The Gamestop Thread

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FamedGuardian

FamedGuardian

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Current Ad is 8/22 - 8/28/18
Weekly Ad:
https://www.gamestop.com/weeklyad
 
PDF version:
https://www.gamestop.com/gs/pages/weeklyad/current/082218/pdf/OLFSI_082218.pdf
 
​Current Trade in Promos:
 

GS FAQ​
 
How many copies of a game can I trade in?
​You are allowed to trade in 4 copies of the same game (same system) within a rolling 30 day period.
 
What do I need to trade in an older console?
The console, power cable, av cable, and controller. Sometimes they don't care about USB charge cable but ymmv. 3DS XL trade would be console, charger, and stylus. Some have reported being charged a refurb fee for missing the stylus, but again ymmv (answer stolen from anarchyburger)
 
FAQ will be entered when those questions get asked frequently.
 
Does the Pro Membership B2G1 coupon apply to only games, or accessories as well?
The coupon applies to both games and accessories, per the wording on the coupon.
 
I have a $XX.xx pre-owned reward certificate, and I want to use it on a B2G1 transaction. Should I?
It depends. If the three games are equal value, do not use your certificate. The value of the certificate would be applied to the free game, which would not benefit you. If one game is more expensive, you can use the certificate to make it the same value as the other two games ($5 reward certificate applied to transaction with two $10 games and one $15 game would make all three games $10).
 
 
TERMINOLOGY AND LINGO:
ASL/SL: Assistant Store Leader, Store Leader; manager positions at GS.
B2G1: Buy two, get one free. Typically refers to the coupon you receive when becoming Pro.
GCU/BB: Gamer’s Club Unlocked, Best Buy
GS: GameStop
JD: Junior detective, an employee who is out to get someone
LP: Loss Prevention; this is the department that actually bans accounts after being flagged.
TC/TiC: Trade credit.
TIV/TV: Trade in value, or what a game currently trades for. When posting a TV for a game, always use the base value.

 
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johndoe8865os said:
What is this code? Is this Game Coin or something else?
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It's for the Guaranteed 2 Love promo, where you can trade the game back in to GS within 48 hours of its release date to get $59.99 in trade credit. The employee enters the code to boost the value from its base TIV to $59.99.

 
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Vigilante said:
It's for the Guaranteed 2 Love promo, where you can trade the game back in to GS within 48 hours of its release date to get $59.99 in trade credit. The employee enters the code to boost the value from its base TIV to $59.99.
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I never really understood why people on here are always asking about G2L - do people take advantage of preorder trade bonuses and then immediately return the game or something?

 
I’ve never used G2L but it sure sounds like an easy way to identify people that are trying to game the system. More than 2 G2L trades in a year and I would ban you. 😁
 
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I’m pretty sure the employees would prefer us to use G2L instead of canceling preorders. Everyone has always been very friendly when I’ve done it.
 
Gamestop buys game wholesale for $50. Sells it to you for 60 cash. G2L it for 60 credit. Sells preowned for $55. 

2 happy customers for 1 game. What's to flag? (unless you G2L 4 copies of Cyberpunk off one receipt I guess?)  :shock: 

 
I thought giving points for the purchase and points for the G2L trade in + refunding the purchase price + credit card transaction fees (if applicable) would be a net loss for GS. They might end up getting less than $5 under MSRP for preowned after promo deals.
 
briandadude said:
I thought giving points for the purchase and points for the G2L trade in + refunding the purchase price + credit card transaction fees (if applicable) would be a net loss for GS. They might end up getting less than $5 under MSRP for preowned after promo deals.
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I kind of did the math, and it'd probably be break-even. I don't think this will really save or destroy the company as in the business they are in, you make a lot of revenue usually on used games etc, but there are situations where you probably don't make much profit, too.
 
Not that anyone here knows for sure, but in the end I think if GameStop is still making a decent overall profit off you, your safe as long as no fraud or theft is involved.  You are still just a customer looking for a good deal rather than primarily being in it to exploit them and make money.  G2L is a weird promo, not sure how its anything but a net negative to the company.  Doubt it’s a factor in many people’s buying decision, and it absolutely can be exploited.  Wasn’t someone here banned for doing it like 9x for every game possible across multiple accounts?  Earning game coin too.  Aircobra?  I forgot about that as another reason they have banned, but it’s basically just a trade ban still?

I did G2L with some game CEs, where I knew I wanted the CE stuff, but could wait on the actual game, which would be at least 50% off within a few months.  I had them preordered a long time, so not like it was my plan, but when they offered to buy just the game back for $60 credit, sure.  Didn’t even know if it would apply since it was a CE, but it worked fine.  Not exactly what they intended it for, but in moderation I think stuff like that is ok, it’s still following their own rules.  Stacking and finding the best promos and deals, taking them up on their best offers, that’s one thing, but they have to stay in business if you want to keep doing it.  My guess is that was the basis for this recent wave of bans.  

