View Full Version : AMAZON/EBAY BUYERS BEWARE: PieceofMindMedia / NorAm selling YOUR used games as "NEW"
phear3d
08-19-2009, 04:48 PM
We all know that NorAm, through amazon.com, have been taking in trade-ins for used video games. alot of people arent aware that NorAm, aka pieceofmindbooks on ebay, have started to sell these very same games that people have traded in as "NEW" instead of used. they also reseal games.
they have turned themselves into a GameStop copycat at this point. what sucks is that they are getting away with it just like how gamestop gets away with selling things as "NEW" even if they were already used.
heres pieceofmindbook's negative feedbacks: (fyi i used toolhaus.org because noram have tons of feedbacks, its better that way)
http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=pieceofmindbooks&Dirn=Received+by
edit: if you cant see the feedback results, please go there yourself at toolhaus.org and put "pieceofmindbooks" on the text field
they have also been selling on amazon and im pretty sure its the same deal. dont get fooled by them.
[IMG-L=4661]8857[/IMG-L]
I can confirm this. I just got some games from them yesterday. They are obviously used, one even has gamestop sticker residue on it under the seal. The interesting thing is that their reseals are the "y [fold]" seals so you have to know what you are looking for to tell.
cranguy
08-19-2009, 04:53 PM
If this is true, they're soon to be more hated than Gamequest Direct. At least GQD's new games are, in fact, new.
Vinny
08-19-2009, 04:57 PM
That's pretty fucking shady. If they were actually noting this, it would be one thing but they're basically taking advantage of people.
http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=pieceofmindbooks&Dirn=Received+by
Just so everyone knows, eBay frequently blocks toolhaus so it might not always work.
allyourblood
08-19-2009, 04:57 PM
OP, I'm getting an error when i try your link.
EDIT: nevermind, Vinny pointed out that Ebay blocks them (occasionally?).
In any event, that's complete and utter bull. I hope no one gets duped by them. That's just dishonest. Plain and simple.
I knew something was up when I brought "new" Phantasy Star from them and it didn't have the serial key.
dyeknom
08-19-2009, 05:17 PM
If I remember correctly, and I do, Gamestop recently got sued (http://www.lawcash.com/attorney/2651/gamestop-lawsuit.asp) for selling used products as new. I am honestly tired of seeing consumers getting screwed because the distributing parties "can" get away with it. These people are essentially selling refurbished products by labeling them as "new" because they use shrink wrap.
Sure, there's no counter on the discs to tell you how many times it has been played... but if I'm going to buy a game new... I damn sure want a factory sealed copy.
Toolhaus worked for me: Looks like it's not just games they are resealing. Theres quite a few DVDs that were resealed as well. Of course, you have to weed out the not received auctions too. I'm guessing ebay lets you get away with murder as long as only 1% of your sales come back as negative... though most of the neutrals should be negatives as well.
pitfallharry219
08-19-2009, 05:21 PM
Ift his is true, it's pretty shitty.
addicted2games
08-19-2009, 05:52 PM
What fucking tools! Someone should buy a lot from them and file SNAD complaints on them.
monsoon man
08-19-2009, 05:58 PM
LOL at the price they are selling "new" Endless Oceans for. I believe the TIV was $26. Good chunk of profit for them.
Ye0ldmario
08-19-2009, 06:16 PM
I come across this amazon merchant "piece of mind media" and "NorAM" alot when I order used games off amazon with Points2shop. I guess I'll avoid them now.
Arakias
08-19-2009, 06:34 PM
wow, I dont think I like this at all. I wonder how they get away with it.
daminion
08-19-2009, 06:39 PM
1 buyer who leaves a slew of negatives with the same comment -- i don't think that's enough to convict him. plus, why the heck did that buyer pay that much for some of those games... $19.88 for Mass Effect??? $22.84 for Mirror's Edge.
allyourblood
08-19-2009, 06:45 PM
1 buyer who leaves a slew of negatives with the same comment -- i don't think that's enough to convict him.
You're absolutely right. That's why you should continue to read the negatives; you'll find there are dozens of similar complaints, all from unique members.
And that is enough to convict them.
Are you guys 100% sure that all of their inventory are used (all are coming from trade-in)?
Some of us (including me) are sending some of the games sealed though, so it's actually new.
I come across this amazon merchant "piece of mind media" and "NorAM" alot when I order used games off amazon with Points2shop. I guess I'll avoid them now.
What's the problem here? Are you expecting a new game when you actually search for used?
YoshiFan1
08-19-2009, 08:10 PM
That explains why on EBay and Half when they list a game as brand new, it just says our goal is your piece of mind and nothing about the game being factory sealed. That must be why they can price their products lower than everyone else.
Cheapass24
08-19-2009, 08:27 PM
Stay far far away from them.
monsoon man
08-19-2009, 09:36 PM
They don't just sell used games as "new", dvds too.
Check out this thread: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223078
mguiddy
08-19-2009, 09:40 PM
In a similar vein, I've noticed a lot of sellers on amazon listing items as "New" when in the comments they say "Opened but never played" and the like.
addicted2games
08-19-2009, 09:43 PM
In a similar vein, I've noticed a lot of sellers on amazon listing items as "New" when in the comments they say "Opened but never played" and the like.
Woah, is Amazon starting to become like ebay with the start of shady sellers?
I must say a few bad apples make ebay look worse than it really is. Just do your homework before you buy.
Salamando3000
08-19-2009, 09:46 PM
Oh, these guys. Purchased two seasons of Samurai Jack from them about 2 months ago. Charged ~ 6 bucks for shipping (3 shipping each), yet both were packed quite tightly in a single bubblemailer. The plastic inside was cracked in one, and cracked w/ broken bits on the other. I probably should've asked for a new copy, but I had somewhat larger problems at the time.
Regardless, I'd never do business with them again.
Diosoth
08-19-2009, 11:28 PM
It's common for Amazon sellers to skimp on listing the condition of a game. I bought Sonic Rivals, seller promised it was in very good shape, and it arrived in anything but.
I can confirm this. I just got some games from them yesterday. They are obviously used, one even has gamestop sticker residue on it under the seal. The interesting thing is that their reseals are the "y" seals so you have to know what you are looking for to tell.
phear3d
08-20-2009, 12:25 AM
I can confirm this. one even has gamestop sticker residue on it under the seal. OMG! thats classic!
The interesting thing is that their reseals are the "y" seals so you have to know what you are looking for to tell.:applause:unfuckingbelievable.
darkslime
08-20-2009, 12:45 AM
Fucking assholes. We should email / call amazon with the toolhaus link to try and get them to stop making them a featured seller.
opterasis
08-20-2009, 01:10 AM
I'm fairly sure those are the bastards that sold me the Matrix collection on blu as new but it was obviously resealed. On the plus side I got refunded and they never asked for me to mail it back.
*edit* Is peiceofmindbooks the same company? That's who I got the set from.
^Yep, same company. How'd you get a refund before shipping it back?
Fucking assholes. We should email / call amazon with the toolhaus link to try and get them to stop making them a featured seller.
I don't think Ebay would care much, but I think Amazon would. They seem to be more worried about protecting their brand and site than Ebay does.
I knew I was taking a chance buying the games, it was one of those too low of a price deals. But you never know, I've gotten some great deals like that in the past.
I could tell it was Gamestop residue becase it was in the upper right on the front and on the spine; right where GS puts their stickers.
Anyone used "Return to Sender" to return stuff? I'm kind of nervous not having a DC to fall back on.
opterasis
08-20-2009, 01:14 AM
I could tell it was Gamestop residue becase it was in the upper right on the front and on the spine; right where GS puts their stickers.
I just emailed them, gave them my order number, told them I wanted to return it for a refund, and expected them to email back with where to send it. I got the refund but never got the return shipping info.
I just emailed them, gave them my order number, told them I wanted to return it for a refund, and expected them to email back with where to send it. I got the refund but never got the return shipping info.
I did the same thing, but haven't gotten a response. If I don't hear from them in a day or two I guess I'll go through Paypal's resolution process.
darkslime
08-20-2009, 01:32 AM
Anyone used "Return to Sender" to return stuff? I'm kind of nervous not having a DC to fall back on.If it had DC on it, it should continue updating. Take it to the PO instead of putting it in your mailbox, make sure that they actually scan it. Also, tell them you didn't open it or they won't let you do return to sender.
Arakias
08-20-2009, 01:46 AM
Sent this email to amazon
Hello, the preferred seller of ICO for Playstation 2
http://www.amazon.com/Ico-Playstation-2/dp/B00004YUWA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1250743301&sr=8-1
peaceofmindmedia does NOT sell "NEW" product. They refurbish and reseal games to look like new but are not original factory sealed products.
I think having them list their items is a huge flaw in your system and you should remove them.
I have had issues with them on ebay and they have many issues with their products.
As a long time Amazon user, I do not want to feel cheated by your site as this seller clearly misrepresents their products under your brand name. I understand they probably generate much profit for you but please look into protecting the seller in this matter.
thanks kindly
wrote it quickly and fired it off, didnt want to think much. ignore the poorish language and grammar.
we should send this all to consumerist.org and other "watchdog" type sites.
Guerrilla
08-20-2009, 02:03 AM
I wonder if they're doing this because they think they can get away with it being partnered with Amazon for trade-ins...
bigdaddybruce44
08-20-2009, 02:29 AM
Wow. That's just terrible. Even worse than GS. No GS store I ever went to (I know some have, though) tried to sell me a resealed game...only open ones. At least, I can tell it's likely used and walk away. Some people have no clue what is getting shipped out to them from these douches.
dinobot
08-20-2009, 03:42 AM
lol... wonder if they are suspended on ebay.... tons of negs
Arakias
08-20-2009, 11:08 AM
amazon just sent me a reply to my email saying "Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I'd like to ask you to send a report to our investigations team about this. They deal with possible violations of our seller policies. Each report they receive is investigated and the appropriate action is taken. However, we won't be able to release the outcome of the investigation"
so i guess thats what i will do next
In a similar vein, I've noticed a lot of sellers on amazon listing items as "New" when in the comments they say "Opened but never played" and the like.
I was looking for a copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on Amazon a few months ago and ran into this:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6773/amazonseller.png (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/amazonseller.png/)
Yep, someone trying to sell a "disc only" copy off as "new". I don't think I've ever seen a worse new description than that before.
that sucks but as long as there are continued amazon coupon promos on trades I could care less. I just won't buy from them.
