Best Buy Trade-in Thread 2.0: Please see new thread.

BudzMcGee

BudzMcGee

CAGiversary!
Feedback
3 (100%)
At 276 pages and countless request for a new OP, it was time to retire the first Best Buy Trade-in Thread and start fresh. Thanks bh47 for your work in the previous thread (and providing the framework for this one)!

All Promotions are available in-store only, and they DO NOT stack!
Only the 10% Bonus from Gamers Club Unlocked will stack with these offers.
Please read FAQ below before asking questions!

Current Promos:
- 50% Bonus when you trade in ANY game.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you trade in ANY game. Offer valid 01/01/12 - 01/07/12

- Trade 3, get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 30% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 01/01/12 -03/03/12

- 30% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 30% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 01/01/12 -03/03/12

Link: http://www.bestbuytradein.com/bb/Quo...VideoGames.cfm (click on "Show Promotions available in stores only" on top right)\

Upcoming/Rumored Promotions:
All promos that have yet to appear on Best Buy's site (or in an upcoming ad) are listed here:
None at the moment

Previous Promotions:
Promos that have expired:
- 50% Bonus with specific Pre-order from list.
Get a 50% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game from the following list: Halo 4, Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto 5, MLB 12 The Show, Soul Calibur V, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Twisted Metal, Max Payne 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Diablo 3. Offer valid 12/25/11 - 12/31/11

- Trade 2, get 25% More.
Trade in 2 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/31/11

- 30% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 30% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/31/11
- 40% Bonus with purchase of any game $39.99 or above.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you purchase any game $39.99 or above. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/10/11

- 50% Bonus with purchase of any game $39.99 or above.
Get a 50% extra trade-in credit when you purchase any game $39.99 or above. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/03/11

 - Trade 3, get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 10/30/11 - 11/26/11

- 40% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 10/5/11 - 11/26/11

- 40% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Saints Row 3. Offer valid 11/13/11 - 11/19/11

- 40% Bonus with Assassin's Creed Revelations Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Assassin's Creed Revelations. Offer valid 11/13/11 - 11/19/11

 - 50% Bonus with Modern Warfare 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/Purchase Modern Warfare 3. Offer valid 10/10/11 - 11/12/11 (Assuming this means a bonus for purchasing the game after it is released this Tuesday)

- 50% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Saints Row 3. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 50% Bonus with Assassin's Creed Revelations Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Assassin's Creed Revelations. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 40% Bonus with The Elder Scrolls V: Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 50% Bonus with Max Payne 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Max Payne 3. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11 - This promo seems a little odd and there is a chance it is an error on the site since the game is so far from release.

- 50% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Saints Row 3. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 10/29/11

- 50% Bonus with Skyrim Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 11/05/11

 - 40% Bonus with Uncharted 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Uncharted 3. Offer valid 10/30/11 - 11/05/11

- 40% Bonus with Battlefield 3 Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you purchase Battlefield 3. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 10/29/11

- Trade 2, get 25% More.
Trade in 2 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/29/11

 - 50% Bonus with Battlefield 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Battlefield 3. Offer valid 10/9/11 - 10/22/11

- 40% Bonus with purchase of Batman: Arkham City.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Batman: Arkham City. Offer valid 10/16/11 - 10/22/11

 - 50% Bonus with Batman: Arkham City Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Batman: Arkham City. Offer valid 10/9/11 - 10/15/11

 - 30% Bonus with Rage or NBA 2K12 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get a 30% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Rage or NBA 2K12. Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/08/11

- Trade 4 get an extra $20 Trade-in Credit.
Get $20 trade-in Credit when you trade 4 or more games (Current gen games only (no PS2) and $5 minimum for each game). Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/08/11 **** This promo was cancelled early due to technical issues. There have been issues with this promo not working on some stores' systems or simply not even being available, the issue seems to be related to disc-only games (or any game that is typed rather than scanned) so plan accordingly. The $20 extra is once per trade-in, meaning 4 games or 123 games it will only be $20 extra per transaction. So if you want to trade in 8 games, do it in two separate transactions. ****

- 50% Bonus with Rage or NBA 2K12 Pre-order.
Offer was valid from 9/25 to 10/01/2011.

