Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XII(Stock locator trick FAQ added to OP)

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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!

To expand on this, if you come off as DEMANDING, then you'll likely be barred from the store and possibly banned from ALL of their stores entirely. Moreover, you may be charged with trespassing if you continue to press this, as retail stores are PRIVATE PROPERTY.

The penny price is NOT an actual price that the stores HAVE to sell the merchandise for, it is a 'marker' in their system to the employees to pull/destroy those items. The fact that we as CAG's get ANY of these means that employees are not doing their jobs correctly and we are very lucky to even get them in the first place.

So don't press your luck and ruin it for everyone by being an asshole to a manager/cashier who just wants to keep their job by doing what they're supposed to.

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 or 3) There are multiple versions of the guide and the one you grabbed is a newer version that has NOT pennied as of yet. Some examples of this are: The Godfather and Oblivion.

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).

Best Buy Stock Locator FAQ to find stock for deleted SKU's(works for games and guides):

Here's a good little trick that some of you may already know. If you want to find out if your local Best Buy has stock of an item, but the page(and SKU) for it has been deleted you can STILL find/create a stock locator page for it.

Here's how to do it:

Google the item you're looking for the SKU for. Once you find it, take that SKU and copy/paste it into the URL for another item's stock locator page on BestBuy.com after where it says skuID=(example: blahblahblahblahskuID=2085453), then hit enter to reload the page with the new SKU in place of the old one and search away.:D

Unfortunately no such method exists for Gamestop at this time.

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.

PLEASE USE THE THREAD TOOLS DROP DOWN MENU TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW THREAD, RATHER THAN WASTING A POST TO POST 'TAGGED'. THANKS!!
 
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[quote name='Richard Longfellow']Was just in a Gamestop this morning, and the 50% off guide signs were still up. Sole employee was on the phone, so I didn't ask. I don't see a sale listed on the website currently. Anybody know if it's still on this week?[/QUOTE]

don't quote me entirely on this, but when I asked when I bought my SC2 guide, I think I recall them saying it was going till like the 10th or 11th, but I guess today is the 12th, so hmm, not sure when they told me it was till. If I do get to go out today, I plan to hit up a gamestop and I'll try to get the details again on it

added this stuff..
I just called the gamestop that sold me the SC2 guide, and asked how long the sale is going on for, he said he thought it should of been done on the 10th, and they are still doing it, so now he says he's not sure and they might be doing it till the end of the month..
 
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[quote name='eau']It sounds like that zerg has put the last nail in the coffin in my/nearby district (he being in WA) :bomb:[/QUOTE]

Like I said before, not trying to start a fight, so please stop trying to bash me. As far as that statement goes, I did no such thing. I said I went to a different gamestop, replaced a guide, and guess what... They had penny guides, which they gladly gave to me for free. So that means it did nothing, I didn't do much to the DM but get a flag raised to that manager. I didn't say anything to the DM about "WTF they aren't selling me a guide for a penny. The way I worded it, made it sound like, woah there is a guide and he's not selling it to me, whats up with that?"
 
[quote name='eau']It sounds like that zerg has put the last nail in the coffin in my/nearby district (he being in WA) :bomb:[/QUOTE]

.

... :bomb: .... I thought he had said he was in the Portland area... that is why I am curious about GS district size. Anyway.
 
[quote name='Ultragamer']Ended the 10th, so it won't ring up. The employee's just haven't taken the sign down yet.[/QUOTE]

If they have a sign up, they have to honor it. At least that's been my experience. It may vary from state to state. Twice I've looked at a game when a promotional sign was still up, and in both cases the employee took it down but offered the discount anyway since it was their fault.

NONE
of the above applies to "penny" guides, since they aren't actual price drops (forgive the thread title) and don't have to be honored. They can refuse the sale or restore the original price at their discretion, like others have said.
 
[quote name='zergtillian']Like I said before, not trying to start a fight, so please stop trying to bash me. As far as that statement goes, I did no such thing. I said I went to a different gamestop, replaced a guide, and guess what... They had penny guides, which they gladly gave to me for free. So that means it did nothing, I didn't do much to the DM but get a flag raised to that manager. I didn't say anything to the DM about "WTF they aren't selling me a guide for a penny. The way I worded it, made it sound like, woah there is a guide and he's not selling it to me, whats up with that?"[/QUOTE]

SHUT. UP.