Vinny
08-20-2009, 05:27 PM
lol... wonder if they are suspended on ebay.... tons of negs
It's very unlikely... considering the volume of merchandise they sell, eBay will likely just turn a blind eye towards them. If eBay bans them, than they'll be out on a ton of listing/FVFs and I doubt eBay cares, as long as they're getting paid.
onikage
08-20-2009, 06:18 PM
Yep, I bought a couple "new" games from them on eBay earlier this year, Gradius III & IV and MGS2: Substance. I thought I was getting a pretty good deal on both, but they were reseals. They were missing the white PS2 security strip on top and Substance had apparent water damage on the back of the cover art. However, the average person likely would have thought the games were new if not for the water damage, as they really did look "factory sealed." I reported them to eBay and got a refund, but of course nothing has come of the situtation and they continue to rip people off. I've noticed that they often price their "new" games at or around what an actual sealed copy would go for, furthering the illusion that they're selling factory sealed games that are often hard to find.
This is the first time I've seen good reseals with the "y" seal. If the game is one that didn't originally have the security sticker, it'd be hard to tell. The ones I got did have the overlap of the wrap along the spine versus the case opening.
Kind of scary to think if this type of resealing gets used by more resellers. It dcould get that much harder to detect them. I wish Sony and Nintendo would use the security stickers.
phogoodness
08-20-2009, 08:26 PM
Whew almost bought an expensive, out-of-print "new" game from them. Glad I read this.
Ryuukishi
08-20-2009, 08:33 PM
Wow, this sucks. I've already had to swear off half.com because of shady sellers listing used items as new. I'd hate to have to stop using Amazon Marketplace.
chakan
08-20-2009, 08:44 PM
If Amazon drops them as a seller, wouldn't that mean no more trade-in bonus deals?
Lying to consumers and shrink wrapping games is deplorable. I appreciate the warning, and certainly won't buy from them, at least expecting new.
The thing is, it seems most of the DVDs people in that other thread people bought would have been good deals as used ones anyway - so I don't see the point of what they are doing (if it's true).
But yeah, definitely conflicted because if they can't sell, they won't take trade-ins and that program has been very very good to me ;).
They only accept stuff that is near mint, though, so I don't see why they can't sell things as in "excellent" used condition and leave it at that. Their customers would be much happier and they'd have much better feedback (which effects search rankings and discounts on closing fees thus saving them money). Occasionally people do trade things in to them brand new and sealed and in that case, by all means, they should sell them as new (even though they took them as a used trade - but they aren't GS so I think that would be OK).
Arakias
08-20-2009, 11:21 PM
hmm, I should buy some games from them, and then report them and hopefully keep the games for free for not being new.
phear3d
08-20-2009, 11:50 PM
hmm, I should buy some games from them, and then report them and hopefully keep the games for free for not being new.
:-k i should do that for their ico.
opterasis
08-20-2009, 11:53 PM
It was only a matter of time before pathetic scammers flocked in.
Arakias
08-20-2009, 11:57 PM
you could probably win a credit card chargeback easier if there is even the slightest indication of it being reused/resealed.
phear3d
08-21-2009, 12:01 AM
they receive like 10+ negative feedbacks a day.
TheRobReport
08-24-2009, 12:14 AM
wow thanks for this post, I have almost bought from them several times
Arakias
08-28-2009, 10:28 AM
It was only a matter of time before pathetic scammers flocked in.
im just curious to know who you refer to, I hope you mean NorAm and not any CAGer.
karkyco
08-28-2009, 11:33 AM
im just curious to know who you refer to, I hope you mean NorAm and not any CAGer.
I assumed he meant the individuals in this topic who indicated they now want to order from this company, dispute the transaction, and then expect a refund AND to keep the game(s).
Not that I personally care one way or the other if those people do that. Sure, it's wrong, no doubt about it, but I'm not going to go on some holier than thou rant. And let's face it, this company is shady...call it karma or reaping what you sow. What goes around comes around, and their shady practices have brought them exactly this sort of behavior.
Arakias
08-28-2009, 11:49 AM
I assumed he meant the individuals in this topic who indicated they now want to order from this company, dispute the transaction, and then exect a refund AND to keep the game(s).
Thats what I figured as well. But saying something (typing it) and actually meaning it or doing it are two different things.
i guess hes just got a stick up his butt or something.
phear3d
08-31-2009, 01:51 PM
did anyone notice they lowered the price for endless ocean on amazon? used to be alot more before. oh yeah and they happen to have found a ton of them "brand new" :roll:
theyre killing some of the values of hard to find games.
I'd like to call 60 Minutes, the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal to do a story about how scammers eventually make their way into every growing ($) market - ie video game sales, especially the used market. But damn...those trade in and bonus codes are nice. LOL . I am also torn about this.
sadunk
09-01-2009, 02:11 PM
If you order from them and IF you receive the game. According to their feedback, many report weeks of not receiving anything or the wrong item. They need to be dealt with.
One thing to do is put a piece of paper hidden in the manual saying "this was once used, I hope you bought it as used."
The thing is, it seems most of the DVDs people in that other thread people bought would have been good deals as used ones anyway - so I don't see the point of what they are doing (if it's true).
But yeah, definitely conflicted because if they can't sell, they won't take trade-ins and that program has been very very good to me ;).
They only accept stuff that is near mint, though, so I don't see why they can't sell things as in "excellent" used condition and leave it at that. Their customers would be much happier and they'd have much better feedback (which effects search rankings and discounts on closing fees thus saving them money). Occasionally people do trade things in to them brand new and sealed and in that case, by all means, they should sell them as new (even though they took them as a used trade - but they aren't GS so I think that would be OK).
This. How hard is it to list the correct condition?
they receive like 10+ negative feedbacks a day.
Why do people keep buying from them?
Thraka
09-01-2009, 03:49 PM
"Why do people keep buying from them?"
Because they have a 99.2% positive feedback on ebay...?
Great, now Amazon is selling used stuff as new. I ordered a 60GB PS3 from them, was stated as new, and it came with the seal cut and everything inside was used. Can't trust anybody these days.
phear3d
09-04-2009, 04:09 AM
Great, now Amazon is selling used stuff as new. I ordered a 60GB PS3 from them, was stated as new, and it came with the seal cut and everything inside was used. Can't trust anybody these days.
true. eventually they'll get in trouble for this. not every company can get away with deceiving people just to get an extra $10-$30 on the price.
companies like The Wiz also deceived people into thinking that the electronics they're buying are "brand new" but in fact they're factory reconditioned or refurbished. one of the biggest reasons why they changed the boxes white for refurbished was because of that, too many companies charging msrp for something that was reconditioned/refurbished. they also sold open box items as new and repackaged them as such. sooner or later people have caught on to what they're doing which probably one of the reasons why they went bankrupt cause alot of people didnt trust them.
pyoobez
09-04-2009, 12:16 PM
Hmm... I've dealt with Nor Am a few times and I've had no problems, personally. I haven't bought a ton of stuff from them new though... GH:Aerosmith and TH:AW I think and both were fine.
I do know everything I traded, even the few things that were new, I tore the seal off just for the .0000001% chance it was machine chewed or whatever and also the fact they were paying me for a used game so that's what I was giving them.
YodaEXE
09-04-2009, 01:24 PM
Great, now Amazon is selling used stuff as new. I ordered a 60GB PS3 from them, was stated as new, and it came with the seal cut and everything inside was used. Can't trust anybody these days.
I truly doubt that was listed as new. The odds of finding a new 60GB PS3 on Amazon are pretty much zero. You probably bought it off a 3rd party seller.
phear3d
09-04-2009, 04:03 PM
i read this awhile back, i thought i'd share it
http://www.gossipgamers.com/trio-scores-big-in-wal-mart-scam-then-go-to-jail/
Three men from Georgia, Levar Thornton, 29, Michael Cunningham, 19, and Tyrell Myers, 18, have been arrested for ripping off 11 Wal-Marts. The trio would buy Xbox 360 games. Then they would carefully open them and replace the original contents with blank disks. After resealing the games, the group returned the fakes to Wal-Mart. Finally, they sold the pilfered games on eBay.
They returned 200 phony games to the discount retailer and were found by police to have 400 shipping receipts. Their estimated take in the scam – $10,000. So they got to try out all the latest 360 games for free and make lots of cash. I’m sure prison will temper their video enthusiasm.
Sinnbox
09-05-2009, 12:12 AM
pieceofmindbooks is very trustworthy, I've ordered from them several times before and have been very happy.
taken from other thread, ROFL...
Is there a way we can contact the BBV about this? I hate how Ebay dosnet care what people do as long as they bring in cash for Ebay. I run the Ebay part of the business I work for, and Ebay shut us down for 3 days last week just because we offered Personal check as a payment type!!
arent these people opening item not as described cases?
phear3d
09-05-2009, 01:07 AM
taken from other thread, ROFL...
Is there a way we can contact the BBV about this? I hate how Ebay dosnet care what people do as long as they bring in cash for Ebay. I run the Ebay part of the business I work for, and Ebay shut us down for 3 days last week just because we offered Personal check as a payment type!!
arent these people opening item not as described cases?
i wish we could do something about it. when a company like this that generates thousands of transactions each week there really isnt much you could do. ebay profits from them selling their stuff so they really wont do much. same goes with amazon.
the only thing you can do as a consumer is to spread the word. i would actually even go as far as to not trade Factory Sealed games to them but instead, open it and send it as it is. many companies like gamestop and gamecrazy lets you open the game before you can trade them in just to make sure the game disc is inside.
I truly doubt that was listed as new. The odds of finding a new 60GB PS3 on Amazon are pretty much zero. You probably bought it off a 3rd party seller.
Give me some credit, I'm not a noob. It was listed as "New" and I trusted Amazon.
It was directly form Amazon.com. A lot of people on here bought one as there was a thread about it being available (check the deal graveyard). I've never had any problems with Amazon, but this makes me start to question them as well.
true. eventually they'll get in trouble for this. not every company can get away with deceiving people just to get an extra $10-$30 on the price.
Have they done this before? I've never heard of Amazon itself doing this. Quite disappointing.
Have they done this before? I've never heard of Amazon itself doing this. Quite disappointing.
We are talking about NorAm here
Chuplayer
09-05-2009, 12:21 PM
*about the 60gig PS3 "warehouse find" from a few weeks back*
Give me some credit, I'm not a noob. It was listed as "New" and I trusted Amazon.
It was directly form Amazon.com. A lot of people on here bought one as there was a thread about it being available (check the deal graveyard). I've never had any problems with Amazon, but this makes me start to question them as well.
