll be an EB exclusive in Canada...

[goomba478]

Well in any case, if you want me to order it for you JeffX to be on the safe side let me know. According to the website, Chaos Wars ships 5/13 for Preorders. Let me know :) Meanwhile I'm working on the website for this service ^_^ Coming along well so far.

[goomba478]

Good news everyone :) I just got an Email from Valve saying that they wanted to verify that my WCC (Weighted Companion Cube) order was indeed a real one. I told them it was and I received a letter saying that the order went through ^_^

*Crosses Fingers*. Magiic looks like we're one step closer to WCC love for everyone!

[jeffx]

Gamestop exclusive means that itll be an EB exclusive in Canada...

nope this title will NOT see an official Canadian release, due to lack of bilingual cover/manual
EB canada doesn't have it in their DB as of yet. if it makes it here, it will be through importing.

[gamer602]

Sometimes EB will run a 25% off coupon, that can not be used on the web. Are you willing to go in store to get the games and with the EDGE, get 35% off the total? This way, the games will also be complete....

Ill send you a list if ure willing....

[goomba478]

The problem with those 25% coupons is that they limit them typically to two per person. The stores around me have a lot of people that grab up those things. Were the games you were talking about the PS3 games or other systems?

For local stores I'm a bit limited because the coupons clearly say "No Dealers" on the bottom and technically that's what I am since I'm a game reseller. One of the stores has already called me out on it saying that I couldn't pick up a game because I already bought that game before or that I can't pick up multiple copies of a single game.

Online sales are a lot easier to do because they're more anonymous and the websites have no problem with you ordering multiple copies (usually).

[gamer602]

I'm thinking ds, wii and gc games when they do have them....oh ps2 and xbx games too...

The good thing about instore is that you can check the conditions b4 u buy....

[ikariwarriors]

this is a kind offer to help. you are a nice person.

[chosen1s]

How are you shipping at a reasonable rate while at the same time keeping the shipping costs low?

I have considered what you are doing myself, but Canada's waste of an agency we call customs loses...ahem..."loses" so many of my shipments or delays them weeks and months at a time so often that a $2 or $3 "profit margin" wouldn't come close to covering my risk.

UPS/FedEx have been way more expensive than USPS the few times I've checked into it (especially for small items), and to insure or track with USPS requires the item being registered (automatic +~$12)

I'm not trying to steal your idea here, but for my Ebay shipments moving forward, how are you shipping affordably without taking on too much risk? Currently I'm on the verge of stopping shipments to Canada altogether. 90% of the people I ship to in Canada experience SIGNIFICANT delays, "lost" packages, etc. and complain ad nauseum.

[TIconOA]

I'd be down for this, as it's probably my best chance at getting SMT: N.

I really should get off my ass and get one of those credit card dealies. I've heard good things.

[goomba478]

I'm charging the buyers the actual shipping costs and just asking them to pay like two dollars for my efforts/service. I think that's an easy and efficient way to do it (flat fee structure) rather than a percentage as others have suggested. Also, I've never had a package lost to customs. I've had a few that got stuck a week or so in customs (when I sent up 5 Gamecube controllers once) but they've always made it up there.

I ship almost exclusively with USPS and never had a poblem. That's odd... I'd never stop my shipping to Canada though despite some of the issues you mention. I figure we can work it out :)

[goomba478]

Just so you guys know, I've put in an order for ten copies of Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 FES and I've ordered 10 of the Weighted Companion Cubes. I'm positive I'll have the SMT's in stock but I'm not sure how long it'll take for the WCC's. I'll keep you posted for sure. The website I'm putting together will make updates (and orders) much easier and semi-automated as well :) Should be up and running in a week or two. ^_^

Thanks for all your support and to those of you who put orders in, I appreciate it. I won't let you down =)

[goomba478]

SMT: N? I'm assuming you mean Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Do you want me to put in an order for you? I saw that they had it available on Play-Asia and a few other places. It's assumed to be a reprint but for a new copy of the game I think it's exciting =)

[TIconOA]

Yeah, it's Nocturne! I would love you if you could do that. I can send you a money order once I do my banking, which will probably be on Saturday. Which I guess would mean I would send it out on Monday.

I'd need your mailing address for that, but that'll probably be on your site once you get it up. Or just PM it to me.

[goomba478]

TIconOA, I'll PM you my address for sure. I'll let you know how much it comes to :) Play-Asia isn't usually the fastest website but they're not too bad :) Anyone else want me to order Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne? If I could put in an order for more than one it'd probably be faster and easier for everyone :)

Also, anyone interested in a copy of Ouendan 2? I have a MINT / COMPLETE copy available :) Let me know otherwise I'll throw it on eBay probably ^_^ Keep the orders coming.

[TIconOA]

Yeah, I saw that 5-15 days for shipping. Which is alright; FES comes out next week!

[Firestorm]

How are you shipping at a reasonable rate while at the same time keeping the shipping costs low?

I have considered what you are doing myself, but Canada's waste of an agency we call customs loses...ahem..."loses" so many of my shipments or delays them weeks and months at a time so often that a $2 or $3 "profit margin" wouldn't come close to covering my risk.

UPS/FedEx have been way more expensive than USPS the few times I've checked into it (especially for small items), and to insure or track with USPS requires the item being registered (automatic +~$12)

I'm not trying to steal your idea here, but for my Ebay shipments moving forward, how are you shipping affordably without taking on too much risk? Currently I'm on the verge of stopping shipments to Canada altogether. 90% of the people I ship to in Canada experience SIGNIFICANT delays, "lost" packages, etc. and complain ad nauseum.

Yeah, never ever use UPS or FedEx to send to use. Always use USPS. UPS (and I believe Fedex) charge like $20 customs 90% of the time. USPS, if you declare as a gift under $50 never charge customs.

[gamer602]

TIconOA, I'll PM you my address for sure. I'll let you know how much it comes to :) Play-Asia isn't usually the fastest website but they're not too bad :) Anyone else want me to order Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne? If I could put in an order for more than one it'd probably be faster and easier for everyone :)

Also, anyone interested in a copy of Ouendan 2? I have a MINT / COMPLETE copy available :) Let me know otherwise I'll throw it on eBay probably ^_^ Keep the orders coming.


How much shipped to Canada?

[goomba478]

Shipping for most games comes to about $2.50 to Canada using First Class Mail. Not bad at all. Sometimes (oddly enough) it's actually cheaper lately for me to ship to cities like Toronto than it is to Los Angeles from where I am in the US. I mean, it makes sense since Toronto is a lot closer (distance wise) but still funny.

I will have ALL the information about my services on the website I'm putting together ^_^ Should be up in about a week. Just working on several sections. Lots of work :)

[gamer602]

No, no
how much do you want for Ouendan 2 shpped to canada?

[AznChaos]

OOhhh would you be able to order a copy of SMT: Nocturne for me? Although if possible it would have to be shipped out at a later date as I mentioned in my PM.

[goomba478]

Gamer602,

Sorry for the misunderstanding ^_^ I can ship Ouendan 2 for $45 total. The game is $40, shipping is $3.00 and a $2.00 service charge. Let me know if you're interested :)

=JJ=

PS: The game is MINT condition and Complete!

[goomba478]

Anyone interested in being a beta user for my new website? I'm going to need someone that has a few minutes to poke around the site and that would be interested in ordering games from Amazon/Play-Asia/etc. No purchase requirement or anything and I'd give you something for your efforts. I need about 5 people so let me know if you're interested :) Thanks!

=JJ=

[maigoyume]

i'm up for it, got a few hours to kill

[Phorty Ounce]

Anyone interested in being a beta user for my new website? I'm going to need someone that has a few minutes to poke around the site and that would be interested in ordering games from Amazon/Play-Asia/etc. No purchase requirement or anything and I'd give you something for your efforts. I need about 5 people so let me know if you're interested :) Thanks!

