Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread Eight(MODS: Please lock, Thread Nine is up)

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IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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First off, let me welcome you all to the new guide thread. Second, I'd like to ask you all to please keep conversations not pertaining to guide drops or which ones you've grabbed to a minimum to avoid cluttering the thread. It's not that I don't enjoy the chit chat, but that it may stop others from locating information on the newest drops.

That being said, let me thank Cheapy for creating this site, without which I would've spent probably 10 times what I HAVE spent on games and guides. Moreover, let me thank each and every one of my fellow CAGs for continuing to contribute to making this site a great place to find out about sales and clearances of the items we as gamers use most. Without a great community, NONE of this would be possible.

Furthermore, I would like to thank our Wiki editors HeatDolphin and Rocko for updating the Wiki. Great job.

Now, with that out of the way(and before I get to rambling), let's get on to making this new thread.

Useful Information(and links):

Game Guide Trading Clearinghouse(old one, locked now):
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102021

Game Guide Trade Thread(current one):
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175548

PLEASE keep ALL trade requests in there or PM's. Thank you.

Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread(please keep all conversation NOT related to guide drops HERE. Thanks.): http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists:

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28recent_drops%29

What is the purpose of this thread?

The purpose of this thread is to let our fellow CAGs know when a guide has dropped to a low price(it's NOT ALWAYS A PENNY), so they can go out and grab guides for themselves and for trading with other CAGs.

Anytime you have guide drops to report, post them here. Please specify at which store you found them and which guides you found and list them in alphabetical order. Thank you.

What are penny guides?

Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Prior Reduced price game guide threads:
Guide Three:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50515&highlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142400

Finally, below is a list of website links, each of which goes to their respective guide page. Whenever possible, I will update the links with better ones(if available).

Amazon
B&N
BestBuy
Borders
BookPool
CircuitCity
Gamestop
Overstock
StrategyGuide.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, who did threads 3,4,5 and 6 and provided me with the links to them.

Thanks to Gwen for allowing me the honor of giving something back to CAG by doing this new guide thread. I hope you all enjoy it and it isn't TOO hard to read.
 
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Does anyone have an explanation why the guides are still full price on the BB website? I believe that would be a first with Best Buy (guide price is usually the same online and in-store).
 
Don't know why I would've even wanted it, but I checked Madden 08's guide last night and it came up full price. Of course, this was the lone copy I found in the PC section right next to the PC version of Madden, so maybe there are 2 versions of the guide?
 
[quote name='Josef']Does anyone have an explanation why the guides are still full price on the BB website? I believe that would be a first with Best Buy (guide price is usually the same online and in-store).[/quote]

I noticed that too. But The in-store site will show the correct price (.01) and allow you to order it with in-store pick up.
 
[quote name='WeaponX2099']I noticed that too. But The in-store site will show the correct price (.01) and allow you to order it with in-store pick up.[/quote]

So, what you're saying is, that even after being SUED by multiple state's attorney generals, Best Buy still has a wholly seperate 'website' on their kiosks in store? That's a little fucked up, if you ask me.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']So, what you're saying is, that even after being SUED by multiple state's attorney generals, Best Buy still has a wholly seperate 'website' on their kiosks in store? That's a little fucked up, if you ask me.[/quote]

But now they clearly state it at the top of each page.
 
LOL Great Story:
Third trip into Best Buy to see if I could find some of those Turok bonuses and I didn't. But I did find 17 more penny guides half of which I swear weren't there before. So I take em all up and the cashier asks me "So how much are you gonna sell these for?" I just shrug and smirk and ask her if she would like any and to help herself but she didn't take any. For the third time in a week, I walked out of the store laughing. 60+ total for me
 
[quote name='yamas']LOL Great Story:
Third trip into Best Buy to see if I could find some of those Turok bonuses and I didn't. But I did find 17 more penny guides half of which I swear weren't there before. So I take em all up and the cashier asks me "So how much are you gonna sell these for?" I just shrug and smirk and ask her if she would like any and to help herself but she didn't take any. For the third time in a week, I walked out of the store laughing. 60+ total for me[/quote]

LOL I had that happen to me before, but out of town since I rarely find anything locally anymore. The one manager type came over after a cashier called him over when I brought up some Oblivion guides(the original PC version guide)which were pennied. The manager asked me how much I get for them on Ebay or something like that. I just kind of smiled and said something like 'I don't give out trade secrets', then smiled really wide, paid for my guides and left.
 
