Removing GameStop's "Used" Labels

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Jmclark

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Well, when I went down to GS earlier today, I decided to also pick up GT3 for the PS2, since it was only $3 used. The only problem I have, they put 3 freaking used labels on it. The first two were easy to get off, but for some stupid reason, they put the other one on the actual "insert" under the damn laminating.

I don't know how to get it off without messing up the insert, but it's on the side, so I want to figure out how to remove it. Any help on how to get it off?
 
on most stickers on the insert, i am able to peel it off and then scrap it with my fingernail to remove any remaining adhesive. it isnt the most fun but if you are only really rubbing the sticker part, the insert doesnt get damaged.
 
I dont know if this would work but what I do is put the sticker under a blow-dryer for a couple seconds and usually it peels right off, and if it leaves any residue just use some adhesive remover (if you have any)
 
It's definitely annoying when they put it directly on the insert but it's best to remove it ASAP. They're fairly easy to remove but they become harder to remove with time.

I tried to remove a 2 month old sticker on a used copy of BioShock (PS3) and it wouldn't peel off as easily as they usually do. Of course, with really old games, there's a chance that the old style stickers are on there and they are nearly impossible to remove.
 
I do hate how they do this with their stickers now, quite annoying and unessecary. There are two methods of removing this problem easily.

1. Already mentioned by the others in the thread.

2. This method is very useful if you have quite a couple or more labels you need to remove at once. Take the insert(s) out of the game case and take some strong alcohol, I personally perfer to use a vodka based alcohol such as 151. Now your going to want to pour that alcohol into a bottle, whether it's beer, soda, or whatever, a glass bottle just works best. Now take your insert(s) and gently slide them into the the bottle until the sticker portion is soaking in the alcohol.

The next step is tricky but should work very nicely and quickly, you have to be fast about it though. Prepare yourself a lighter and hold it at the top of the insert sticking out of the bottle. Here's the part when you have to be quick because it's tricky. You now must light the insert on fire and throw it into the Gamestop of your choosing and run away. If it had been done correctly the bottle will explode and catch fire to the Gamestop, hopefully in it's entirety. A note will be left behind saying along the lines of "Fix your shit now or there will be others ... no more glitter rack bull shit" Hopefully after the 10th Gamestop you've gotten to they will finally listen to our demands.


Of course I will leave my usual disclamier of: This method may not work. It may be very dangerous and could harm or kill yourself / others. Do not try at home. Do not expect for this to work. I am not resposible for your actions or any property / persons that may be harmed or damaged because of anything that was metioned / said / typed by me. Your results may vary online of course and is only available to U.S. citizens in the contenetal 48 U.S. states. Yadda Yadda Yadda.
 
lighter fluid, be careful though, it will make the colors run if you use to much/leave it on there to long. but i use lighter fluid all the time, very good for removing stickers and labels
 
Yep like the poster above me I use rubbing alcohol its like a buck for good sized bottle that lasts forever. I also use it to clean discs and my lcd screens diluted to one capful to one cup of water and keep it in a spray bottle that I spritz rags with and wipe really works well removing my toddlers handprints lol.
 
[quote name='dahekwitdaworld1']I dont know if this would work but what I do is put the sticker under a blow-dryer for a couple seconds and usually it peels right off, and if it leaves any residue just use some adhesive remover (if you have any)[/QUOTE]

That's what I do as well. Works great.
 
[quote name='strikeratt']I do hate how they do this with their stickers now, quite annoying and unessecary.[/QUOTE]

Actually none of the 4 Gamestops in my area ever did this practice. They always stuck it on the outside or put the sticker that was just printed out(and haven't been peeled off) and then shoved it in the spine on the inside so it wouldn't be a hassle to remove. And one Gamestop farther away from me but I still go to occasionally stopped sticking it on the spine and started to just put the printed out sticker that has not been removed from the print out paper and put it into the spine. So its not that they are doing it now.

It just varies store to store. Technically all the stores are suppose to be doing this since day 1, but most of my stores have common sense and are realize its annoying to remove them. Its basically up to the manager if they want to do it or not, and good thing they don't in my area.
 
^This. I love when I buy a game with the pleasant surprise that I don't have to peel stickers off. Why don't they make that a company-wide practice?

When I get DVD's and games at my local pawn shop, the stickers they use come right off with no fuss. Some older ones at GameStop don't come off at all, they just rip into pieces and leave most of the sticker there. I think companies should use the material that's easy to remove, since people love their game cases.
 
My girlfriend is really good at it. Her favorite thing about getting used games is taking off those stickers. Odd girl. For the harder sticker thingies.. she uses hydrogen peroxide or something? I dunno, I'll ask her when she wakes up.
 
the newer ps2 inlays is less glossier than the older inlays so be careful since they rip and peel (the cover part) very easy. when youre peeling stickers off, you need to do it extremely slow especially on the covers/inlays and always place it on a hard surface.

security stickers like the ones used by TRU are a bitch to take out so just leave it. i have a hard time with those all the time.
 
