StickerPeeler Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Anybody else see that game stop is buying/selling older consoles again? I saw my local one was selling a gamecube with one controller, Super Mario Party 7 and paper mario for 120. They also had an N64 bundle that was pretty steep too. Not sure how to feel about this. Is the retro stuff coming back this well, or is modern stuff that bad? I certainly don't love any of the modern stuff like the old ones, but I also like buying twenty games at a time to play instead of 60 bucks a pop or higher for a new game. Has anybody else seen this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 This has been going on for a while now. They're trying whatever they can to stay afloat until they inevitably go the way of Blockbuster. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercoupe91 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I haven't seen it yet but it makes sense. As digital sales continue to grow, they need to continue to expand their business otherwise they will surely die. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoshiChiri Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 It's been available online for awhile now, and most collectors are very put off from buying any of it- whatever checks they're doing to see if games are working are pretty terrible... to the point that people are getting board-swapped games. I'd avoid it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickerPeeler Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hoshi, to that end, the dude behind the counter told me they were buying stuff, so of course I asked how they checked them out and he said n64s and other a/v inputs only get visual inspections. Not very reassuring to a buyer, but oh what that must mean to a dishonest seller. I'm sure they expect to get a few burns here and there, but when they just start buying cases, that's going to ruin someone's day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I'm not sure what you'd expect from their counter sales folk. Late teens, early twenties typically. They aren't going to have a clue about what to look for in the case of counterfeit stuff. I wouldn't logically expect them too, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercoupe91 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 It's been available online for awhile now, and most collectors are very put off from buying any of it- whatever checks they're doing to see if games are working are pretty terrible... to the point that people are getting board-swapped games. I'd avoid it. Ya their retro venture has been a disaster thus far but I would think that would have to change if they start selling retro stuff in the stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickerPeeler Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 I never look at their website. It just seems, well... icky. I frequent several others but theirs just doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 They are going to Finally do this,...When they could have been doing it right along? IMHO, Its Way Too Little, Way Too Late! They've been Modern Bandwagon video game (sales) lovers from the get go...Sure I've shopped there and back when they sold exactly what I was looking for, I had no reason to complain, and I have had good experiences there, but By and Large, They've almost never been there for Any purpose except to make a profit and sell you the latest and "greatest"....Before any of you defend them or say That's business...I will say I've been to many local game stores, Not where I live, of course, because we rarely have that option...But in some places there are stores where they seem to want to sell you a game that they think You will enjoy...A game that is good because good games should be what it's all about. And these type of stores tend to carry a ton of used stuff for Every system under the sun, Atari, Turbografx, SNES, NeoGeo Pocket, Vectrex...etc, (Not just PS4 haha)... When it's all about money ...Well, it's kind of like radio stations getting lucky when they play a "hit song" and it happens to also be a "good song"...If I had a radio station I'd play "Good Songs" not Just "Hit songs", if that makes sense. To me, it's the difference between seeing lots of games You want....Or being directed to look up at the monitor. After all that monitor is showing a game that just came out....If it Just Came Out, it must be "Good" right? No GameStop...No. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I have no idea where they would put that stuff, every time I go into a game stop you hardly have any walking room since its stacked floor to ceiling with overpriced merchandising (like a cracked plastic cup with a paper printout of some mario stuff sealed tween the two layers, only 18.99!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGQuarterly Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I can't even remember the last time I set foot in a GameStop. It's been literally years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I can't even remember the last time I set foot in a GameStop. It's been literally years. Me too. I used to love them in early 2000s. Last time I went in, repulsed me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 My recent experiences there have been to get SNES Classics...And other than the NES Classic and SNES Classic, the only thing they had in the whole store that would have interested me was an Atari Flashback...Only because they're GameStop and not a real video game store, they Only carried the SD Atari Flashbacks (Same as WalMart)...Funny they want to be a video game store, yet Don't even carry the HD Atari Flashbacks...Nor the Flashback that also includes paddles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I was in there recently. Aggravatingly they got an exclusive physical release right to the Stern Pinball Arcade for Nintendo Switch. I basically had no choice unless I wanted to pay a scalper online or wait a few months for a used one with enough off for me to care to buy it. Other than that I can't remember other than once in the last few years buying something, and it was a complete DS game in the case. Before that was the first black friday for the WiiU where I got Rayman for like 60% off or I'd have ignored them then too. I'll walk in, as