Holy shit, really? Now I'm glad I missed the deal.
Holy shit, really? Now I'm glad I missed the deal.
Yep. The box seal was broken and when I opened the box I found a controller with the USB cord attached just thrown in there.
I'm surprised no one else has complained about it, maybe it was just mine that came like that.
newlu
09-06-2009, 02:47 AM
Yea, bought a copy of Advance Wars: Dual Strike from their ebay store and it was definitely resealed.
STAY AWAY
confoosious
09-06-2009, 01:22 PM
I hate the idiots on ebay that write "BRAND NEW. I played a couple times but BRAND NEW."
F'ing morons.
I don't like NorAm so I never send in sealed games. Why let them make more profit.
Oh as far as selling resealed games, just tell everyone you know that they do this.
I hate the idiots on ebay that write "BRAND NEW. I played a couple times but BRAND NEW."
F'ing morons.
I don't like NorAm so I never send in sealed games. Why let them make more profit.
Oh as far as selling resealed games, just tell everyone you know that they do this.
Did you see post 35 in this thread?
Here's another I found today:
New - Soul Calibur III "Original case. Guaranteed functionality and satisfaction. Comes with manual and Namco Trasmission v3.2 demo disc. Few and tiny scratches on CD."
How the hell would a disc only game or scratched cd fall under the new category?
confoosious
09-06-2009, 01:43 PM
Did you see post 35 in this thread?
Here's another I found today:
New - Soul Calibur III "Original case. Guaranteed functionality and satisfaction. Comes with manual and Namco Trasmission v3.2 demo disc. Few and tiny scratches on CD."
How the hell would a disc only game or scratched cd fall under the new category?
Maybe they subscribe to the NBC theory of : If you haven't seen it before, it's new to you!
cheeky
09-06-2009, 08:11 PM
Just wanted to add my 2 cents here and perhaps share a different perspective. I've purchased a total of 1 game from NorAm - Tetris DS which we all know is hard to find, especially sealed. The game arrived in a reasonable amount of time (tracking was not provided) and it did appear to be new, sealed with the other, non-y-fold plastic. I never opened it as I someday may end up selling it as new. The thing is, if I had never read this thread I may have never wondered whether I had a resealed game or not. I would've just sold it as new and possibly been called a scammer by the person who purchased it from me. Is it possible that the very same thing is happening to Noram? They're buying this stuff wholesale from who knows where. Maybe they think they're selling legit merch but it's their suppliers who are ripping them off. I dunno. In the end it doesn't matter because a reputable company would test their stuff before ever letting it get to the consumer (instead of using the same line about "satisfaction garaunteed" that all the purveyors of chinese fakes use).
phear3d
09-06-2009, 10:43 PM
Just wanted to add my 2 cents here and perhaps share a different perspective. I've purchased a total of 1 game from NorAm - Tetris DS which we all know is hard to find, especially sealed. The game arrived in a reasonable amount of time (tracking was not provided) and it did appear to be new, sealed with the other, non-y-fold plastic. I never opened it as I someday may end up selling it as new. The thing is, if I had never read this thread I may have never wondered whether I had a resealed game or not. I would've just sold it as new and possibly been called a scammer by the person who purchased it from me. Is it possible that the very same thing is happening to Noram? They're buying this stuff wholesale from who knows where. Maybe they think they're selling legit merch but it's their suppliers who are ripping them off. I dunno. In the end it doesn't matter because a reputable company would test their stuff before ever letting it get to the consumer (instead of using the same line about "satisfaction garaunteed" that all the purveyors of chinese fakes use).
they do buy alot of games new and factory sealed and they sell on both ebay and amazon. the main issue here is the traded games through amazon and thats probably what you've gotten.
the easiest way to protect games is by actually sealing or resealing them. at a warehouse full of games, thats probably the best protection youll get. and i think maybe this is where they got the idea of why not sell them as new since 1) they refurbish them sort of new, free of scratches MOST OF THE TIME but not all the time and 2) the game can actually be sold as much as twice or triple the cost of its original MSRP.
distributors really dont have any access to used merchandise unless they buy them through a source like gamefly or gamestop. but by providing the service of accepting used games on amazon, you pretty much became like a gamestop. the games that gets traded through amazon is somehow comparable to that of a gamestop. i can understand that cags would sometimes trade in factory sealed games (i know a few colleagues of mine have done so).
lets say for example Endless Ocean. a few weeks ago they had a trade in deal of $26.xx per copy + shipping cost. why would somehow they decided to list Endless Ocean brand new on amazon and sold them 3-4 times as much? shouldnt that be sold used? i really dont understand their logic or maybe were not supposed to because they know selling "NEW" means its more money to them. if there are more copies of the games available to the public, the price of the item or game becomes less. theres a reason why people are able to sell a game like Team Buddies for $150 used because theres not alot of them that gets listed each week. Multiply the listings by 3 or 4 each week and the prices will go down.
and fyi, all current nintendo titles are sealed y-fold and not a heat wrap seal. they probably dont have the machine that can do nintendo ds games thats why its heat wrap seal.
quoth09
09-07-2009, 06:24 AM
First post here, but shouldn't be about something like this. None the less I feel I have to chime in here so that other people know this is not isolated.
I bought a copy of Wartech: Senko no Ronde off of Amazon, thinking it was coming directly from Amazon, as since the last time I ordered, they moved the place where it states who actually has the item, and who it is fulfilled by. Not a big deal, but spotted it after I checked out; I prefer to steer clear of situations where it is sold by another company regardless of being fulfilled by Amazon, due to previous issues in the past when buying from sellers directly on there. Free shipping or not, the hassle of such problems I have pained in the past are not worth the trouble.
Either way, game was sold by pieceofmindmedia and fulfilled by Amazon.
I get this in Saturday, and noticed something funny right off the bat: No security seal on the right side, however it had a sticker on the bottom similar to that of video DVDs, which read SECURITY DEVICE ENCLOSED. Also, the outer wrap was slightly loose, but was sealed like a standard Y-seal. Been collecting/buying a long time, so I know how to tell the difference between normal shrink wrap reseal and Y-seal, and I have seen loose shrink wrap on a retail game/movie before, so didn't think anything of the wrap part.
So I tried looking around on the net, to see if maybe other copies might be like this, as this isn't considered a top selling A+ title, and pulled up nothing. I went ahead and opened it being wary.
Noticed as soon as I opened the case, disc has wear around the center ring on BOTH sides, and disc has some minor scratches.
Game is used, and blatantly being sold as new. Not a fan of Gamestop, but even they don't do this kind of crap.
I immediately left negative feedback for the seller which I will not be changing, and I have already called up Amazon, as well as receiving a return label. They assured me I will be receiving a full refund as well.
I'm pissed because this is complete crap, taking advantage of people that may not otherwise know, and not only that, this makes Amazon look bad. I have had very few problems out of Amazon in the past, and I prefer to keep it this way. I told the representative that they should definitely look into this seller's feedback, as well as selling habits, as I have found other issues with them since I started looking around, including eBay.
The feedback I left them, which will be moved on to the later pages rather quickly I'm sure, due to how much they sell, is quoted here:
1 out of 5: "Item listed as NEW, arrived RESEALED with no security seal, and with wear on the disc, plus scratches. Do a search for this company they do this a lot. I am NOT changing or removing this feedback Amazon, so don't even ask. People need to know what his company is doing, and it's blatant fraud."
Date: September 7, 2009 Rated by Buyer: quoth09
They also have a lifetime rating/365 day rating of 96% on Amazon, and 97% for the last 30-90 days - not a good sign for a good seller on Amazon. Had I known this prior to ordering, I would have changed to a different seller, or removed the item from my basket.
Seems that Kemco is now the seller listed and fulfilled by Amazon, though NorAm International is listed as another seller on the list, for 11.89 + $3.99 shipping, listed as New, though a lot of other sellers have the same price or around that.
If anyone else has such problems with them, please chime in and report them to where you purchased the item from. These bastards need to be out of business. Also, I love the fact that NorAm has this listed on their profile:
NorAm is a woman owned enterprise founded in 2006, with 25 employees committed to meeting our customer's needs.
Is it really that important to list that it's owned by a woman? Not to sound sexist here at all, but I could honestly care if the company I'm buying a game from was started by someone with a penis, a vagina, or is an alien. After this experience, all it makes me think is 2 words: lying bitch.
BTW- Anyone that cares to call them (not Amazon), their phone # is: 978-567-0741
All their eBay negatives can be looked at on one page here:
http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=pieceofmindbooks&Dirn=Received+by&Many=ON
http://www.amazon.com/shops/pieceofmindbooks
http://www.amazon.com/shops/pieceofmindmedia
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=pieceofmindbooks
Hey Phear, remember that story I told you about a 360 game I bought from them, and the description I gave about the seal on the bottom? It matches Quoth's exactly!
cheeky
09-07-2009, 03:28 PM
and fyi, all current nintendo titles are sealed y-fold and not a heat wrap seal. they probably dont have the machine that can do nintendo ds games thats why its heat wrap seal.
I've often wondered about this and I'm not entirely sure I agree, although I certainly don't doubt you fully. The reason I say this is because many of the older DS games (DK Jungle Climber for example) I've purchased at retail (Sears, FYE) have been sealed in the non y-seals. I'm willing to bet money that Sears isn't savvy enough to reseal games, FYE, I'm not too sure about. At FYE I've seen five or more copies of DKJC where 3 were Y sealed and 2 were regular plastic heat seals. I bought the y sealed ones and left the others but will not hesitate to buy the non y-seals next time if I need them and they're still there.
bigdaddybruce44
09-07-2009, 04:09 PM
I definitely liked the suggestion someone had before about putting a little note in the instruction manual with all the games we now trade in.
quoth09
09-07-2009, 04:12 PM
I've often wondered about this and I'm not entirely sure I agree, although I certainly don't doubt you fully. The reason I say this is because many of the older DS games (DK Jungle Climber for example) I've purchased at retail (Sears, FYE) have been sealed in the non y-seals. I'm willing to bet money that Sears isn't savvy enough to reseal games, FYE, I'm not too sure about. At FYE I've seen five or more copies of DKJC where 3 were Y sealed and 2 were regular plastic heat seals. I bought the y sealed ones and left the others but will not hesitate to buy the non y-seals next time if I need them and they're still there.
