Cheap Ass Gamer - View Single Post - The Blockbuster/Gamerush Thread XX - SMG $25 new, disc-only used 360/Wii games $9.99!

io · 12-10-2008, 05:11 PM

Welcome to the Official CAG Blockbuster/Gamerush video game deal thread.

Alert: Special shipments of disc-only Wii and 360 games on sale for $9.99

Update 2/18 - It appears these were one-time shipments that many stores (but certainly not all) got last week. There were rumors of more shipments coming but nothing seems to have shown up this week at any stores. At this point, all you are likely to find are the less desirable 360 games and maybe some last-gen stuff.

Many Blockbuster stores are getting in shipments of Wii and 360 disc-only games from corporate this week. These are ALL supposed to be priced at $9.99 (though we are getting some reports of stores repricing them at full regular used price). Many stores have them out for sale now, some haven't received their shipments yet, and yet others are holding them till the weekend for the President's Day sale. Note that this is special stock from corporate and has a bar code that scans "Prepack POG w/o cover art" so that any regular used games that are disc-only in the store will not be part of the sale. It appears most stores are putting these into special bins for the sale, though others just mix them in with the regular used game stock (which can be quite confusing). Some of the titles that CAGs have found include Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, Nights, Sonic Secret Rings, and Red Steel for the Wii, and Halo 3, GTA IV, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Grid, Simpsons, and Gears of War for the 360. Do not expect any of the newest of the new releases to be included as it appears these were pulled in Sept. 08 for sale. On the plus side, it appears many of the discs are in excellent condition (though many may have been refurbished).

Some stores have also gotten shipments of PS2 and original Xbox games as part of the same sale (also disc-only). The PS2 games are $4.99 and the Xbox games are $2.99. Some people have found Star Wars Battlefront II amongst those Xbox games.

Also, be aware that some stores have not gotten these in and the employees may not know anything about these shipments (whether they have gotten them or not).

Alert: New game markdowns
For some reason Blockbuster is selling a ton of not quite new release new games for sometimes significant discounts off of MSRP. Here's the list (may not be comprehensive):

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What is this thread for?
The primary function of this thread is to discuss current trade-in and sale promos, post any trade-in values you have obtained, and discuss new and used game selection and availability. Please post trade-in values with the date of the trade (or quote) and system.

It is also permissible to discuss system availability, credit issues, etc. As long as it is related to game trades or sales at Blockbuster it is generally OK to discuss it here.

Unlike more tightly focused clearance threads, it is OK to discuss more general Gamerush/Blockbuster issues here as well as trade requests as long as they are kept to a minimum (and usually just during specific deals).

Due to the questionable stability of the Gamerush brand, it is also permissible to discuss ways of converting credit from Blockbuster to other stores (ie, which games may be used for trading in to other stores such as Gamecrazy or EB/GS). As of right now, we have no indication of Gamerush's imminent demise, but given Blockbuster's ongoing financial difficulties we need to be aware of the possibility.

What is this thread NOT for?
Please do not discuss the flipping of games from one Gamerush store to another should another such opportunity arise (through trade-in deals). It is one thing to "play the market" with trade-in values from one chain to another (GR to GC to EB) - free market buy low/sell high and all that. But taking advantage of loopholes in a single store's policies/promos is frowned upon and has, in the past, led to trade-in bans from GR.

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Blockbuster Game Trading Info
- You must sign up for a trade account in addition to your regular Blockbuster account
- You must sign up for a new trade account at every store you wish to trade at, even if using the same main account
- Trade-in credit can be placed onto your store account or onto a "Value" card
- Credit on store accounts can only be used at that one store
- However, credit can be transferred from the store account to a card at any time
- Value cards can be used at any location
- Clerks at one store cannot see your trading/purchasing history at another store via your account
- Gamerush stores often do not get new game stock until the Friday of the release week, thus a few days later than most retailers
- Depending on state law you may or may not get sales tax added to your trade-ins (and thus get more than normal). You will always be charged sales tax where applicable on purchases, even when using credit from a Value card.

