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

BudzMcGee

BudzMcGee

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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.
 
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[quote name='mark_IV']While it would be a good idea if the forum were private, is it really wise for us to offer up "confessionals" on a public forum for BB to read? I personally would advise against it.[/QUOTE]

It's not like they can link us to our names or information. Besides that, it's pretty obvious most of us in this thread are taking advantage of the deals; no news there.

But your concern is definitely noted, and maybe you raise a good point - especially if I'm unaware of something. You might be right; I was just proposing a down and dirty way to find connections tonight. ;)
 
guys, it is not the employees u need to worry about, not even the gaming supervisor. The store manager and assistant manager are the ones u need to watch out for. They remember your face even if they talk to u or not. So be mindful of your PMs, and complaints. I've never talked to the store manager or asked him for a PM, but he knows me just from the times I go into bestbuy. He asked the gaming supervisor if I had traded in more than 3 titles at one time (she let me know). Fortunately, it's a No.

And Matt, you're right they can't link u, but if they see "I've traded in $2000 and buy $1000 in Kindle cards" from 10 different people, guess what will happen.
 
So what do we have here - 2 people so far, with some more anecdotes about a few others? I feel bad for the 2 that were banned, but until this gets a little bigger I'm not going to worry about it too much. This seems more real than the Great Amazon Banning Scare of 2011, but it will take more info to be sure...
 
I want this mythical job at Best Buy corporate of surfing CAG for loopholes and good flips to report them to the trade-in department. Not saying they don't monitor this stuff, just saying, want that job.

Still really would like to know if anyone who has been banned has been able to submit an online trade or not.
 
I mailed a trade a few days ago that they just recieved this morning, so we'll see soon enough. They're online system still allows me to submit a trade technically, just dont know if they'll honor it.
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']I want this mythical job at Best Buy corporate of surfing CAG for loopholes and good flips to report them to the trade-in department. Not saying they don't monitor this stuff, just saying, want that job.

Still really would like to know if anyone who has been banned has been able to submit an online trade or not.[/QUOTE]
I actually don't think there's a position or one person/department that monitor this thread or the web for this kind of things, but I do think we should be careful. All it takes is one Good employee from corporate to stumble upon this thread and report it.
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']I want this mythical job at Best Buy corporate of surfing CAG for loopholes and good flips to report them to the trade-in department. Not saying they don't monitor this stuff, just saying, want that job.

Still really would like to know if anyone who has been banned has been able to submit an online trade or not.[/QUOTE]


:bouncy: Lol, JUST this afternoon, I was with my GF looking through the clearance games at Target. I flipped through them faster than lightning, reciting "shit, shit, shit, have it, it'll go down, shit, shit... OHH GOOD ONE... shit, shit.."

My GF commented that I'm an expert on what crappy video games are worth, and she said I'd be good in their clearance department. I laughed, and began telling her that if I could have any job, I would love to work loss prevention for the Best Buy corporate games dept.
 
[quote name='io']if this is all it takes, then I'm sure most of the people who post here regularly would get banned (including me). That really isn't all that much activity.



I don't see how trading at multiple stores matters, but, man, fifteen Visa gift cards would raise a flag with me. I'm assuming you maxed them all out too so that's 15 x $200 = $3000 worth of trades in just a few months? That is on the other extreme. If I was jeebert, I'd be pissed if I got banned and you didn't ;).

Did all of this just break when you tried to trade today? I traded yesterday with no problem, but I've definitely gone over jeebert's totals there (more like 100 games inlcuding several multiples, 3 Visa gift cards, but no Kindle cards). I wasn't planning on doing more trades this week, but then I found a few games that I had forgotten to trade last time and was thinking of bringing those in Tues. or Weds. I guess I kind of have to, now, just to make sure![/QUOTE]

Is it bad to buy Kindle cards??????????? I've bought $100 worth lately. I'm really worried. I know I used my reward zone card when I bought one of them.

