Is it me or does Goozex suck now?

I am really happy with the Early Access tokems, but it seems that they have killed off a lot of core Goozers. Trading may be down from nwhat it used to me, but I'd take patience on Goozex over Gamestop any day of the week.
 
[quote name='eLefAdEr']If I got a pile of crap in the mail, I'd probably report a negative. Or call the cops. ;)


Fully on-topic: It's fairly clear to that the site owners have other priorities. They promised Disc + Case added to the matrix match more than 6 months ago, and nothing has come of it. An odd promotion here and there really did increase the trading volume, but a week or two after it ends and it drops right back down to around 2k simultaneous trades (it was up to 4,700 during the free trading month of May). It doesn't help that they hardly ever address concerns in their forums, either.

I have plenty of tokens and usually get one every week by participating in the official gaming night events, so I'll probably work towards getting them down by the end of this year, then we'll see where they stand.

And I think the new Early Access passes are a major contributing factor to the recent grumbling and flight from the site.[/QUOTE]

Other priorities such as sitting in their lounge chair sipping martinis on a daily basis.
 
All i do now is order from Goozex and play my games and if i need to trade them, i just sell them in ebay and get money to buy new ones.
 
[quote name='Tumbler360']Goozex continues to be an awesome value for me personally.

Trading has been slow for at least 2 weeks now but I think this is mainly due to a lul in releases.[/QUOTE]


Another reason is the Canada Post strike. The Canadian users on the site make a substantial number of trades, and right now we're screwed, and that isn't helping the numbers any.

Most of the gripes on this thread are valid, and I guess it's personal choice whether they are worth leaving the site over or not. I agree that Goozex would really benefit by going strictly supply and demand instead of their wonky algorithm, and that the disc + case option is way overdue, but I have a hard time considering leaving the site. My backlog since I've joined has gotten ridiculous (at least by my standards) for very little monetary input, so I'm mostly happy with it. I'm far from a power trader though, so for others it may be more of an issue. For me a trade or two a month is more gaming than I can get to anyway.

I do find, as a pc gamer, that another thing that takes the edge off the constant need for games on console is the crazy digital download sales that are out there. I don't want to pay $50 or $60 for a pc game that uses Steam and I can't trade out, but when I can get a game like Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition for under $20, I'm ok with having to keep it.
 
I've made around 800 transactions on goozex in the past 4 years. It has become one of my favorite sites. However, I never use them for new games and even those that came out in the past six months. You have to buy them once they are available, but before they get to 700 or so because they will not be available. The problem is, the price needs to go back up.

Goozex needs to go to a bidding system. For instance, I would trade Uncharted on the site, but I would only get 350 points. Let's say though, another user would pay 500 points for the same game. Well, at 500, I would most likely trade the game.
 
[quote name='shiftymcneely']Goozex needs to go to a bidding system. For instance, I would trade Uncharted on the site, but I would only get 350 points. Let's say though, another user would pay 500 points for the same game. Well, at 500, I would most likely trade the game.[/QUOTE]


If the algorithm worked, and there were active requests and no supply, the price would go up by itself. Then, when it reached 500 points, you would take your offer off hold and trade it.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']I still use Goozex and have success, but I'll admit trading has slowed down. I'm sure part of it is the $2 token hike, although a lot of people, like myself, are legacied into $1 tokens.[/QUOTE]

Can you explain more about this? Obviously I am aware of the increased token price but haven't been keeping up with goozex so don't know what all this legacy price stuff is about. I've had a goozex account since pretty early in their lifetime (at least I think so- signed up early 2008), and when I went to check how much it was to buy more tokens to burn up my points, it was coming up as $2 each.

What are/were the criteria for keeping the $1/token rate? As I said I'm a pretty longtime member but have not been the most active trader though (29 sent/12 received, feedback score 275). Was it like members who had X feedback or above, or Y number of trades or something?

Ruahrc
 
[quote name='Ruahrc']Can you explain more about this? Obviously I am aware of the increased token price but haven't been keeping up with goozex so don't know what all this legacy price stuff is about. I've had a goozex account since pretty early in their lifetime (at least I think so- signed up early 2008), and when I went to check how much it was to buy more tokens to burn up my points, it was coming up as $2 each.

What are/were the criteria for keeping the $1/token rate? As I said I'm a pretty longtime member but have not been the most active trader though (29 sent/12 received, feedback score 275). Was it like members who had X feedback or above, or Y number of trades or something?

Ruahrc[/QUOTE]

I think it's something like 50 sent out or 500 feedback score.

I'd also like to add that I bought a few trade tokens, burned through my 2000 points and am done with the site until I see trade tokens go back down to $1, or even 1.25 or something, as they've done nothing positive with the extra dollar they're charging. there's a few other changes I'd like to see, but that's the main one. I know $1 extra might not seem like a lot, but it adds up if you're going to be an active trader.
 