=JJ=

I am up for the beta test. However, I am at school right now. I'll be best available around 4-5 EST.

[Icetron]

Anyone interested in being a beta user for my new website? I'm going to need someone that has a few minutes to poke around the site and that would be interested in ordering games from Amazon/Play-Asia/etc. No purchase requirement or anything and I'd give you something for your efforts. I need about 5 people so let me know if you're interested :) Thanks!

=JJ=

What do I have to do? I'm up for it but I don't think there's anything I need to order at the moment.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Curious, how much would it be to ship a PC game? I know the box is larger than a typical DVD case. Thanks.

Also, goomba, is it possible to buy something online (say eBay) and get it shipped to you rather than myself, then have you forward it to me? The difference is like $15 in shipping for that item. :bomb:

[goomba478]

The beta test won't be open until sometime early next week :) I just wanted a few people who were interested in it. I think you guys will like the site I'm putting together. It's very spiffy ^_^

Also, the beta testers you don't need to buy anything (though I won't stop you if you want to). I just want your opinions on the site, suggestions and things you think I can do to improve it before I open it up to the public. I'm going to be adding on to it every week, but I want to get it working before I show everyone ^_^

Shipping PC games aren't that much more. If I ship it first class it's like $3.50 - $4.00 total to ship. Not bad at all (unless it's some huge special box set).

[goomba478]

Lone Prodigy,

Absolutely about the eBay thing. That's actually one of the things I'm implementing into the upcoming website. By all means, let me know what item you're looking at (send me the number) and tell me what the maximum you're willing to pay. I will put in a proxy bid for you at that price. If it's a Buy it Now (BIN) then it's even easier :)

I realize a lot of sellers won't ship to Canada or charge crazy high prices. I can be your inbetween guy...your "Amerifriend" as someone else said ^_^

[Jest]

Goomba, I don't know how adept you are with web development but I know a handy tool that is indispensable for people I know in the industry, and helped me tons in my web classes. Its a FireFox ad-on called Web Developer (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60). I've mostly just used it as a JavaScript debugger but it has a boatload of other features.

[goomba478]

Jest, I appreciate that. I'll definitely look into Web Developer :) I'm actually not too bad with PHP and Javascript stuff, but I'm far from good at either (I'm learning). At the moment I'm focusing on PHP and MySQL stuff to build the website and it's coming along very well so far.

I'll be sure to let you guys see it when it's working properly :) Thanks again!

[magiic]

Im down for beta too, I'd probably buy things as well

[goomba478]

OK, well I'm back from work (I had to work overtime last night and didn't get home until 5:30 AM...eep!) Just wondering if you guys would like me to add any new games to my database for the website I'm working on. So far I have the following:

1) Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne / Persona 3 FES
2) Chaos Wars
3) Weighted Companion Cube

Again, these aren't anything you have to commit to buying :) But rather I'm working on getting content for the site (obviously I'll be adding a whole slew of games in addition to a "request any game/item" section. I just want to have more stuff on the site for when it goes live. Let me know :)

The site itself will offer side by side comparisons of different sites and prices so you can see instantly how much things will cost. Sites includes: My own services, Amazon.ca, Gamestop.com, Play-Asia.com, and more.

Let me know ^_^

[Usuyami]

This is awesome Goomba. I will definitely be using your services a lot and soon too. Ohhh this is exciting. It's like having a whole new world open it's doors to you.

[magiic]

I am pretty damn pumped for this

[goomba478]

Yup Usuyami, it really is exciting....*JJ starts to break into song singing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin...* Okay maybe I should stick to sending out games and do less singing ^_^ I think the world will be better off that way.

Oh and GREAT news everyone! My package from Valve just came and I now have 10 Brand New Factory Sealed Weighted Companion Cubes! Let me know if you're interested :) They are only $39.99 including all shipping and fees ^_^

Sincerely,
JJ Parks :)

PS: Website will be live as of 4/24/2008!

[kathos]

:O What do we have 'ere?

Somewhere better to buy games? I'm in.

[goomba478]

What's up Kathos ^_^ Yup, I already have about ten orders now which is a great start considering I don't even have the website live yet. I see also that you have a Companion cube in your avatar picture =) good for you! Welcome to the club ;)

[gamer602]

What is a companion cube?
Why is everyone going gaga over it?

Is it just a pillow?

[goomba478]

Gamer602,

If you ever played (and completed) Portal then you would probably be going Gaga over it too. Without giving anything away, it's one of the most influential inanimate object ever in gaming, and it's not just a pillow...it's a 3-dimensional recreation of a beloved friend made out of top-quality fabrics (otherwise known as a plushie/pillow ^_^).

Valve ships them to Canada but charges like $27 for shipping, if my memory services right, which is outrageous. That's where I step in =) If you haven't played Portal...go do it! Easily one of the best games ever :)

[eswat]

Valve ships them to Canada but charges like $27 for shipping, if my memory services right, which is outrageous. That's where I step in =) If you haven't played Portal...go do it! Easily one of the best games ever :)If you can get stuff from the Valve store and ship them up here without their disgusting price, I'll love you forever.

As for the companion cube craze, I'll never understand how that took off. After I beaten Portal I just shrugged and went on to TF2. :D

[goomba478]

Absolutely I can mrelusive! I only ask that you throw in like a $2 service charge plus actual shipping ^_^ Feel free to PM me if you have any specific items you have. I'm on good terms with the Valve shipping center as I've ordered a ton from them lately ;)

Let me know what you need! The site will go live on 4/24/2008 but in the meantime you can always contact me here or by Private Message. Thanks!

[poiuiu]

goomba: What are your thoughts on shipping gaming books?

[goomba478]

Poiuiu I have no problem shipping game books. The only issue is they tend to be larger than normal boxes I have, so I may need to get some bigger boxes. If I'm ordering them from Amazon though or somewhere online then they'll come in a box, so I can just use that and re-label it to ship it out to you. I can really order just about anything you guys want so let your imagination fly ^_^

[goomba478]

Anyone interested in a copy of House of the Dead 2&3 new for the Wii? It's on sale today on Amazon for only $19.99....also this week's Gamestop sale has Xbox 360 games on sale for 35% off total (including my EDGE discount). Let me know if you're interested in any specific titles. I should be able to find most! Thanks guys.

[poiuiu]

Poiuiu I have no problem shipping game books. The only issue is they tend to be larger than normal boxes I have, so I may need to get some bigger boxes. If I'm ordering them from Amazon though or somewhere online then they'll come in a box, so I can just use that and re-label it to ship it out to you. I can really order just about anything you guys want so let your imagination fly ^_^
Nice. I'll keep you in my rolodex.

Anyone interested in a copy of House of the Dead 2&3 new for the Wii? It's on sale today on Amazon for only $19.99....
Futureshop has it for that price right now, actually.

[goomba478]

Okay well that's cool :) I forgot about Future Shop (we don't have them in the US). Glad you'll be kept on the Rolodex ^_^ The Gamestop deal for 35% off Xbox 360 games is still a great deal :)

[ragnar14]

goomba: What are your thoughts on shipping gaming books?
Just so you know Amazon.com is kinda reasonable for shipping books up to Canada. Handy for those guides like Doublejump Books that aren't even sold up here. I ordered the Persona 3 guide recently and IIRC shipping was $6 (that's what Doublejump charges on their site within the USA), and just being a $20 book it didn't pickup and customs/taxes :bouncy:

[poiuiu]

ragnar: I actually had the scenerio of (the never to be ever released at all) Megaman Zero Complete Works, published by Udon, from Overstock.com, in mind, not that I was expecting him to order it from there.

Altho, I have to admit, Amazon is quite nice when it comes to shipping prices (for books in the least), even if you're ordering from their japanese site.

[Phorty Ounce]

Goomba can you please help me search for these two games:

Burnout 2: Point of Impact (Xbox)
NBA Street (Xbox) - this is the original, vol 1

I can't find reasonable (CDN) prices for these online.