Dammit, so every time I step away from this thread and don't check it for a week or so there's a huge drop of guides at BB. Figures. Blue Dragon, MP3?? :bomb:

Oh well, I guess I have to console myself with the thought that they probably wouldn't have had them if I had gone the first day anyway.
 
Best guide day I've ever had! Not nearly as good as some of yous guys, but I feel pretty good with it. 1 of each unless noted.
Blue Dragon
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Medal of Honor: Airborne
The Golden Compass (Probably could have left this one, but I think I remember more there).
Heavenly Sword
Stranglehold
Lair
Sims 2 Castaways x2
NFS: Pro Street
Thrillville

I think another CAG may have hit here before me and been gracious enough to leave 1 of some of the guides that had multiples. I noticed a lot of the dropped ones were sorta hidden or actually stacked together. For items (such as Sims) which had more than 1, I left at least 1 behind; those with just the 1, I of course took the last of. Only guide I passed on was Madden (there was a stack lol).

Girl at the front was really surprised at the price of the guides; I began with the ol' "I heard these were on sale", and everything went pretty well. She seemed so surprised though, I was worried she might go ask someone about it, and then they might tighten up. They've been very lax the last year or so that I've really been looking, so I hope not. I almost said that this was how they get rid of old guides, but she was exclaiming too much to get a word in edge wise, and you never know what might make someone suddenly call over a manager, so I just let things run their course. Great day though, couple with Hollywood Video HD-DVD's for $8 each!
 
Ok i know i'm gonna get flamed but here goes......

I've been a penny guide hunter for almost 2 years now and back when i first started i only grabbed a few copies of each unless it was something special like say the WOW Binder or something cool. Well due to BB pulling guides off the shelf for a while i then changed tactics and would buy everything in sight. Well this last monday i hit all BBs in my area and got about 150 guides. I know, i know but wait....i then noticed that on stealdeals.net or some may call it slickdeals they have a thread talking about this and how every SDer was getting 100 to 500 guides cuz they're hoarders i'm now happy to say that i'm glad i grabbed every fricking guide i could because if i hadn't then some SDer would have hoarded them all. I know, i know...the flaming will commence but i hate how that site steals deals and then KILLS DEALS for someone like me that just wants to get in on a deal and NOT HOARD but i guess i'm gonna be a hoarder as long as SD keeps posting our info!!!!!
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']Ok i know i'm gonna get flamed but here goes......

I've been a penny guide hunter for almost 2 years now and back when i first started i only grabbed a few copies of each unless it was something special like say the WOW Binder or something cool. Well due to BB pulling guides off the shelf for a while i then changed tactics and would buy everything in sight. Well this last monday i hit all BBs in my area and got about 150 guides. I know, i know but wait....i then noticed that on stealdeals.net or some may call it slickdeals they have a thread talking about this and how every SDer was getting 100 to 500 guides cuz they're hoarders i'm now happy to say that i'm glad i grabbed every fricking guide i could because if i hadn't then some SDer would have hoarded them all. I know, i know...the flaming will commence but i hate how that site steals deals and then KILLS DEALS for someone like me that just wants to get in on a deal and NOT HOARD but i guess i'm gonna be a hoarder as long as SD keeps posting our info!!!!![/quote]

Your still just as bad as them and a hoarder :D lol I usually will look for penny guides for games that I have because I really do not want all kinds of guides sitting around.

If they are pennied get them but dont turn around and try to soak other CAG $10 for something you paid $0.01 for when the reason they could not get one is because you probably bought them out lol.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Your still just as bad as them and a hoarder :D lol I usually will look for penny guides for games that I have because I really do not want all kinds of guides sitting around.