- 40% Bonus with Gears of War 3 Purchase.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order/purchase Gears of War 3. Offer expired 10/01/2011

- Trade 3, Get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 30% extra trade-in credit. Offer expired 10/01/2011

- 40% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer expired 10/01/2011

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEST BUY'S VIDEO GAMES TRADE-IN PAGE

Check most up-to-date TIV using BB's Video Games Value Estimator.

Check which BB stores do trade-ins here.
In-store trades are now done at the Trade-In Counter at the Gaming Dept.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

F.A.Q. Best Buy has a short FAQ here.

How does the get **% with pre-order bonus work?
The percentage is based on the final total of your entire trade in, so if the trade in is $100 and there is a 50% bonus your final gift card value will be $150. After trading in your games, the employee SHOULD then sell you the pre-order for $5.

How much is a pre-order at Best Buy?
Pre-ordering at Best Buy cost $5, in fact, you aren't supposed to pay any more than that (and most employees won't let you if you ask). Yes, you can use the gift card you just received from your trade-in to purchase the pre-order.

Can I cancel a pre-order and keep the bonus?
Yes, the trade-in and the pre-order are completely separate transactions. Nothing will prevent you from returning to the Best Buy canceling the pre-order and receiving a refund. Some users have claimed that they were flagged for doing this multiple times though and were denied, so be aware of how many pre-orders you are cancelling. Also keep in mind the obvious facts that this is not how the program is intended to work and over abuse will negatively affect the program long-term. Lastly, returns are tracks on a personal level by a third party. (Read: try not to cancel a bunch of pre-orders)

Do I have to cancel the pre-order at the same store where it was made?
No, this can be handled by any BBY. Don't be surprised if you get a customer service employee who says otherwise though.

Can I pre-order once and get the pre-order bonus on my next trade-in as well?
YMMV. Officially, the answer is no, but there is nothing that actually requires the employee to sell the pre-order in order to apply the bonus so if your blue shirt is in a friendly mood they may be willing. Doesn't hurt to get to know the employees at your store. That said, expect that you will have to pre-order another game and be surprised if you don't.

Can I combine a 3 games for **% and a pre-order for **% bonus?
No. Bonuses do not stack, and you must pick one or the other. The only bonus that stacks with other promotions is the 10% you receive if you are a Gamers Club Unlocked member.

How do I become a Gamers Club Unlocked member and get the 10% bonus?
Any video game section employee should be able to set you up with the GCU membership. It cost $15 and comes with a year subscription of @Gamer magazine. It will also get you a 10% bonus on trade ins and 10% off of used games (Make sure to point it out to the blue shirt doing your trade-in though as it is easy for them to skip, and they are still new to it). It can take 48 hours (or more) for GCU to show up on your Reward Zone membership.

Can I use my Best Buy gift card to purchase Amazon Kindle Gift Cards or Visa Gift Cards?
Yes, although some employees may not be aware of this and incorrectly refuse to do so. Visa Gift Cards have a $200 limit and a $6 activation fee. Amazon Gift Cards are available in $25, $50 and $100 depending on your store selection. IL does not sell Amazon Gift Cards. Yes, Kindle Gift Cards are good for anything on Amazon.

The value on the site doesn't match the store, why?
Sometimes the page may not update immediately. This is fairly rare though. The store's trade-in values are definitive though, so what they say is what you get. 99.99% of the time they will match up.

The value on the iPhone app is way off, why?
The app sucks for updating values (and some games simply don't show up), don't rely on it.

The game I want to trade isn't on the site, what gives?
While rare, there have been some games recently not showing up in the online estimator. You can always check in-store to see if the price is in their system and simply not online, but that is unlikely to be the case. When Best Buy doesn't have a game on file they can offer $1 as a generic SKU, but that's it. New releases appear to be added on Tuesday evenings. Many new releases are taking upwards of a week or more to be added to the site.