I like it better when Gamestops rip the whole label - backing and all - and put it on the insert under the plastic. So when you take the sticker off you just shake it out.
 
For future reference freezing is a good method that avoids damage. Many glues become brittle at low temperatures and the sticker will pop right off.
 
Strikeratt:

Tried your method, but the bottle bounced and landed in my lap. While waiting handcuffed in the ER, my friend mentioned that maybe I should have opened the door first. Please amend your post to include that step.

Regards,
VectorScalar (posting from Soledad Correctional Facility & Personal Lube QC Center)
 
just a light rub-over with a cloth with some goo-gone get's it wet/unsticky enough to peel it off of the cover art without damaging it. just don't rub the art too much or the colors will fade. otherwise it comes off perfect
 
There's an orange-scented Goo-gone (not the solvent type, it's a little thicker) - it works perfectly. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, and the whole thing comes off - never had a problem with it. Get it at wally-world or your local hardware store.
 
i've been trading games for a long time, and the best for removing those fugly stickers outside the case and the insert is still goo gone.
 
I have a MUCH easier but more time consuming method to remove the stickers and any leftover residue. Unless it's one of the aforementioned older stickers that takes a stick of TNT to get off, it should be easy enough to just gently pull up one of the edges of the sticker then SLOWLY peel the sticker off.

If any residue is left on the insert or case, simply use the sticker you JUST removed to get it off. All you have to do is just keep sticking the sticker and taking it right back off(think of it like 'waxing' your game case/insert', except you're removing glue)really quick. It should remove the rest of the sticky glue without damaging the inserts if it's done quick enough.

Every time I've used Goo Gone, that orange smell permeates through everything and you can't get it to go away.
 
Sure, that'll go over well. My mom asks me what I'm doing in my room all day, and I tell her I was waxing my game case :D

I think Goo Gone works well, but I agree that the smell (or the greasiness) never really leaves. My copy of One Piece: Grand Adventure is still greasy from when I used Goo Gone to take off the label.
 
[quote name='Chairman_LMAO']Sure, that'll go over well. My mom asks me what I'm doing in my room all day, and I tell her I was waxing my game case :D

I think Goo Gone works well, but I agree that the smell (or the greasiness) never really leaves. My copy of One Piece: Grand Adventure is still greasy from when I used Goo Gone to take off the label.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't Goo Gone dry up?

I spilled a bunch on a Phoenix Wright manual the first time I was using it. I wiped up the extra but of course, it left that grease stain. But after a day, it dried up and there was no sign of Goo Gone. It didn't feel greasy at all.
 
I've met with all the above because all 3 of my local stores seem to do it differently and it's not consistent. Sometimes it's on the outside, sometimes inside, once in a while they'll leave the backing on it, a couple times there have been less than 3 stickers, and so on. When I buy used games I always check all the copies to see which has the best box, a mint manual, and the least stickers.

I get lucky and just peel them off, rubbing as much of the residue as I can. I don't have anything to remove the goo without messing everything up.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Doesn't Goo Gone dry up?

I spilled a bunch on a Phoenix Wright manual the first time I was using it. I wiped up the extra but of course, it left that grease stain. But after a day, it dried up and there was no sign of Goo Gone. It didn't feel greasy at all.[/QUOTE]

It might dry on paper, but it didn't dry on the plastic of the case. Its still slimy.
 
[quote name='Chairman_LMAO']It might dry on paper, but it didn't dry on the plastic of the case. Its still slimy.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='GooGone Website']I used Goo Gone on my windows and now it's all smeary looking.

You're not finished with the job. Goo Gone is smeared around your window. Now take another clean, dry cloth with more Goo Gone to remove the leftover residue.
[/QUOTE]

Just take a paper towel to it and wipe off the rest, then you could take an alcohol pad, the one the doctors use, or just q-tip it in a bottle of 90% and just swab it a little. If it's really bad, you could use some diluted dawn dish soap, unscented.

It's oil base so yes it will feel like that, but if it's just the plastic, you can easily clean that off.

ggpen.jpg


I've used this dandy thing and it's AWESOME. Walmart has it somewhere and it does last quite a bit.
 
The thing is, I did this months ago. It's still greasy. I won't even put it with the rest of my Gamecube games because I don't want it touching the other games. I did try to take it off with a dry cloth and a damp cloth, and nothing works. I did accidentally use way too much, though.
 
[quote name='Chairman_LMAO']The thing is, I did this months ago. It's still greasy. I won't even put it with the rest of my Gamecube games because I don't want it touching the other games. I did try to take it off with a dry cloth and a damp cloth, and nothing works. I did accidentally use way too much, though.[/QUOTE]

Try lemon furniture polish... I seriously use the stuff on damn hear every game case cleaning I ever do. It's gotten the greasy feel off of the few cases I've had to use goo gone on.
 