If they are pennied get them but dont turn around and try to soak other CAG $10 for something you paid $0.01 for when the reason they could not get one is because you probably bought them out lol.[/quote]

i guess i could have gone and grabbed my usual 2--3 copies of each and then a few hours later when the post hit scamdeals.net the hoarders would have rushed in and grabbed ALL the rest of them....so i look at it as either i get them all or some SD'er does....either way the end result is almost the same except i kept the lame hoarder from SDer getting them all so i don't feel so bad anymore and neither should the others who posted in this thread about grabbing bunches!
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Your still just as bad as them and a hoarder :D lol I usually will look for penny guides for games that I have because I really do not want all kinds of guides sitting around.

If they are pennied get them but dont turn around and try to soak other CAG $10 for something you paid $0.01 for when the reason they could not get one is because you probably bought them out lol.[/quote]

I'm an EX hoarder, whose local sources for guides have all but dried up and believe me when I say this, there are people on CAG who make my former 'hauls' I used to get from various stores look like nothing by comparison.

At least one fellow CAG has sent me pictures not unlike those some complained about that were shown in a couple Ebay auctions, with massive stacks of guides piled almost as tall as most peoples shoulders. So, I definitely don't feel quite as bad as I once did for having 300+ guides sitting around the house here.

The $10 guide thing is a bit on the ridiculous side, though some guides seem to only go UP in value(Persona 3, it seems), so for those sort of guides I can see wanting a bit more than the normal $2-5 for it. I, myself, offer a deal of 4/$11 with quite a few exceptions anymore, since I got my list cherry picked clean the last time I had 'good guides' on it. Is it wrong to put so many things as 'TRADE ONLY'? Not in my opinion, when otherwise those guides might end up on someone elses list for $6-7 per after I sell them for $3 each via my deal.

So yeah, some guides may be worth the $10 a pop, but I don't pay over $2-3 for a guide anymore EVER with only ONE glaring exception in the last couple years(MK Armageddon with credit from GS).
 
It is just the evolving nature of this site and people in general just looking at something with the intent of what kind of profit people can pull from it. :roll:
 
OH and the start to my frustration with SD goes way back when there was a couple guides listed for a penny on BBs website but with shipping it killed the deal....then a few days later they started running a free shipping deal on all guides so a few of us here on CAG private messaged each other about the deal so it wouldn't be killed. But you could only order a max of 5 guides per order so we were putting in multiple orders each day for about a week when someone then posted the deal on SD and sure enough with in hours the deal died. I was able to get a few hundred mailed to me before it died but it was damn halrious so see the UPS guy going back and forth until there was a couple stacks taller than a grown man LOL!
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']OH and the start to my frustration with SD goes way back when there was a couple guides listed for a penny on BBs website but with shipping it killed the deal....then a few days later they started running a free shipping deal on all guides so a few of us here on CAG private messaged each other about the deal so it wouldn't be killed. But you could only order a max of 5 guides per order so we were putting in multiple orders each day for about a week when someone then posted the deal on SD and sure enough with in hours the deal died. I was able to get a few hundred mailed to me before it died but it was damn halrious so see the UPS guy going back and forth until there was a couple stacks taller than a grown man LOL![/quote]


What was the point in a few hundred guides that im sure you had multiple copies of the same ones?

Exactly like I stated in my above post :roll:

" guess i could have gone and grabbed my usual 2--3 copies of each and then a few hours later when the post hit scamdeals.net the hoarders would have rushed in and grabbed ALL the rest of them....so i look at it as either i get them all or some SD'er does....either way the end result is almost the same except i kept the lame hoarder from SDer getting them all so i don't feel so bad anymore and neither should the others who posted in this thread about grabbing bunches!"

In reality you take a stab at them but what makes you different?
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']What was the point in a few hundred guides that im sure you had multiple copies of the same ones?

Exactly like I stated in my above post :roll:

" guess i could have gone and grabbed my usual 2--3 copies of each and then a few hours later when the post hit scamdeals.net the hoarders would have rushed in and grabbed ALL the rest of them....so i look at it as either i get them all or some SD'er does....either way the end result is almost the same except i kept the lame hoarder from SDer getting them all so i don't feel so bad anymore and neither should the others who posted in this thread about grabbing bunches!"

In reality you take a stab at them but what makes you different?[/quote]

I agree. No sympathy for SD. No sympathy for this hoarder masquerading as a CAG.
 