You are dense beyond belief. Just take your lumps, be quiet and this will eventually go away.
 
[quote name='neocisco']SHUT. UP.

You are dense beyond belief. Just take your lumps, be quiet and this will eventually go away.[/QUOTE]

ditto
zerg the 12 year old blogging is really getting old.
small bit of advice, be quiet and consider deleting your latest "blog" posts...

post if you have some NEW guide drop info only...

GS 50% still a go today, but may be YMMV...
 
[quote name='specialist']What's 50% off a penny? A Canadian penny?[/QUOTE]

not helping much on this question.. But I have this bathroom trivia book, that tells random answers to questions and other things of info. And in the book it says way back, they did plan to make a 1/2 cent, just it never got released, so in a way, it is 1/2 penny then =P
 
[quote name='zergtillian']not helping much on this question.. But I have this bathroom trivia book, that tells random answers to questions and other things of info. And in the book it says way back, they did plan to make a 1/2 cent, just it never got released, so in a way, it is 1/2 penny then =P[/QUOTE]


:wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall:

...sigh...and I thought a 12 year old could understand...
 
[quote name='neocisco']SHUT. UP.

You are dense beyond belief. Just take your lumps, be quiet and this will eventually go away.[/QUOTE]

you're right, sorry, I can see this is causing an uproar again. I'm done.. Doubt you guys will, or maybe mods can do it, please just delete all these recent posts about this too as well, and then for sure it'll go away I'd hope to think..
 
HAY GUYZ!! I jus grabed a SCII:LE guide for a half-penny! They were like "no" and I was like "plz?! I'ev got to go quik cuz my mom's waitin for me outside in the van" and they sed "okay." :whee:
 
I know it's not drop-related, but the discussion thread is apparently quite dead. The last big drop at BB netted me so many copies of guides that I didn't know what to do with them. Didn't get any trade requests for a while so today I took the dupes/ones I only got for trade to a little store that sells donated materials to help fund the local library. They weren't entirely sure what they'd do with the guides but figured they could give it a shot. It was tough giving up the extra hardcovers I had....but if nobody wants em, I sure don't need em!
 
[quote name='radioactivez0r']I know it's not drop-related, but the discussion thread is apparently quite dead. The last big drop at BB netted me so many copies of guides that I didn't know what to do with them. Didn't get any trade requests for a while so today I took the dupes/ones I only got for trade to a little store that sells donated materials to help fund the local library. They weren't entirely sure what they'd do with the guides but figured they could give it a shot. It was tough giving up the extra hardcovers I had....but if nobody wants em, I sure don't need em![/QUOTE]

Rather then trading did you ever offer up any of the guides for the shipping costs for those that maybe could not get any? People do not always have stuff to trade but would gladly pay shipping and a few dollars extra for your time to get some of the guides they could not.
 
[quote name='Owen']Rather then trading did you ever offer up any of the guides for the shipping costs for those that maybe could not get any? People do not always have stuff to trade but would gladly pay shipping and a few dollars extra for your time to get some of the guides they could not.[/QUOTE]

Actually, they won't. Everyone wants to dick around and expects you to lose money shipping them a guide. Ask any of us...
 
[quote name='crazedracerguy']Actually, they won't. Everyone wants to dick around and expects you to lose money shipping them a guide. Ask any of us...[/QUOTE]Not everyone does, though more than enough to have it be annoying.
 
[quote name='crazedracerguy']Actually, they won't. Everyone wants to dick around and expects you to lose money shipping them a guide. Ask any of us...[/QUOTE]
:applause::applause:

Not just guides. I've had people piss and moan over a $.20 difference in shipping between media rate and first class mail before and DEMAND I send games media rate, even after I just got done telling them that I've been told repeatedly by USPS clerks that games don't qualify for media shipping.

When I ask them if they'll pay for shipping AGAIN if the package gets inspected going media and is sent back to me, they scoff at the thought, when in fact it's their pigheadedness and cheapassery that would be to blame for the package being returned in the first place.

A while back I offered up extras of the "BB coupon glitch games" for the cost of shipping($2.80). I had a few bites but I guess those responding for the 'free' games expected me to foot the bill for FCM shipping.:roll: I was trying to be somewhat altruistic, but I'm not just a cheapassgamer I'm a brokeassgamer. So you might think the $2-3 is nothing to just give away, but not to me.
 