I've also traded in 4 or 5 copies of the same game lately. I've never done more than 2 of the same game of the same system except once I traded 3 in one transaction.
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']Ive been tempted to buy kindle and visa cards with my credit but I'm afraid it will lead to a ban. You guys think I should avoid buying them completly ?[/QUOTE]

the beauty of having BB's GC are the Kindle and Visa for me. Without it, they're useless to me since i can get them cheaper elsewhere.

Everything is pure speculative now. I'll start worry when other who went way over the 3 limit get ban. Its suck for darkasian and jeebert since you guys didn't went over the 3.
 
[quote name='kouleefoh']guys, it is not the employees u need to worry about, not even the gaming supervisor. The store manager and assistant manager are the ones u need to watch out for. They remember your face even if they talk to u or not. So be mindful of your PMs, and complaints. I've never talked to the store manager or asked him for a PM, but he knows me just from the times I go into bestbuy. He asked the gaming supervisor if I had traded in more than 3 titles at one time (she let me know). Fortunately, it's a No.

And Matt, you're right they can't link u, but if they see "I've traded in $2000 and buy $1000 in Kindle cards" from 10 different people, guess what will happen.[/QUOTE]
I interviewed with the company for a job there a year or two ago, so I know who's a manager and who's not at my closest store. So the last time I came in to do a PM(or two), one of the managers who I had asked before if the @Gamer coupons would ever stack with sale prices w/o requiring an override confirmed that they had changed it in the system to where the coupons would now stack.

That he remembered me from asking about the coupons stacking was an 'uh oh' moment for me, since before the only time I ever interacted with the management at my local BB stores was when I'd go in to try and grab some pennied guides.:D
 
[quote name='SonictheHedgehog1337']Is it bad to buy Kindle cards??????????? I've bought $100 worth lately. I'm really worried. I know I used my reward zone card when I bought one of them.

I've also traded in 4 or 5 copies of the same game lately. I've never done more than 2 of the same game of the same system except once I traded 3 in one transaction.[/QUOTE]

OH GOD.

You're fine.

I do about 3 or 4 times that on a bad day of flipping.*

*If any bestbuy reps are reading this, all of my claims made on this site to the numbers i trade in at are completely fabricated. Also get rid of that shitty Anaheim store. It's pathetic how bad the employees and managers are there.
 
I would love to help you guys out, but i cant think of anything i have done that wasnt already talked about and done by someone else first. Maybe thats why they wont talk about it? So we cant warn anyone else. Conspiracy!
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']OH GOD.

You're fine.

I do about 3 or 4 times that on a bad day of flipping.*

*If any bestbuy reps are reading this, all of my claims made on this site to the numbers i trade in at are completely fabricated. Also get rid of that shitty Anaheim store. It's pathetic how bad the employees and managers are there.[/QUOTE]
:lol:mad: that footnote ;)
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']Ive been tempted to buy kindle and visa cards with my credit but I'm afraid it will lead to a ban. You guys think I should avoid buying them completly ?[/QUOTE]

Dont use your RZ number for transactions.

I've purchased around 3k in kindle cards and at the very least 10k in Visa GC
As i've said already im still around.

I think bans have to be happening on a store level first. Managers and DM are the guys to be watching out for.

Some what Off-Topic so spoiler
At my store the GM fucking loves me. Never been denied on a pm because of how often i trade there.

Most recent: I was able to PM the AC:R on release day from Wally world @ $39.96 when it was out of stock at all the other stores.
Blue shirt tells him how he's called already saying it's out of stock.
GM doesnt even hesitate in saying "Well i thinks it's in stock" With a smile on his face.
also was able to PM Skyrim to TRU $20 GC deal with purchase. the day of release.

Basic premise Get to know the higher-ups all your problems suddenly go away
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']Dont use your RZ number for transactions.

I've purchased around 3k in kindle cards and at the very least 10k in Visa GC
As i've said already im still around.

I think bans have to be happening on a store level first. Managers and DM are the guys to be watching out for.

Some what Off-Topic so spoiler
At my store the GM fucking loves me. Never been denied on a pm because of how often i trade there.