[Lockescythe]

how much will chaos wars be anyway?

[jeffx]

40$ for chaos wars, look it up on gamestop

[goomba478]

poiuiu, I can definitely order those for you if you like :) I have an account on overstock so that wouldn't be a problem at all. Phorty Ounce, I'll see what I can do. Shouldn't be any problem locating those games :) I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks!

[goomba478]

Lockescythe:

Chaos Wars will be $47.50 total (includes game price, 6% tax in my home state, shipping and all fees). ^_^ Thanks!

[ShocWave]

Would you take amazon.com gift certificates as payment? I have a few lying around.

[Usuyami]

Goomba is awesome. Ordered something off eBay for me and kept me updated throughout the process. He even rewrapped the game and put it in a box so it doesn't get damaged on the way to me. I'll let you guys know when the game gets here, but so far, I am very very impressed with his service. I'm honoured to be his first customer. 8-)

[goomba478]

Thanks Usuyami, I appreciate the good word of mouth ^_^ Yup, you're officially crowned as the first customer! I have a few others with orders but yours will be going out first :) I expect you should get the game in about a week or so, depending on how long it stays in customs (something I don't have control over unfortunately). Glad to be of service! :)

[goomba478]

ShocWave, yes I will take Amazon gift certificates as payment as long as they can be used in the US Amazon store ^_^ Thanks!

[Rex]

Goomba! Canada's new best friend.

Just wondering if you could possibly order one of these for me? :D

http://www.nyko.com/nyko/products/?i=133#

Nyko Store doesn't seem to want to ship to Canada, and I have no connections in the US.

I'm looking to get a black version (which will be updated onto the site tomorrow; April 23) and if it's not too much trouble for you I wouldn't have any problem footing all the bills and then some!

If it's too much then don't worry about it, but if it's possible that would be great too!

Awesome thing you're doing for us, thanks!

[goomba478]

Dear Rex,

Correction: You now have a connection in the US :) I can absolutely go ahead and order that for you (granted the black one won't be available until tomorrow like you said). There is almost nothing I cannot order, so just fire away ^_^ Feel free to PM me and I'll get in contact with you for your mailing address, where to send the payment, etc.

You're very welcome :) I can't wait until the site goes live this week. It's exciting for me too!

[goomba478]

Oh and Rex, just so you know there will only be 300 available for the black ones (I'm sure you already know that) so I'll do my best to make sure that you get one! Anyone else interested in ordering a black wireless Nyko Nunchuk for the Wii? They are EXTREMELY limited edition ^_^ Let me know by tomorrow :)

[Rex]

Goomba, you are the American CAG-er of the forever!

Keep in touch and let me know how the Nyko nunchuk goes! A group of friends of mine came over one time and one accidentally took my nunchuk with his other controllers.

I've never gotten it back since and have been waiting for this to come out!

Goomba, are you interested in Ketchup chips? I'll send some down to you haha.

[goomba478]

One more day until the site goes live for Beta Testers ^_^ I'll be sending information here for you guys tomorrow sometime in the evening. I was wondering if any of you wanted me to order anything for you from the Valve store? I'm putting in a few orders myself. Let me know!

Sincerely,
JJ Parks :)

PS: I'm excited to say the least ^_^

[magiic]

woooo stoked for tomorrow :)

[goomba478]

Me too Magiic. Let me know if there are any products you'd like to see on the site :) I will be offering certain bonuses and discounts to Beta Testers ;) hint hint.

[gamer602]

Add me to the list of testers!!!

[goomba478]

Okay Gamer602 I've added you ^_^ Any products you want me to add to the catalog? So far almost all the games I've added to the site are ones people have requested (for obvious reasons). I'm going to be adding hundreds of items as I go along, but it takes a lot of work with making thumbnails, editing item descriptions, etc. so I'd like to start with games / items you guys are actively requesting :) Thanks!

[danthemightyone]

I could help testing the website. (Same day as Metal Gear Online beta goes live?) I have some php experience too :)

[ragnar14]

Hey Goomba, I sent you a PM ;)

[Rex]

Hey Goomba, can I be a tester for the site also? This is pretty exciting! Can I also be a Platinum Member? :lol:

[Phorty Ounce]

I can already tell this is going to be a very, very, very, very good business model for you, Goomba.

EDIT: I know you are busy, but did you have any luck tracking down Burnout 2 (Xbox) and NBA Street (Xbox)?

[goomba478]

Actually, anyone can be a beta tester ^_^ It's just that the site won't have a TON of items when it first opens so I won't be heavily advertising it or anything. And I want you guys to let me know what you think of the layout, the overall look, checkout, etc. It's my first time putting together a complete e-commerce/shopping type site so it's been a ton of work (I enjoy that sort of thing though after all).

Phorty, I haven't found Burnout 2 or NBA Street for you yet but I promise I will =) Give me a couple more days to keep looking. Like you've said I've been ultra, ultra busy ^_^ I promise I'll try though!

[eswat]

I'd like to try out a beta of the site as well. :D

[Lockescythe]

I'd be up for Beta testing.

[Teddite]

I'd be down for beta also. The amazon.com Deal of the Day is sometimes too nice to pass up, but I have no US address.

[ShocWave]

Add me to the beta please :D

[goomba478]

The Beta officially starts NOW! Keep in mind this is a Beta meaning the entire site is not finished (actually it's almost there but there aren't that many products up yet). The key is to remember that most services you can simply request items directly from me (feel free to use the CONTACT US link on the website that way my CAG box doesn't fill up instantly).

Also, I'll be offering bonuses to anyone who orders from me during this Beta period ^_^

Here's the site:

http://www.gamesforcanada.com

I will be adding a ton of games, accessories and more detailed pages each and every day from now until infinity, and remember if you have a game, system, book, cd, anything really that you want on: Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City, Gamestop, eBay, etc. etc. contact me directly and I can get it to you for actual cost of item + actual shipping costs + $2 service fee ^_^ Thanks guys! Please let me know what you think of the site. I'm going to open an official forum post on CAG after one week of the Beta. Thanks!

PS: Anyone that wants a $1.50 off their order can use the coupon code:

PAYPALBASIC

when checking out. This is essentially me passing the savings of you using Paypal to Paypal payment (no fee) on to you. I'm not allowed to actually charge you more for using Paypal checkout as that breaks the rules, so instead I can reward you for using the alternative service. If you use that coupon code though, you have to select "CHECK/MONEY ORDER" as your checkout type and contact me to let me know you're going to use Paypal to send to my Personal account. If you use the coupon and then check out with Paypal on the website I will have to cancel that particular order. Make sense? Thanks guys!

[goomba478]

PS: The artwork on the top is NOT final. It's just a placeholder. I will be using the game controller with the Canadian flag as my logo, but not with that background ^_^ just so you know. I don't want to hold up the beta for two weeks while I do graphics changes though.

Also, if you come across any games without pictures just keep in mind that I will often add games first (text only and price) and then go back and add the descriptions/images. I am doing custom thumbs for each game in Photoshop as well as medium/large versions which takes time. Some games it's easy, some it's not. Thanks!

[maigoyume]

just got off work, going to check it out in a bit and give my impressions

Edit: logo could use some work like azumanga said
bargin is supposed to be "bargain"
i really like your slogan, staying true to us Canadians :applause:

[Phorty Ounce]

From a design standpoint, I think you should make all of the options on the top of the page fit on one line and possibly create a graphic bar of those options (toolbar) instead of having the options on two lines. You know what I mean? Kind of hard to explain.

[Azumangaman]

Looking good so far!
From a design standpoint, I guess you should just spice it up a little. The logo looks pretty cheap.
I'll be in contact with you when I get money :D
And a sign up link is needed :p

[eswat]

Looking good so far. Just two things to report.