 
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Xenogears said:
Not that anyone here knows for sure, but in the end I think if GameStop is still making a decent overall profit off you, your safe as long as no fraud or theft is involved. G2L is a weird promo, not sure how its anything but a net negative to the company. Doubt it’s a factor in many peoples buying decision, and it absolutely can be exploited. Wasn’t someone here banned for doing it like 9x for every game possible across multiple accounts? Earning game coin too. Aircobra? I forgot about that as another reason they have banned, but it’s basically just a trade ban still?

I did G2L with some game CEs, where I knew I wanted the CE stuff, but could wait on the actual game, which would be at least 50% off within a few months. I had them preordered a long time, so not like it was my plan, but when they offered to buy just the game back for $60 credit, sure. Didn’t even know if it would apply since it was a CE, but it worked fine. Not exactly what they intended it for, but in moderation I think stuff like that is ok. Stacking and finding the best promos and deals, taking them up on their best offers, that’s one thing, but they have to stay in business if you want to keep doing it. My guess is that was the basis for this recent wave of bans.
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Yeah I think the thought process or hope from gamestop is that a buyer will buy the game in cash, when they bring it back they get credit. They have now brought that customer back into the store where the customer will hopefully spend more than $60. It also gives some peace of mind to a casual gamer that if they don't like it they can bring it back and get something they do want, creating some good will.

As far as the recent bans, I have no idea, but as these are rung up as trade ins I'm sure trade bans are issued for doing this x amount of times to reach a threshold for what they feel is abusing the promo. So that could be a good theory you have.
 
Xenogears said:
Not that anyone here knows for sure, but in the end I think if GameStop is still making a decent overall profit off you, your safe as long as no fraud or theft is involved. G2L is a weird promo, not sure how its anything but a net negative to the company.
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The average G2L transaction is not done to a cag. Most G2L title purchases are not covered in full by trade credit and/or certificates. It also brings at least one additional opportunity to upsell, offer game warranties, etc.

The fact that the "refund" is 100% trade credit gives them an additional buffer, as whatever the TC will buy will normally also have some margin of profit involved.

Xenogears said:
My guess is that was the basis for this recent wave of bans.
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My guess is that accounts which did multiple orders of the $30 gc exploit were flagged for a manual review.

 
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gospelman said:
The average G2L transaction is not done to a cag. Most G2L title purchases are not covered in full by trade credit and/or certificates. It also brings at least one additional opportunity to upsell, offer game warranties, etc.

The fact that the "refund" is 100% trade credit gives them an additional buffer, as whatever the TC will buy will normally also have some margin of profit involved.

My guess is that accounts which did multiple orders of the $30 gc exploit were flagged for a manual review.
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Yeah, G2L is a different proposition to CAG than the average customer. I wonder what percentage of people actually use it as intended though. They bought a game and decide they don’t like it anymore within 1-2 days.

I think your right about some kind of manual review being involved with the recent bans, with something to flag accounts outside the normal automatic rules. Anyone banned do the exploit he’s talking about? Once it gets to a manual review, I think overall they are looking at if they make money off you or not, but who knows.

 
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Davem said:
Gamestop buys game wholesale for $50. Sells it to you for 60 cash. G2L it for 60 credit. Sells preowned for $55.

2 happy customers for 1 game. What's to flag? (unless you G2L 4 copies of Cyberpunk off one receipt I guess?) :shock:
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That’s not even what got you or me trade banned!

New AAA titles sell. Period. And with how few copies are allotted to stores beyond preorders, those g2l trades will sell just like that. Net losses, deferred revenue, etc are negligible when compared to the cost of acquiring new customers. I don’t know why this even prompted discussion.
 
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The G2L probably helps their books too. Shows up as a new game sale, trade, and eventually a used game sale. So at its surface shows up as a sale twice and not a return.
 
briandadude said:
Profit = used game sale price - trade in price.

G2L used copies make this negative.
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The thinking is someone will then trade that copy in. Or the person who brought back the G2L title will buy a bunch of stuff with low trade, high price. Who knows, but getting used games in faster and more often is how they profit.

 
Xenogears said:
I think your right about some kind of manual review being involved with the recent bans, with something to flag accounts outside the normal automatic rules. Anyone banned do the exploit he’s talking about?
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Yeah, I did it three times. My account got nuked a week or so later.