Most recent: I was able to PM the AC:R on release day from Wally world @ $39.96 when it was out of stock at all the other stores.
Blue shirt tells him how he's called already saying it's out of stock.
GM doesnt even hesitate in saying "Well i thinks it's in stock" With a smile on his face.
[/QUOTE]

Wow I didn't think about the rz thing. I'll buy a kindle perhaps. Thanks for the tip :)
 
I've traded in approximately 183 games since the very first week they started taking trade-ins in store. About 158 of them were unique titles. I've always shopped at Best Buy as a non-regular customer, been a RZ member for damn near 8-10 years, been a gamer's club member since almost it's beginning, and bought the GCU membership the first day I could. Since this summer, I have bought two laptops at or around $400 each, one paid with cash, and one paid 1/4 with cash. I've also bought a Kinect, and at least $400 in various video games, or related, including 6 pre-orders that I picked up. I've also purchased a few random things here and there as well. One $200 visa gift card, but honestly I had to as it was the only way I could afford a car rental I needed. I actually spent about $60 of it on games to trade back into BBY to convert it back to GC credit. Would suck if I find out I'm banned and that's what did me in.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']OH GOD.

You're fine.

I do about 3 or 4 times that on a bad day of flipping.*

*If any bestbuy reps are reading this, all of my claims made on this site to the numbers i trade in at are completely fabricated. Also get rid of that shitty Anaheim store. It's pathetic how bad the employees and managers are there.[/QUOTE]

I hope you're right.

I know specifically that I traded in 5 copies of one game, 4 copies of 3 other games. I also traded 3 copies of a multiplatform game for each platform (3x 360, 3x ps3, 3x wii). This was over the course of 4 days and accross 5 different BB stores. How fucked am I really and how long until I'm banned 4 life?

Should I get my mom to do trade ins for me from now on? We have the same address and phone number.

I'm spending all my store credit on black friday to put it toward a new TV. I don't even have enough credit to cover 50% of the TV cost. Please don't ban me BB. :whistle2:#
 
I need to stop refreshing this thread, all this speculating is starting to get suck. Just have to go in and find out in a few hours is all.
 
[quote name='SonictheHedgehog1337']I hope you're right.

I know specifically that I traded in 5 copies of one game, 4 copies of 3 other games. I also traded 3 copies of a multiplatform game for each platform (3x 360, 3x ps3, 3x wii). This was over the course of 4 days and accross 5 different BB stores. How fucked am I really and how long until I'm banned 4 life?

Should I get my mom to do trade ins for me from now on? We have the same address and phone number.

I'm spending all my store credit on black friday to put it toward a new TV. I don't even have enough credit to cover 50% of the TV cost. Please don't ban me BB. :whistle2:#[/QUOTE]

Seriously everythings based on ID its linked to yours. It doesnt matter about address or phone number.

I'm a high volume trader (Think 42 titles/trip multiple trips within a given month)
You aren't fucked.
You know as much as we do.
Realistically you probably aren't making an impact.

*No but really if there are any BB reps reading that part about "High Volume trader" im lying.. pinky swear.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']Seriously everythings based on ID its linked to yours. It doesnt matter about address or phone number.

I'm a high volume trader (Think 42 titles/trip multiple trips within a given month)
You aren't fucked.
You know as much as we do.
Realistically you probably aren't making an impact.

*No but really if there are any BB reps reading that part about "High Volume trader" im lying.. pinky swear.[/QUOTE]

I hope so. I feel slightly less anxious now and I'll try to stop worrying.

*Hopefully BB people monitoring this thread can't read this tiny font or everyone is getting perma-banned.
 
[quote name='SonictheHedgehog1337']I hope so. I feel slightly less anxious now and I'll try to stop worrying.

*Hopefully BB people monitoring this thread can't read this tiny font or everyone is getting perma-banned.[/QUOTE]

It's either tiny fonts or textwrap.

Everyone knows it's impossible to read text like this
 
yeah it must be store manager/dm level. when i go to my store they greet me as the best games customer and the biggest trader and they love that i preorder etc. i would be shocked, as would they, if i were ever banned, but i know it isnt the employees that do any banning... but still.
 
Getting Database errors when trying to quote.