Some parts of the layout are duplicated, such Search (placed top right and in both sidebars) and Categories (horizontal list on the top, vertical list on the left sidebar). Might want to clean that up a bit.
After reading the text on the frontpage, and the bit about signing up, I couldn't actually find a link to sign up. I seen a few links for logging in, but as a new user I wouldn't have known this same page would direct to the sign up form as well (even if that's convention for some sites). Might want to put a prominent button somewhere on the front page that says "Sign up" or something to that effect.

[magiic]

Just about to place an order for a companion cube and FES and it's quoting shipping at $14.99, is this correct?

[Azumangaman]

Are the prices in CDN or USD?
Test Orders for Videogamesplus vs. Goomba

Video Games Plus:
Rondo of Swords $34.99
Persona 3: FES $34.99
Total: (shipping, tax, etc):
$84.07

GOOMBA:
Rondo of Swords: $29.99
Persona 3:FES $29.99
TOTAL: $68.97

Throw in a 13% tax and $5.00 more if its shipping from the US (assuming its tagged by customs)
TOTAL: $82.93
IN CDN: $84.12

So, videogamesplus is cheaper.
Not saying that GOOMBA won't have much better prices, but just so you guys don't forget about customs.

[jeffx]

you don't need three search boxes

otherwise it looks fantastic!!! I'm going to order Chaos Wars from you...

and to Azumangaman, if Goomba marks the games as gifts, shouldn't be a problem with customs.

[Azumangaman]

and to Azumangaman, if Goomba marks the games as gifts, shouldn't be a problem with customs.
Yeah, if he does that, the deals will be incredible.

[jeffx]

off topic but damn you make me wanna watch mai hime again.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Goomba changed his CAG title. :)

[Rex]

Yeah, if he does that, the deals will be incredible.

This is Goomba we're talking about here!

And the site was functional for me. It can look like whatever you want it too, just as long as you're giving the Canadians a helping hand with US deals! And who knows, maybe people like their search bar on one side as opposed to another, you're just catering to both haha.

I signed up for an account, site is looking good so far and I can't wait to contribute!

[maigoyume]

it would be good if you listed the prices in CAD or USD

[Usuyami]

Signed up, site looks fine to me. I'm not as picky as most but the main point here is to save money, not look at pretty pictures. I'd be completely fine with all text as long as the site remains easy to use and navigate. Just my $0.02 CAD though.

[goomba478]

Wow, you guys gave me a TON of feedback. I love it :) That's exactly why I wanted to have a "Beta test" period before putting it live. Let me address a few of the things you brought up:

1) I'm using an open source shopping engine called ZenCart. It's totally customizeable, but I'm a bit new to the program. I'll get it looking prettier, don't worry :) I'm all about custom logos, and spicing it up. For now, like a few of you said, my main goal is just to make sure the site works and that it loads properly and then I can work on it from there.

2) The shipping (at the moment) is entirely weight based and is based on the actual weights of the items. For instance the games are listed as .4 pounds (4 ounces) and the Weighted Companion Cube (it even has "weighted" in its name after all) weighs a little more than a pound....

At the moment the shipping costs also include: My $2 service charge I'm asking as well as Paypal Fees. The reason I'm using the coupon code at the moment is to see how many people would be willing to send money to my Personal Paypal account rather than my business one as that would save me a lot.

My goal isn't to make a ton of money on each product, but rather to make a few bucks on each transaction and become popular enough to make money through a number of orders.

3) The duplication of the search areas was intentional, but if you guys think it's overkill then by all means I'll have only one. Don't want to over do it. Same goes for the sections...they automatically have the sections as a vertical spread on top and on the sidebar. I can play around with that :)

4) I like that you guys pointed out there is nowhere that specifically says "Sign up". That's a good point. I'm not sure why the default just says "Log in" or whatever. I'm going to have to fix that as well ^_^

5) I will definitely list them as Gifts so don't worry. That's how I always have done it on eBay and I don't see any reason not to. Besides, I was told that under $50 you didn't need to pay customs on things anyway. Is that not true? Fill me in!

Looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me!

Just remember guys, I really am doing this as a service for you so give me some time to get the kinks out. I will make it worth your while. As always, you can contact me via CAG and can arrange me to just buy items for you directly. So far about 10 of you have done so and all the items have been ordered, just so you know.

Sincerely,
JJ Parks :)

[Firestorm]

Nitpicky, but probably best to keep Canada as the default country for signing up =P

Navigation-wise, I think the first page should be less about informing what you do and more about updates. Maybe not now, but later. Have a separate About Us page or something that explains exactly what it is you do.

[goomba478]

Oh and about Canadian Dollars, I can definitely do the site in multiple currencies, that's not an issue at all. It's stupid of me to list in US dollars I suppose ^_^ didn't even think about that. Shows how something so simple can be overlooked when you're new to something like this. I'll work on everything you guys brought up. Don't be afraid to bring up more issues you have, I'll look into each and every one!

[goomba478]

Updates:

I've gone ahead and changed a few things that you guys pointed out.

1) There is now only ONE search bar (sorry about that)
2) All prices default to Canadian dollars now with the option of viewing prices in US Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, etc.
3) I am now focusing on getting all the items listed as text only and then will be adding in pictures later on.
4) I fixed some of the misspelled words that you pointed out (can't believe I typed BARGIN...that's what I get for doing the updates on my iPhone on the bus lol).

What I'm working on now that should be fixed in the next hour:

1) Updating the shipping options so that items like the Weighted Companion Cube don't totally throw off the shipping amount.
2) Removing (temporarily until I figure out what I'm going to do about it) the option of paying with Paypal and keeping the only option Money Order (though of course you can checkout and then contact me on there or on CAG to let me know you want to pay by Paypal). Again, this is because for me toa ccept payments on my business account, especially from Canada where there's also a cross-border fee, I'd be paying about 5% per transaction. That totally would negate any of the savings I'd be giving you guys, so I have to figure out something ^_^
3) I'm going to make the opening text with a VERY clear signup button =P darn templates.

I'll be sure to keep you posted. Please keep your suggestions coming!

[maigoyume]

just an fyi, your site has now be favourite-ed on my mozilla ;)

probably wouldn't hurt to update the OP with the site and new info

[goomba478]

Thanks for the favourite (I have to get used to seeing that word written with an "ou" now haha). I took your suggestion also and changed my original message to have a link. The idea I originally had was that once I get the site to where everyone is happy with it, I'll repost a new link in the regional / Canada section with all the details of the site. Thanks again ^_^ Keep the ideas coming, you guys are awesome!

[maigoyume]

never could understand why there had to be an American and Canadian way of spelling some words, oh well

[goomba478]

I think the British do spell words like "color" as "colour" so it very well could be that we Americans are just picky and stubborn. Or it could be something that came from French also, I'm not entirely sure.

As far as Paypal goes, do you guys think it'd be fair just to up the prices of the items 3% from the get-go and then just have the option to pay by Paypal directly on the site? That seems fair enough to me. Let me know what you think. Many games would still be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than in Canada or via typical shipping on most websites.

Also, what do you guys think about Pre-Played/Used games. Should I list them seperately as many websites do? So that there'd be one price for a new game and one price for a used game? Let me know ^_^ I think that'd work rather well but I don't want to clog up my catalog if people don't want to have it that way. Thanks again!

I'm going to bed in half an hour and I'll work a ton tomorrow as I don't work (finally a day off! my first in almost two weeks...yikes).

[bryehn]

Great idea! You're going to get a lot of business, thanks for the service!

[goomba478]

Bryehn, You're welcome! I think it's a good idea for a business too and I want to make it work the best I can. If you have any suggestions or comments or questions please let me know ^_^ I'm all ears!

[Azumangaman]

Only one problem:
I need money :D
If I had money, I would have ordered Rondo of Swords and Persona 3:FES.