Cuz i'm very good at getting rid of guides....never had to throw one away....still have a stack of one of those guides and to this day it still trades!
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']Cuz i'm very good at getting rid of guides....never had to throw one away....still have a stack of one of those guides and to this day it still trades![/quote]

Um I think everyone that gets hundreds of guides has the intention of getting rid of them unless they have a guide collection.???

Im a little lost with your response ;)
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Um I think everyone that gets hundreds of guides has the intention of getting rid of them unless they have a guide collection.???

Im a little lost with your response ;)[/quote]


i'm the savior of guides....i keep them from going into the dumpster or to SD hoarders....Godbless me!
 
Bloody hell. All the guides were gone from my store, the whole area was reorganized. I left a lot, too. Guess they pulled them. I am shocked.
 
I'm confused with 3 things:

1) What's the big deal with SD? Aren't they just gamers like us looking for a good deal?
2) Why do so many people think being a member on SD and CAG are mutually exclusive?
3) Why is it better to be a CAG hoarder vs. an SD hoarder? If either site member cleans out the penny guides and hoards them all before I get to the store to score some for myself, I'm gonna be pissed equally.
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']i'm the savior of guides....i keep them from going into the dumpster or to SD hoarders....Godbless me![/quote]


You are insane ;) As far as im seeing you are a hoarder in all aspects and must be a FW/SD/CAG member = LUKER

Be Gone...
 
IATCG, I noticed you left out Blue Dragon and Final Fantasy when you updated the original post. Intentional, perhaps?

Anyway, the first four Best Buys I hit earlier in the week were pretty much worthless (though all seemed to have Thrillville, and one had a massive stack of Manhunt 2). Then, the BB I visited today was like hitting the jackpot. It had every single recently dropped guide except for two, and to top it off it even had an old God of War 2 LE guide sitting on the shelf!

By the way, the following guides are still full price (in case anyone was wondering):

New Super Mario Bros.
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (NP version)
 
Sorry about that.....I knew that list was STILL missing SOME guides, but I couldn't figure out which ones....second post updated....hopefully I have them all up there now.
 
So i went to GS today and their guide racks were noticably emptier than normal. Plus, the PS2/360 Tomb Raider guide I seem to obsess with has a sticker of the original UPC... Seems suspicious.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']I'm confused with 3 things:

1) What's the big deal with SD? Aren't they just gamers like us looking for a good deal?[/quote]
SD is more like a group of people looking for deals on any item. Because of this, MANY of them are resellers on ebay and the like, and are quite proud of this in fact. This can mean one person might buy 200 copies of something that's hit cheap, and either not leave any for anyone else, or send up a red flag, getting the deal pulled (and often canceled). CAG is a bit different (at least as I see it), in that we are specifically looking for for cheap games (and other media), so we generally buy 1-2 copies of something, without the intent to sell. Some might sell, but it rarely is ever said, and is often looked down upon. It's a better sense of community.
I use SD (and FW) from time to time, just to see what's going on in other areas, especially movies; they are very quick to get info, but you have to be quick to beat hoarders. DVDTalk does, admittedly, have a better community for movie stuff, including deals, but aren't as large.
2) Why do so many people think being a member on SD and CAG are mutually exclusive?
Click to expand...
SD does have a way of making you feel like it's every man for himself. Can't get too caught up in that or you become a hoarder.
3) Why is it better to be a CAG hoarder vs. an SD hoarder? If either site member cleans out the penny guides and hoards them all before I get to the store to score some for myself, I'm gonna be pissed equally.
Click to expand...
I believe it's bad to be either, but I would probably trust a long time CAG'er to not rip someone off after hoarding more than I would an SD'er or FW'er.
 
Is there any point in the wiki if you're going to keep a list in this thread?

At the very least, keep it up to date with the wiki if you're going to put one here.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Is there any point in the wiki if you're going to keep a list in this thread?

At the very least, keep it up to date with the wiki if you're going to put one here.[/quote]

I'm definitely trying to keep an updated list, but unfortunately a few slipped through that I didn't post on the drop list in the second post. It happens, as I am only human and therefore fallible. If I missed anymore(with all of the rambling posts of scores and thinly veiled trade posts how could I not?), if someone would bring it to my attention, that would be great.

