Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XI

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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 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.


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 Trade Thread(KEEP ALL TRADE REQUESTS HERE OR IN PM'S):

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(KEEP ALL DISCUSSION NOT RELATED TO GUIDE DROPS HERE!!!):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

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. Please, whenever possible, use RED font to make the drop info stand out. Thanks again.

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 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/...ighlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/....php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ad.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=142400
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=167157
Guide Nine:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=187222
Guide Ten:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219547

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
Barnes&Noble
BestBuy
Gamestop
Overstock
Strategyguides.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, Guinaevere and anyone else who has created and maintained the guide thread before, as well as to all of those who find out either advance information on drops or provide a list of which ones dropped when we do have a drop.

The post below this one contains a list going back at LEAST six months of the more current guide drops, which stores they occured at and which ones dropped. Note that sometimes(Oblivion guide, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory)there are multiple versions of a guide, be it that there are Prima versions, Brady versions and the occasional Nintendo and Doublejump guides.

Please specify WHICH version has dropped when mentioning possible guide drops. Thank you.

Common Guide Drop Related Questions(FAQ):

FAQ - If you are new (or a vet with a few questions) look here SECOND! (After reading the above!)

Q: What Are Penny Guides?
A: 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.

Q: Do all guides from all stores drop at the same time?
A: No. While most chains have nationwide drops within their own store (as in every BB will have the same drops coast to coast), not every different chain drops at the same time (what drops at BB is NOT necessarily dropped at GS). When in doubt, check post TWO for drop info.

Q: I found a penny guide and a clerk denied me! I'ma report 'em!
A: Whoa, hold your horses there, pardner! First of all, not a question. Second, just because something is on the shelf, the clerk does NOT have to sell you that item. Most stores are PRIVATE property and as such can deny you just about anything they want - including a sale. The best advice is to not be rude, not be arrogant, and just try hard to get them to have pity on you.

Q: Why don't the clerks want to sell me their penny guides? Aren't they just throwing them away?
A: As stated above, the stores are ordered by the publisher to trash the guides, and are then given credit for those guides. If they don't do this, the publisher won't give them the credit - it's like losing a sale. On the employee level, selling a penny guide can sometimes get them in trouble (or even fired!) I know it seems silly, but this is their job we're talking about! Respect the man (or woman) behind the counter and you'll get a lot more guides than otherwise!

Q: Should I just ask if the store has penny guides then?
A: No, since that denotes that you have some insider information as to the runnings of these businesses.

Q: What if the clerk wants to know how I know so much about guide drops?
A: If asked where you got your info about guides that pennied, simply say either 'the internet' or 'a friend of mine told me they're on clearance'.

Q: But clerks will know what a penny guide is, right? I can talk to them like anyone else here...
A: Never use the word pennied to ANY store clerks unless you have built up a good rapport with them. Even then, it may seem a little fishy if you know more about their shop than they do.

Q: Are guides labeled as a penny on the shelf?
A: Sometimes. Most times, no. GS seems to label everything that gets a price drop, so often times guides will be stickered. But even so, they most likely won't sell them to you. A sticker does not mean 'have to sell'.

Q: I tried to buy a guide that this thread said was pennied and it didn't ring up as such! What gives?
A: Either 1) Our source was wrong (this rarely happens and is usually verified a FEW times within maybe an hour of posting), or 2) The clerk changed the price. It's usually number 2.

Q: What's the easiest way to get penny guides? This sounds like TONS of work!
A: Best Buy is probably the best place to get guides, followed by GameStop, GameCrazy, Toys R Us and then Blockbuster. From what I've seen though, probably 95% of guides that people get are snagged at BB - the rest come from the other stores. But it never hurts to try!

Q: Has there been a drop recently?
A: If you are asking this question you didn't fully understand the OP - go back and read it once more. When a drop happens, it will be posted, and then placed in the second post - trust us.

Q: How do you guys know so much about penny guides?
A: We sometimes have inside sources with the information from the stores themselves; other times, fellow CAGS just like you or me simply take suspected guides to the register and ask them to ring them up, to check their prices. Feel free to do this yourself, and help give back to the community by telling us what you find! However, DON'T ask "Has anyone checked XXX lately?", unless you are in the right thread (discussion area).

Thanks to GrilledWitOnions for creating the above FAQ, which should eliminate the need for such questions popping up in the thread from this point on out.
 