[goomba478]

Azumangaman, The good news is that I have 10 copies of Persona 3 FES and I can order Rondo of Swords any time for you =) Let me know if you are interested when you have some spending cash.

[goomba478]

I'm going to order some copies of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for the DS. If any of you guys have been waiting to order it now is a great time to get it ^_^

[hero101]

Goomba, is there a currency exchange rate fees on us paypal account for accepting Canadian $? If so, is there a particular rate? Thanks (sorry about jumping off topic but you have more experience in this area).

[gamer602]

I'm going to order some copies of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for the DS. If any of you guys have been waiting to order it now is a great time to get it ^_^


Post a canadian price

[maigoyume]

Post a canadian priceWait until he puts a price on the site, everything is already default CAD

[goomba478]

hero101, yes there is a 4.9% rate to change Canadian Dollars to US Dollars plus a full $0.30 CAD fee from Paypal. Don't worry though, if you buy from my website, all fees and such are added into the price of the games. I've also gone ahead and fixed the shipping rates so now they are exactly accurate and very specific (go up per ounce). All game weights are the actual game weights too so you'll find the shipping is much better now at calculating actual costs =)

Thanks again guys!

[goomba478]

Maigoyume has it right. All prices on the site are up to date and now are in CAD as the standard. So you shouldn't have any problem calculating the final price with shipping now (very easy to do as it's all automated). Right now I'm working on the main page to make it easier to see how you can sign up, and then I'm going to do a page with shipping prices so you can see ahead of time if you want. I want to make my operations as transparent as possible :)

Thanks again guys!

[goomba478]

I have added a "Sign Up" Beaver that is clickable on the main page that should make it much easier for people to find where they should be going to sign up, as the "Log in" thing was pretty tricky and confusing for people. I'll work on making it easier and easier as I go along. Your suggestions have all proven very, very useful. Thanks so much everyone!

[goomba478]

Updates: I've added the Shipping Table so you can see from anywhere from 1 ounce all the way up to 4 pounds of gaming goodness. I've spelled out all the prices and fees in total.

I'm going to work on the return policy pages and all that good stuff, but that'll take me a bit longer ^_^ Bear with me. It's all coming together!

[ShocWave]

You know what would be cool?
If you could add Xbox live membership cards.

They retail for $59.99 here in canada, and are only $39.99 in some stores in the USA. Infact, I need one for tonight since mine just expired :(

[Princess Zelda]

I'd buy an Live card from you if you could get them for a good price. Not right away though this has been an expensive month. The best part would be no actual shipping required. You can't do points cards for us though the Canadian consoles can't use them. :(
By the way the site's looking/working fine on Safari web browser.

[goomba478]

I definitely could get you an xbox live card. If I was home right now I would give you a 48 hour code but I won't be home until past midnight tonight. Maybe I an send you one tomorrow. Any idea where to find an xbox live card for 40? Fill me in. Help me help you.

[Lockescythe]

Besides, I was told that under $50 you didn't need to pay customs on things anyway. Is that not true? Fill me in!

-That is NOT true I ordered the Xenosaga 2 special edition guide from EB USA. 20$ customs when the guide was only like 10$

[ShocWave]

Buy.com has them for $44.
Costco.com has them for $40

I have a Costco membership which works across north america, but sadly the .com site doesn't ship to Canada. I'd be nice if someone can confirm weather they stock the cards in-store as well.

I've got a 48 code from a game I bought last week, but 48 hours wll be gone in a flash, lol

Some items, such as video Games, movies, and some accessories, are covered in the free trade agreement.
There is no duty on these items. If any item exceeds $50 in value, you will be charged GST and or PST/HST.

Some retarded shipping companies like UPS and FedEX will charge you regardless. Watch out!

[Firestorm]

Besides, I was told that under $50 you didn't need to pay customs on things anyway. Is that not true? Fill me in!

-That is NOT true I ordered the Xenosaga 2 special edition guide from EB USA. 20$ customs when the guide was only like 10$

That was probably UPS. I believe it's up to $50 only if it's a gift. Otherwise $20? That's USPS though, UPS is horrible.

[Firestorm]

Hey goomba, will you be around FYE or Suncoast in the next week or two? They're having a BOGO on Funimation titles and I want Fullmetal Alchemist Season 2 Part 1 and FullMetal Alchemist Season 2 Part 2. If they're $39.99 or less each (so $40 for two), I'd love to get them. What's the sales tax where you live?

[goomba478]

I do have a Suncoast and FYE right near my house. I'll definitely pick up those titles for you. Tax in my state is 6% (Connecticut). ^_^

[Azumangaman]

Oh man. You'd do anime too? You might be my best friend ever...

[goomba478]

Azumangaman, I'll do anything. Games are just my speciality but I've spent probably $5000 on anime alone myself (not even mentioning manga/toys/etc.). Anything you want: Games, anime, DVDs, books, beach towels... you name it. If I can get it in America and don't have to jump through a thousand hoops to get it, it's yours ^_^

[goomba478]

I apologize guys that my first newsletter went out without any images / graphics / colored text / etc. I didn't realize that you had to check off an option in the administrative back-end that sends the HTML emails. It was listed as on, but when I went to check the actual settings I found that a manual override was enabled. My bad.

Those who DID receive the newsletter though, feel free to use the coupon at the bottom ^_^ *hint hint*.

[Usuyami]

Besides, I was told that under $50 you didn't need to pay customs on things anyway. Is that not true? Fill me in!

-That is NOT true I ordered the Xenosaga 2 special edition guide from EB USA. 20$ customs when the guide was only like 10$

I've received packages marked as games with values ranging from $80-100 and haven't been charged duties. They have all been shipped via USPS so far though, so I'm sure I would've been raped by UPS.

[goomba478]

I have two Xbox Live 12 Month codes available. Let me know who wants them :)

[goomba478]

ShocWave bought my first Xbox Live card. One more available $43 USD. ^_^ Thanks guys! Keep in mind that yes they do have them for $40 online but most stores still charge me tax (6%) or shipping. In total they cost me about $42 so I make like a buck. I'm fine with that though. Thanks!

[Lockescythe]

Although I've gotten 100$ of dopllars of stuff from amazon.com and never got charged duty. So I'm not exactly sure what the specifics are.

[maigoyume]

I spoke to a customs officer and a postal worker and both of them have told me that it depends on the mood of whomever gets your package, the example the postal worker used was

Lets say officer A just came back from a long vacation, his family is perfect, hes healthy, kids are great, he gets your package valued at $80 and just moves it along w/o taxing you

Officer B has had a horrible week, his hockey team lost, his wife left him, hes seriously in debt and he sees your package valued at $60 and since hes been having a crappy week decides to vent out some of his frustration on your package, fills out the necessary forms and BAM, you just got customed.

Anyways, its pretty much a crapshoot or a coin toss in terms of getting taxed
Just my .02 cents

[Firestorm]

Although I've gotten 100$ of dopllars of stuff from amazon.com and never got charged duty. So I'm not exactly sure what the specifics are.

Amazon.com ships their stuff to Canada from their Missassauga warehouse. It never passes the border.

[Lockescythe]

Oh. Thats strange.

Cool though.

I make the rare amazon purchase cause I got a US CC.

[lawlflip]

I think I might set up a paypal account to take advantage of this just because Goomba rules so hard.

[goomba478]

Thanks so much lawlflip ^_^ I appreciate the "Goomba rules so hard" comment. Just so you know guys, I'm going to be out of town from now until Tuesday afternoon, but I'll still be checking CAG and I'm bringing my laptop as well so I'll be doing orders and updates still. Let me know if anything catches your eye.

The coupon code in the first newsletter expires tonight ... Still haven't had an order through the website yet. I thought for sure someone would want a Companion Cube by now =P

[lawlflip]

I think I missed the first newsletter. :[

Are you taking personal orders through the website?