[quote name='Chairman_LMAO']The thing is, I did this months ago. It's still greasy. I won't even put it with the rest of my Gamecube games because I don't want it touching the other games. I did try to take it off with a dry cloth and a damp cloth, and nothing works. I did accidentally use way too much, though.[/QUOTE]

Well it's oil... it probably won't naturally go away on it's own.

Try the Dawn trick, don't need much, else you'll never get the soap off. Finish it up with an alcohol wipe.

^^Haven't heard of the lemon furniture but what the heck, try that too.
 
[quote name='flameofdoom666']Rubbing alcohol takes the color off of the insert. Be careful with it.[/QUOTE]

yep, stay away from that, but we're talking about the plastic cover on the case....
 
Anyone know a way to get rid of sticker residue on an N64 cart label? There's residue at the top of the front label and in the middle of the back one.
 
The best way is still the way I mentioned, using the newly removed sticker to remove the rest of the residue, though it does sound pretty weird when you're doing it. Well, that is unless you get your eyebrows or something waxed.

Then you'll know that sound pretty well.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I have a MUCH easier but more time consuming method to remove the stickers and any leftover residue. Unless it's one of the aforementioned older stickers that takes a stick of TNT to get off, it should be easy enough to just gently pull up one of the edges of the sticker then SLOWLY peel the sticker off.

If any residue is left on the insert or case, simply use the sticker you JUST removed to get it off. All you have to do is just keep sticking the sticker and taking it right back off(think of it like 'waxing' your game case/insert', except you're removing glue)really quick. It should remove the rest of the sticky glue without damaging the inserts if it's done quick enough.

Every time I've used Goo Gone, that orange smell permeates through everything and you can't get it to go away.[/QUOTE]

I do this as well, and it's been the most effective method I've used.
 
My one friend and his brother in law and sister were looking at me funny as I was cleaning up the cases and coverart for Silent Hill Homecoming and Metal Gear Solid 4 last week when I got them from Gamestop with the 25% off coupon.

Luckily though, the one that normally is superglued to the coverart was still stuck to their backing paper and only slid in under the case. But the ones on the case left behind some little pieces of residue which easily came up by using the sticker.
 
Try a hair dryer and an xacto blade/razor blade to help peel away the edges after the heat has loosened up the adhesive bond for a minute.

Last year I removed a few stickers that had been stuck on an old desk that I placed them on back in the early 90's when I was little. I wanted to keep them for sentimental reasons. It should work with the game cases just be careful not to let the air get too hot and warp any plastic. Stickers came off completely but any residue left behind might be another problem, but then you could use the waxing method Iamthecheapest mention.
 
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Try a hair dryer and an xacto blade/razor blade to help peel away the edges after the heat has loosened up the adhesive bond for a couple minutes.

Last year I removed a few stickers that had been stuck on an old desk that I placed them on back in the early 90's when I was little. I wanted to keep them for sentimental reasons. It should work with the game cases just be careful not to let the air get too hot and warp any plastic. Stickers came off completely but any residue left behind might be another problem, but then you could use the waxing method Iamthecheapest mention.
 
The "waxing" method does work really well to remove leftover stickies but don't be too overzealous because once or twice I have actually removed a portion of the top layer of the insert that way. :oops:
 
That happened to me on one game recently too(the top layer of the insert coming off), but as long as the insert isn't damaged in any way where the sticker was taken from you should be fine. The insert I damaged had a piece of the insert popped up in the air already.

I thought about using a bit of tape to tape it down, but that would've made it look uglier.
 
Sorry to necro post, but I have this god-awful sticker from buying a used copy of Phantasy Star Universe from GameStop.com:



Where in the world did this sticker come from?!?! It's really stuck on there; I tried to pull it up, but no go. Right on the frickin' paper insert, and the glue is not the usual "sticky" kind. Any tips on removal? I've heard that the alcohol can cause the paper to turn pink so I was thinking about trying Ronsonol Lighter Fluid. How long should I leave it on? I read that it might make the ink run if left on too long, so any tips or other recommendations would be gladly received!!!
​
hpim0453j.jpg
 
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[quote name='LilPaintballer']Thats from blockbuster.. "bbv" why would they do that is beyond me.[/QUOTE]
So, someone bought a used copy of PSU from Blockbuster, and then proceeded to trade it in at a GameStop, who then send it to me through GameStop.com? Weird...

I tried the blow-drier again, and removed most of the sticker after TEN MINUTES. The residue left behind is not sticky at all and is hard. I still need to use a solvent to remove this! But with little left, maybe I can just use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Any tips, like how long it can be on it before it start to destroy it?

EDIT: Oh, and freezing didn't help at all. Like I said, really stupid adhesive!!!!
 
[quote name='phantasyx']go to dollar tree or any dollar store and get goo gone, it works like magic if you use a que tip and a towel.[/QUOTE]

Which kind? Also, I heard it quickly eats the ink away, and leaves a greasy residue. And information regarding this?
 
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