I too have seen DS games the same way, even in Toys Я Us and sometimes Wal-Mart. Same with original X-Box, and several other systems, however the games had their other seals in place, etc. or all the same titles were like that.
quoth09
09-07-2009, 10:08 PM
I got this email from them earlier today, because I posted here. I will let anyone that reads it take what they will from it. However, they should be contacting everyone else and refunding them, if they are unhappy, rather than just writing me based on the fact that I actually did something and said something regarding my transaction. As far as I'm concerned, this is a prime example why I am wary to deal with such sellers.
-----
Hello there. This is Mike, one of the partners at NorAm.
First, you seem like a thoughtful person from reading your detailed post on CAG, and you deserve and apology for our misclassification of your video game. This was a simple human error on our part.
We purchase huge overstock inventory from retailers and wholesalers of games, and it is usually a mix of mostly used with some new. We do also buy large lots of New Games as well, but less frequently. At one point in June we thought it was a good idea to wrap all our used games for better protection and a better customer experience. Unfortunately, that can lead to confusion by scanners receiving into Fulfillment by Amazon. We don’t think it happened often at all (very rarely have we gotten complaints, especially considering we sell 4000+ items per day), but we stopped in late August wrapping any used games to prevent this from every happening again.
Naturally, you will get a full refund through FBA and we hope you aren’t tainted by your experience with our company. For a large seller who does sell mostly used products, our feedback ratings are great. Most negatives are order cancellations and stock-outs, which happens when you gets lots of onesy/twosy random inventory like we do. Even on Ebay, which you referenced in your CAG post, we found just 26 negatives referencing getting used sold as new out of 72,000 feedbacks going all the way back to May (using the toolhaus.org tool). We got those comments so infrequently we didn’t even consider it an issue (without toolhaus, which we just found out about, we could never even find our negatives). Our rating on Ebay is 99.2%, the highest of any of the large Media sellers who sell mostly used.
We’re not asking you to modify your post on CAG or remove your feedback, just felt you again deserved a response. As many orders as we do a day (almost 5000 total), every customer and every comment matters. Feel free to reach out anytime.
Sincerely,
Michael
So why does NorAm even have a machine to wrap games? Did they seriously buy it just to "protect" their used games?
I bought games from them on Ebay and had the same problem so it's just not the result of Amazon "scanner" mistakes. My games had a piece of paper on them with a date and "new" on them. So I am guessing NorAm labels the games as "new" themselves.
Sorry Michael I don't believe you. But I do believe you are conducting business in a fradulent manner and it is a shame. Is money really that important to you?
cheeky
09-08-2009, 12:39 AM
I got this email from them earlier today, because I posted here. I will let anyone that reads it take what they will from it. However, they should be contacting everyone else and refunding them, if they are unhappy, rather than just writing me based on the fact that I actually did something and said something regarding my transaction. As far as I'm concerned, this is a prime example why I am wary to deal with such sellers.
-----
Hello there. This is Mike, one of the partners at NorAm.
First, you seem like a thoughtful person from reading your detailed post on CAG, and you deserve and apology for our misclassification of your video game. This was a simple human error on our part.
We purchase huge overstock inventory from retailers and wholesalers of games, and it is usually a mix of mostly used with some new. We do also buy large lots of New Games as well, but less frequently. At one point in June we thought it was a good idea to wrap all our used games for better protection and a better customer experience. Unfortunately, that can lead to confusion by scanners receiving into Fulfillment by Amazon. We don’t think it happened often at all (very rarely have we gotten complaints, especially considering we sell 4000+ items per day), but we stopped in late August wrapping any used games to prevent this from every happening again.
Naturally, you will get a full refund through FBA and we hope you aren’t tainted by your experience with our company. For a large seller who does sell mostly used products, our feedback ratings are great. Most negatives are order cancellations and stock-outs, which happens when you gets lots of onesy/twosy random inventory like we do. Even on Ebay, which you referenced in your CAG post, we found just 26 negatives referencing getting used sold as new out of 72,000 feedbacks going all the way back to May (using the toolhaus.org tool). We got those comments so infrequently we didn’t even consider it an issue (without toolhaus, which we just found out about, we could never even find our negatives). Our rating on Ebay is 99.2%, the highest of any of the large Media sellers who sell mostly used.
We’re not asking you to modify your post on CAG or remove your feedback, just felt you again deserved a response. As many orders as we do a day (almost 5000 total), every customer and every comment matters. Feel free to reach out anytime.
Sincerely,
Michael
So Michael from NorAm reads CAG. I wonder how many deals he's posted here.
So why does NorAm even have a machine to wrap games? Did they seriously buy it just to "protect" their used games?
I bought games from them on Ebay and had the same problem so it's just not the result of Amazon "scanner" mistakes. My games had a piece of paper on them with a date and "new" on them. So I am guessing NorAm labels the games as "new" themselves.
Sorry Michael I don't believe you. But I do believe you are conducting business in a fradulent manner and it is a shame. Is money really that important to you?
I think they stopped wrapping games because they got caught or atleast warned about questionable business practices, probably by eBay, maybe Amazon. I'm sure more people (unknowing parents or young kids) received used games and never knew it. I wonder if all the fake "NEW"/actually used items were higher priced, higher margin video games vs. DVDs. As long as for every 1 or 2 fakes, a 100 low margin 2-3 dollar DVDs were sold, their feedback ratings would keep them under the radar with eBay. The 1 fake "NEW" item could yeild a profit equal to maybe 20+ legitimate cheap used DVDs. For instance a used Endless Ocean sells for $24 used. A rewrapped "NEW" copy fetches $45. It would be $21 more pure profit , the cost/risk being a POSSIBLE negative feedback that would be rendered insignificant beacuse of the 4000 trans action per day. They could do that like 40 times a day and be somewhat safe. Kinda the way businesses weigh the price of a product recall vs. the cost of liability and litigation, it's all about maximizing profits for them.
LegendK7ll3r
09-08-2009, 04:07 AM
I've been doing business with them for months, never got a "resealed" game, and all of my games / movies [ blu-rays ] have had all seals on them, with original packaging. I also just ordered Chrono Trigger from them via Amazon a few days ago, and received it w/o any sort of wrapping (which seems to back their claim to have stopped "sealing" anything up) [ it was a used copy, fulfilled by Amazon ].
Either way, I've bought probably 30+ items from them in the past few months, haven't had a single problem. Everything I got was all in the original packaging, seals and everything else included and un-touched. So, I'll gladly keep doing more and more business with them.
dyeknom
09-08-2009, 10:36 PM
Hello there. This is Mike, one of the partners at NorAm.
First, you seem like a thoughtful person from reading your detailed post on CAG, and you deserve and apology for our misclassification of your video game. This was a simple human error on our part.
We purchase huge overstock inventory from retailers and wholesalers of games, and it is usually a mix of mostly used with some new. We do also buy large lots of New Games as well, but less frequently. At one point in June we thought it was a good idea to wrap all our used games for better protection and a better customer experience. Unfortunately, that can lead to confusion by scanners receiving into Fulfillment by Amazon. We don’t think it happened often at all (very rarely have we gotten complaints, especially considering we sell 4000+ items per day), but we stopped in late August wrapping any used games to prevent this from every happening again.
Sincerely,
Michael
.
No offense to Michael intended, but that bolded portion is blatant misinformation. The first, and ONLY, order I EVER made with this company was before June and I received a re-sealed game.
As far as the "negatives as a result of reseals" needs to be addressed as well. Yes, not everybody left you a negative. Look through ALL of your comments, because quite a few people mention the company's resealing habits but merely left a neutral because the game / DVDs worked.
While there are quite a few people who don't mind receiving reseals because it works... but if you remember... certain companies (much larger than your own) have been sued over the same type of practice of selling used items as NEW. Just a bit of food for thought.
Whether or not that game I purchased was re-sealed by the people who sold it to your company is not even an issue, because as a retailer it is the company's responsibility to ensure that their representations are true and not false... and... as a huge re-seller... the company should be aware what "Brand New" and "Factory Sealed" means.
Techsticles
09-09-2009, 06:08 PM
What about the movies they resealed and used cheap security tag enclosed stickers on and resold as brand new? They obviously put those on all 3 sides to fool the average buyer. Normally the security sticker on the top actually says the name of the movie and has a little barcode. Did they think adding these stickers was a good way to protect the movies? Obviously the intent was not what is claimed.
bigdaddybruce44
09-09-2009, 06:43 PM
Definitely sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me, especially because of the security sticker issue brought up by the previous poster. What exactly would their purpose be besides fooling people?
boylover
09-09-2009, 07:06 PM
There are quite a few eBay "Power Sellers" who sell used games as new.
Recently I bought a "new" game from GamersFactory (http://myworld.ebay.com/gamers_factory) which claims to sell both used and new games.
But my "new" game did not come in a factory seal but rather a rewrap. More importantly the case had a mark from a peeled off sticker (which I can only assume was a price tag that probably said used) and the disc had fingerprints on it.
What about the movies they resealed and used cheap security tag enclosed stickers on and resold as brand new? They obviously put those on all 3 sides to fool the average buyer. Normally the security sticker on the top actually says the name of the movie and has a little barcode. Did they think adding these stickers was a good way to protect the movies? Obviously the intent was not what is claimed.
I recently received a couple "NEW" HD DVDs with fake security tape on all three sides from a half.com seller. The tape also said DVD not HD DVD. The case was a cheap quality fake, the case art was a blurry color scan on regular printer paper, and the HD DVD emblem on the case came off with the security tape, all in a plastic wrapper sold as New. When I confronted the buyer about this , they claimed it was purchased NEW from a supplier/distributor. Does NorAm do wholesale? LOL
Half.com seller - Househouldthings (thats how they spell it)
pitfallharry219
09-10-2009, 11:34 PM
There are quite a few eBay "Power Sellers" who sell used games as new.
Recently I bought a "new" game from GamersFactory (http://myworld.ebay.com/gamers_factory) which claims to sell both used and new games.
But my "new" game did not come in a factory seal but rather a rewrap. More importantly the case had a mark from a peeled off sticker (which I can only assume was a price tag that probably said used) and the disc had fingerprints on it.
Am I mistaken, or is this the company that will be handling the TRU trade-ins? This could be a whole 'nother NorAm debacle.
bigdaddybruce44
09-10-2009, 11:40 PM
You are 100% correct. They are the third-party in the TRU system. Let's starting putting notes into games we trade to TRU, as well.
Sinnbox
09-10-2009, 11:56 PM
I definitely liked the suggestion someone had before about putting a little note in the instruction manual with all the games we now trade in.
No one reads manuals on most games.
bigdaddybruce44
09-11-2009, 01:01 AM
No one reads manuals on most games.