[Jest]

You are not making it easy for me to save money with this bitchin' new website.

[goomba478]

Hey guys :) I'm back from my two-day vacation so if you have any orders please let me know. So far nobody has ordered from the website, which is a bit of a bummer, but I'm sure it's bound to happen eventually as I continue to add new items. Keep in mind I only have 9 Weighted Companion cubes left. I'm not planning on ordering any more anytime soon. Get them while available ^_^

[Usuyami]

As Goomba's very first customer, I am happy to share with everyone that the transaction was a success! I bought a brand new, sealed copy of ICO off eBay through Goomba. I am a very very picky person, especially when it comes to my sealed game collection, but with the game having to travel from the eBay seller to Goomba then to me, I was expecting for there to be at least some kind of damage along the way. Well.. NO DAMAGE! I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing condition the game arrived in. Goomba has made a long-time customer out of me. Finally a way to get my hands on some sealed classics and not have to ripped off on shipping. Thanks Goomba, you're my hero. Now please excuse me as I go and make love to my game.

[goomba478]

Usuyami, I'm so happy that you received the game so quickly! I look forward to doing business with you again for sure ^_^ Appreciate the feedback!

[goomba478]

Were any of you guys interested in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne? I have four copies in stock now. I know a lot of you mentioned you were interested so I went ahead and ordered them. I also have the Weighted Companion Cubes but nobody's putting in any orders for them on the site (besides Magiic...thanks!). Let me know otherwise I'll just eBay them. I don't want to lose money just having them lie around. Thanks ^_^

[danthemightyone]

Were any of you guys interested in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne? I have four copies in stock now. I know a lot of you mentioned you were interested so I went ahead and ordered them. I also have the Weighted Companion Cubes but nobody's putting in any orders for them on the site (besides Magiic...thanks!). Let me know otherwise I'll just eBay them. I don't want to lose money just having them lie around. Thanks ^_^

reprints?

[magiic]

reprints?

correct

[goomba478]

Yes they are the newly released reprints but they're absolutely identical to the originals except that they don't include the soundtrack. Still for about $100 less than the original prints, it's a GREAT deal ^_^ Let me know.

Magiic, your cube and game shipped out a few days ago. You should get them sometime next week hopefully :) Thanks again!

[danthemightyone]

Yes they are the newly released reprints but they're absolutely identical to the originals except that they don't include the soundtrack. Still for about $100 less than the original prints, it's a GREAT deal ^_^ Let me know.

Magiic, your cube and game shipped out a few days ago. You should get them sometime next week hopefully :) Thanks again!

I just order one from playasia when it was first known to the forum. I had to use some filler items for $10 off $50. But taking shipping and potential taxes from customs into consideration, goomba deal might be better. Oh well, it is already shipped out.

Regardless, I got the mint first print of Nocturne with soundtrack at $40 off CAGer today so I can't complain. :)

[goomba478]

I can definitely beat PlayAsia's prices any day :) Just let me know if any of you are interested. Also, I can order from just about any website (Amazon, Buy.com, Rightstuf.com, Valve, etc.) so your options are nearly endless =) I'm in the mood to order and send out some packages so let me know what you guys need ^_^

I'll be sending out a newsletter with another coupon this week, so if you haven't done so already please sign up on my website. I've added a convenient banner to my signature now :)

[danthemightyone]

Hey, how about adding a banner of amazon.com's game deal of the day somewhere in the website? It might generate some interest as this deal is usually good and not available in Canada.

[goomba478]

Actually Dan, that's a great idea :) I had originally added that actually but figured since it wasn't available to Canada usually that it wouldn't show up. Now that I think about it though, you guys probably have no problem browsing the American version of Amazon, it's just ordering from it that is the problem.

Thanks for the suggestion :) I'll go and do that right now. I'm actually working up plans for the "Request a Deal" section of the site. Any other suggestions or things you'd like to see? Let me know!

[goomba478]

Updated: For now I've added an Amazon Deal of the Day / Lightning Deals widget on the main page. I'll be setting up the "Request a Deal" page in the next week or so, and I'll continue to add new products to the store.

So far nobody has actually purchased anything through the store which is a bit of a bummer, but at least quite a few of you have contacted me through CAG ^_^ I'm going to keep working hard at this, as I really believe it's a good business model. Thanks for all of your input!

Also, just so you know, each and every item will have alternative places to buy the games underneath the item descriptions. Each one includes live ebay.ca prices and I'm going through them and trying to add in Amazon / Play-Asia, etc. links. Thanks again.

[Firestorm]

Yeah I think adding some sort of system where people give you a link to the product might work best. Not completely sure how that'd work.

Click Request a Deal
Then send a link + payment up front (maybe according to a chart of what your shipping + service fee is)
and then you buy + ship?

[goomba478]

Yes exactly Firestorm. I was thinking rather than pay up front, maybe just have you guys pay the $2.00 commission fee up front. Then, if I can't get the deal for you or if for some reason you change your mind I can cancel the purchase. What do you think about that?

Since some items it's hard to judge shipping costs ahead of time without physically having them in hand to weigh/pack. Items like arcade controllers, large figures/toys, game systems, etc.

I'll definitely be having some sort of test page up in a week or so for you guys to try out and let me know what you think ^_^

[danthemightyone]

Updated: For now I've added an Amazon Deal of the Day / Lightning Deals widget on the main page. I'll be setting up the "Request a Deal" page in the next week or so, and I'll continue to add new products to the store.


That was a very quick update! Although I don't see the game deal of the day in the widget. Are you able to customize the content? The game deal is what this is really for. for CAGers. I believe other merchandises can be shipped to Canada from amazon.com but not games. That's why we need your help here. :)

[goomba478]

Dan, as far as I know I cannot change the content for the widget as they only show game deals when there are specific deals on video games (not every day has one). What I will do though, however, is list individual amazon widgets on each game's page that will update automatically through Amazon's feed. That way, if there is a sale on that game it will reflect on the page. Make sense?

Let me know what else I can do to make the site better! ^_^

[goomba478]

Newsletter #002 has been sent out. I've changed the new items/sale items section to be a table so that it will load properly. I haven't quite figured out what fonts/sizes/colors to use, but this time around it should load images (unlike the last time).

Be sure to check it out as there is a coupon on the bottom of the newsletter =) Good for testing out the site and putting in your first order. Thanks!

[goomba478]

Update: I have now put together a beta version of my Custom Request form. This form will allow you to directly request ANY deal from any website and will send the information to me via a handy online web form. I will be integrating this better into the actual website, but for now feel free to give it a try:

http://gamesforcanada.com/direct-request.php

This page will send a copy to me and will also send you a copy for your records. This will be very useful in sending me requests as my CAG box is very limited to how many messages I can receive and it helps me to get the item request, the URL and your shipping information all in one handy place. Please, if you're considering to order something from me give it a try :) I really would like to know that I coded it properly.

Sincerely,
JJ Parks ^_^

PS: Sorry the page is so ugly. I figured it's more important to have it work before working on its style/appearance.

[ragnar14]

Ugly is fine, it's a good form :) It needs space for a comment though. I spotted something ok on eBay, so I'm going to try and fill in a request right now. The Buy-it-now is ok, the only copy I've ever seen on eBay.ca sold for $70. I wouldn't pay that much, but $10+shipping(s) doesn't seem shabby ^_^

Edit: Order submission confirmation email received. Just figured you'd wanna know that's working correctly.

[Lockescythe]

checked out the site. Great stuff so far. I will keep checking the bargain section. (It'll probably be my most frequented area)

I'm looking for a dirt cheap copy of the first buffy game for xbox and a few other random xbox things.

[jeffx]

I'm going to add Castle of Shikigami III to my Chaos War order from gamestop. Seems like you can't find SnS3 in Canada.

also Nanostray 2 is 19.99$, down 10$ for good.

[goomba478]

Thank you to everyone who has given me feedback!

