Drilling Holes Through Game Cases. Why??

WebWizard

WebWizard

CAGiversary!
Just have a quick question concerning the act of drilling holes through the actual entire game case such as PS3.

I purchased off Craigslist 2 games listed as "New" in the shrink wrap.

Little Big Planet GOTY (listed @ $20) and Motorstorm Pacific Rift (listed @ $25). I offered $35 for both and it was accepted. Decent deal I thought as both games were in fact "factory sealed".

I get home and notice there are actual drill holes on both games in the corner through the barcode, case/thin plastic/slip art/manual and poking through a little to other front side too. Hole is very small in diameter which is why I didn't notice on the quick sale.

Being a collector it kind of bugs me, but for the price I don't mind swapping the cases with some old Tiger Woods or Maddens, ect.. Hopefully the hole through entire bottom corner of the manual and cover art don't keep me up at night :lol:

I opened the games to check the disc's and they are perfect, but there was of course a small amount of plastic dust/shavings inside case from drilling. Easy cleanup though!

Why would anyone do this? Or do you think the store did this? Seller said they were gifts he had received when handed to me.. NEVER have I seen this practice of game torture :lol:

Anyone? Thanks! (pics upon request)
 
They have holes because they were store copies not meant for resale at the store. When I worked at Borders we would get promo cd's and they would have the same holes over the barcode. They did that so we couldn't take them and try and return them or sell them at a music store.
 
I msg'd seller after I got home and informed him I noticed the drill holes on cases, and mentioned it wasn't a big deal but asked why? He said (which mind you, sounds like a ridiculous story and I shrugged off as BS).. I have cousins I live with and I drill the holes in all my games so they will know which are mine and not take them/trade them.

UH YA! ok buddy!! :lol:
Would be an extreme version of marking up old NES games with your name in sharpie.


Anyway since they were factory sealed with the "Y" fold.. do you think he either worked or knew someone at store and they took them (stole) and or were given them as the store had extra new copies they didn't need? This is very interesting! Thanks for shining some light on this..

Anyone else come across this stuff?
 
He's lying to you.

Ramza394 is right. When items aren't for resale, either the UPC barcode will be replaced with something that says not for resale, or the company does something to the UPC barcode like slash it or punch a hole through it. It's like when video game consoles are giving away additional games besides what's supposed to come with it. When I got my PS3 slim, the two games had not for resale on the back, but The Dark Knight Blu-ray had a slash through it. Basically you were sold two games he got for free. No biggie.
 
Yeah it wasn't a big deal as the games were sealed as promised, I thought the price wasn't too bad.. I had just never seen drilled games.. Even though the disc is scratch free and I can replace the case, the hole through the manual is a bummer just from a collector perspective, even though is in the bottom corner.

I'm sure he was lying about the cousin thing because that was just dumb.. Although he could have been telling the truth about them being a "gift" based on the response from batman1939 or Indiana Jones.

Thanks 2 everyone who responded and has opened my eyes to what was going on here. It was just one of those things that keeps bugging until you find the truth, or at least close to it.
 
I thought that the drilling was done to "damage" the unit / item. I believe that retailers have to price the merchandise they buy to sell in their stores within pricing guidelines set forth by brokers / manufacturers. I believe that this helps the market remain stable by establishing a price structure. However, if an item is open / returned / damaged, I believe that the retailer is no longer bound by those guidelines and has the ability to price the item accordingly so as to move it from inventory.

If you have ever been to an outlet center and bought brand new brand name clothing for dirt cheap, look at the garment tag inside the clothing itself. It will be cut. That is how it is "damaged" so it can be sold under the guideline price. Same thing with video games / media. The drilling is done so it is "damaged".
 
Its done to mark the item as a "promo" copy or a "not for retail/resale" copy and was either given free to press/media or to other people or included in a bundle.

Question answered, thread closed.
 
[quote name='Arakias']Its done to mark the item as a "promo" copy or a "not for retail/resale" copy and was either given free to press/media or to other people or included in a bundle.

Question answered, thread closed.[/QUOTE]

Yep. One of my relatives gets a box of free games every year to review because he's on "the list" and they all have holes/cut out barcodes/hole punches somewhere on the box. And what they do to the barcode is totally dependant on the publisher wants to do to them, so that's why you see all sorts.

It's meant to prevent them from reselling it to someone else, however they never thought of the fact that Gamestop doesn't give a rats ass about it and takes it back anyways, so it defeats the purpose of it. It is still the same game as if you bought it at a store.
 
[quote name='Arakias']Its done to mark the item as a "promo" copy or a "not for retail/resale" copy and was either given free to press/media or to other people or included in a bundle.

Question answered, thread closed.[/QUOTE]

The smartass in me now wants to keep this thread open as long as humanly possible.
 
[quote name='batman1939']He got them from the Playstation Retail site (http://rls.us.playstation.com/Default.aspx). If you work at certain places that sell Sony games you can sign up for the site, take tests, and get PS3, PSP, or PS2 games for $10. Like Ramza394 said they do it so you will not return games at store for full credit. They still work, they're the full game, and they will take them at Gamestop. But if you take them to Gamestop just take the discs or tell them the "story" you got.[/QUOTE]

Correct, at least in the OP's case.
 
i got a copy of shin megami digital devil with the holo strip on top and it has the barcode holepunch . i bought it from a sony employee.
 
Oh, I always wondered why my copy of Heavenly Sword was like that. I picked it up sealed for a decent price. I couldn't stand the hole when I got him, so I just resold it.
 
Yeah, they are promo copies. Here in LA you find promo cds in used music stores all the time. They have slashed up bar codes or drill holes/cuts in them. Its so some smart ass doesn't go all crazy trying to return to walmart then come to CAG bragging about it.
 
As everyone else said, those games were promo copies. My copy of Red Faction Guerrilla I got from the Darksiders voucher promo had a slashed UPC barcode on the back of it.
 
My copy of Magna Carta(ps2) i got from FYE awhile back has a hole through the barcode:( Never knew why till now. Thanks
 
[quote name='Arakias']Its done to mark the item as a "promo" copy or a "not for retail/resale" copy and was either given free to press/media or to other people or included in a bundle.

Question answered, thread closed.[/QUOTE]

You're right. It's like CDs. Items with holes in the boxes next to the barcode are usually promotional items.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']The discs need to breathe, so they don't suffocate.[/QUOTE]

And now you know. And knowing is half the battle.
the_more_you_know.jpg
 
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