Opened Games with Broken Seals Sold As New

HunterZero

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OK, just need to rant on this...

I completely HATE it when games stores gut all the new sealed original packages to put the empty boxes on the shelves for other people to wipe their fingers all over, throw the disk and manual in a drawer, and don't have any stock of sealed games.

Then 9 times out of 10, the disk and manual they give you is marked/scuffed or fingerprinted, the packaging is scratched from other people handling it and store staff using their fingernails to get manuals and discs out, and the original packaging seals are torn to shreds/nowhere to be seen.

Not to mention games that have special promo codes/unlock keys that sometimes are left in the open boxes on the shelves. I saw a copy of Far Cry 2 for PC on the shelves of one store, and it still had all the keys in it for anyone to pinch!

I have expressed my disgust to the store staff, they just say, "Oh, it's because people shoplift if we put the sealed product out." So put dummy cases out that look exactly like the real thing! How hard is that? Or use security boxes and door sensors (a couple of stores do this).

I just wasted an hour trying three stores to find a sealed copy of a game, and none of them had one, they'd butchered their copies.

I am SICK OF IT! I will NEVER buy unsealed games again! An unsealed game is not new to me.

</rant>

- James
 
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The problem is, almost ALL retail games stores in Australia now do this (JB Hi-fi, EB, Dick Smith, department stores...). It's commonplace, rather than just once in a blue moon annoying, or only one retailer who does it. They ALL do it. Not only are we asked to pay $100 to $120 for new release games here in Australia, which must be the highest prices for video games anywhere in the world, it's very difficult to find anyone who still has sealed copies of a game.

And when you specifically ask for a sealed copy, they usually look at you like you're some kind of weirdo.

It's the customers who let them get away with it.

- James
 
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That does suck, then. There are a handful of places that do that here, but it's mostly just GS. If I were you, I'd be getting most of my games online. I assume Amazon has an AU site?
 
There's a site called cheap games, but they're not always that cheap.

We normally have to import games from sites like play-asia to get them genuinely cheap.

But I just want to be able to walk into a store and buy a game that's a good deal, and not molested...

- James
 
The problem is, almost ALL retail games stores in Australia now do this (JB Hi-fi, EB, Dick Smith, department stores...). It's commonplace, rather than just once in a blue moon annoying, or only one retailer who does it. They ALL do it. Not only are we asked to pay $100 to $120 for new release games here in Australia, which must be the highest prices for video games anywhere in the world, it's very difficult to find anyone who still has sealed copies of a game.

And when you specifically ask for a sealed copy, they usually look at you like you're some kind of weirdo.

It's the customers who let them get away with it.

- James

holy shit $100 to 120 for games, we need to find out some cheap fast shipping so i can get you some games , ill help you out best i can as i own a gamestore, let me know what i can do Ron
 
holy shit $100 to 120 for games, we need to find out some cheap fast shipping so i can get you some games , ill help you out best i can as i own a gamestore, let me know what i can do Ron

Thanks for the offer - but the other problem is Australian 360 consoles are PAL, and some US NTSC 360 games are region protected and won't work on a PAL console. Play-asia have a compatibility chart, and decent prices, so it's usually the option we use here.

I usually just wait until they go on sale. I rarely pay more than $50 for a game, and usually less than $30.

But sometimes, it's not an option to buy certain games here, because in Australia we're more likely to get censored versions of games, or completely miss out on games altogether because of no R18+ rating category. For example, the version of Left 4 Dead 2 that was released here was a joke. It was censored so much that it was a step backwards from the original game, and not worth playing.

- James
 
I am a big fan of Play Asia as well, which I use for Japanese imports.
 
I have had pretty good luck arguing w/ game stop employee's to get 10% off the opened games. Its not much, but it knocks it down to the used price. Droppin the "B" word on em gets good results (Best Buy - its right across the street) and theyll jump to give a little to keep the customer.
 
I have had pretty good luck arguing w/ game stop employee's to get 10% off the opened games. Its not much, but it knocks it down to the used price. Droppin the "B" word on em gets good results (Best Buy - its right across the street) and theyll jump to give a little to keep the customer.

Not true when I've tried similar tactics. And honestly, I don't care as I'd rather pay the full price at an "honest" retailer than save ~$5 from a crooked one.
 
I go to Best Buy or search ebay for new games.Gamestop can go piss off.Why would I want to buy a used copy of <insert popular recent game release here> from them for $45-$55,when I can go to Best Buy and purchase a brand new copy for about the same price,possibly cheaper.

You can also score good deals on ebay as there are tons of mega sellers who inundate ebay with mass quanities of popular titles.It sucks if you're trying to sell a copy,but great if you're trying to buy one.
 
And don't let them fool you. They let their employees take the games home and play them, so they really aren't "new."

Ahh, reminds me of my days at Babbage's so long ago. They let us do that as well. In some ways it was worse back then - we actually opened stuff up, played it, then used the shrink-wrap machine in the back of the store.

The worst was once when a customer brought in a picture (Kodak instant type) that was in his box! One of the employees accidentally scooped it up when putting the game back in the box. Fortunately, no one in the photo was in the store at that moment, and the manager just played dumb.

Oh, what memories.
 
Not true when I've tried similar tactics. And honestly, I don't care as I'd rather pay the full price at an "honest" retailer than save ~$5 from a crooked one.

Guess the manager at the one by me is just a bit more of a pushover - it basically equates to him putting in the employee discount.

Nowadays, I get more from craigslist than any store anyway.
 
Ahh, reminds me of my days at Babbage's so long ago. They let us do that as well. In some ways it was worse back then - we actually opened stuff up, played it, then used the shrink-wrap machine in the back of the store.
I remember when I used to go to SamGoody back in the day (good riddance!) and would come across a CD that was obviously not in the original wrapping, but the case seal was still intact. I always wondered about that and figured that employees likely opened them. Years later, my suspicions were confirmed by a friend who used to work at one. He said that they were allowed to break the wrapper, then open the case from the bottom so that the seal would remain in place. Apparently they had a sort of "rental" system where each employee was allowed so many per month or some shit. They would, of course, burn a copy, bring it back, shrink wrap it, and sell it as new.

What bullshit.
 
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