You say that like it's some sort of fact. I would definitely disagree with that assessment. I don't know anyone who doesn't at least check out the first page or two for the rundown of the controller layout.
I recently received a couple "NEW" HD DVDs with fake security tape on all three sides from a half.com seller. The tape also said DVD not HD DVD. The case was a cheap quality fake, the case art was a blurry color scan on regular printer paper, and the HD DVD emblem on the case came off with the security tape, all in a plastic wrapper sold as New. When I confronted the buyer about this , they claimed it was purchased NEW from a supplier/distributor. Does NorAm do wholesale? LOL
Please post the user name here
You say that like it's some sort of fact. I would definitely disagree with that assessment. I don't know anyone who doesn't at least check out the first page or two for the rundown of the controller layout.
I havent read a manual in years
bigdaddybruce44
09-11-2009, 02:31 AM
Well, I don't know you, so it's still all good. And seriously, a statement like that...don't make it. If you honestly want anyone to believe you haven't read a word in a manual "in year"...you're smoking something...and I want some.
Techsticles
09-11-2009, 12:02 PM
I always flip through the manual at least once before I play a new game, just to see the pictures and control layout.
phear3d
09-11-2009, 01:02 PM
people could write "used" in the back of the spine (the white part) of the cover inlay use a sharpie or marker but not a pen since it could ruin the part of that spine.
i was just at TRU the other day and they had a bunch of FF Rings of Fate for DS sold as "USED" but they are all factory sealed. they're leading people to misbelieve they are $30 used. then on the aisle where there are more FF ROF without the used sticker but was marked $30 as well #-o
rk0900
09-11-2009, 02:12 PM
Any tips on spotting resealed PS3 games? Amazon merchants are the cheapest prices I can find for a few PS3 games, but now I'm a bit weary of buying from any of them.
shrike4242
09-11-2009, 02:16 PM
Any tips on spotting resealed PS3 games? Amazon merchants are the cheapest prices I can find for a few PS3 games, but now I'm a bit weary of buying from any of them.Good question.
I may have need for this info, as I picked up Eternal Sonata for the PS3 from Hastings via their Amazon merchant account GoHastings. Supposed to be new, though we'll see when it shows up.
NorAm seems to magically taken off most of their new listings and moved them to used or just removed them entirely. For example, their "new" copies of Fable II are now used and their copies of Ico are not longer listed as being available. I'm sure it's more than just a coincidence after this thread was made. :roll:
cheeky
09-11-2009, 02:30 PM
NorAm seems to magically taken off most of their new listings and moved them to used or just removed them entirely. For example, their "new" copies of Fable II are now used and their copies of Ico are not longer listed as being available. I'm sure it's more than just a coincidence after this thread was made. :roll:
If that's true that is a very smart corporate move.
rk0900
09-11-2009, 02:34 PM
Also, does anyone have experience with Amazon merchant "Katt30". Merchant has 99% feedback, but I'm still weary.
The comment under LittleBigplanet says that it is "brand-new /factory sealed by sony/u.s.a. version-not an import/just like in retail stores/-100% guarantee"
But then for Resistance 2 it says it is "brand-new /just like in retail stores/all u.p.c.-numbers match-100% guaranteed"
I realize it could definitely be nothing but since "factory sealed by sony" was included in one but excluded from the other made me wonder.
dyeknom
09-11-2009, 03:05 PM
Well, I don't know you, so it's still all good. And seriously, a statement like that...don't make it. If you honestly want anyone to believe you haven't read a word in a manual "in year"...you're smoking something...and I want some.
Outside of the front cover of the manual (to make sure the title on the manual was the same as the used game being purchased), I haven't read through a manual in years either, since the playstation 1 days. I usually, unless a game doesn't have it, manually set up my controller layout to benefit my personal playstyle.
@rk0900 - I do not know why they would specify one as being factory sealed by sony and the other is not.. unless they are referring to "gamestop" new and it was previously gutted. I find it less strange that they specify factory sealed than the fact that they did not specify "USA release" as they did before.
That could simply be because there were a lot of cheap PAL copies of LBP being sold recently (some in a thread here on CAG) and they want to be clear that it is the US version. That is less of an issue with Resistance 2 I suppose.
rk0900 - I think you are overanalyzing their listing a bit too much. I don't know anything about them but finding discrepancies on their subtitles doesn't necessarily mean much. I'm not sure how Amazon works but I know on eBay subtitles you have very limited text and sometimes it is more important to say one thing for one game (like the US version on LBP) than on others so my listings might be similarly "inconsistent" and it never occured to me people might interpret that as me hiding something :lol:. I don't know if Amazon is the same way though with the character restrictions.
rk0900
09-12-2009, 12:13 PM
^^ Yeah, I agree it's probably nothing, but I'm a bit paranoid since reading this thread about NorAm ( which I probably would have bought from if I hadn't read this ). I found some feedbacks on a few of the other cheapest merchants stating resealed games. Katt30 didn't have any I could find, but now after finding other merchants doing the same, I'm wondering if most ( if not all ) of the cheapest merchants are doing it and that's how they keep their prices the lowest.
elavestruz
09-14-2009, 04:36 PM
As a general rule, I limit my purchases to marketplace sellers that are fulfilled by amazon. Through this frame of logic, I recently stumbled upon pieceofmindmedia and have bought quite a few "like new" games from them.
Out of 11 purchases I have had very few but heart-breaking problems. The 1st one was with Thousand Arms for the PS1, listed like new but missing all of the bonus content. Forgiveable, because of the price and the great condition in which everything else arrived. The 2nd one was with Alundra for the PS1 which, even thought it was listed like new, arrived with quite a few scratches on the case. I let it pass, because everything else was like new. Then Grandia arrived, and that's when the proverbial shit hitted the fan. The case, the 1st disc and the manual looked fantastic. But instead of the 2nd disc, they sent Gauntlet Legends for the Dreamcast. OMGWTF! I didn't made an scandal out of it, because Amazon refunded my purchase as swift as the wrath of god. I was very dissapointed with Pieceofmindmedia...but forgave them when I saw them selling Valkyrie Profile for the Ps1, Tactics Ogre for the ps1, Bangai-O for the Dreamcast, both Etriand Odysseys and Secret of Mana for the Snes.
After reading this thread, I'm a little worried that they may mix up my orders or my games, yet again, but feel relieved to know that Amazon has my back if anything wrong happens. Stil, I wish I could have found this thread around the time pieceofmindmedia sent me Rez for the PS2 "shrinkwrapped". That game felt resealed, even thought everything about it look and felt like new. Including the inner ring of the disc.
You shouldn't limit your purchase fulfilled by amazon. I would much rather buy something for someone's collection instead of a resller.
You shouldn't limit your purchase fulfilled by amazon. I would much rather buy something for someone's collection instead of a resller.
Yep, your items are guaranteed no matter who you purchase from on Amazon Marketplace.
Animal7390
09-14-2009, 07:57 PM
what trade in coupons are people referring to?
hiromano
09-16-2009, 02:44 AM
Well I certainly hope this isn't true. I just order something from them. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
elavestruz
09-17-2009, 03:50 AM
I wish you the best of lucks. Because I recently received a game from pieceofmindmedia/Noram that was branded and priced "like new", and it was missing the instruction booklet, as well as having a refurbished disc case. I ordered the thing before finding this thread, so I really had no warning outisde of the common sense of not buying from resellers. Now, to be fair, out of 12 ordered games, pieceofmindmedia/Noram kind of screwed 2. The unplayable Grandia game that arrived without the 2nd disc, and now this expensive game listed like new that arrived without the instruction booklet. So, really, is a matter of luck and I hope your order doesn´t become one more casualty.
hiromano
09-17-2009, 02:04 PM
Just looking at my purchase (haven't received it yet), and considering this seller has multiple names, I'm assuming pieceofmindbooks is also the same seller as pieceofmindmedia. I thought I'd clarify just in case.
Arakias
09-17-2009, 02:11 PM
I don't know anyone who doesn't at least check out the first page or two for the rundown of the controller layout.
I dont look at manuals either. Games controls are usually fairly instinctive or you can pick it up in game...
You are 100% correct. They are the third-party in the TRU system. Let's starting putting notes into games we trade to TRU, as well.
Not that I doubt you, but how do you know Gamers Factory is the TRU 3rd party?
allyourblood
09-17-2009, 02:25 PM
Not that I doubt you, but how do you know Gamers Factory is the TRU 3rd party?
It had been mentioned in a different thread by a TRU employee that they shipped their used games to Gamers Factory, by way of prepaid shipping labels.
Just looking at my purchase (haven't received it yet), and considering this seller has multiple names, I'm assuming pieceofmindbooks is also the same seller as pieceofmindmedia. I thought I'd clarify just in case.
Yup those 2 names = NorAm
Perfect*Ending
09-22-2009, 01:34 AM
Does PieceofMindMedia sell any legit new games?
I see their listings on Amazon as "new" but doesn't describe it well.
killa5k7
09-22-2009, 01:57 AM
How can a store like this keep account status when they clearly suck?
jcarlon
09-22-2009, 05:44 PM
Hmm...ordered a new Valkyria Chronicles from these guys since Walmarts in my area were sold out. Should arrive today or tomorrow. Will report back on condition.
Cmosfm
09-23-2009, 04:23 PM
Hmm...ordered a new Valkyria Chronicles from these guys since Walmarts in my area were sold out. Should arrive today or tomorrow. Will report back on condition.
I also sent my credit card information to nigerian scammers to win their lottery because my local gas station was out of scratch offs. Guess we both didn't listen to widespread advice.
jcarlon
09-23-2009, 04:32 PM
I also sent my credit card information to nigerian scammers to win their lottery because my local gas station was out of scratch offs. Guess we both didn't listen to widespread advice.
Yeah unfortunately didn't find out about this thread until too late. Obviously wouldn't have taken the risk had I known.
Perfect*Ending
09-23-2009, 08:53 PM
So how did your game look when it arrived? Clean? New?
Cmosfm
09-23-2009, 10:16 PM
Yeah unfortunately didn't find out about this thread until too late. Obviously wouldn't have taken the risk had I known.
Ahh, that makes sense. :) Sorry then, and honestly I hope you don't get screwed. If so, be sure and file an Amazon claim.
Josef
09-24-2009, 11:33 AM
I find it interesting that they had no new copies of One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (Wii) for sale until AFTER they did the $30 trade in promotion. Now, they apparently have new copies of the game all of a sudden! So either they took the best condition used ones they received, resealed them, and listed them as new, or they magically found a stash of new copies somewhere. And to top it off, they drove down the new price of the game by listing these "new" copies for $15 less than the legitimate new copies. Fuck them!
phear3d
09-24-2009, 01:36 PM
Does PieceofMindMedia sell any legit new games?