When do trade-in values update?
No one knows for sure, but major updates seem to come on Sunday and Tuesday nights (or at least have in the past). Sometimes an update will happen randomly, such as when GameStop has an advertised sale for a game well below Best Buy's trade in price.

What will be the TIV of Game X tomorrow/next week / next month/ etc
Nobody knows.

If I locked in a trade online, and the value drops, will I still get the locked in value when I mail it in?
Yes. You will get the locked in TIV as long as the item is received within 14 days of you locking it in (and the item is in the condition you described it as).

Can you lock in the price online then trade it in-store?
No.

Is there a limit to how many games I can trade in?
Officially, Best Buy only accepts 3 copies of a game, per system (i.e. you could trade in 3 copies of a game for Xbox, 3 copies for PS3 and 3 for Wii). This is for sure the online policy, but it varies in stores. Some people have reported being banned for trading in more than 3 copies of games, others have done so frequently without issue. Obviously it is YMMV, but do so at your own risk.

Can I trade game disc only, or do I need the case and manuals, too?
Best Buy accepts disc only games (for the same value as complete games). The trade in will take longer though as the employee will have to look up the games individually.

Can I trade in games that say "Not for Resale" on the back?
Yes, since the only thing that matters is the disc. Some employees will fight this though, and in that case, just trade the game in as disc-only.

Does Best Buy accept game hardware?
Currently Best Buy only accepts various versions of the Nintendo DS in store, but word is that will change soon.

Does the **% bonuses apply to game hardware?
No, games only.

When I do a in-store trade, I am asked: to be fingerprinted, to have my photo taken, how much I weigh, etc. What's the deal?
Pawn shop laws regulating trade-ins and resale of used goods varies from state to state or city to city. It is not Best Buy's rule, and varies from store to store depending on where you live. At a minimum you'll likely need a state ID.

I went to a store to do a trade-in and they asked for a Best Buy receipt. WTF?
Some stores are required to have receipts to accept trade-ins, again this is due to local Pawn shop laws and could vary from city to city. You can always check if the store(s) near you require a receipt on Best Buy's trade-in site.

Can I trade sealed games?
Yes. You must present your receipt for the sealed games you are trading in. It is ok if the purchase was made from another store. You do run the risk of drawing extra attention to yourself as trading in sealed products is often a sign of theft. Do not be surprised if this is questioned by an employee, or you are asked to leave, open the items and return.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='Jesse757x']Sounds like you probably got banned for excessive trade ins. Around how many games have you traded in?[/QUOTE]

It's crazy but I have traded in about 800 total games in the last month. I know this was probably foolish, but I did have the okay from the managers at the strores, and I thouht the 50% boost might end after October.
 
[quote name='Evolved']There's only a month and a half left in the year so you may want to wait on that.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I'm going to set up a big note book and keep it for next year.
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']I agree. I'm going to set up a big note book and keep it for next year.[/QUOTE]

is it one year or one *calendar* year?

I think its a rolling year like amazon rolling 6 months.
 
I actually traded in 793 games which cost me $9,400, and I traded in for a profit of $4,600. I still have about 400 games that I haven't traded in (no more than 30 copies of 1 title), which I spent about $2300 to make $1200.
 
[quote name='confoosious']is it one year or one *calendar* year?[/QUOTE]

I'll be for 2012. I didn't do bestbuy trade ins at all until late september or so. Now that il be doing it regularly I have to keep track of my trade ins. Don't want to get banned as I've grown to love shopping at bb :)
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']I'll be for 2012. I didn't do bestbuy trade ins at all until late september or so. Now that il be doing it regularly I have to keep track of my trade ins. Don't want to get banned as I've grown to love shopping at bb :)[/QUOTE]

what I'm saying is that its a rolling year so you might as welll start now.
 