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Gamerush vs. regular Blockbusters
All Blockbuster game-related discussion belongs here. Most threads created in the Deals forum will be merged in to here. There seems to be the impression by many CAGs that if they don't have a Gamerush store near them (see here for a list of GR stores: http://www.blockbuster.com/content/v...eStoreList.pdf) then this thread does not apply to them. However, regular (non-GR) Blockbuster stores often run the same promos and generally have the same trade-in values. I'm going to elaborate on the last sentence as people apparently don't understand that when I say regular BB's have the same trade-in values as Gamerush that it means regular Blockbuster stores accept game trade-ins just like Gamerush stores.

The key differences:
- Only Gamerush stores sell used video game hardware and generally have a much wider selection of new hardware. Many regular BB stores had a PS3 bundle available over Christmas 2007 and since then they have expanded their hardware sales. As of right now (Dec 2008) most Blockbuster stores are selling PS3's, Xbox 360's, Wii's, and DS's. They do not sell PSP's. However, they have also started selling other electronics including Blu-ray players, portable DVD players, and digital picture frames. As a result of not selling used hardware, however, regular Blockbuster stores will not take hardware in for trades.

- Both Gamerush and regular Blockbuster stores take preorders for new games for a $5 deposit (or you can pay any other amount beyond that). Gamerush stores will get many more games in than the regular stores but unfortunately a preorder at either place is not a guarantee you will get the game. Sometimes they do not get certain titles in even if you preorder them months in advance.

- While many Gamerush stores have cut back on their new game stock, most regular (non-GR) Blockbusters have started selling new games. They usually have a very limited selection of top-selling new 360, PS3, and Wii games.

- Trade-in values are controlled centrally and are uniform across all Gamerush and Blockbuster locations EXCEPT if the Blockbuster is a franchise location. You can tell from the receipt if your store is a franchise store. All Gamerush stores are corporate-owned so they will have uniform pricing.

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Featured Preorders
Most Blockbuster stores (in addition to Gamerush stores of course) are featuring several games for preorder. $5 is required for a deposit. There are a few others in addition to what is listed below:

Multiplatform
F.E.A.R. 2 (360, PS3)
Resident Evil 5 (360, PS3)
Resident Evil 5 CE (360, PS3)
Street Fighter IV (360, PS3)
Street Fighter IV CE (360, PS3)

Halo Wars
Halo Wars CE

Killzone 2

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars

They usually get these featured games in on release day like any other game retailer (though note - as of late they have been very bad about this and have gotten many games several days late!). Note that you can preorder just about any other game as the system will allow them to preorder anything they have listed (yes, even at regular stores). I have preordered Mario Super Sluggers and Dragon Quest IV myself even though they are not "featured" as preorders. However, if it is not a featured preorder they may or may not get it in, and it may arrive as late as Friday of the release week (postscript - Mario Super Sluggers did indeed arrive on Friday when every other store had it Tues. or Weds. and Dragon Quest IV never arrived).

Of course you can cancel a preorder at any time and get your deposit back or switch it to another game, even after the game comes out. So don't worry about preordering something they might not get - you can always switch it to something else. However, since I've always used credit for purchasing things at Blockbuster I'm not sure how they would handle a cancellation of a cash deposit. They may simply issue a credit to your account so beware of that if placing a cash deposit on a preorder.

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List of decent $9.99 (and under) used games at Blockbuster

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Current Trade-In Deals
There are no trade-in deals at this time.

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Trade-In Values
Trade-in price quotes will now be maintained by CAG Friend of Sonic in the THIRD post of this thread. The second post will continue to highlight specific games used to transfer credit from Blockbuster to Gamestop and vice versa.

Trade-in prices are usually universal at both Blockbuster and Gamerush, but can be wildly different at franchise Blockbuster stores. Used game prices change on Sunday with trade-in price drops following the next day (Monday). Thus any quotes given in this thread will almost certainly be good through Sunday of the current week. If you want to be sure to get the same value another CAG has reported then do your trading by Sunday as the price may drop on Monday.

Also note that many stores will no longer accept video games without cover art. This is the official policy for DVD trade-ins but apparently many clerks will confuse the two and not allow it for games either. Just beware that it might be a hassle if you have a disc-only game to trade.

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Gamerush website
The old Gamerush web site is now defunct, but the following link will take you to Blockbuster online, which may or may not have some info there about games. I dunno - I haven't looked at it in years.

http://www.gamerush.com

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Links to previous Gamerush Threads (dating back to June 2005!):
1 (by no means the first one but the earliest that can be found - check it out for some drama)
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19