I see their listings on Amazon as "new" but doesn't describe it well.
that guy michael "claim" that they do. no evidence, not gonna believe it
I find it interesting that they had no new copies of One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (Wii) for sale until AFTER they did the $30 trade in promotion. Now, they apparently have new copies of the game all of a sudden! So either they took the best condition used ones they received, resealed them, and listed them as new, or they magically found a stash of new copies somewhere. And to top it off, they drove down the new price of the game by listing these "new" copies for $15 less than the legitimate new copies. Fuck them!cags sends games to them for a legitimate trade, they scam people into thinking they're new.
they probably bought 'SCAM IN A BOX' and have been following it religiously. either that or they have a 'SCAMMING FOR DUMMIES' book. of course amazon sold that to them :dunce:
I don't see any reason for NorAm to change. The profit is too much to sell it as new instead of used. They will just keep giving the small percent of people a refund.
I find it interesting that they had no new copies of One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (Wii) for sale until AFTER they did the $30 trade in promotion. Now, they apparently have new copies of the game all of a sudden! So either they took the best condition used ones they received, resealed them, and listed them as new, or they magically found a stash of new copies somewhere. And to top it off, they drove down the new price of the game by listing these "new" copies for $15 less than the legitimate new copies. Fuck them!
Exact thing happened with Endless Ocean. They totally ruined the NEW value for the title.
I don't see any reason for NorAm to change. The profit is too much to sell it as new instead of used. They will just keep giving the small percent of people a refund.
They sell so many things a day, they can afford the risk of scamming the few higher priced items.
jcarlon
09-25-2009, 12:34 PM
Got my Valkyria Chronicles yesterday and it appears to be new. No signs of being re-shrink wrapped as the wrapping looked exactly the same as it does on any new PS3 game. And the instructions and CD were spotless.
This ran me $32 bucks on Ebay (only after Bing Cashback), thus it wasn't a hugely discounted price. Maybe thats why it was actually new?
Either way, happy with the purchase, but will still be wary to buy again after all the advice in this thread.
wesdw369
09-27-2009, 12:46 PM
had to rebuy resident evil 5 because this retard that was staying with me put it in the 360 wrong and it ate it (was also starting to disc rot but still worked) and went through them, got it for 15 new plus $2 shipping. game came in still factory sealed. i would order through them again. then again even if it wasnt factory sealed as long as the game was clean/scratch free and at a good price i dont honestly care.
dyeknom
09-27-2009, 03:31 PM
Got my Valkyria Chronicles yesterday and it appears to be new. No signs of being re-shrink wrapped as the wrapping looked exactly the same as it does on any new PS3 game. And the instructions and CD were spotless.
This ran me $32 bucks on Ebay (only after Bing Cashback), thus it wasn't a hugely discounted price. Maybe thats why it was actually new?
Actually, quite the opposite. Wal-mart was tossing these out at 19.96 (and every other price-matching store). That's probably why it was *actually* new.
Here's one of their feedbacks for today:
"Item was obviously a rewrapped used game, with scratches and gunk on the game case underneath the shrink wrap. Thanks for lying, you won't be receiving my business anymore."
phear3d
09-29-2009, 03:41 AM
Here's one of their feedbacks for today:
"Item was obviously a rewrapped used game, with scratches and gunk on the game case underneath the shrink wrap. Thanks for lying, you won't be receiving my business anymore."
its funny that a company representative, in this case one of the owners, would try to tell you that they are legit and they are doing their best to society and trying to prove you otherwise when the evidence is right here.
integralsmatic
09-29-2009, 03:52 AM
wow didnt even know about this. Well ill be avoiding them like the bubonic plague.
johnmirra
09-29-2009, 12:00 PM
I bought X men Origins Wolverine for the 360 from them and it arrived yesterday. it was supposed to be used but arrived in shrink wrap with the security sticker still applied so i cant say my expireince with pieceofmindmedia was bad, in fact it was better then expected getting a sealed new game instead of the used one i was expecting.
BrettFarveRetired
09-29-2009, 12:28 PM
Wow, this is definitely low. They are taking the trades in, so they know the games are used. It's not like they are getting a bad shipment from a supplier. And I like excuse from the "rep," that they wrap the games for protection but that it caused some confusion. Yeah, ok.
phear3d
09-30-2009, 11:00 AM
I bought X men Origins Wolverine for the 360 from them and it arrived yesterday. it was supposed to be used but arrived in shrink wrap with the security sticker still applied so i cant say my expireince with pieceofmindmedia was bad, in fact it was better then expected getting a sealed new game instead of the used one i was expecting.
its not a new game. it was used at one point and they resealed them. they probably wanted to sell them new because they can sell them for more than what they can sell them as used. so they probably gave you a used game that was resealed.
i have seen security stickers on certain games. thats not including the authentic seal that microsoft puts on all their games. EA actually have been putting them on madden and other sports games in this generation. rockband beatles for the wii also have a security sticker at the bottom but outside of it where the folds meet is an EA stamp. they also had them on games like the godfather backhand edition.
[IMG-L=4661]9370[/IMG-L]
i really wish that companies like sony and nintendo would do something similar to what EA has done. the stamp authenticates that it is indeed a factory seal game. does anyone remember the awesome PS1 and PS2 seals? i wish they'd do something like that for games. why wouldnt that make sense to them. instead of putting them on $9.99 Blu Ray movies, why not put them in $59.99 video games.
You guys are going to get a kick out of one of their negatives for today:
"I ordered a game that was described as new by this seller. When I got it, not only was it obvious that the seller used his own shrink wrap on the box, but the wrong game disc was placed inside (which further confirmed it was not new). So not only did I not receive the game I ordered, I was also lied to about its condition. 1 out of 5".
Also, this:
" "The game was announced as brand new but it looks like the dvd was resurfaced or polished to remove scratches but the machine left some concentrical marks over the surface. The box, inserts and book appeared to be new but one of the book holders was broken. Despite all this I'm going to keep the game since I'm overseas now and the game works fine so far. Next time I will avoid seller."
bigdaddybruce44
09-30-2009, 10:49 PM
Wow. I wonder how many damage control e-mails and message board posts they are gonna be making for all these negatives.
phear3d
10-01-2009, 10:02 AM
You guys are going to get a kick out of one of their negatives for today:
"I ordered a game that was described as new by this seller. When I got it, not only was it obvious that the seller used his own shrink wrap on the box, but the wrong game disc was placed inside (which further confirmed it was not new). So not only did I not receive the game I ordered, I was also lied to about its condition. 1 out of 5".
Also, this:
" "The game was announced as brand new but it looks like the dvd was resurfaced or polished to remove scratches but the machine left some concentrical marks over the surface. The box, inserts and book appeared to be new but one of the book holders was broken. Despite all this I'm going to keep the game since I'm overseas now and the game works fine so far. Next time I will avoid seller."
nothing is funnier than RESEALING A GAME AND HAVING THE WRONG DISC INSIDE!!!! :applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:
the second feedback is really sad.. very unfair.
Perfect*Ending
10-02-2009, 07:19 PM
LOL, resealing the game with the wrong disc inside. What if you got nothing inside instead?
shytface
10-03-2009, 03:51 AM
No wonder I got boned on both of my Amazon trade ins. NorAm is worse than I thought. When is Amazon finally gonna drop these douchebags for a new merchant?
mguiddy
10-03-2009, 12:51 PM
Oh dear god...
Look at the first two listings for Super Mario RPG (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00002SVG3/sr=8-1/qid=1254584904/ref=olp_tab_new/180-4733071-3822714?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1254584904&sr=8-1&seller=&colid=&condition=new).
VipFREAK
10-03-2009, 01:04 PM
Not surprised, someone was going to do it sooner than later.
Kirin Lemon
10-03-2009, 01:06 PM
Oh dear god...
Look at the first two listings for Super Mario RPG (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00002SVG3/sr=8-1/qid=1254584904/ref=olp_tab_new/180-4733071-3822714?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1254584904&sr=8-1&seller=&colid=&condition=new).
Heck, even that third listing is funny to me, considering how common the game is in Japan.
Niwen Starfire
10-03-2009, 10:14 PM
Wow... I bought from them before. I might not have had I known about them resealing used games as new, even though both items I bought from them were correctly listed as used.
And I didn't know about Toolhaus, that will come in handy on future buys.
jubeininja69
10-04-2009, 02:05 AM
i brought bioshock as "new" and it was obviously a resealed since the plastic wrap was melted into my case. that never happens to new sealed games from retail. i was able to get a partial refund rather than waste money shipping it back.
dr_illingsworth
10-05-2009, 09:59 PM
My Gears of War from peaceofmindmedia was obviously resealed.
I also bought Tales of Legendia "new" from goHastings through Amazon and it was the worst shrink-wrapping job I've ever seen, all loose and baggy.
It sucks that a car dealership that rolls back miles would get slapped with some sort of penalty, but these merchants and even Gamestop can just sell used games as new.
Perfect*Ending
10-06-2009, 08:13 PM
Oh dear god...
Look at the first two listings for Super Mario RPG (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00002SVG3/sr=8-1/qid=1254584904/ref=olp_tab_new/180-4733071-3822714?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1254584904&sr=8-1&seller=&colid=&condition=new).
WOW :hot:
It seems like every time I randomly check NorAm's and PieceofmindMedia/Pieceofmindbooks Feedback they have more cases of resealing games. For today:
"I just received the "NEW" game from pieceofmindmedia and am SHOCKED to see it is a USED game covered in amateur shrinkwrap. There must be 2-3 different layers of shrinkwrap on this item but I can tell the games are used due to the open-side of the boxset having plasticwrap openings under the shrinkwrap. I am promptly returning this item to Amazon and will never use this seller again..."
1 out of 5
Thank God Noram finally ran out of "NEW" Endless Ocean for wii. I don't know if they actually ran out or are laying low or what, but prices are back to where they were before noram flooded ebay with their magically aquired "New" copies. It's about $55 again. I can finally sell mine for a good price. They offered alot in trade for endless oceans' trade of the day (probably received quite a few of them), freaked out and shot themselves in the foot by f-ing up the supply/demand curve . They were stupid to unload all their copies at once. - crooked and dumb.
Diosoth
10-10-2009, 07:23 AM
Seems to me that buying much anything from Amazon sellers is risky. There is no outlet for them to post an actual item picture and most are only required to give a single sentence for a description. There's little accountability in this setup. You can always send an email asking the seller but many of them don't really care to properly answer.
