Gamestop not allowing re-sellers to get Edge card?

If they mean reselling (the way I think) to other people... why the hell would they even care? They should be happy someone is buying from them. It makes them money! Who cares if someone buys 20 copies of the same game from them or even 1? I know I don't even like stepping foot in their stores to begin with. They make money no matter what with their cheap ass trade in values to begin with. Now if they are claiming, he's preventing his friends from getting edge cards and brings them in with him when they want something, that is different.
 
When I worked at GS from 01-04 they already had this policy in place but it was mor about people buying multiple copies of something new for the most part. At that time I remember that PS2 memory cards were scarce at the time beause tere was some legal stuff that Sony was going through with that and we were only supposed to sell one per customer. That I could understand because you could potentially get some add on sales per customer. they usually do this with systems as well and that I could understand. Anything new I can understand because if people are going to the store to find something specific, it's usually a new item. A new game, new memory card, new system or whatever and you can get a lot of add ons with those sales, but to do so with used games makes no sense. They'll get the same amount of money wether some one buys three ICOs or3 people buy 1 ICO each. And seriously, who other than an educated gamer is going to buy any used games that's apparently not selling enough and has been traded in so much to have multiple copies in stock. For used stuff I really don't get it. If someone is reselling for profit oh well. What are they going to do? Stop people from shopping? Raise the price on something used?
 
[quote name='emceelokey']When I worked at GS from 01-04 they already had this policy in place but it was mor about people buying multiple copies of something new for the most part. At that time I remember that PS2 memory cards were scarce at the time beause tere was some legal stuff that Sony was going through with that and we were only supposed to sell one per customer. That I could understand because you could potentially get some add on sales per customer. they usually do this with systems as well and that I could understand. Anything new I can understand because if people are going to the store to find something specific, it's usually a new item. A new game, new memory card, new system or whatever and you can get a lot of add ons with those sales, but to do so with used games makes no sense. They'll get the same amount of money wether some one buys three ICOs or3 people buy 1 ICO each. And seriously, who other than an educated gamer is going to buy any used games that's apparently not selling enough and has been traded in so much to have multiple copies in stock. For used stuff I really don't get it. If someone is reselling for profit oh well. What are they going to do? Stop people from shopping? Raise the price on something used?[/QUOTE]

exactly the point i was trying to pass along. if someone is buying that many games, why would you stop them unless it was a brand new/same day thing? i understand add-ons and such which could apply to a few games, but resellers tend to stay away from the more expensive games like say madden 09 when it comes out. if it is a popular title, they will have plenty in, if it isn't a big name title, it has probably been sitting there for months, so if he is willing to buy that stuff, which means less on inventory, more money for store sales, and a possible returning customer since he was able to get these items at a small discount (that HE paid for).
 
I think the main point of new sales is to show how many units they can push so that they can potentially get a better deal from the distribution as well as more units per release and stuff like that.
 
i don't really care if they track what i purchase.. its not some conspiracy to get rid of product lines.. i think i'll make a point to use my edge card/credit card when i buy strategy guides now if it pisses some people off on here.. i mean its not going to stop them from doing it..
 
He was denied at a second GS today. He asked why, specifically, he was not allowed to renew. This employee just said that the system would not allow it, and that he was confused himself, as he's never seen it happen before. The manager was out and the other employee didn't know what was going on, either. He asked if he was banned from the store, the employee just gave him a weird look and told him no.

He went to a third Gamestop, this one he rarely went to as it was rather out of the way. He signed up for a "new" subscription with the same name but a fake address (he doesn't care about the mag), and it went through just fine. Apparently it's easy to get around the system. It'll be interesting to see if they catch on later.
 
I care about the magazine, since that rag known as Game Informer makes great toilet paper, though the ink starts to run too quickly.

LMAO

The 10% off the used games that the Edge card provides isn't enough to bring the hiked up prices for some games(Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 for PS2)down to a reasonable enough level for me to buy them. Mind you, if I ever get around to nabbing the $2 Edge card from the pdf or subscription card deal, it'd be worth it, but otherwise the magazine is trash.
 