[quote name='confoosious']what I'm saying is that its a rolling year so you might as welll start now.[/QUOTE]

It is ? Oh man I threw out some of my invoices from my trade ins. I'm going to have to remember those from my head now :(
 
Im assuming the banning wouldve been brought on by the store,

As said previously, Best Buy Policies are more/less a template or a set of guidelines that corporate sets, at the end of the day the stores make the decisions.

The 3per rule also is dependent on the store as they interpret it differently I know mine just has it as a 3/day type deal. while another store is 3/year.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']Im assuming the banning wouldve been brought on by the store,

As said previously, Best Buy Policies are more/less a template or a set of guidelines that corporate sets, at the end of the day the stores make the decisions.

The 3per rule also is dependent on the store as they interpret it differently I know mine just has it as a 3/day type deal. while another store is 3/year.[/QUOTE]

It could have been the store but I doubt it, since I've only been trading at 2 stores the past couple of weeks and they both encourage me to bring in as many games as I want and allow for more than 3 just not same day.

Here is the message that showed up on their screen at the store.

Cannot proceed with this transaction
Best Buy Asset Protection for violation of Best Buy Policies has placed a person with this name and DOB on a list of persons prohibited from conducting secondhand transactions. If the customer believes this is an error, they can contact customer service at 877-310-4227 or email [email protected].
 
I think I probably recently went over $10,000 of Trade-Ins within a month so that may have been the trigger to investigate.
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']I think I probably recently went over $10,000 of Trade-Ins within a month so that may have been the trigger to investigate.[/QUOTE]

Wow, 10,000 over a month. That's a lot.
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']This sound exactly like my experience as well.[/QUOTE]

Lol, very similar experiences. Also that rang a bell, "Asset Protection". I usually look at the screen while doing trade-in's, but since I was trading in only 3 games I didn't bother. The employee brought over the store manager on duty before making the call and he mentioned, "Asset Protection". He then called the number which sounded like a regular number, like the customer relations number. Luckily for me I did my last big trade in before this happened.

Edit: just read your post on, "Cannot Proceed with this Transaction." It was the same message for me as well.

I've also triggered a red flag by purchasing over $2000 in prepaid cards. I already knew this was going to happen; however, I was reading articles on the stores that may possibly file for bankruptcy and BB was the first on the list. I like anyone else wouldn't want to be stuck with a gift card that is useless. I'm not going to mention how much I've traded, but it's more than you mentioned =) (from a 2-3 month period). They told me that using gift cards to buy prepaid cards isn't allowed since there is an option during the trade in that gives you a check, so they see purchasing prepaid cards as cash. I wasn't opposed to it. They said that other gift cards such as the kindle cards would be no problem.

I also noticed that using multiple gift cards may triggered a red flag because the register runs slow and pauses for them to check the gift cards. If you use one gift card the system processes the transaction right away.

Anyways I feel like I'm saying too much since I know these forums are monitored =)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've only purchased kindle cards not BBY cards with the gift cards I receive from my trades. Has anyone else purchased over $4000 in kindle cards within a month? I can understand Best Buy not wanting you to take your trade in credit and spend it outside the store, but I honestly have only been buying the kindle cards to purchase games which will be traded at Best Buy.

I'm hosting a birthday party at my house in a few minutes, but I'm going to try calling Best Buy again to see if this can be worked out. I'll update you when I have more info.
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']I've only purchased kindle cards not BBY cards with the gift cards I receive from my trades. Has anyone else purchased over $4000 in kindle cards within a month? I can understand Best Buy not wanting you to take your trade in credit and spend it outside the store, but I honestly have only been buying the kindle cards to purchase games which will be traded at Best Buy.

I'm hosting a birthday party at my house in a few minutes, but I'm going to try calling Best Buy again to see if this can be worked out. I'll update you when I have more info.[/QUOTE]

That sucks that you have to deal with this before the party!! I can't say that the Kindle Cards caused a problem because I've most likely purchased that amount in one month, but the system never stopped me like the prepaid cards did.
 