Reminds me of the Retro Duo I ordered for $4 shipping. They sent the thing Media Mail. Now, video games are NOT covered by the USPS Media Mail rules to begin with. Loose instruction manuals are, but not games. I do not know why. A game system is definitely not covered. It was inspected(all Media Mail packages are subject to random inspection) and I had to pay $7 in postage fees to get the package from the post office.
Well... I hammered the seller. Mailed them direct photocopies of all relevant paperwork and made them refund my $7 for their screw-up.
^^ Video games are covered, at least if they are disc-based. Hell, NorAm/Amazon uses preprinted media mail labels for you to submit all trade-ins, and this goes for all systems from NES through PS3. They apparently just started taking accessories for trade. I'd be interested to see if they offer the USPS media mail option for those as they clearly aren't covered.
But as for the games, NorAm has gotten 100's if not 1000's of packages sent to them that way (via a postage due unit at their local PO) so I can't imagine that wasn't cleared beforehand.
Today I found this name as one of the visitors to my page:
NorAmGamer- joined 3/09, no posts (just lurking) maybe this is Michael
Anyone else who has posted here see this name on your visitors page?
Niwen Starfire
10-13-2009, 09:18 PM
Today I found this name as one of the visitors to my page:
NorAmGamer- joined 3/09, no posts (just lurking) maybe this is Michael
Anyone else who has posted here see this name on your visitors page?
No, he didn't visit me, but I was curious so I did look him up. http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/member.php?u=198475
Like you said he has no posts, but he is logging in. Maybe NorAm is hitting up the deals section for stock? LMAO.
phear3d
10-13-2009, 10:06 PM
thats michael.
Sinnbox
10-13-2009, 11:18 PM
Oh dear god...
Look at the first two listings for Super Mario RPG (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00002SVG3/sr=8-1/qid=1254584904/ref=olp_tab_new/180-4733071-3822714?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1254584904&sr=8-1&seller=&colid=&condition=new).
If you are talking about the seller AOK games that has 2 copies listed as new that come cart only with price stickers attached, I just called Amazon about them
feel free to comment on their crappy company
AMAZON.COM Hours of Operation (PST): 24/7
1-800-201-7575 or 1-206-266-2992
mguiddy
10-14-2009, 12:21 AM
Yeah, when I posted the AOK seller was the first two listings.
^^ Video games are covered, at least if they are disc-based. Hell, NorAm/Amazon uses preprinted media mail labels for you to submit all trade-ins, and this goes for all systems from NES through PS3. They apparently just started taking accessories for trade. I'd be interested to see if they offer the USPS media mail option for those as they clearly aren't covered.
But as for the games, NorAm has gotten 100's if not 1000's of packages sent to them that way (via a postage due unit at their local PO) so I can't imagine that wasn't cleared beforehand.
Video games are not covered by Medial Mail:
http://pe.usps.com/text/CSR/PS-334.htm
"In conclusion, video games, whether on CD-ROM, diskettes, or similar software, regardless of form, or playable systems including computers, do not meet the standards for Media Mail."
bigdaddybruce44
10-18-2009, 03:01 PM
Yep. No video games. I just think it's so rare that they actually inspect these media mail packages that people assume that video games are covered. I'm guessing they are probably more inclined to inspect larger boxes that shipped via media, considering that is where the bigger savings are.
Josef
10-19-2009, 05:31 AM
Video games are not covered by Medial Mail:
http://pe.usps.com/text/CSR/PS-334.htm
"In conclusion, video games, whether on CD-ROM, diskettes, or similar software, regardless of form, or playable systems including computers, do not meet the standards for Media Mail."
Well then Gamestop is screwing the USPS since they've sent me my game orders through Media Mail in the past.
Well then Gamestop is screwing the USPS since they've sent me my game orders through Media Mail in the past.
I've gotten plenty of games from Amazon via media mail too. And like I said before, NorAm/Amazon specifically uses media mail for their trade-in program. The link Rozz posted is pretty clear that it does not (at least now) qualify, but note that it was just put up in Sept. 2009 so maybe this is a new ruling or clarification. I was told specifically by my local PO that games were OK back in July/Aug. Still, though, the Amazon trade-in program continues to use media mail - I just sent some stuff in last week via that method.
It doesn't effect me too much either way as my only use of media mail recently has been the Amazon trade-in program and I don't pay for that anyway. When I ship my own stuff I always use first-class anyway because for a game or two it pretty much comes out to the same price.
I don't even fully understand the ruling because it says media mail was meant for "educational, cultural, scientific, and informational values" and that's why video games don't count. But there's no argument that DVD's and video tapes qualify, right? So you can send a Transformers DVD or some such nonsense like that and it qualifies? Wacko...
I know they are picky about periodicals (they can't have ads and such). I'm not sure where that leaves game guides, which I know many CAGs send via media mail.
Well then Gamestop is screwing the USPS since they've sent me my game orders through Media Mail in the past.
I guess gamestop screws everyone..all my online orders from them recently have been shipped to me through USPS in presumably free 3 day UPS padded envelopes.
If you are sending a single game it is usually cheaper with first class. Now if you are sending in a lot media mail would be better
phear3d
10-20-2009, 11:56 AM
Yeah, when I posted the AOK seller was the first two listings.
people generally catches on especially when it comes to this.
but why bother though cause people are not gonna wanna buy older gen cartridge based games on amazon. those cags that listed those are a bunch of idiots as well.. let them join the idiot only party :)
shrike4242
10-20-2009, 07:47 PM
Video games are not covered by Medial Mail:
http://pe.usps.com/text/CSR/PS-334.htm
"In conclusion, video games, whether on CD-ROM, diskettes, or similar software, regardless of form, or playable systems including computers, do not meet the standards for Media Mail."Oh lovely. So much for that. I guess I'll have to start revising my packaging I use to protect items in shipment, since I often have the item weight above first class mailing weight. :-s Either that, or shift to priority mail when over 13 ounces.
Well then Gamestop is screwing the USPS since they've sent me my game orders through Media Mail in the past.The last few shipments I've had from them have been UPS Ground, so I think they're making the shift to UPS Ground from Media Mail. I know that back in the past, yes, they did ship media mail for SAVER shipping.
I've gotten plenty of games from Amazon via media mail too. And like I said before, NorAm/Amazon specifically uses media mail for their trade-in program. The link Rozz posted is pretty clear that it does not (at least now) qualify, but note that it was just put up in Sept. 2009 so maybe this is a new ruling or clarification. I was told specifically by my local PO that games were OK back in July/Aug. Still, though, the Amazon trade-in program continues to use media mail - I just sent some stuff in last week via that method.
It doesn't effect me too much either way as my only use of media mail recently has been the Amazon trade-in program and I don't pay for that anyway. When I ship my own stuff I always use first-class anyway because for a game or two it pretty much comes out to the same price.
I don't even fully understand the ruling because it says media mail was meant for "educational, cultural, scientific, and informational values" and that's why video games don't count. But there's no argument that DVD's and video tapes qualify, right? So you can send a Transformers DVD or some such nonsense like that and it qualifies? Wacko...
I know they are picky about periodicals (they can't have ads and such). I'm not sure where that leaves game guides, which I know many CAGs send via media mail.As soon as UPS was available as an option for trade-in items to NorAm, I started using it, so I wouldn't have to foot the bill for a DC # on the shipment. So, that's not an issue for me, and this ruling might be why they started using it themselves. Wouldn't surprise me if they changed to only doing UPS for the trade-in options, and requiring $10+ trade-ins, like they did initially for DVD trade-ins.
I don't agree with the ruling either, since it seems a bit arbitrary of a choice to specifically target video games but not single out movies and other DVD-type media. Seems very strange to me.
I'm assuming that she didn't mention game guides, so I'm still shipping them that way until told otherwise. :D
And if they're going to prevent video games to go media mail, I guess it's another reason to keep Amazon Prime for another year, so I won't have to run into issues with Amazon shipments going media mail and being subject to inspection.
I guess gamestop screws everyone..all my online orders from them recently have been shipped to me through USPS in presumably free 3 day UPS padded envelopes.That's a big no-no, since those are only for UPS shipments, same thing for FedEx boxes and USPS Priority Mail boxes.
Yeah, I toyed with the UPS option at Amazon/Noram but it is so painfully slow that I went back to the media mail option - it is still there as recently as yesterday when I submitted a trade. I don't even bother with the DC # and when I send via media mail it has been taking just 5 or 6 days. With UPS it is a guaranteed 8+ for me (west coast). USPS at least tried to expedite while UPS will (it seems) intentionally hold something if, for some reason, they manage to get it there faster than anticipated. I guess UPS has the built-in insurance but that is generally not an issue anyway.
MrNEWZ
10-20-2009, 08:06 PM
In a similar vein, I've noticed a lot of sellers on amazon listing items as "New" when in the comments they say "Opened but never played" and the like.
Amazon's A-to-Z is very strict on garbage like this. If you order items that don't meet the guidelines (that isn't NEW, for example) the seller will be automatically deducted their funds and it will be given to the buyer.
MrNEWZ
10-20-2009, 08:17 PM
Wow... I bought from them before. I might not have had I known about them resealing used games as new, even though both items I bought from them were correctly listed as used.
And I didn't know about Toolhaus, that will come in handy on future buys.
My recent orders were listed as Used-Like New and arrived in that condition.
To the Super Mario RPG people--- order then file an A-to-Z. That'll learn them.
Amazon's A-to-Z is very strict on garbage like this. If you order items that don't meet the guidelines (that isn't NEW, for example) the seller will be automatically deducted their funds and it will be given to the buyer.
So is this like eBay where buyers can make false claims, get their money back, keep the item (well on eBay at least they have to return it), screw the seller's rep, and never face any consequences? Remind me never to sell on Amazon ;).