The Edge Card has actually been pretty good to me, when coupled with 30% bonus or 25% off used. And GI...eh...it gives me something to read on the toilet.
 
I really hope your friend isn't raping the price of MvC2 because I've been hunting down a copy for a long time. Not all resellers are bad, but if they are marking it up to ridiculous price then so be it, but I rather see a smile on happy gamers face then see the grin on the reseller who just make big profit.
 
What if you buy a game, play it, either hate it or finish it, don't you have the right to do with it what you want to afterwards, that includes reselling it on ebay or trading it, or selling it on amazon. They are trying to FORCE us to trade our games back to them, saying that we cannot do anything else with them after purchasing a game at a gamestop. This is just yet another reason not to support gamestop.
 
[quote name='IAmTheBiggestInuyashaFan']while i understand that, how can they be the judges of who is reselling for sure?[/QUOTE]Who the fuck else would buy multiple copies of expensive and rare games? Did Mr. Howell come in and decide to buy the most expensive used games they have with his Edge card just to look at?
 
My other question would be with the recent ebay fee hiking going into effect in a few days, would it even be worth it to resell these games, taking into account paypal fees, ebay fees, gas to the post office, to gamestop and packing materials, and other expenses? I mean I wouldn't even bother unless I was making a clear 30$ and up profit on each game AFTER expenses and fees, and I don't think there's too many games that you can make that kind of money with just from buying from gamestop. You wonder how much these resellers are actually profiting, all that time wasted trying to pick out the rare gems could be time that I am playing my humongous backlog of games that I already own.
 
[quote name='TimPV3']Who the fuck else would buy multiple copies of expensive and rare games? Did Mr. Howell come in and decide to buy the most expensive used games they have with his Edge card just to look at?[/QUOTE]

It could - theoretically - be that the guy wanted 9 copies of Ico because he loves the game and wants to get it for others as gifts, so they can experience it. I've bought a few copies of Viewtiful Joe as gifts for the same reason. Who is Gamestop to make the arbitrary distinction of a 5 dollar game not mattering and a 30 dollar game being off-limits?

I understand the business side of it, and from that perspective, it makes sense, but they shouldn't have the right to cut off paid memberships without evidence that the consumer is doing something that will harm their business. The guy was, indeed, a reseller, but he just as easily could've been an Ico junkie and wanted to get it for anyone who hadn't played it.
 
[quote name='SaraAB']What if you buy a game, play it, either hate it or finish it, don't you have the right to do with it what you want to afterwards, that includes reselling it on ebay or trading it, or selling it on amazon. They are trying to FORCE us to trade our games back to them, saying that we cannot do anything else with them after purchasing a game at a gamestop. This is just yet another reason not to support gamestop.[/quote]

I think you're blowing the situation way out of proportion. By "reseller," they basically mean a larger scale one. I have bought games from and sold them elsewhere, either after I was done playing or right away, if I saw a profit in it. There isn't anyway for them to track that, obviously. All they know is that I bought games from. They have no way of knowing what I did with them.

They are banning people directly through information they have from their records, either through the Edge Card or credit card. And they are banning people who are clearly reselling things, like the guy who suddenly buys all 10 copies of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 within a week from a 20 mile radius, just as a 25% coupon hits for used games.

Now, on a related note, someone who has had this happen to them who should really contact corporate and see if they get it reversed. This might be an automated response they have been testing out to deal with resellers and legitimate people might be getting caught up in it. You might get a little something for efforts...or, at the very least, an opportunity to bitch at someone over than your fellow CAGs.