Whoever asked you to send a game for free should have been publicly ridiculed and outed. That's just ridiculous. Also as ridiculous are the people who ask ebay rates for stuff.
 
[quote name='confoosious']which idiot are you talking about?[/QUOTE]
he was refering to me.. I asked if anyone had a guide I'm after. I see loads others asking for them, but when I ask, its a whole different story
 
radioactivez0r - despite IATTCG's bellyaching, I've found that people are fine with paying for postage for free guides. I successfully gave away like 15 guides by just having people sending me pdfs of labels.
 
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[quote name='radioactivez0r']I know it's not drop-related, but the discussion thread is apparently quite dead. The last big drop at BB netted me so many copies of guides that I didn't know what to do with them. Didn't get any trade requests for a while so today I took the dupes/ones I only got for trade to a little store that sells donated materials to help fund the local library. They weren't entirely sure what they'd do with the guides but figured they could give it a shot. It was tough giving up the extra hardcovers I had....but if nobody wants em, I sure don't need em![/QUOTE]


OMG don't do that, they will probably find out barely nobody wants them cuz it's a library and the books will be thrown away in the trash or worse (used as kindle)! Instead let us all know by posting in the trading thread that you'll give out a good deal but need at least your shipping costs, packaging, and a little bit of gas cost covered. Then do a deal where you send say 10 guides via media mail which would cost around 5 bones and you're only asking for say 8 or 9 bucks total. I know i and many others here would jump on that deal!!
 
Many libraries sell donations they don't want at book sales, and people there would probably buy them.

I would and have gladly paid shipping for free guides - no fussing included.
 
I sold a few to Powell's Books up here in Oregon, but they and Amazon were only giving money for a very select few of what I had. Didn't realize I'd break so many hearts. Next time I'll know better.
 
[quote name='radioactivez0r']I sold a few to Powell's Books up here in Oregon, but they and Amazon were only giving money for a very select few of what I had. Didn't realize I'd break so many hearts. Next time I'll know better.[/QUOTE]


powells books is pretty amazing.
 
sorry for posting this. I will delete it shortly afterwards, seeing as this isn't drop related..
But I am curious as to how to change the headings. That meaning, how mine it says CAG in training, above me is CAG veteran, and iatcg gots speaks his mind.
So is there a way to manually change it? Or does it change overtime? Seeing as right above me (the CAG veteran) joined only a month before me..

sorry again for posting this, like I said I'll delete it shortly
 
It changes automatically to veteran after a certain number of posts/days. After a year or so, you can use a custom one.

And OMG you bumped the thread when there wasn't a drop!
 
And to stay on topic, did anyone get their guides from the BB 50% off sale around Xmas? I ordered mine on Xmas Eve, and they said it wouldn't be ready for in-store shipping pick-up for 3 weeks. Now, they send me an email saying its backordered, and my order might get cancelled. They tell me to go to their forums, where I only see several more examples of customers complaining about their BB experiences.
Anyone else have this problem?
 
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I ordered Fable 3 CE for 50% off and they're still "checking store inventory". The lame part is I've actually been in the store and they HAVE a copy sitting in their racks, but they won't let me take that one! :bomb:
 
I picked up Borderlands GOTY, among other guides, during Gamestop's sale so no big deal. GS's deal was better anyway with it being 55% off with the card.
 
Chatted with a GS employee about how awesome the PSPgo is now with the new firmware. He was super nice and gave me 3 Vanquish guides.
 
Its sad. I actually try to buy a guide from them for more than a penny, and they can't come through. I once said Best Buy would have to pay me to shop at their stores again (which they did with the Xmas reward zone certificate), and they still wont take my additional money.
This is the link they sent me to in their "3 weeks and we still cant send you what you ordered" email:
http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/BestBuy-Com/bd-p/Dotcom
As you can see, its not very encouraging :whistle2:(
Along with this:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/view/Best_Buy
Thanks for replying. Its good to know I'm not the only one getting screwed.

BTW, if anyone starts a thread on the BB forums, please link it here. I'd like to know if they do anything about it.
 