[quote name='intoxicates']That sucks that you have to deal with this before the party!! I can't say that the Kindle Cards caused a problem because I've most likely purchased that amount in one month, but the system never stopped me like the prepaid cards did.[/QUOTE]

So you were banned from buying the Visa cards. Can you still trade in games?
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']So you were banned from buying the Visa cards. Can you still trade in games?[/QUOTE]
Technically I haven't been banned from purchasing the prepaid cards; however, they are supposedly watching my transactions. That same message popped up on the screen regarding Asset Protection. I haven't attempted to trade in any games since then, Nov 9th. I don't mind since I was planning to stop doing mass trade ins. It's taking too much of my time =). The employee said he would talk to them for me, but I don't want any employee to get in trouble because of me.

I've kept all my receipts so if anything did happen I'm covered. There is also no policy that I am aware of that say you are are restricted from purchasing anything from the store with gift cards.

The way I see it. If you really need to trade in something, you can always get a friend to do it. I was thinking of another way is to use a different form of ID they accept, though it will have your DOB and same name so they'd probably catch on unless you just trade in single games that wouldn't raise any flags.
 
Buying Visa cards with trade in credit was what got me banned from trading at BBV. There are apparently money laundering rules that they are supposed to protect against. I've converted just about all my credit to Visa cards as well, so I'm sure I'll be having the same conversation.

If they ask me why I do it, I'll just point out having 40 gift cards is just stupid.
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']It could have been the store but I doubt it, since I've only been trading at 2 stores the past couple of weeks and they both encourage me to bring in as many games as I want and allow for more than 3 just not same day.

Here is the message that showed up on their screen at the store.

Cannot proceed with this transaction
Best Buy Asset Protection for violation of Best Buy Policies has placed a person with this name and DOB on a list of persons prohibited from conducting secondhand transactions. If the customer believes this is an error, they can contact customer service at 877-310-4227 or email [email protected].[/QUOTE]

I understand what you're saying but it had to be at a store level
Asset Protoection is controlled on a store by store basis according to This.
Info is also spoilered. vv
As an Asset Protection Specialist for Best Buy, you will support the operation of your Best Buy store by maintaining and monitoring store safety and security, modeling Best Buy philosophy by using good judgment in your decisions and actions, and identifying and applying various Asset Protection techniques to control potential or actual losses.

Key Responsibilities:
- Provide a welcoming and safe shopping experience for customers by maintaining building security and general store safety including proactively greeting customers through direct eye contact and a verbal welcoming
- Monitors merchandise entering and leaving the store entrances/exits
- Apprehend shoplifters, respond to emergency situations, administer first aid, and react in a professional manner; all using good judgment; Best Buy Asset Protection training required to be eligible to apprehend shoplifters
- Assists the supervisor teams in controlling shrink by validating shrink plans to reduce company loss and properly account for inventory
- Coaches peers on the importance of an offensive shrink strategy while encouraging employees to play a key role in proactively managing shrink while profitably growing the business
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']I think I probably recently went over $10,000 of Trade-Ins within a month so that may have been the trigger to investigate.[/QUOTE]

Holly shit, really, what the hell were you trading.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']I understand what you're saying but it had to be at a store level
Asset Protoection is controlled on a store by store basis according to This.
Info is also spoilered. vv
As an Asset Protection Specialist for Best Buy, you will support the operation of your Best Buy store by maintaining and monitoring store safety and security, modeling Best Buy philosophy by using good judgment in your decisions and actions, and identifying and applying various Asset Protection techniques to control potential or actual losses.