[quote name='Solatso']I've been using Goozex for a little over 4 years now and I can agree that trading is down quite a bit this year as opposed to the last couple. Beyond that however I've had little problems with the site and as you can see from my sig below have had quite a bit of success with the trading. Right now I'm at about half the amount trades as I was this time last year but if you're patient it can pay off for ya. [/QUOTE]

Here's the problem - I send in a 1000 point game. Now I have to be patient and wait for a 'new release' (let's say that came out around the same time as that 1000 point game I sent it)....when I could have easily traded it in to Amazon or Game Stop, waited the same amount of time, and picked up a used copy of the 'new release' for the store credit I have ($30ish). I'd get to choose my condition, not wait, and have a return policy.

Today, when games drop so damn fast, Goozex makes little sense to 'wait'. Now, if they did it so it would match people up (i.e. I have Duke, you have LA Noire, and we do a swap right there), it would work well.

Games are just so damn cheap nowadays. I mean, shit, $60 with a $20 gift card is normal! This wasn't the case 2 years ago. And when you can sell them back to Amazon for a high price...it makes Goozex just pretty damn useless. Unless you like really old games. Then you will be happy. But really, I have no interest in trading 2-3 games, paying the postage, to get 1-2 "old" games I could have just bought with the postage + trade-in of the games I sent.


As I've been saying for some time, they are just waiting for a buyout. Raising token prices was there way of getting an extra $1. And what's with their postage? They charge $1 more then what Paypal or USPS does.
 
[quote name='GizmoGC']But really, I have no interest in trading 2-3 games, paying the postage, to get 1-2 "old" games I could have just bought with the postage + trade-in of the games I sent.[/QUOTE]

If you trade wisely on Goozex, it's not hard to trade one newer game that you got cheap and get back four or more older games.
 
[quote name='salty tbone']If you trade wisely on Goozex, it's not hard to trade one newer game that you got cheap and get back four or more older games.[/QUOTE]

...or I could do the same thing at Game Stop or Amazon. So why would I go to Goozex and spend $8 in trade token + paying to ship my disc out ($2-3) so get 4 older games that I could likely get at Game Stop with the Trade-In price + $11? And that would be instant satisfaction.

Most of the good 'older' games are rarely offered (and if they are good, they hold their value). Sure, I might get some total crap 200 point games, but do I really want those? I want Uncharted. It's a 3.5 year old game and 450 points. I'm now...80 in line. You think I'll ever get that?

Bioshock 2 is $10 new practically everywhere. 350 points. And only 23 in line....

That's the problem. No one will spend 350 points on a $10 game after trading in a $60 new release for 1000 points. The system is so messed up.
 
[quote name='GizmoGC']...or I could do the same thing at Game Stop or Amazon. So why would I go to Goozex and spend $8 in trade token + paying to ship my disc out ($2-3) so get 4 older games that I could likely get at Game Stop with the Trade-In price + $11? And that would be instant satisfaction.[/QUOTE]

Well, the $2 trade tokens does change the math and definitely slowed my activity on Goozex, so I'll grant you that. But I still consider Goozex another option, and not a replacement for GS, Amazon or eBay.

The trades I've done on Goozex you couldn't have replicated with Gamestop or Amazon. Sometimes the games I traded on Goozex actually came from Gamestop.

I don't trade a lot on Goozex (34 games out and 95 games back over three years). I've traded in far more games to GS and Amazon and eBay. My interest on Goozex is predominantly games you can't find at GS or in stores (PS, Xbox, DC, old PC). For that, the site has worked well.

It's not worth it to you. That's fine, and I'm not trying to change your mind. My point is that for some of us, it can still be a viable option.
 
The part where they put the amazon links in on goozex is a big part of the trading downfall. I have had same problem as OP when it comes to trades. Member since 2006 and about 200 trades a year till this past year barely 40. The "Amazon" links for buying needs to go Goozex!
 
[quote name='Renaissance 2K']To be fair, the forums would also vote in favor of a number of things that would be very terrible ideas, like being able to exchange your points for gift cards, trade tokens, or new games (on a more extended basis than the Goozex Exchange).[/QUOTE]

Like anything tumbler comes up with. Osnap.

Doesn't hurt that goozex doesn't really advertise at all, its all word of mouth. And as of late, word of mouth is hurting them. On average you see at least 5 to 7 threads a week concerning something that the customer service ignored or messed up on, usually new people. They rely too much on mods on the forum, which are suppose to mod the forum, not be volunteer CS reps. And even with mods helping, the wait time is 2 weeks or more usually. Its not unusual to see people posting threads stating they've had disputes going on for 2 months or more.

I've tried to get people to join goozex, but you really can't get people interested by stating 2 dollar trades, lousy support, lack of features, no recourse if you get less than you ordered, lack of inventory, etc. Even when the site was booming, most of my friends said they didn't want to tie up points in a queue like that though, so to each their own.
 
I've got a huge want list and I'm at the top of several game lists (albeit on Hold), but there is no trade activity going on. It just doesn't make financial sense to trade a lot of low value games, especially if shipping is going to run you a few bucks. Likewise, with 100 points running $5 plus $2 for a trade token, it doesn't make sense to request a lot of games from Goozex. Why pay 600 points for a game that's sitting in a store or even on eBay for $15? Goozex needs to get real with their point valuations.