Ragnar14, I did get your order submission and I'm going to look into that right now for you :) You're absolutely right about it needing a comment section too! I had thought about that as well, but I was working on the form at 3:00 AM and it slipped my mind when doing the PHP script. I'll go and add it in now ^_^

Lockescythe, I'll definitely be adding more into the bargain section so don't you worry. If you want something specific feel free to use my direct request page. I can definitely find old Xbox games and such :)

JeffX, so you want me to go ahead and preorder Castle of Shikigami III for you? I'll go and do that for you today =) Chaos Wars comes out in 11 days now, and it looks like CS3 comes out the same day. Good timing!

[eswat]

Hey goomba. Just wanted to know if you got my PM about my shipping address.

[goomba478]

mrelusive, I PM'd you about your shipping address :) sorry, I meant to write you back yesterday. You'll have your items soon I promise ^_^

[goomba478]

Hey guys :) I just did a lot of shopping around today and was wondering if any of you guys were looking for the following games:

Etrian Odyssey (DS)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
Final Fantasy Crisis Core (PSP)
Baroque (Wii)
Okami (Wii)
Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360)
Uncharted (PS3)
God of War (PSP)

Let me know ^_^ Also, I have Grand Theft Auto IV's in stock now for the Xbox 360 again. I'll be listing them on the site tonight, but they sell out fast :)

Sincerely,
JJ Parks ^_^

[Gombay]

Just wondering, when you do a direct request, is that like saying you will definitely buy the item? Great site by the way. :applause:

[doctorofstyle]

goomba, the galleria was sold out =(...

so i think i'll need a certain item from you that i PM'ed you about... anyway clear up some room in your inbox and send me a PM if you can get one for me.

[Lockescythe]

how much for mario and sonic?

its drop to about 33$ after tax here. Looking for a cheap copy to take advantage of a trade in deal at EB. Trade in M&S+10$ for Mario Kart Wii.

[goomba478]

If you recently tried to PM me and were told that my mailbox was full, I apologize. 150 messages is SO limiting...I hope CAG 2.0 addresses that. In the future you guys can message me on my Email at:

Gamesforcanada@improcomics.org

I carry around my iPhone which tells me when I get new messages and I always respond to all mail :) THANKS!

=JJ=

[goomba478]

Gombay, direct request doesn't mean you HAVE to buy the item from me. It's more of a "request a price quote" sort of thing :) I'll contact you and let you know what the final price is, and if you agree to it then I'll go ahead and order it for you and you can send me the payment. Under no circumstances would I force you to buy something ^_^ That's totally not my style. Thanks for asking!

[ragnar14]

Goomba, I've sent you a PM, but maybe your box was full (I didn't get an error though)? You didn't bid on the item I pre-paid you for a couple days ago, and it finished unsold. Please refund my money or something...

[goomba478]

Ragnar I did respond to your PM, but I'm not sure what happened. I actually did put a bid on eBay but I'm not sure why the sale didn't go through. I'll definitely go and refund your money right now. I'm really sorry about that. So far all of my other eBay orders have gone through without a hitch. I really do apologize Ragnar :( There's another seller selling the same item you want and the shipping is less. It's not a BIN but I'll watch it for you if you like.

[goomba478]

Lockescythe, I can do $25 shipped for Mario and Sonic DS. Let me know ^_^ Thanks!

[Lockescythe]

oops I thought you meant the wii one. sorry. im looking for the cheapest complete copy of that or mario party 8 lmk.

[goomba478]

Oh not a problem :) Sorry for the misunderstanding. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my message though! Good luck with your trade in for Mario Kart. It's a fantastic game and I traded in two of my old games to get a copy. Well worth it ;)

[heimdal]

Hey Goomba,

A quick suggestion:

I was browsing the US deal section and I always see those "Penny Guide" threads. I don't know if you come across those where you live, but that would be a profitable pot to dip into. Not too risky too, since its only 0.01 each.

Not sure about other people, but I'm interested. If you can keep an eye out, I'll pay you as usual for your troubles.
They charge $20+ per guide here.

Talk to you soon.

[ragnar14]

Ragnar I did respond to your PM, but I'm not sure what happened. I actually did put a bid on eBay but I'm not sure why the sale didn't go through. I'll definitely go and refund your money right now. I'm really sorry about that. So far all of my other eBay orders have gone through without a hitch. I really do apologize Ragnar :( There's another seller selling the same item you want and the shipping is less. It's not a BIN but I'll watch it for you if you like.
Is there another? Nothing tripped any of my searches, can I get the item number?

Also I'm going to fillout another item request right now. Do feel free to manually place a minimum bid to start ;)

[Usuyami]

Not sure what happened with Ragnar, but is it possible the auction was canceled by the seller?

[Lockescythe]

yeah Any rpg guides for 5$ or less that i don't own I'd buy up immediately. So that'd be great profits for you.

[goomba478]

I haven't actually seen penny guides ANYWHERE but then again, I don't generally shop thrift stores (Salvation Army, Good Will, Pawn Shops, etc.). I'll definitely keep an eye out for you guys though if I see any game guides for really low prices :) Thanks I really appreciate it. Keep the suggestions coming!

Usuyami, I am not sure what happened with Ragnar's auction. It could be that the seller ended it since it was only starting at 99 cents (the fact that the seller hasn't responded to my questions makes me wonder even more so), but I'm not sure. All the auctions I've put through for you have gone through without a hitch, so it's a bit odd. In any case I can never guarantee I'll win an auction, but I'll always try.

For anyone that does want me to bid for an item on eBay, I use Auctionsniper.com which puts the bid in 8 seconds before the auction ends. Keep in mind also that you have to tell me the MAXIMUM you are willing to pay, because that's the number I have to punch into the website. If you just ask me to put the minimum bids 9 out of 10 times you're not going to win :) Thanks!

[lawlflip]

Check your email monsieur Goomba. ;)

[goomba478]

Thanks for the thumbnails and artwork lawlflip! You really went out of your way and I totally appreciate it. Feel free to use that coupon code I gave you to purchase a gift certificate now on the site (it's working now). Keep in mind that you have to buy the gift certificate in USD since that's what I gave you :) Then it will be added to your account. Thanks again!

Notice that I updated the top banner image now ^_^

[goomba478]

Update 5/6/2008:

I've added a field for "Price" now on the Direct Request form. This was obviously missing in the past and I had been working on getting it implemented, and now it is.

Please note that this field is also used for eBay auctions you want me to bid on. Please put the MAXIMUM value that you are willing to bid on and I will put this number into my sniping program. If you win, great ^_^ if not then there's no obligation to you so feel free. Keep in mind that if you do win though I will expect you to pay for it as I'm using my money to buy it for you :) thanks!

Also, I've added an additional comments field so you can point out any special things I need to know (shirt sizes, colors of items, etc.) that you want to specify. Go wild people. Thanks!

[lawlflip]

No problem, the banner looks great with what you added! I've said this before, but if you need any more graphics done feel free to ask.

One question; When I order something, I have to order the gift certificate before the game, then use the certificate with the game, correct? Sorry for all the trouble >_>

[goomba478]

lawflip, your order is some what of an experiment I will admit, but it SHOULD work like this:

1) Go to the site and sign up for an account (if you didn't already, I think you already did).
2) On the left sidebar see where it says GIFT CERTIFICATES? Click that
3) Make sure the item prices are listed in US Dollars.
4) Add a $5 Gift Certificate to your shopping cart
5) Check out and use the $5 Coupon code I gave you. This will allow you to get the $5 Gift Certificate free basically.
6) There should be free shipping for all gift certificates and then you can checkout. The Gift Certificate will be added to your account and will be stored as store credit. Next time you go to buy something it will subtract the total of gift certificates you have available :)

Yes, if you want to buy the game then you can do so and it should subtract the $5 from your order :) Good luck!