Key Responsibilities:
- Provide a welcoming and safe shopping experience for customers by maintaining building security and general store safety including proactively greeting customers through direct eye contact and a verbal welcoming
- Monitors merchandise entering and leaving the store entrances/exits
- Apprehend shoplifters, respond to emergency situations, administer first aid, and react in a professional manner; all using good judgment; Best Buy Asset Protection training required to be eligible to apprehend shoplifters
- Assists the supervisor teams in controlling shrink by validating shrink plans to reduce company loss and properly account for inventory
- Coaches peers on the importance of an offensive shrink strategy while encouraging employees to play a key role in proactively managing shrink while profitably growing the business
[/QUOTE]
I believe these are undercover physical people at the store. What happen to Caleb and I was a system ban.
 
[quote name='intoxicates']I believe these are undercover physical people at the store. What happen to Caleb and I was a system ban.[/QUOTE]

Nah the Black Shirts, and Yellow shirts are asset protection.

The rest is run by cameras.

Also id assume the Supervisors for Asset wouldnt be on the floor. Probably in the back.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']Nah the Black Shirts, and Yellow shirts are asset protection.

The rest is run by cameras.

Also id assume the Supervisors for Asset wouldnt be on the floor. Probably in the back.[/QUOTE]
So the guy who stands/sits by the door asking to check your bag if they forget to deactivate a security tag is Asset Protection then? Interesting.
 
After reading all this, I, along with my buddy, went to my BBy. I live literally 4min away. We had them do a fake trade in for us both, all the way through our id and all. Neither of us had ban message. He has traded over 100 titles per week, and atleast 50 copies of Brink, and Biggest Looser lol. Not banned. I have done more than 3 per title for many games. I have also bought ALOT of gift cards with my credit. I am not sure what triggered you guys to get banned. I would almost have to agree with people it was something initiated at store level. Maybe not done at store level, but surely reported at there level.
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']Can bestbuy print out old trade in receipts that you have lost or thrown out ? I would really like to know[/QUOTE]

They probably can, but their employes wouldn't know how.
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']Can bestbuy print out old trade in receipts that you have lost or thrown out ? I would really like to know[/QUOTE]

Was told by the gaming sup. that they kept the receipt for 30 days. Also told me he attended a BB convention and bigwig told him that they will continue the 5/100
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']So the guy who stands/sits by the door asking to check your bag if they forget to deactivate a security tag is Asset Protection then? Interesting.[/QUOTE]

Yup. He's most likely not that high in the chain of command but yeah. Recipe checks are to make sure you don't have anything you didn't buy right? Therefore, he's protecting the stores assets.
 
[quote name='tepro']Was told by the gaming sup. that they kept the receipt for 30 days. Also told me he attended a BB convention and bigwig told him that they will continue the 5/100[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. Im probibly going there tommorow so ill see what they can do. I knew I shouldn't have trown out those recipts
 
Last edited by a moderator:
kljfsaotuwegndoigeotfjnjlghewporg &^%$&*^%)*&^)^&!

Stop all the frickin confessing to the abuse with detail.
OK we get it but the $$ and purchases are not needed in this MONITORED frickin thread.
 
Asset Protection is indeed the name of a department within the store, which used to be named Loss Prevention (LP) . I worked over 9 years at Best Buy Corporate in Inventory Control, and I can tell you for certain that Asset Protection is also a department at Corporate with many sub-divisions including fraud prevention. I worked directly with with District and Regional Loss Prevention Managers (I can't really go into the details). I can tell you almost for certain that the trading ban was put in place due to some flag triggered and caught by a corporate LP/AP team.
 
[quote name='donut']kljfsaotuwegndoigeotfjnjlghewporg &^%$&*^%)*&^)^&!

Stop all the frickin confessing to the abuse with detail.
OK we get it but the $$ and purchases are not needed in this MONITORED frickin thread.[/QUOTE]

I can tell you for certain that Best Buy has much more accurate and detailed metrics then what are being discussed here. I think discussion related to this topic can be insightful and help prevent people from having the same issue I did.

I'm by no means bragging I just wanted to find out if other people are having the same problems as me.
 
[quote name='IamCaleb']I can tell you for certain that Best Buy has much more accurate and detailed metrics then what are being discussed here. I think discussion related to this topic can be insightful and help prevent people from having the same issue I did.