DUDEIMGODLY, I have mentioned it before, and asked you too, but what store are you trading at. I ran into you a few times at the Anaheim (The Block) store. I have traded probably 150+ games since program inception and I still have not registered as worthy of getting any Price Matches (especially GC type deals) like you have mentioned. PM me if you want to give me any pertinent info on who I need to talk to about those PMs).

The good thing about having multiple stores in the area is selection and easy access. The bad thing is having fierce competition from fellow CAGs and countless lurkers.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I interviewed with the company for a job there a year or two ago, so I know who's a manager and who's not at my closest store. So the last time I came in to do a PM(or two), one of the managers who I had asked before if the @Gamer coupons would ever stack with sale prices w/o requiring an override confirmed that they had changed it in the system to where the coupons would now stack.

That he remembered me from asking about the coupons stacking was an 'uh oh' moment for me, since before the only time I ever interacted with the management at my local BB stores was when I'd go in to try and grab some pennied guides.:D[/QUOTE]
Yea, these managers are really good at remembering people, it's one of the reasons why they advanced in the corporate ladder haha
 
I know for a fact that buying Visa Gift Cards can trigger a red flag. Amazon KC's seem to be ok. A store manager saw I was purchasing $1200 in KC's, after the cashier mentioned it to him, and he said it was fine.
 
Question: I didn't do much trading last year so I'm not aware but if black Friday tanks TIV like Batman, Uncharted, etc., is it permanent or will they rise back up if prices do after temporary sales?
 
[quote name='ijustw1n']Question: I didn't do much trading last year so I'm not aware but if black Friday tanks TIV like Batman, Uncharted, etc., is it permanent or will they rise back up if prices do after temporary sales?[/QUOTE]

The prices rarely go back up once they go down, at least that has been true so far. As for drops because of Black Friday, who knows. While yes, some games will be available for either less or close to even of what Best Buy TIV's are, it's hard to predict how they will treat a 3-4 hour sale of limited stock. A reasonable response would be some minor drops, i.e. $25 -> $20, but who knows. Best Buy has been both reasonable in the past as well as a bit overboard.

Interested to hear any reports soon of whether more people find themselves under the ban hammer or not. Damn the store for not opening till 10...
 
my one store pulled all the visa prepaid cards and the other straight shot me down so i have one store that i do high volume trades at and the other to buy my KC's... i wasnt even going to push the fact that another location lets me so(less is more) so i have a couple of large trades to do this week and we will see if they flag me or not...
 
[quote name='mark_IV']While it would be a good idea if the forum were private, is it really wise for us to offer up "confessionals" on a public forum for BB to read? I personally would advise against it.[/QUOTE]


No sheet this is getting really stoopid.
BBuy store level and corporate monitors this thread.
How smart is it for unbanned members to be posting here.
It appears the bans were initiated at store lever through LP.
The nonbanned "confessing" posts should really rethink what they have posted and consider deleting it!
How hard is it to link this thread?
Are you under some delusion what your post is only viewed by other posters? This thread can get 3000+ hits in a day!
Just pm if you have a question for a member.
Damn what a fricking mess.
The banned posts are quite enough info to deduce their is no automatic pattern yet.
Please reconsider all the abusing posts and edit/delete them from this public forum.
I'm not the only member rolling their eyes at the info now posted.
You're shooting yourself and everyone else in the foot.
 
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What in the world are you worried about?

1) The people claiming they traded in $2000 probably traded in $3000. And if corporate BB is monitoring this thread, they already know individual #192323 has traded in $3000 of stuff in the past month

2) unless you're stupid enough to post your name, they're not gonna try to match it up.

If I post that I traded in 4 copies of (insert recent flip)last week, you think they're gonna try to look through their computers to see who traded in 4 copies of that game and "catch me!"?

By the way, I think they're just going after high volume traders who flip 3x multiple times. If you've traded 3 of one game once (or hell, maybe even 4) and most of your trades are 1s or a few 2s, they won't care. They want to catch the people who trade in lots of triples. And at different stores right after each other. Ironically, trading at different stores is to be less suspicious and ends up being more suspicious when viewed in whole at a computer. My little theory.
 