I think I am going to ask a mod to come in and clean up the trade/haul posts though, since we're up to quite a few pages already and this thread was just made last month I believe.

Oh and for the list to truly be updated, what's the SPECIFIC name of each of those two 'code books' I read about being pennied in the posts dealing with this most recent drop. Was the 'Winter 2008' one the one with the yellow cover? I ask because I had one checked the other night and I was told every guide I had(including a Madden 08) was regular price.
 
See, I swear I picked up the one which I also thought was mentioned(the Winter 2008 one), but I was TOLD it was full price. LOL Of course, it said something weird on the price readout thing on the cashiers register(like 006-007 or something) and the prices didn't come up on the register except for on her screen.

EDIT: Again, I updated the second post with what I hope is the next to last update before this list is COMPLETE. All I need is verification on the other code book which dropped. Thanks again to all who have provided info on the guides which dropped.
 
I picked up a few guides from Best Buy a few days ago. I brought a bunch of guides up to the register and the cashier was like, "You play a lot of games huh?" and I said "Yeah." She started scanning them and when she noticed they were ringing up for $0.01 she was like WTF? The look on her face was so funny. Then she called a manager over and they couldn't understand why it was so low. Got 10 guides for a dime. Pretty funny.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I'm definitely trying to keep an updated list, but unfortunately a few slipped through that I didn't post on the drop list in the second post. It happens, as I am only human and therefore fallible. If I missed anymore(with all of the rambling posts of scores and thinly veiled trade posts how could I not?), if someone would bring it to my attention, that would be great.[/quote]
Just check the wiki, where it's been complete since Monday. Save for those two code books.
 
I did check the Wiki, but I think the list is finally completely up to date, save for that LAST code book. So, hopefully someone has the EXACT title of it for me, so I can add it to the list and you can add it to the Wiki.

Admittedly, having the recent drop list in the second post makes it easier for the people from SD/FW, but it also makes it easy for CAGs too, so they just have to go to ONE spot, instead of skimming through 20-30 posts about the drops.
 
For the record, LOL at anyone who thinks there is any difference between being a hoarder that reads CAG and a hoarder that reads SD/FW.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Just check the wiki, where it's been complete since Monday. Save for those two code books.[/QUOTE]

Actually, the Wiki appears to be missing a few of the recent penny guides. Namely... My Sims, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, and the Resident Evil 2008 calendar, though that last one is not technically a guide.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Never heard of the first two, and I thought the RE calendar was $8?[/QUOTE]

I believe all were confirmed at a penny in this thread.
 
[quote name='heatdolphins45']Here are the exact titles for the 2 code books that are pennied at BB:18,000 Codes and Cheats Winter 2008 Edition and Secret Codes 2007 Volume 2[/quote]

CRAP!! That first one IS the one I had PC'd the other night @ BB. The chick running the register must've been told to lie if something came up .01 or something.

Ahhhh well, not like I needed another code book or guide really. :whistle2:#

Oh and I THINK WE'RE FINALLY COMPLETELY UPDATED!!! I added the 18k Codes & Cheats Winter 2008 book to the list.
 
Stopped by another Best Buy (not in the Richmond area) and found:

Metroid Prime 3 (x2)
Lair (x2)
Thrillville

In total, this has been a very good drop. Here's hoping Bioshock is in the next one :).
 
Judging by Amazon's prices on guides.... most of the ones that were in this drop are $13.xx

Bioshock guide is the same price.

Hopefully it won't be long
 
Snagged the last FF1 for PSP and Xbox Achievement guides at Baldwin, NY yesterday! Lawrence had a few things there but nothing I wanted. Westbury was cleaned out by an SDer already as one confirmed before I went there -_-
 
Scored a sealed Wild Arms 5 guide today at Gamecrazy, there were 2 there but the guy said it did not show up in the system and he would let me have one of them for free seeing it should of been pulled from the rack. He said the other one was going to be destroyed yet I saw him stick it under his coat lol. Ah well a free sealed guide is fine with me.
 
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