I'm by no means bragging I just wanted to find out if other people are having the same problems as me.[/QUOTE]

That's donut.

Everything upsets him for the most part.

Don't pay any attention to it.
Occasionally he's helpful.
:roll:
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']That's donut.

Everything upsets him for the most part.

Don't pay any attention to it.
Occasionally he's helpful.
:roll:[/QUOTE]

and god forbid you don't have a post on every page
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']That's donut.

Everything upsets him for the most part.

Don't pay any attention to it.
Occasionally he's helpful.
:roll:[/QUOTE]

I like your avatar. much better than the old one. Rage in "Realtime"?
 
i pre-ordered max pain 3 this Saturday and got the 50% bonus when I traded some games in, so it is not a mistake in case anyone wanted to know
 
When I was at the store today they said that Max Payne dropped to 40% this week, so it looks like there aren't any 50% pre-orders this week. I wouldn't be suprised if they stop the 50% bonus and stick to 40% going forward, since most of the big releases are now out.
 
@ Caleb and Stoned: Although I give you guys credit for having the balls to post and share your experience while having the courage to do so knowing full well you can get flamed for it, I'm a little annoyed at the excessive nature of the flips myself. The fact that LP knows full well about the prepaid visa/GC loophole will screw it all up for the rest of us. This doesn't even include the tons of lurkers that are probably guilty of this practice and just haven't posted up their experience. Keep in mind banning at BBY is harsh in that your driver's license is flagged. There really is no way to create another state ID so whatever hundreds you may have profited is now cutoff when in the long run you could have easily net much more of that without having to do so in just 6 months of great promos. Some folks need to be reminded that you're better off thinking long term and not screwing yourself as quickly as you can.

I don't make it a secret that I flip games myself but it's important to do so within reason. I don't care how efficient you are at it but flipping profits in the thousand dollar range is way overboard. Not to get too off topic here but it's a real addiction to "hoard/flip" and it can ruin your personal life in the time that you give up. Moderation is key and when you lose sight of your gaming backlog and are out to just flip XX amount within XX timeframe you're sort of losing sight of what this gaming community is all about.

I've kept a spreadsheet on all of my trade ins for the last 5 months now or so. I try to keep up with it and include online and in-store to make sure I never go over the 3 title limit. Just because an employee tells you it's okay to do more than 3 on a different day/store doesn't mean it's fact. Does anybody really truly want to put their faith of their trade in ID in the hands of a clueless employee? The rules are VERY CLEAR. Anybody interpreting otherwise is just fooling themselves (see Caleb's example). Ever since somebody mentioned getting banned months ago I knew it'd be prudent to keep a log of my trade ins. I've admittingly gone over the 3 title limit but it was moreso by accident for forgetting to check my spreadsheet as I can count on two different occassions that I traded in 4 copies of a title over the 5 month span. The rule should be interpreted by the way as a rolling 12 months. The rule states "per year" not "calendar year" so those are 2 very different periods for those not aware.
 
[quote name='vic_x51']i pre-ordered max pain 3 this Saturday and got the 50% bonus when I traded some games in, so it is not a mistake in case anyone wanted to know[/QUOTE]
Yes, it was active last week and expired on Saturday.
[quote name='IamCaleb']When I was at the store today they said that Max Payne dropped to 40% this week, so it looks like there aren't any 50% pre-orders this week. I wouldn't be suprised if they stop the 50% bonus and stick to 40% going forward, since most of the big releases are now out.[/QUOTE]
Did it actually show 40% in the trade-in system? I ask because the weekly ad shows 50% and someone else reported earlier that it's not in the system at all.
[quote name='darkasian']I was told that the next coming 50% bump was coming with the next Zelda game. Week of, or before he didn't say.[/QUOTE]
It would have to be the week of and for purchase of since the game will be released on Sunday 11/20.
 