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I've only been successful with GS's, once, here! I definitely look at it as more of a 'gift' since it is a loop-hole that enables me to get a 20-35$ item for free (or a penny!)

My local GS's seem to pull the day there's. Drop, which is probably why I never found anything previously.

I've almost never had problems at most of the BB's since they take a bit longer to pull them ... I wish GS would get lazy, too! :D
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']
If Gamestop, Best Buy and so on actually marked these things down to $5 before pennying them instead of them either being full price or 'we can't sell them to you', they might actually get more real guide sales. But 90% of the time the ones that're left by the time they penny are torn up pieces of shit that have been thumbed through by everybody and their uncle and are only worth that penny price by then.[/QUOTE]
I thought I heard that publishers wont let them do that many times. If they did it regularly, they would sell even less copies at $20 a pop. Then they would have to eventually make MSRP less than waht it is now, hurting their business model in the long run.

But I am with you, I would pay $5 for many guides.
 
[quote name='wrencrest']I thought I heard that publishers wont let them do that many times. If they did it regularly, they would sell even less copies at $20 a pop. Then they would have to eventually make MSRP less than waht it is now, hurting their business model in the long run.

But I am with you, I would pay $5 for many guides.[/QUOTE]

That's correct.

Plus, they get credited for "destroyed books". So at some $ amount, they make more for destroying the books than for selling them at a discounted rate.
 
[quote name='Zippon']It always bugs me when folks treat the $.01 marker as an actual clearance price.[/QUOTE]

On the occasions that BB store staff put official printed yellow 1 cent shelf stickers below the guides (as I've seen on more than one occasion), I completely understand people expecting that to be the actual price.
 
[quote name='wrencrest']I thought I heard that publishers wont let them do that many times. If they did it regularly, they would sell even less copies at $20 a pop. Then they would have to eventually make MSRP less than waht it is now, hurting their business model in the long run.

But I am with you, I would pay $5 for many guides.[/QUOTE]
With how thin some of the guides are now, the $20 pricetag on them is downright insulting. There's almost nothing in most of these guides that you couldn't just find online on some Wiki or Gamefaqs, so the pricing is just gouging.

I know I've said this a bunch already, but I REALLY miss the days of EB Games being around and selling used guides for $2-5.
 
I dont know if everyone has them but Mega Media Xchange stores have racks of guides new and used( from people trading them in) for a flat price of I thinnk $7 so thats not to bad for some of the RPG guides you find there sometimes.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']I dont know if everyone has them but Mega Media Xchange stores have racks of guides new and used( from people trading them in) for a flat price of I thinnk $7 so thats not to bad for some of the RPG guides you find there sometimes.[/QUOTE]
None of those around here at all. I would kill for a Half Price Books to open up around here, since even the local gaming shops have either cleared out their guides or pull anything that might be worth anything anymore.

Case in point, about a month ago I missed out on a super rare hardcover guide for some PS1 RPG that was supposedly worth $200+.:cry:

So I would absolutely love having a HPB open up around here due to the lack of anything decent showing up at the local shops anymore.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']I dont know if everyone has them but Mega Media Xchange stores have racks of guides new and used( from people trading them in) for a flat price of I thinnk $7 so thats not to bad for some of the RPG guides you find there sometimes.[/QUOTE]

Sounds a lot like what Half Price Books does. They have great finds sometimes.
 
My local shop was a decent place the first time or two I brought them some, but after a while they started giving me $.25 each. That was still 24x more than I paid for them, but wouldn't it figure that right after I offloaded the bulk of what I had everybody and their fuckin' uncle on CAG was bugging me 'hey do you still have such and such guide'.:bomb:

But it was nice to get my basement to stop looking like a flea market for a while. But since I bought all those cases from Hollywood Video(a move which I feel will pay off, if slowly) it's starting to look more and more like when I had all those guides again.:roll:

Couple that with that free rolling rack I got a couple of weeks ago to put the cases on and it's really looking like a flea market stand down here now.:lol:
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']My local shop was a decent place the first time or two I brought them some, but after a while they started giving me $.25 each. That was still 24x more than I paid for them, but wouldn't it figure that right after I offloaded the bulk of what I had everybody and their fuckin' uncle on CAG was bugging me 'hey do you still have such and such guide'.:bomb:

But it was nice to get my basement to stop looking like a flea market for a while. But since I bought all those cases from Hollywood Video(a move which I feel will pay off, if slowly) it's starting to look more and more like when I had all those guides again.:roll:

Couple that with that free rolling rack I got a couple of weeks ago to put the cases on and it's really looking like a flea market stand down here now.:lol:[/QUOTE]

pics or it didnt happen :D
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']...it's really looking like a flea market stand down here now.:lol:[/QUOTE]

So you're the guy trying to rip everyone off @ the flea market!!! :bomb:;)
 
Hell no. I'll leave that up to the local flea market gouger around here named Jerry. The guy had a price tag of $35-40 on the Burger King games for Xbox/XBox 360 a couple of years ago.
 
We've got another bite!

At Best Buy, there was a one-guide drop this morning with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition. I've only seen this version in one store so don't get your hopes up of finding it, but it's better than nothing.
 
They were, but for some reason the guide was still on the website until this morning. Don't know if that means it was pennied out in-store but not online, or if stores were given a preemptive memo to pull the guide long before it dropped, or what. It's an odd situation. :/

The BB that I saw this guide at about two weeks ago had it sitting on an endcap with copies of the game. Since the guides there are isolated from the guide section, the employees don't think to check there for drops (not that this BB is on top of drops to begin with - I had my first big score at this location a few weeks after the most recent drop, along with some stragglers about two weeks ago).
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']I dont know if everyone has them but Mega Media Xchange stores have racks of guides new and used( from people trading them in) for a flat price of I thinnk $7 so thats not to bad for some of the RPG guides you find there sometimes.[/QUOTE]


Actually, the flat price is around $5.99, so about $6, but there are exceptions... I got http://www.amazon.com/Official-Miss...r_1_73?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1281626980&sr=1-73 for $2.99, and I know other times they have cheaper guides as well. It's no penny, but it's still better than paying full price for guides.


A quick aside, MMX had stopped buying CDs last year and now are getting rid of all of them for 50% off, which I could see happening to guides, since I doubt guides are a huge money-maker for them...
 
[quote name='elrobo8']We've got another bite!

At Best Buy, there was a one-guide drop this morning with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition. I've only seen this version in one store so don't get your hopes up of finding it, but it's better than nothing.[/QUOTE]
A single guide dropping....and on a Thursday? That's peculiar.

Can anyone verify that it's dropped?

I know both of my local BB stores had at least 1-2 of these the last time I stopped in.
 
Went by a single BBY to look for CoDMW2PE for the hell of it. Didn't find it (wasn't expecting to), but I was shocked to find Ao2:40thDay, Bowser's Inside Story, Saboteur, Crystal Bearers, and KH 358/2 Days. WTF were those still doing there? They were not there the day they dropped. And I recently traded for a Saboteur. That's always the way, isn't it?

I may go check the other BBYs for CoDMW2PE tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not sure I can force myself to get out for a single-guide drop.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']A single guide dropping....and on a Thursday? That's peculiar.

Can anyone verify that it's dropped?

I know both of my local BB stores had at least 1-2 of these the last time I stopped in.[/QUOTE]
When I went to buy it earlier tonight it rang up at full price, so it either didn't drop or the customer service girl quickly changed the price without me noticing. It would've had to have been some speedy finger work on her end, so I'm leaning towards the former. :cry:

Has this ever happened, where a guide is completely removed from the website but doesn't penny out?
 
Yes, all the time..some more savvy CAGs can usually alter the URL if we have certain information (ie. product numbers) but I tried typing just call of duty in a search earlier, and 4 pages of product, just not on for the hardcover guide..:lol:
 
[quote name='elrobo8']When I went to buy it earlier tonight it rang up at full price, so it either didn't drop or the customer service girl quickly changed the price without me noticing. It would've had to have been some speedy finger work on her end, so I'm leaning towards the former. :cry:

Has this ever happened, where a guide is completely removed from the website but doesn't penny out?[/QUOTE]

Wait, so have you gotten a copy of it for $0.01 or not? Or are you just thinking it dropped because it disappeared off their website? There have been many guides that disappear off the website and then become $0.01 later, but not always the same day.
 