Yeah, I didn't post anything Best Buy wouldn't have already known, well except maybe the reason for why I bought a Visa GC. Don't imagine that info would hurt me. I have traded in at three stores total, but around here you can't throw a rock without hitting a Best Buy it seems. One is my preferred, one is on the way to work and one is literally upstairs from where I work (though that is the one I trade-in to the least, only done so once). A couple at the one on the way to work and like 90% at my preferred store.

The flip-side is that I've helped to bring attention to their trade-in program with the OP, in a thread that has over 207,000 views in a couple of months. *ahem* Right, Mr. BBY forum watcher guy? ;)
 
So I'm banned too. Was out of state and decided to purchase the psp games on sale. Bought 2 of each. Went outside to open them and back in to trade them in. Mgr was watching the trade in and after I left the girl told him I has just bought those games. Went in today am and he told me I'm banned from trade ins bc I bought same day and traded in. He said I was beating the system and he flagged my account so I'm banned from trading in. Was fun while it lasted.

Point is, store level is what seems to do it.
 
[quote name='PatelKing']So I'm banned too. Was out of state and decided to purchase the psp games on sale. Bought 2 of each. Went outside to open them and back in to trade them in. Mgr was watching the trade in and after I left the girl told him I has just bought those games. Went in today am and he told me I'm banned from trade ins bc I bought same day and traded in. He said I was beating the system and he flagged my account so I'm banned from trading in. Was fun while it lasted.

Point is, store level is what seems to do it.[/QUOTE]

So it is decided in store if you are flagged or not. Oh and no offence but you are a dumb ass for doing what you did. Couldn't you wait a day or two or better yet go to another bestbuy ? Not to mention those psp games would have only gotten you like 2$ profit or so. Not worth it at all
 
Agreed psp games were a bad trade but I did it to avoid trade value drops. I just posted so ppl know it's the store that flags you.
 
[quote name='PatelKing']Agreed psp games were a bad trade but I did it to avoid trade value drops. I just posted so ppl know it's the store that flags you.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for sacrificing yourself my friend :). did you check the tiv's before you attempted to do what you did ?
 
[quote name='kouleefoh']Yea, these managers are really good at remembering people, it's one of the reasons why they advanced in the corporate ladder haha[/QUOTE]

Kou you said you were going to try out a test trade I believe. Did anything happen to you? By the sound of the employee you knew sounds like they were getting suspicious of you? Im gonna do a test trade myself this weekend at a store I rarely visit.
 
So al this "chatter" of bans, but only 2 (3) people so far? No clear view as to why either. I have to honestly believe its a store level ban. These people probably had employees there that "bleed blue" as they say. And they snitched you out to "protect there values".
Until someone can prove this wrong I honestly feel this is the case. I just went by my bby and had the gaming lady test my trade in to see if I was banned. They went all the way past my ID, all was fine.
Unless you are getting like $10000 in credit each month from them, I honestl wouldn't worry. Even those of us that are getting $2-4k I wouldn't honestly worry. If anything it's helping build there trade in empire.
Good luck to anyone else who is going to test there banning or whatnot, but in all honestly, I wouldn't worry.
 
Havent been on this thread in a bit and heard about all this banning. The sad thing is abuse is just going to kill the overall program and make it another amazon or GameStop trade in with poor promotions and bad TIV.
 
[quote name='kingwormer']So al this "chatter" of bans, but only 2 (3) people so far? No clear view as to why either. I have to honestly believe its a store level ban. These people probably had employees there that "bleed blue" as they say. And they snitched you out to "protect there values".
Until someone can prove this wrong I honestly feel this is the case. I just went by my bby and had the gaming lady test my trade in to see if I was banned. They went all the way past my ID, all was fine.
Unless you are getting like $10000 in credit each month from them, I honestl wouldn't worry. Even those of us that are getting $2-4k I wouldn't honestly worry. If anything it's helping build there trade in empire.
Good luck to anyone else who is going to test there banning or whatnot, but in all honestly, I wouldn't worry.[/QUOTE]

I think it's the fact that it all popped up in a small time frame. Plus, despite how much people complain I think a lot of people really like being able to trade into Best Buy and whether or not they broke the rules are just nervous that may not be able to again.