[quote name='darkasian']I was told that the next coming 50% bump was coming with the next Zelda game. Week of, or before he didn't say.[/QUOTE]

With the game coming out (next week?) they can't wait too much longer on it but it is possible it might pop up mid-week since Nintendo releases stuff on odd days.

Sucks about those who got banned, but it sounds like they were all pretty extreme cases. I still can't really complain about a 50% bump, even if 60% was nice and all. I don't really plan to wait around and see if it gets another one while the TIV's possibly start to drop. I also started keeping a spreadsheet a while back and when I've traded 2 copies of a game in it is highlighted yellow, 3 is red and in the last year I have two games I have traded in a total of 4 copies of. Not really worried about a ban. I've also bought one $200 visa gift card with my gift cards but I really kind of had to. I got tickets to the Brewers playoffs in Milwaukee and needed to rent a car but just didn't have the spare cash at the time. So yeah, game trades sent me to a Milwaukee Brewers playoff game. lol. I've also bought countless games, a Kinect, two laptops... Even if the program ended tomorrow I'd still be mostly happy with the experience.

Sad thing is that right now is the best time for BBY to push the trade-ins, just before the holidays, everyone is looking to buy stuff and all that. I more fear that the people running this program are starting to shoot themselves in the foot with overreactions (like Crysis 2 TIV drop) and stores that aren't updating their used game prices frequently enough, etc. The truth is that BBY could totally dominated the used market with a little time, exposure and the right attitude towards it (case and point, there has never been an advertised used game sale in a weekly ad to my knowledge). They are trying to mimic Gamestop rather than out gun them. Too bad. I think people would love to walk away from Gamestop if something truly better was out there.

Updated the OP, just didn't have time to do it earlier today.
 
The main reason why I wanted to share my experience with getting banned was to help others avoid the same outcome, especially since I recently had posted that I've had no problems trading more than 3 games.

I'm actually looking forward to spending less time looking for flip deals and unpackaging and selling games and spending more time playing the games I have picked up recently.

I consider myself an ethical and moral person which is why I've never been dishonest about where I get the games I trade in. Best Buy currently has a terrible used game selection, and I have been helping them improve their selection by trading in tons of games, and they will actually make money as well so it's been a win-win up to this point.

Hopefully I can work something out with Best Buy so that I can continue to at least trade in games I'm buying for myself otherwise I might switch over to buying and selling from Amazon exclusively.
 
[quote name='Phoeniix']So basically BB tracks whatever you buy with your trade-in GC even if you don't use your rewards account?[/QUOTE]

from what i have read, yes it seems they can do that.
 
[quote name='Phoeniix']So basically BB tracks whatever you buy with your trade-in GC even if you don't use your rewards account?[/QUOTE]

It's theoretically possible, although I've sure made it difficult for them by consolidating my gift cards every week or so (I've got credit that has probably been moved between at least 8 cards now...)

IamCaleb, unlike some I'm glad you shared the details of your situation because it will actually deter others from acting in the same way. I feel for you that you thought you were okay to do what you were doing (as the employees had told you), but that said I can't act surprised you got banned moving that much product. Least everyone now knows there is in fact a point where BBY will say, "Too much!" and cut you off.
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']It's theoretically possible, although I've sure made it difficult for them by consolidating my gift cards every week or so (I've got credit that has probably been moved between at least 8 cards now...)

IamCaleb, unlike some I'm glad you shared the details of your situation because it will actually deter others from acting in the same way. I feel for you that you thought you were okay to do what you were doing (as the employees had told you), but that said I can't act surprised you got banned moving that much product. Least everyone now knows there is in fact a point where BBY will say, "Too much!" and cut you off.[/QUOTE]

I'm not surprised that they can track your gift card purchases. As a matter of fact its so easy that you can do it yourself as well by using your reward zone acount. if you purchase something with a gift card you don't get reward zone points. I imagine that they use this information to track you if you have used trade in credit to buy kindle or visa cards

Oh and I looked at the op. Are the 50% deals officially done for the year ? Oh well 40 plus the card will suffice for the rest of the year
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top