^yes.. it's like that.. that's why I never sell on Amazon.
bigdaddybruce44
10-20-2009, 09:09 PM
It's crap like that finally stopped me from really selling stuff online. I never had anything like that happen to me, but I heard enough stories and saw the potential for issues, so I just said, "Screw it."
ryoga79
10-30-2009, 04:31 AM
I've ordered from Pieceofmind before, and have always gotten things in almost new condition (hd dvds & bluray sets) for ubercheap. I've never once had an issue with them and i've gotten like 6+ orders from them. We at HDD have never really had issues with them before.
however remember you can only do 5 A-Z claim on amazon
cheeky
11-13-2009, 08:08 PM
Thought of this thread today when I received a re-sealed game from Gohastings.com. It was an obvious reseal job as it was a 360 game in heat-shrink with no tamper proof seal. Called them up and they promised to send a return prepaid mailing label because "the package did not live up to my standards of what I would consider new." This wording intrigued me as it seems very scripted (indicating they'd been called on this practice before), for one, and because it is now (in my experience) the 3rd retailer in addition to NorAm and Gamestop with their gutted copies to sell opened merchandise as new. I paid a premium for the product I received today ($30 new as opposed to $10 used) and feel at least a little inconvenienced by this. Just wanted to give a heads up to the people that read this thread in case it was not known that Hastings may be up to the same thing as Noram.
PS I'm not ruling out the possibility that this may have been a pulling mistake. I've got a few more games on order from them. Will report back here when received.
Note that not every game has the folded plastic wrap and security seals. Some games, even for the 360 (though much more commonly for the DS and Wii) come from the factory with the melted shrink wrap. And in some cases you can get both types a the same time (I remember this being an issue with Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow when it was a "rare", highly sought after game).
Though it is true that even shrink-wrapped 360 games do usually also have the security seal at least (Blue Dragon, I think, was like this).
Hey io (or anybody).. can the post office make you open up the package you're sending out with a pre-paid media mail label? It's happened to me once when I sent out an Amazon trade in and I had to get into an argument with them to accept my package as it was the recipient's problem and not mine. Just wondering because it seemed kind of shady on the post office's part because the shipping label was cut horizontally when they opened it up (luckily the bar code was still in tact).
cheeky
11-13-2009, 09:18 PM
Note that not every game has the folded plastic wrap and security seals. Some games, even for the 360 (though much more commonly for the DS and Wii) come from the factory with the melted shrink wrap. And in some cases you can get both types a the same time (I remember this being an issue with Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow when it was a "rare", highly sought after game).
Though it is true that even shrink-wrapped 360 games do usually also have the security seal at least (Blue Dragon, I think, was like this).
I made this very point about the DS games earlier in the thread. Didn't realize this was an issue with 360 games. Anyway, I should have identified the game I was talking about. Star Trek Legacy. Anyone know if it's one of the known games to come from the factory without a microsoft seal in heatshrink?
darkslime
11-13-2009, 09:21 PM
The post office has the legal right to open any media mail package for inspection
Squarehard
11-13-2009, 09:30 PM
The post office has the legal right to open any media mail package for inspection
Happens quite often during the holidays too. I remember I had 3 packages from last xmas that were slashed then resealed with USPS tape and then there was a note inside that they inspected it. It didn't really tell me what the reason was or what they even found, but they did leave me a note at least...
phear3d
11-13-2009, 10:04 PM
Happens quite often during the holidays too. I remember I had 3 packages from last xmas that were slashed then resealed with USPS tape and then there was a note inside that they inspected it. It didn't really tell me what the reason was or what they even found, but they did leave me a note at least...
this is why there was alot of packages stolen last year. mainly alot of Wii systems coming from amazon. they see that amazon logo on the side, they know its either electronics or games or something.
dchrisd
11-28-2009, 04:36 AM
I just got a couple of DVDs from Amazon via "PieceofMindMedia" that were advertised as new, but obviously not. The cases were teh really cheap kind you get at places like the 99 cent store, the disks were badly scratched and the shrink wrap looked fake. I see their name pop up a lot due to the low prices and FSSS eligibility but given the crap I received from them, its not worth it.
phear3d
11-28-2009, 10:09 AM
I just got a couple of DVDs from Amazon via "PieceofMindMedia" that were advertised as new, but obviously not. The cases were teh really cheap kind you get at places like the 99 cent store, the disks were badly scratched and the shrink wrap looked fake. I see their name pop up a lot due to the low prices and FSSS eligibility but given the crap I received from them, its not worth it.
leave them a negative feedback
leave them a negative feedback
I've seen some of their negative feedback crossed out by Amazon and not counting towards their average. No wonder why they have such a high rating. :roll:
dchrisd
11-28-2009, 07:12 PM
Dang right I'm leaving negative feedback, even if it does get deleted. Whether the feedback is deleted or not, I've already complained about the product and got and RMA.
phear3d
11-28-2009, 11:10 PM
Dang right I'm leaving negative feedback, even if it does get deleted. Whether the feedback is deleted or not, I've already complained about the product and got and RMA.
awesome. make sure to be honest with your feedback.
Indiana Jones
12-09-2009, 10:34 PM
I bought an HD-DVD/DVD combo movie from pieceofmindmedia and complained to Amazon when it was HD-DVD only. Instead of getting an exchange like I asked for, Amazon just refunded me the cost and let me keep it. I felt bad about it... but then I didn't because I found out what pieceofmindmedia is all about.
But it was fulfilled through Amazon, so are they the ones losing out?
I bought an HD-DVD/DVD combo movie from pieceofmindmedia and complained to Amazon when it was HD-DVD only. Instead of getting an exchange like I asked for, Amazon just refunded me the cost and let me keep it. I felt bad about it... but then I didn't because I found out what pieceofmindmedia is all about.
But it was fulfilled through Amazon, so are they the ones losing out?
no it would still be noram losing out
bigdaddybruce44
12-09-2009, 10:53 PM
Indeed. They have things worked out. And I'm sure if Amazon continues to get complaints about their nonsense ways, they won't be working with NorAm much longer, so they will pay even further.
phear3d
12-10-2009, 02:37 AM
they are losing out on this. but i cant believe though that amazon wont even check the integrity of the product they were willing to ship. its one way to be deceitful, but another to pretend not to care (amazon). at the end, greed wins and youre stuck with something you dont want.
Tony208
12-24-2009, 11:22 PM
It's kinda pathetic and I didn't know it was possible to sink lower than Gamestop when it comes to resealing games but these guys have accomplished it.
glemtvapen
12-27-2009, 08:45 AM
This is a totally noob question: what exactly does a y-seal look like?
I have a couple of sealed games I bought from ebay and I'm afraid one or two of them might be reseals. :???:
Nightmarecast25
01-05-2010, 08:21 PM
Ah crap on a stick! I just recently bought Lips NOHs for my friend from this seller, and since I ran into this I decided to open the box and I notice that the box is really beat up, could have been the shipping I dunno, so I open it up and the first thing I notice(again I am not sure)is that the game itself isn't wrapped in any shrinkwrap, I am not sure if Lips does the shrinkwrap but I know Guitar Hero and Rock Band does, so I will just guess that this should be shrinked.
Man, well the disk is in perfect shape and it came with the 5 free songs code unexposed so I guess, but thanks for this warning, they are off my list.
phear3d
01-07-2010, 04:20 PM
This is a totally noob question: what exactly does a y-seal look like?
I have a couple of sealed games I bought from ebay and I'm afraid one or two of them might be reseals. :???:
if you buy new, factory sealed games the seal is usually a "Y" fold seal. at the top where the 2 meet it forms a "Y" at both ends thus people calling it the yfold seal. these are tougher to fake compared to seam sealed games.
but noram have a professional/official looking sealer compared to factory sealers. but the bigger they are, the dumber they get. leaving obvious evidence that indeed they are resealed.
from now on, anyone posting anything they received from noram please post pictures. they'll continue to do what they're doing because obviously, amazon is behind their backs. $$$$ money changes everything :applause:
Josef
01-07-2010, 08:50 PM
if you buy new, factory sealed games the seal is usually a "Y" fold seal. at the top where the 2 meet it forms a "Y" at both ends thus people calling it the yfold seal. these are tougher to fake compared to seam sealed games.
but noram have a professional/official looking sealer compared to factory sealers. but the bigger they are, the dumber they get. leaving obvious evidence that indeed they are resealed.
from now on, anyone posting anything they received from noram please post pictures. they'll continue to do what they're doing because obviously, amazon is behind their backs. $$$$ money changes everything :applause:
The key word is "usually." There are some games that don't use the Y-fold sealing (many of them DS games in fact) so I don't want people to think that every video game release uses Y-fold sealing :) I think people have been starting to get that mindset in certain cases. A good example being Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. As far as I know, this never had the Y-fold sealing and now that it's getting harder to find people are thinking they are getting resealed copies of it from places when in fact they are getting the original factory seal.
Dead of Knight
01-07-2010, 11:28 PM
I feel like a douche for trading in some games to them via Amazon before seeing this thread. Sorry CAG.
All authentic DS games work fine on DSi systems, so I am rather disheartened to see the huge amount of DS game listings on Amazon that say things such as "For Nintendo DS and DS Lite consoles. Not for DSi systems." This obviously means that they are bootlegs, though I'm not sure if anything can be really done about it.
However, none of Amazon's certified sellers pull this garbage, so be very careful with third-party sellers.
phear3d
01-12-2010, 10:16 AM
if you notice on ebay, the hong kong sellers have started to list their bootlegs with pictures. you can still tell they're bootlegs because they use the white pal/european cases rather than the plain black official nintendo cases. i have seen a few of these cases at gamestop though not recently.
some listings do state that they are in fact a bootleg. like this one (http://cgi.ebay.com/Hot-New-Game-Yoshi-s-Island-2_W0QQitemZ270513190291QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_PC_Vi deo_Games_Games?hash=item3efbd7b593)
it says:
Description
Version:English
(NOT FOR NDSi)
Package Included:
1 x Game Card
1 x Plastic Game Case
1 x User's manual
:applause:
Doomstink
05-15-2010, 01:37 AM
I just got two copies of "Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Rose Collection Volume 1" and they are both BLATANTLY resealed.
Pieceofmindmedia is ripping off its buyers by selling resealed merchandise as new. Isn't this fraud? Can I report them for this and get them in trouble?
I have an official copy of the DVD that is still sealed and displays the many disparities between the copies they sent me and the official copy. I can post pictures later.
Someone needs to stop POMM from ripping off customers, this is bullshit!
Kirin Lemon
05-15-2010, 02:04 AM
I just got two copies of "Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Rose Collection Volume 1" and they are both BLATANTLY resealed.
There will be blood. Nobody defiles Utena and gets away with it! :bomb:
The best you can do is get a refund back. Amazon doesnt care as they are BFF
You guys might want to be wary of "thebookgrove". I ordered a game from them that was listed as "new" and they sent me a clearly used game. I mean, they didn't even bother re-sealing it; they just sent a flat out used copy and even taped the invoice to the packaging. It left some nasty sticker residue on the cover to boot. They are a large seller and I won't be doing business with them anymore.