I go by at times, but I never buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 (edited) I have only been there twice in the last decade, once when I got my wheeeee ( I didnt buy it there I just wanted some used games) and last xmass when I wanted a ceramic pokeyball mug for the wife (and the kid was shocked they sold starbucks cards ... like 30% of the store was coffee mugs and he was shocked... ugh) ok side note, went to barnes and noble, which has a starbucks IN THE STORE, and they had neither any coffee mugs or starbucks gift cards, brillant, I hate that store equally as much, they have more toys than books Edited January 22, 2018 by Osgeld 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 (edited) I usually go into the three nearby GameStops once every month or two to hunt for good deals on preowned Wii games, and I usually find at least a couple on my wants list for a fair bit less than they cost on eBay. I can't say I've ever seen any retro consoles at my local GameStops around the Twin Cities though so their availability may be a regional thing. Edited January 22, 2018 by Jin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I'd say to little to late. Its likely more a state of the current gen consoles and games than it is a desire to get into old games. Hell, Xbox one doesn't even have physical games, even snitch seems to be hardcore broken for the most part, meaning ps4 is likely my last new console I'll ever get, not that it doesn't have its own issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I wonder if LameStop will continue to discard original manuals and boxes for these? That was a wonderful way of showing care, respect, support and most importantly: understanding just who your clientele is and what they want. NOT! 'Too little, too late' has got to be the understatement of the last decade or two regarding their business acumen that way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 They've been Modern Bandwagon video game (sales) lovers from the get go...Sure I've shopped there and back when they sold exactly what I was looking for, I had no reason to complain, and I have had good experiences there, but By and Large, They've almost never been there for Any purpose except to make a profit and sell you the latest and "greatest"....Before any of you defend them or say That's business...I will say I've been to many local game stores Those local game stores fill a niche that is difficult or impossible for a large chain. The chain needs to make money and pay not only the employees, but the high rent that their prominent locations demand, and pay all the people in the district office and please the shareholders. They need to use their limited shelf space to stock the most highly demanded products they can find, or else they are squandering an opportunity. I don't love gamestop either, but given how cramped they are, I can understand why they don't stock stuff older than last gen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I have no idea where they would put that stuff, every time I go into a game stop you hardly have any walking room since its stacked floor to ceiling with overpriced merchandising (like a cracked plastic cup with a paper printout of some mario stuff sealed tween the two layers, only 18.99!) Maybe if they get rid of the non-gaming merchandise they've been stocking in the past couple years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoshiChiri Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I'm not sure what you'd expect from their counter sales folk. Late teens, early twenties typically. They aren't going to have a clue about what to look for in the case of counterfeit stuff. I wouldn't logically expect them too, either. Neither would I- but the simple truth is, if you're going to charge someone $100+ for an old, used game (and they are), you'd better be able to protect against the very simple scam of a fake sticker on a cheap football game. Couple that with people getting multiple fakes from their website (which should involve going somewhere for a more rigorous inspection), and it seems pretty damn clear they shouldn't be doing the retro thing, at least not the way they are- it's too much extra work for underpaid clerks and will only result in unhappy customers getting wrong or bootlegged games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Hoshi, to that end, the dude behind the counter told me they were buying stuff, so of course I asked how they checked them out and he said n64s and other a/v inputs only get visual inspections. Not very reassuring to a buyer, but oh what that must mean to a dishonest seller. I'm sure they expect to get a few burns here and there, but when they just start buying cases, that's going to ruin someone's day. This method is perfectly acceptable. The business can focus on pushing stuff rather than hire a $40K per year technician at each store to verify that the video out is within electrical spec. I'm pretty sure it's more cost effective to churn through 3 N64 units and simply ask the store employees to process a return. Wonder what they do with the returned units? Dumpster? Re-sell them again, in hopes the 2nd customer will use the other video output that is working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 What's to stop someone from printing up a nice 1:1 of Earthbound and slapping it on SNES Play Action Football? I know when you turn stuff in I think they take a little information, but what are the odds, they'd actually eventually find it at the main office and then prosecute? Especially if it's not a pattern but a one off scam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I think the last time I was in a GameStop was when Punch Out was released on the Wii. I wouldn't trust anything even remotely rare at these stores, especially with some of the fairly well done bootlegs coming out of China now. A local retro store would be a better option as they're generally smart enough to open rare carts. But I guess if someone lives in a city without a local store and just wants to pick up some older games and a gamecube or whatever, it's a viable option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Don't go to GameStop. You people know better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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