 
Wheeelson said:
It's more than likely that they finally caught on to these weirdos that "flip" thousands of dollars worth of games in a month or two span.
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GS is large enough that they probably deal with all sorts of weirdos. Weirdos that buy thousands of dollars of games during a sale to flip onto Amazon/Ebay. Weirdos that trade in freshly simmed phones for cash only. Weirdos that buy games on sale specifically to trade back in at a higher value. Each weirdo has a different value to generate specific metrics they like tracking for their shareholders.

My theory - each person that was banned likely just pissed one store manager off somehow. :shock:

Xenogears said:
Yeah, G2L is a different proposition to CAG than the average customer.
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Agreed - its more of a "I'm buying this for my kid's birthday - if he doesn't like it I can come back and switch it for a game he actually wants". Of course, only GS knows the value of G2L on their books. We just like it as a points outlet or promo participation award. :dunce:

jooksingjie said:
That’s not even what got you or me trade banned!
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I still don't know! :bomb:

 
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Yeah they lose out initially by taking the game back at $60... but then you get a gift card that you can't use anywhere else but at GS. You then buy something overpriced from them and they profit.

 
I don't think the guys buying stuff during the 50% off and such sales then flipping them on Amazon ebay and such for a profit qualifies as a weirdo.

Hell I have even done that for a few games like Ys 8 and fairy tail while trying to get a complete copy. Bought 13 or so Ys 8 copies before I managed to get 1 complete one. Sold them for 45-90 bucks for the rejects.
 
shadowysea07 said:
I don't think the guys buying stuff during the 50% off and such sales then flipping them on Amazon ebay and such for a profit qualifies as a weirdo.

Hell I have even done that for a few games like Ys 8 and fairy tail while trying to get a complete copy. Bought 13 or so Ys 8 copies before I managed to get 1 complete one. Sold them for 45-90 bucks for the rejects.
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Keep in mind the person who made that comment has nothing better to do than keep making new accounts after they keep getting banned here...
 
DisGonnaBeGood said:
Keep in mind the person who made that comment has nothing better to do than keep making new accounts after they keep getting banned here...
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I think you may be getting the names mixed up. Dave aka IAmTheCheapestGamer is banned and keeps making burner accounts that end up banned. Davem has been a CAG since 2019 and to my knowledge has never been so much as temp banned.

I see the midweek trade value drop happened today. Checked a couple of games and they dropped from $15 to $13 base.

Edit: Ignore that top portion. Didn't realize that DisGonnaBeGood was referring to the comment above Davem's post.

 
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So Returnal has $10 game coin, I’ve never used game coin before, what’s the date range on that typically for you to use? I would just use it in RE8 or ME a few weeks later
 
bonesawisready said:
So Returnal has $10 game coin, I’ve never used game coin before, what’s the date range on that typically for you to use? I would just use it in RE8 or ME a few weeks later
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extremely slim like 1 week
i think its supposed to be for 2 but dont believe their lies
 
I sincerely apologize if this has been clarified before, I couldn't find any specific info on this:

So do you only get the Gamecoin with in-store purchase, or can ordering online work too?
 
Access Denied. you dont have permission to access gamestop.com/search on this server

Anyone know why I would get this message? Or how I can go about getting back on gamestops website?
 
How early can you renew your Pro? Mine only expires in September, but I'd love the Pro Days bonus 10k points. I guess there will be a Pro Day between now and then as well.

 
Just saw the pro day ad, and in regards to trade ins they’re having $50 extra credit on system trades Switch/PS4/5,Xbox One, Series S/X.

Also $5 extra credit on “any” PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One games. Doesn’t seem to be any restrictions in regards to minimum trade amount beforehand. I could be wrong, but the wording includes “ANY”.
 
tenzor said:
Just saw the pro day ad, and in regards to trade ins they’re having $50 extra credit on system trades Switch/PS4/5,Xbox One, Series S/X.

Also $5 extra credit on “any” PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One games. Doesn’t seem to be any restrictions in regards to minimum trade amount beforehand. I could be wrong, but the wording includes “ANY”.
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Is there an ad posted somewhere? +5 on "any" would be huge. And pretty terrible for employees working that day...

 
Kuros said:
Interesting to run the 50% and +5 at the same time. I doubt they stack though.
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It won’t stack unless the computer glitches and does it by error, but both deals already have the fine print saying “ Cannot be combined with any other offer.”

Either way, if the “any” games turns out correct, it will still be great to unload all those games that don’t benefit well with the % trades.
 
TheLegendofTyler said:
Any chance you can take a picture of the other pages?
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I was only able to take a picture of that page since I was in a hurry, and that was the most important deal to me. I’m not working again until next week, but the flyer should be up today officially like around 9pm PST (Friday)
 
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