[quote name='SaraAB']My other question would be with the recent ebay fee hiking going into effect in a few days, would it even be worth it to resell these games, taking into account paypal fees, ebay fees, gas to the post office, to gamestop and packing materials, and other expenses? I mean I wouldn't even bother unless I was making a clear 30$ and up profit on each game AFTER expenses and fees, and I don't think there's too many games that you can make that kind of money with just from buying from gamestop. You wonder how much these resellers are actually profiting, all that time wasted trying to pick out the rare gems could be time that I am playing my humongous backlog of games that I already own.[/quote]

Large scale resellers can make a pretty penny. Let's take my above example for instance. Say a guy took last Saturday afternoon to drive around his area, picking up every copy of MvC2 for the Xbox that he could possibly find. Let's say he found 10 copies in a 20 mile radius. With the coupon and the card, it would cost him around, say, $47 after taxes. So, that's $470 for the games. And we'll say he spent $30 on gas and tolls. So, we have $500 for the day.

Now, assuming this guy is good at what he does, he won't throw them all up on eBay at once and compete against himself. So, he should be able to make, say, an average of $75 per copy. So, that's $750...a profit of $250. I guess we should subtract something for frees, but how much? Many eBay sellers find most certainly find ways to recoup some of their fees through shipping and "handling." So, for the sake of moving along, let's say that in the end, he still loses $50 in eBay and PP fees. He still made $200 for the day, and it's not like he worked 8 hours for it.

You also can factor in the reality that the guy more than likely won't just pick up 10 copies of one games. He will probably get whatever rare games he can find and only be limited by how many games he can get with one coupon. He might also get lucky and find something worth flipping even without a coupon, like a WaveBird controller or a hard-to-find collector's edition of a game.

For some people, this is a big and easy business.
 
I would think gamestop should be thankful for the business. How many people actually buy games like Marvel Vs capcom, and most of them that buy games like that know the value and are just trying to get it for their collection. Not to mention it would be impossible to pick up games like MVC 2 because most of the times they are at the store but sitting in the employee hold drawer, making it impossible for the customers to get to them. Thats why I suggested it would be a waste of time to try and get every copy from the store locator. You get to the store and it simply would not be there. Calling the store only alerts them to something that is rare and hard to find, then it mysteriously disappears into the employee hold drawer, never to be touched by a customer's hands.

80% of gamestop's customers here are people looking for cheap games, cheap games for their kids to play to keep them entertained or just cheap games in general. They won't pay the 60$ price for a rare game, even if its good. They would rather pay 19.99 for an inferior game even if it sucks, as long as it keeps the kids busy. The other 20% is made up of people who genuinely want the rare game for their collection and to play, and the people who go to Gamestop for new release games.

Our stores still have all the RPG's on the shelves, because no one buys them. I have found many rare RPG's here in this area even after their ebay value increased to more than the retail price. I am also really glad I like RPG's because they are easy to find!

I wonder what gamestop would think of me buying and preordering games there and then taking them and shipping them to a friend in the UK who then pays me for the cost of the games and shipping, because a ton of games are not released in the UK. That was the only reason I was buying from them for a while, because my friend from the UK wanted the pre order bonuses and the games. I usually order from Amazon and other online sites when possible even when I am shopping for my friend but sometimes there are bonus items you can only get at gamestop, like the castlevania stuff.
 
I would think gamestop should be thankful for the business. How many people actually buy games like Marvel Vs capcom, and most of them that buy games like that know the value and are just trying to get it for their collection. Not to mention it would be impossible to pick up games like MVC 2 because most of the times they are at the store but sitting in the employee hold drawer, making it impossible for the customers to get to them. Thats why I suggested it would be a waste of time to try and get every copy from the store locator. You get to the store and it simply would not be there. Calling the store only alerts them to something that is rare and hard to find, then it mysteriously disappears into the employee hold drawer, never to be touched by a customer's hands.
Click to expand...
Obviously, my choice of MvC2 was merely one example. There are other things that resellers can buy, things aren't even that rare in a particular area, and still spin a profit, if they know how to do it. Hardware and accessories are a good example. I live in Jersey, right across the water from New York. I have tons of stores, all types of stores, within my immediate striking distance. I walk out my door, and I trip on a Target, a Toys R Us, whatever you want. Some people are not that lucky. They have to make a day trip to reach the nearest shopping center. They may or may not also be somewhat ignorant to value. So, they might resort to places like the Amazon marketplace or eBay or whatever. Again, I'm just giving examples that pop into my head. I'm not a big time reseller, so I have no clue what exactly makes them a profit. But something does, or else, no one would bother. There is money there, which is why people bother to do it.