[quote name='jling84']Chatted with a GS employee about how awesome the PSPgo is now with the new firmware. He was super nice and gave me 3 Vanquish guides.[/QUOTE]

assuming thats not sarcasm, how is it better now? I more like the ones where you have to own the game. Seeing as I am more of a collector, I like having the game, not just downloaded copies..
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']I picked up Borderlands GOTY, among other guides, during Gamestop's sale so no big deal. GS's deal was better anyway with it being 55% off with the card.[/QUOTE]

What I don't get is this.. During the 50% off deal, I got the starcraft 2 guide, so it was down to about 7.50, but I asked about an extra % off seeing as I had the card, but they told me that is only if you buy the game with the guide, then it'd be an extra 10% off making it 60% So pretty much, I only got 50% off even with the card, any idea as to why it wasn't 55% off?
 
[quote name='radioactivez0r']I sold a few to Powell's Books up here in Oregon, but they and Amazon were only giving money for a very select few of what I had. Didn't realize I'd break so many hearts. Next time I'll know better.[/QUOTE]

seeing as you are in oregon, and you want to sell your spare guides.. If you haven't tried already, try hitting up cd game exchange. It is like 102nd and foster. They buy/sell/trade. Their going rate is, you get 50% in store credit, and 33% if you want cash. I know of one of the sites they go by for prices, that being half.com I called yesterday, seeing as I got a couple guides that don't pop up on half.com and they said they use other sites too as well, but not sure of those, just they told me half.com is the site they use for the most part.

They generally have some pretty rare junk in there (seeing as they tend more to try to rip you off). I bought a copy of a PS1 game called Azure Dreams for about 30 (which is the price it usually goes for on ebay) so I didn't lose out on it.

Hopefully this helps at all.
 
I ordered Borderlands and DragonQuest IX guides from BB 50% off, but I get free shipping so shipped to home. I received my copies, but my complaint is they sent a hardcover guide in a bubble mailer. Every corner was of course dented. I was able to trade it for a copy off the shelf at a B&M store.

If still waiting, I would call the 800 number and talk to a rep. I have been able to get them to change pickup stores. I simply told them where I saw stock in-store or online and they changed stores on the order accordingly. This may be YMMV depending on if the rep can see inventory at the store on their system.
 
[quote name='zergtillian']assuming thats not sarcasm, how is it better now? I more like the ones where you have to own the game. Seeing as I am more of a collector, I like having the game, not just downloaded copies..[/QUOTE]

I'm a collector as well. I have loads of PSP games, but it's nice to have a way to play all of them without changing out my UMDs over and over again and risk damaging the discs. Also the thing I love most about the PSPgo right now is that I can hook up the dualshock. I don't really use the PSPgo as a portable, it's more like a home console with a tiny screen (or a big screen if I use the component cable to hook it up to the TV). But yeah, not having my hand cramp while playing KH: BBS for 4 hours is awesome!!!
 
[quote name='drawingboard']And to stay on topic, did anyone get their guides from the BB 50% off sale around Xmas? I ordered mine on Xmas Eve, and they said it wouldn't be ready for in-store shipping pick-up for 3 weeks. Now, they send me an email saying its backordered, and my order might get cancelled. They tell me to go to their forums, where I only see several more examples of customers complaining about their BB experiences.
Anyone else have this problem?[/QUOTE]

I hate when Best Buy's website does this for backordered items. In the past I've ordered some CD's from the website, only to have the order canceled without warning saying they could not fulfill the order. Yet, I go to the local store and there are copies of the backordered item that I can't get to fulfill my order. In case you're wondering, I ordered the items when they were on sale so that's why I was hesitant about buying the more expensive store copy.
 
[quote name='drawingboard']And to stay on topic, did anyone get their guides from the BB 50% off sale around Xmas? I ordered mine on Xmas Eve, and they said it wouldn't be ready for in-store shipping pick-up for 3 weeks. Now, they send me an email saying its backordered, and my order might get cancelled. They tell me to go to their forums, where I only see several more examples of customers complaining about their BB experiences.
Anyone else have this problem?[/QUOTE]

I did order Fable 3 and Assassins Creed Brotherhood during the 50% off and got them about 2 weeks later.
 
[quote name='boneless']I did order Fable 3 and Assassins Creed Brotherhood during the 50% off and got them about 2 weeks later.[/QUOTE]

I just got another email saying mine was still on backorder :whistle2:(
BTW, its Monday and this thread was on page 6 of the deals forum. Where's the dude who always asks if there's a drop today?
 
[quote name='drawingboard']Where's the dude who always asks if there's a drop today?[/QUOTE]

You just became him. Congrats!
 
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