Sincerely,
JJ Parks ^_^

[lawlflip]

lawflip, your order is some what of an experiment I will admit, but it SHOULD work like this:

1) Go to the site and sign up for an account (if you didn't already, I think you already did).
2) On the left sidebar see where it says GIFT CERTIFICATES? Click that
3) Make sure the item prices are listed in US Dollars.
4) Add a $5 Gift Certificate to your shopping cart
5) Check out and use the $5 Coupon code I gave you. This will allow you to get the $5 Gift Certificate free basically.
6) There should be free shipping for all gift certificates and then you can checkout. The Gift Certificate will be added to your account and will be stored as store credit. Next time you go to buy something it will subtract the total of gift certificates you have available :)

Yes, if you want to buy the game then you can do so and it should subtract the $5 from your order :) Good luck!

Sincerely,
JJ Parks ^_^
I'm fine with getting this experiment to work :), currently the certificate doesn't have free shipping yet though, says "Total: $3.98". I clicked "confirm", and then when I put Nocturne into my shopping cart, the $5 wasn't taken off.

I hope I'm not troubling you.

[goomba478]

Lawlflip, you're right and I'm sorry. You're not troubling me at all :) Like I said, you're order was somewhat of an experiment. It seems that my system is still treating the gift certificate like an actual item instead of a gift certificate, and it seems that it's charging you for shipping still which I told it not to. I'll fix it though for you, don't worry :) I'm going to send you an Email to your personal account now.

[goomba478]

Update: 5/6/2008

I figured out what I was doing wrong with Gift Certicates. I was listing them as physical products, when in fact they are of course virtual. That's why they were charging shipping before. Lawflip, I've gone ahead and Emailed you a $5.00 certificate. You can activate it directly by clicking the link in the Email (or if that doesn't work you can use the code that is given as well). Should work without any problem now. Sorry about that ^_^ Thanks for helping me work out all the buggy-ness. Rather get it worked out now before we start advertising and stuff. Thanks!

Sincerely,
JJ Parks :)

[lawlflip]

Thanks JJ! I redeemed it, glad its working now :).

I also replied to one of your emails.

[goomba478]

Update 5/7/2008:

I've gone ahead and got a copy of Quickbooks so now my orders will be run a lot more professionally. The first time you order from me I will add you to my program and in the future when you order from me you will receive invoices via Email along with a PDF copy of you order, all transactions and costs listed neatly and clearly for you to see.

Please make sure you add:
gamesforcanada@improcomics.org

to your Email program so that these invoices are not sent directly to your junk mail :)

Let me know if there's anything else you would like me to improve upon. In the meantime, I've been getting a LOT of direct-request orders and I really appreciate it guys. Keep them coming :) So far so good!

=JJ Parks=

[goomba478]

Ragnar14, great news...we won your Atelier Iris kit for only 99 cents! Unbelievable :) Please PM me with your shipping info.

[ragnar14]

Excellent, thanks Goomba!! :D

[Rex]

Recieved my Black Nyko Wireless Kama Nunchuck today. It got shipped out on May 1st and it arrived today, May 7th.

Great shipping turnaround! With all the feedback left here, it's safe to say goomba's doing a damn good job with this thing, and I can't wait to place another order!


Keep up the good work!

(BTW, the wireless nunchuck works great, if anyone wants some impressions I can post some if you'd like)

[goomba478]

Rex, I'm so happy that you got it so quickly. I'm thinking this will help not only my wallet but also my CAG iTrader score ^_^ It's going to go through the roof hehe. Thanks so much!

I have one of the black Nyko wireless nunchuks if anyone is interested. Same one that Rex bought :) Let me know. They're extremely limited edition in black (only 300 made). Get them while you can!

[gamer602]

Recieved my Black Nyko Wireless Kama Nunchuck today. It got shipped out on May 1st and it arrived today, May 7th.

Great shipping turnaround! With all the feedback left here, it's safe to say goomba's doing a damn good job with this thing, and I can't wait to place another order!


Keep up the good work!

(BTW, the wireless nunchuck works great, if anyone wants some impressions I can post some if you'd like)


impressions please
oh and how much did u pay?

[Icetron]

impressions please
oh and how much did u pay?

I'd like to know too please. :)

[goomba478]

Here is Rex's impression on the Wireless Nunchuk that he sent to me. Hopefully he won't mind me reprinting it:

"Seems to work really well. I've only tried it with Mario Kart so far, but it feels just like a regular Nintendo Nunchuk. Only slight difference is that the C and Z buttons don't click when you press them (they might be a bit mushy) and that the analog stick feels a little lighter due to the kind of material it's made from.

All in all, it's pretty solid, and looks pretty cool with it's blue light!"

The price was as follows:

$34.99 (Actual cost of Product)
$6.99 (Cost of Ground Shipping to me)
$4.00 (Actual shipping to mail to Canada)
$2.00 (Service Charge)
-----------
$47.98 (Grand Total) if paying with funds in your Paypal account to my Personal account

[Jest]

I forgot to post here. Goomba rules. That is all.

[goomba478]

Thanks Jest :) and with that I'm going to call it a day ^_^ Lots of game hunting and ordering to do tomorrow and I have to get at least 7 hours of sleep if I'm going to make it through. Thanks again for everyone supporting this project of mine :) It truly is a success!

[Rex]

Hey guys,

Goomba already posted some of the impressions I sent him, mainly being the softness of the C and Z buttons, and the analog stick build.

The weight of the Kama is identical to the regular Nunchuk without batteries, with batteries it adds the weight of 2 AAAs, which isn't much, but the controller feels like it's resting in your hand due to the added weight.

So far I've had not feedback problems playing Mario Kart, but I've yet to try the accelerometer inside of it, but I'm sure that it will work perfectly fine as well.

The dongle for the receiver first snuggly into remote, and I should add that it also fits into the Nyko Perfect Shot as well!

Overall, really solid product, and probably the only Wireless Nunchuk we'll be getting.

If you guys want to know more, or see some pics/compraison, just let me know!

[goomba478]

Thanks for being so helpful Rex with the review portion :) If I start to sell these full time on the site I may ask you to copy/paste your review there ^_^ I am far from having regular inventory at this point, but it may be useful in the future since my site supports item reviews.

I forgot all about the Nyko Perfect Shot. That's cool that they match up so well (they should after all, but you know how some companies are these days). Thanks again!

[magiic]

I noticed this on your shopping cart page...


Your Shopping Cart Contents

You may want to add some instructions for using the shopping cart here. (defined in includes/languages/english/shopping_cart.php)

[magiic]

btw

Kudos on the iPhone

[goomba478]

Oops thanks Magiic :) I thought I already updated that but sure enough the text is in three seperate areas in the php files. Thanks! I'll definitely correct that ^_^

[goomba478]

Update: 5/8/2008 - I fixed the default text in the Shopping Cart thanks to Magiic finding that mistake. I thought I had got them all but apparently I missed one ;)

I added text explaining that the shipping is entirely based on the weight of the items which should be enough. If you guys find any other problems or mistakes on any of the pages, please let me know. I'm only human ^_^ Thanks guys! Off to the casino I go. I'll be checking this page, my PMs and Emails from my iPhone at work. Thanks again for all your support!

[magiic]

I don't know if this was an error or not but it quoted me just under $8 for shipping on two ps2 games. That seems kind of high even factoring in packing material

[goomba478]

magiic, keep in mind that the shipping price also includes the following: $2 first item fee / $1 additional item fee / Paypal 3% and packing materials.

If you want the same games without the added fees, just contact me directly :) Like I said, the website is something that's a WIP at the moment. Due to the fact that many non-CAGs want to order I need a website, but for CAGs and friends you can just contact me directly at:

gamesforcanada@improcomics.org

Just let me know what games/items you want and it'll almost always be cheaper than the website :) Thanks!

Sincerely,
JJ Parks ^_^