Also, the myth that if you called a GameStop looking for something rare that it will suddenly disappear is blown out of proportion. Think about it for a second, and you'll understand why it makes no sense. If you (and by you, I mean any "educated" gamer) worked at a GameStop, and you already knew, say, that MvC2 is extremely rare, how freaking long would it last on the rack, before you stored it away somewhere? If I worked there, the first day I arrived, I would already have the placed staked out. How about you? Exactly. From my experience, the majority of people who work at GameStop are either non-gamers or people who couldn't be bothered with knowing what games are "rare." If you called and simply asked, "Do you have this in stock?", it more than likely will still be there when you arrive. I've done with many rare items, and I have never, ever seen one of them "disappear." YMMV, of course, but this is still blown out of proportion. Of course, if someone is dumb enough to go, "Yeah, that game is really rare and goes for like $100 on eBay," well, then it might be gone.

Now, as to why GS would care about this at all, that's simple. The reseller is not the average customer. The reseller is looking to take advantage of the store for his own benefit. They also probably have zero intention of making any purchases adjacent to whatever they walked in there for. In the end, GS would prefer a product to sit on the shelf a little while longer, in hopes that the actual customer who comes to buy it will see something else and buy that, as well.
 
Crap I have bought like 5 copies of DDR Mario Mix. I hope that I'm allowed to renew. If not, I could probably do the $2 mail-in to get the card.
 
[quote name='SaraAB']My other question would be with the recent ebay fee hiking going into effect in a few days, would it even be worth it to resell these games, taking into account paypal fees, ebay fees, gas to the post office, to gamestop and packing materials, and other expenses? I mean I wouldn't even bother unless I was making a clear 30$ and up profit on each game AFTER expenses and fees, and I don't think there's too many games that you can make that kind of money with just from buying from gamestop. You wonder how much these resellers are actually profiting, all that time wasted trying to pick out the rare gems could be time that I am playing my humongous backlog of games that I already own.[/QUOTE]

ebay listing fees are going to be lowered, final value fees will be raised slightly. it's going from 5.25% to 8.50% for the first 25.00 of the total and from 3.25 to 3.50 of the rest of the total, up to 1000.00. Not nearly enough to make a difference.
 
This worries me as I would most certainly be flagged as a reseller.

Luckily there are ways around renewing....

[quote name='Jeoff']A dickface reseller forced to pay 10% extra? Oh noes![/quote]
How is Gamestop any different from a "dickface reseller"? They give people jack squat in store credit (read: Gamestop bucks to be used on other marked-up stuff) and then churn it over again for a gigantic margin. They have to have a pawn license for a reason, you know.
 
[quote name='cranguy']This worries me as I would most certainly be flagged as a reseller.

Luckily there are ways around renewing....


How is Gamestop any different from a "dickface reseller"? They give people jack squat in store credit (read: Gamestop bucks to be used on other marked-up stuff) and then churn it over again for a gigantic margin. They have to have a pawn license for a reason, you know.[/quote]

I agree that Gamestop is one of the worst resellers out there, but I doubt they have to havve a pawn license. I know the local resell stores dont need one. The guys at my local GS love it when resellers come int, they cant sell high priced games to normal customers. I dont buy to resell from GS unless they have a Wavebird in.

I know that the local Mom and Pop stores love it when i stop in and make a large purchase to resell. There are a lot of games that no one in my town will buy that I can resell online for quite abit....take ICo for example, they sell it for $4 here, and it will sit on that shelf forever at that price, so i buy them and put them on E-bay for $35-$50 apiece....
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']I agree that Gamestop is one of the worst resellers out there, but I doubt they have to havve a pawn license. I know the local resell stores dont need one. The guys at my local GS love it when resellers come int, they cant sell high priced games to normal customers. I dont buy to resell from GS unless they have a Wavebird in.