[quote name='JediJames2']Wait, so have you gotten a copy of it for $0.01 or not? Or are you just thinking it dropped because it disappeared off their website? There have been many guides that disappear off the website and then become $0.01 later, but not always the same day.[/QUOTE]

I have not. I thought guides dropping off the website was the universal indicator for being pennied out. Live and learn.
 
oo, I want ice cream! but seriously, now you know, and thanks for trying to give a heads up in the first place! I'm beginning to wonder though if BB will do more drops or not, or if it's just the slow summer months so they don't have enough to bother with monthly drops
 
FWIW, I've heard nothing about the MW2 guide dropping.

Rest assured, I'm working all weekend so if I discover anything, y'all will know it. Seems like we're due for a small drop this month.

Also, I want some ice cream too.
 
love20icecream.gif
 
[quote name='microchip2378']Picked up Brutal Legend guide and a bunch of Prince of Persia action figures yesterday for a penny each at Gamestop.......[/QUOTE]
I knew we were missing one(or more possibly) from the recent guide drop at Gamestop. I don't think Brutal Legend is listed in the second or third post as of yet.

Can anyone else confirm before I add it?
 
That may have been a drop yesterday... I went to a couple of different GSs earlier this week and they had bundles of Brutsl Legend, and these were at GSs that never miss a beat when it comes to pulls.
 
I picked up one of each of all the Prince of Persia figures from Target clearance. I think the kid gets the little ones and I'll put the big ones on display in my game room.
 
[quote name='mvp828']That may have been a drop yesterday... I went to a couple of different GSs earlier this week and they had bundles of Brutsl Legend, and these were at GSs that never miss a beat when it comes to pulls.[/QUOTE]
I remember not seeing any copies of BL's guide at ANY of my local GS stores as of last week already.
 
damn, i been scouting the BL there forever b/c I remember the day I mistakingly thought it had pennied b/c I got all mixed up with the actual drop at BB at the time..

point being, don't count on me to scope it out b/c I already have one..however, I can confirm that I saw them at many a gamestop last week, and 3 I went to today did not have any..
 
don't mean to bump this w/ a double post, but did anyone else receive an email when those couple of penny guides stuck around on the BB website for a penny? Kingdom Hearts and something else..

Well after getting like 5 emails on my order, going back in forth, waiting a month for .02 cents to be refunded from PayPal :lol: I get an email notifying me that my order has shipped! What hilariousness!! Gonna check paypal now, but there hasn't been any activity, so I'm basically getting these for free! What irony, what great luck!
 
I went to Gamestop today hoping that God of War III (not Collector's Edition) would be on sale. It was not, it was $9.99 though, instead of the $19.99 price tag.
 
Second and third posts have been updated.

I simply added in Brutal Legend to last week's drops, since I don't recall seeing the guide in any GS stores that I knew had them prior as of last week.

Thanks to all who verified and confirmed this guide dropped.
 
yeah that works IamTheCheapestGamer, thanks for keeping the posts updated.

Also incase anyone wants them the pop figures suck. i dont normally collect things like this but figured what the hell their free. They cant even stand up on their own. Good gift for the nephew though lol.
 
Get chummy with some of the employees. Spend some time bsing and find out which ones/stores might be hurting on their numbers for pre-orders. Then go in the day you find out stuff dropped and shmooze them a bit.

It never hurts to try but if they're really hard line and don't wanna budge, then just put your wallet/Edge card away and walk back out of the store.

But if they give you a guide that pennied, then toss them a pre-order deposit of $5 or so.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Get chummy with some of the employees. Spend some time bsing and find out which ones/stores might be hurting on their numbers for pre-orders. Then go in the day you find out stuff dropped and shmooze them a bit.

It never hurts to try but if they're really hard line and don't wanna budge, then just put your wallet/Edge card away and walk back out of the store.

But if they give you a guide that pennied, then toss them a pre-order deposit of $5 or so.[/QUOTE]

yeah you'd have to be chummy with them cuz i've only been able to score TWO guides in the last 8 years that i've been doing this penny guide thang....oh hey i just noticed, is this the 3rd monday of the month cuz i've got a feeling that BB is gonna have a MEGA DROP sometime soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
i wouldn't get too excited there...a Mega Drop at BB at this point would be like 3 guides..there ain't sh*t there except for new releases (save Halo ODST and that damn SW:TFU!) plus, I believe its rogue pulls here on it from them..only chance are going to be newer stores that have just opened and maybe ones far out of town..
 
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