I've got 100 points and 1 trade token remaining. First 100 point game to hit me with a match wins, then I'm out of Goozex. I used to flip some clearance games onto Goozex but its just not worth doing anymore because of the lack of trades going on. I don't want to end up with a balance when they go under.
 
I think $2 trades is really effecting the site in that new users are not interested in joining.

Also doesn't help that the points algorithm is out of wack. They really need to raise the prices on a lot of the supply to entice users to trade more.
 
It may have gone downhill a little bit but is still a good site. I've gotten 4 3DS games on there since launch which is all but one of what I've requested. The only one I haven't got yet is Zelda. I use them to get all the new games. I don't mind waiting a few months.
 
[quote name='Ruahrc']I activated some of the on-hold requests I had and got matched for AC:Brotherhood...That burned up 1000 points and my last token. Not bad.[/QUOTE]

There's definitely something strange overall going on.

At first I was going to tell you that you essentially blew 1,000 points on a $15 game (GoHastings had it on sale up until yesterday or so), but then I realized there are 21 active requests for the game with no one offering it.

Last year, as soon as a game would go on a deep sale (Gamefly/Amazon/GoHastings/Etc.) all of the active requests would either get eaten up immediately from all of the people taking advantage of the point exchange ($15 for 1,000 points) or the active requesters would put it on hold and buy it outright. If AssCreedBroHood doesn't get down to less than 5 active requests by next week then something is definitely not right in the Gooziverse.
 
[quote name='Kerig'] $15 game (GoHastings had it on sale up until yesterday or so).[/QUOTE]
umm I don't remember gohasting selling it for 15 ever. If it was, I guess not alot people knew about it, Cause I sure didn't (no metion of brotherhood in gohasting thread)..
 
[quote name='k1ngster']umm I don't remember gohasting selling it for 15 ever. If it was, I guess not alot people knew about it, Cause I sure didn't (no metion of brotherhood in gohasting thread)..[/QUOTE]

Been sitting at $14.99 over there for almost 2 weeks now. PS3 version is back up to $19.99, though.

As for Active Requests for ACBroHood, I believe there's 1 at the moment. Was 0 earlier, so it's definitely gotten some activity. Keeping mine on hold until the price drops a bit, no rush.
 
[quote name='kube00']All trading sites seem to have their flaws even here and GameTZ. The best option is to use multiple sites. Sometimes Goozex seems to be a better service for getting older games then newer ones and vice versa its a great place to ditch garage sales games that aren't worth the $1 you paid for them.[/QUOTE]

I like GameTZ much better but the only reason I stopped using it was the fact that I constantly got rejected for trades that were in the other user's favor. I had exactly what the other people wanted AND I asked for games that held a little less value (just to get things done quickly). I would consistantly get rejected EVEN when they didn't have to ship out untill they got my game and verified that it was as described. None of that made sense
 
So I just noticed that a lot of the items I've requested/have up for trade have jumped in value, some upwards of 50% higher. This is a good sign, at least the points value or those games are at least somewhat fair now.

[quote name='Clownzilla']I like GameTZ much better but the only reason I stopped using it was the fact that I constantly got rejected for trades that were in the other user's favor. I had exactly what the other people wanted AND I asked for games that held a little less value (just to get things done quickly). I would consistantly get rejected EVEN when they didn't have to ship out untill they got my game and verified that it was as described. None of that made sense[/QUOTE]

That's why I stopped using GTZ (though I rarely even got rejections- my offers sat there for weeks) and started using Goozex... a few years ago. There are too many asshats on GTZ.
 
Somebody trade resident evil: the mercenaries 3D again jjtgkjghkjfgbjj, I want it

but then again, Goozex is pretty awful for handheld games.

It's been struggling but I still use goozex, haha I remember I got 400 points for my babel on blu ray, worth it :p
 
Didn't one of (or the) creator of Goozex have a CAG account? Pretty sure I remember him pimping it out a couple years back... If so, somebody should point them in the direction of this thread, and see if he could address some of the concerns.
 
[quote name='Vinny']That's why I stopped using GTZ (though I rarely even got rejections- my offers sat there for weeks) and started using Goozex... a few years ago. There are too many asshats on GTZ.[/QUOTE]
This is why Goozex doesn't allow buyers to cancel a trade once there's a match, which is an oft-requested feature. Way too many people add something to their list because it's something they have a marginal interest in, but when it comes time to receive it, they decide they'd rather hold out for something else.

There's a lot of, "That's a good offer, but I just don't feel like playing it right now" or "I'm going to finish [generic 150-hour JRPG name here] first" or "My goldfish has cancer, and I can't afford any games right now."
 
I've been a member of Goozex since July 2006. Originally, as a PC gamer, I thought Goozex was great because there was no where else to trade PC games (without going the ebay route). I've sent 32 and received 26. As someone said I use it as a supplement. But I stopped trading 100 point games a few years back when the USPS rates increase... it seemed like I was spending too much in postage for a few points.

If a game comes out that I might be interested in (but not enough to buy it right away) I add it to my queue on hold and wait... eventually I make it to #1 and the point value has dropped quite a price.

But I got my last game - COD:WAW (PS3)... 250 points... my last points and my last trade in token (purchased for $1 a while ago).
 
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