I know that the local Mom and Pop stores love it when i stop in and make a large purchase to resell. There are a lot of games that no one in my town will buy that I can resell online for quite abit....take ICo for example, they sell it for $4 here, and it will sit on that shelf forever at that price, so i buy them and put them on E-bay for $35-$50 apiece....[/QUOTE]

all games stores like GameCrazy, Gamestop, Play N Trade, etc have pawn licenses cause they are considered pawn shops
 
The reason gamestop doesn't want resellers buying games is because it reduces their business. If people are buying from resellers then they are coming into gamestop. GS wants a customer to buy more than one game, subscriptions and do preorders, if they don't come to the store they can't sell it to them.

Judging from your friends list of games he's a bad reseller. I have no sympathy who buys all of the rare games then tries to get large sums of money from people online. An ocassional item is fine but your friend is taking it too far. And he get get his edge card banned again if he keeps using it to resell like this.
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']I agree that Gamestop is one of the worst resellers out there, but I doubt they have to havve a pawn license. I know the local resell stores dont need one. The guys at my local GS love it when resellers come int, they cant sell high priced games to normal customers. I dont buy to resell from GS unless they have a Wavebird in.

I know that the local Mom and Pop stores love it when i stop in and make a large purchase to resell. There are a lot of games that no one in my town will buy that I can resell online for quite abit....take ICo for example, they sell it for $4 here, and it will sit on that shelf forever at that price, so i buy them and put them on E-bay for $35-$50 apiece....[/QUOTE]

All those stores have a pawn shop license. Fail.
 
[quote name='mrlokievil']The reason gamestop doesn't want resellers buying games is because it reduces their business. If people are buying from resellers then they are coming into gamestop. GS wants a customer to buy more than one game, subscriptions and do preorders, if they don't come to the store they can't sell it to them.

Judging from your friends list of games he's a bad reseller. I have no sympathy who buys all of the rare games then tries to get large sums of money from people online. An ocassional item is fine but your friend is taking it too far. And he get get his edge card banned again if he keeps using it to resell like this.[/QUOTE]


they harass people too much on preorders and EDGE card subs too much though
 
[quote name='refusedchaos']they harass people too much on preorders and EDGE card subs too much though[/quote]


Have you been to any store that measures there employees buy how much they sell? If you have you would know that all stores do this. You can't fault a store for trying to make money. Yes it can be annoying but i've never been bothered by the employees after I tell them no.
 
[quote name='GizmoGC']All those stores have a pawn shop license. Fail.[/quote]

No You fail....jk. I have a friend that runs a mom and pop game shop. He has a resell liscence only, Here with a Pawn Liscence you have to hold onto the item for atleast 30 days. with a resell liscence you can put it on the floor the minute it comes in the door.
 
[quote name='mrlokievil']Have you been to any store that measures there employees buy how much they sell? If you have you would know that all stores do this. You can't fault a store for trying to make money. Yes it can be annoying but i've never been bothered by the employees after I tell them no.[/QUOTE]

yea i know but they employees sometimes get very desparate (askign me 4 times in one checkout, lying to people, etc) i know i shouldnt judge the Corp. just on what the stores around me do but it seem a lot of them do it by the way people talk here. i just find it funny how a reseller bans a reseller. i buy and resale games at cost to my friends. i do cause sometimes i find games that i know that my friends are looking for. sometimes i pick up multiples.
 
[quote name='refusedchaos']yea i know but they employees sometimes get very desparate (askign me 4 times in one checkout, lying to people, etc) i know i shouldnt judge the Corp. just on what the stores around me do but it seem a lot of them do it by the way people talk here. i just find it funny how a reseller bans a reseller. i buy and resale games at cost to my friends. i do cause sometimes i find games that i know that my friends are looking for. sometimes i pick up multiples.[/QUOTE]

That's what gets me... they don't know when to stop.

One girl asked me like 6 times to renew my card even though I had 2 months left on it. I kept smiling as I declined each time but then I just got upset, dropped my smile and stopped answering. She gave up them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top