Going in to pick up a pre-order shortly, probably do a test trade and see how it goes. If no issue I"ll go ahead and bring in my stack of games. Don't want to open a couple of them if I can't trade them.
 
[quote name='Donut2922']Kou you said you were going to try out a test trade I believe. Did anything happen to you? By the sound of the employee you knew sounds like they were getting suspicious of you? Im gonna do a test trade myself this weekend at a store I rarely visit.[/QUOTE]
Nope, nothing happened to me. I did a test trade with a cheap game first, it went through so I went out and did my real flip because I didn't want to open the new sealed games. The employees were never suspicious of me, they were really nice to me and always like it when I bring in trade-in games because they waste time talking to me and doing my trade. :lol:. but I've learned that the store manager asked about me through the gaming supervisor. And the assistant store manager has been looking at me funny when I'm buying games. With that said, I haven't traded much lately because i don't really have anything I want to buy. But from now on, I'd consider any trade I do is my last haha

And I just realize that if I troll the trade in area, sometimes I can buy games off of the customer for cheap. haha
 
[quote name='ijustw1n']Havent been on this thread in a bit and heard about all this banning. The sad thing is abuse is just going to kill the overall program and make it another amazon or GameStop trade in with poor promotions and bad TIV.[/QUOTE]

*cough*gazelle*cough*

Seriously having observed the whole trade-in scene for a while I'd rather get the childish abuse part of the program out of the way now so they can solidify any anti-abuse measures they need to do and we can get a look at what the _real_ program will look like. Amazon is still a good option because they reacted to the abuse but didn't overreact (still wish they'd bring back promos though). Don't worry about the short term abuse as it'll balance out, the real test is what they end up doing after they take a bath in flippers / scammers / abusers / etc - nuke their tivs and promos or continue providing good values with better safeguards to protect themselves? We'll see.
 
How some people in this thread haven't been banned from trading abuse is still a surprise.

[quote name='DudeImGodly']Well with the news of store level bans. IM fuckING SET.
That's another weight off of my shoulders. ;)[/QUOTE]There's an example right there.
 
[quote name='DudeImGodly']Well with the news of store level bans. IM fuckING SET.
That's another weight off of my shoulders. ;)[/QUOTE]

Yep ! We can do one of our favorite hobbies with much more ease now :)
 
[quote name='confoosious']What in the world are you worried about?

1) The people claiming they traded in $2000 probably traded in $3000. And if corporate BB is monitoring this thread, they already know individual #192323 has traded in $3000 of stuff in the past month

2) unless you're stupid enough to post your name, they're not gonna try to match it up.

If I post that I traded in 4 copies of (insert recent flip)last week, you think they're gonna try to look through their computers to see who traded in 4 copies of that game and "catch me!"?

By the way, I think they're just going after high volume traders who flip 3x multiple times. If you've traded 3 of one game once (or hell, maybe even 4) and most of your trades are 1s or a few 2s, they won't care. They want to catch the people who trade in lots of triples. And at different stores right after each other. Ironically, trading at different stores is to be less suspicious and ends up being more suspicious when viewed in whole at a computer. My little theory.[/QUOTE]


well, then we agree to disagree.
bans are happening with staff intervention not a print out
the last day's worth of posts are repeated slaps in the face to with abuse to BBuy staff who can then initiated bans , new rules, etc...
So while I agree any account can be researched and monitored, someone reading the unneeded $ amounts posted, etc. here can also initiate
change.
The extra info posted here does nothing to help but can easily hinder.

meh, keep posting ... nobody reads this anyway :roll:

worried? no, realistic yes
 
[quote name='shrike4242']How some people in this thread haven't been banned from trading abuse is still a surprise.

There's an example right there.[/QUOTE]

It's funny cause he imagines that just because bans are coming from the store level that there isn't also monitoring from the corporate level.

I think we'll inevitably hear the "DudeIGotBanned" story.
 
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