Gamestop: Used Games Provide Billions for Publishers

[Duffy13]

It appears to come down to pointing fingers, if I had to blindly believe one of the two sides it would be the publishers because they have their shipped units to reference. That said I don't really trust them.

The fact of the matter is without hard numbers being given freely it's hard to say how much any particular practice is impacting the industry. Quoting tidbits like "70% of turn-ins are used on new games" doesn't really tell us much.

I would like to know the breakdown of new vs. used sales, then break that down to include what portion is store credit from turn-ins. Add in inventory ordering habits and tracking of the most popular games (new/used) copies to see the ongoing picture. That would all be useful information. Random out of context stats or anecdotal stories don't tell us anything or give information to the debate.

This is true of either side.

 

[Epona]

no offense, but their policies are directly opposed to what their president says. they encourage used sales, to the point of second-guessing their customers' decisions if they want to buy new.

my story: bought a PS3 new last year. explicitly stated i wanted new copies of god of war 3 and demon's souls (both retail at $20 greatest hits editions). was asked by the employee if i wanted the used copies for $18 and after saying no, she assured me that the discs were fine, and i had to again repeat that i wanted the new copies. she grumbled and got me the new copies. i finished my transaction but was furious.

i mean, i didn't say 'i want X'. i said 'i want a new copy of X' and i can understand asking once if i'd want a used copy for $2 less, but the fact she asked me again pissed me off to no end. read your fucking customers: if someone comes in and asks explicitly for something, you don't question them, you get what they ask for (unless they didn't have it). i doubt this girl would have continued to pester me to buy used if there wasn't some story or company incentive for her to get me to buy used.

That doesn't happen at my local stores. Anyway, Gamestop pushes pre-orders (those are new) and Gamestop is always running a special where you get more if you put it towards a pre-order or a recently released NEW game.

Here's the special right now:

Power Trade: Get a 30% trade bonus on any games traded toward a new copy of: Darksiders II, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Madden NFL 13, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron


Anything else you would like to say about them pushing used games?

 

[Killing_Time]

But what about if people buy used games and sell them later to buy more used games? It happens a lot, since new games usually take awhile to go down in price and since Gamestop always has deals for buying used products. In that case the publisher literally does not see a single cent from the purchase of their product. Which seems kinda unfair since they usually worked pretty hard to make it. But it doesn't effect me personally since I recently switched to PC gaming

 

[Epona]

I buy used games and new ones. I trade in games to buy new ones. I also have a Gamestop near me that cares about it's customers. But I can't ignore that most people who post about Gamestop have had bad encounters with their local shop.

Thanks Gamestop. I hope you can do more (like not hiring dickheads?) to help gamers and the industry.

Most people have had encounters at all kinds of stores from Wal Mart to McDonalds.

 

[Epona]

But what about if people buy used games and sell them later to buy more used games? It happens a lot, since new games usually take awhile to go down in price and since Gamestop always has deals for buying used products. In that case the publisher literally does not see a single cent from the purchase of their product. Which seems kinda unfair since they usually worked pretty hard to make it. But it doesn't effect me personally since I recently switched to PC gaming

Why is it unfair? I am sure factory workers worked hard building my car, couch, stove, refrigerator, television and so on. Should they get a cut when I sell these things on?

You know, I haven't bought a CD in years but once upon a time I sold all of my CD's, should I have had to give money to the record companies?

 

[cidbahamut]

We are all about gaming," Raines says. "I play four hours of videogames a week.

Is anyone else having trouble taking this guy seriously? 4 hours a week makes you really into video games? What?

 

[Shinsei-J]

I'm 17 and I find it hard to log an hour a day too, where the hell do these people find this time?
I mean if I get a day off I might play for 8 hours straight to catch up a little but christ 4 hours a day? Every day?

You serious? even when I had a job logging 3-4 hours a day wasn't all that difficult.

If he's "really" into gaming then 40 minutes a day shouldn't be very challenging. You spend roughly 4 hours on the can each week... This is obviously the case of some guy pulling a random number out of his ass that he thought would impress people. Not everybody has a lot of time on their hands, but there's no point in professing your dedication to something when you're not even committed enough to dedicate an hour a day.

while playing 4 hours a week it should take him anything from 2 weeks till several months to finish a game. A snail's pace. And while there's no requisite that you have to be a voracious gamer that plows through several games a week, you should at least set aside some time to do the thing you're supposedly so "serious" about.

In my defence I'm taking a course, working and chronically ill so I do kinda see where people find this time, I just didn't think about that at the time of commenting. I don't know how busy he is though and I do agree with you that it's probably just a number he pulled out of his ass. I assume his comments about the employees being gamers is most likely correct and just because he pulled a number from his ass doesn't mean he doesn't play games.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I definitely think there should be a used market but Gamestop should definitely NOT be in charge of it like they are.

Their gouging has made used games only $2 short of new and at that point they are cannibalizing the market. Here's how: most gamers have a limited amount of money they will spend on games. If a used game is around $10 it's not going to cut into the budget so much; that's an impulse buy. A used game that is $57.99 is taking the place of a new game purchase in the consumer's budget, especially when the retailer limits their stock of new games & sells opened games at new price as gamestop is known to do.

It appears to come down to pointing fingers, if I had to blindly believe one of the two sides it would be the publishers because they have their shipped units to reference. That said I don't really trust them.

The fact of the matter is without hard numbers being given freely it's hard to say how much any particular practice is impacting the industry. Quoting tidbits like "70% of turn-ins are used on new games" doesn't really tell us much.

I would like to know the breakdown of new vs. used sales, then break that down to include what portion is store credit from turn-ins. Add in inventory ordering habits and tracking of the most popular games (new/used) copies to see the ongoing picture. That would all be useful information. Random out of context stats or anecdotal stories don't tell us anything or give information to the debate.

This is true of either side.

Both publishers and gamestop are completely full of shit. The used market is just an excuse for publishers to pull nickel & dime schemes and isn't cutting into their bottom line as much as they'd like you to believe. There are plenty of real reasons why some of them are doing poorly. At the same time, Gamestop does all it can to sell used games (at next to new prices) rather than new games because that's where they make most their profit.
If you're going to pick a side, why don't you pick the side of the consumer? After all, that's what you are.

 

[ultrabiome]

This is something that should be fairly obvious to anybody with half a brain.

no offense, but their policies are directly opposed to what their president says. they encourage used sales, to the point of second-guessing their customers' decisions if they want to buy new.

Their policies also promote the sale of new games. Gamestop has always offered a considerable amount more in credit when you are trading in games towards a NEW game. They always have large signs promoting trade ins towards new recently released games. They also always ask about preorders which surprise surprise involve new game sales.

true, i won't deny that they do that for pre-orders or just released games. after a few weeks though, when sales of the $50-$60 games drop and so does the price, they push the used games hard.

they are promoting buying new games with money traded in from older games that they will resell at higher prices for more profit.

it's no secret that gamestop makes more money off of their used sales than new. if they didn't, they wouldn't have half or more of the store shelf space for pre-owned games. if they didn't sell new though, they'd lose the source of all of their used games.

 

[Epona]

no offense, but their policies are directly opposed to what their president says. they encourage used sales, to the point of second-guessing their customers' decisions if they want to buy new.

my story: bought a PS3 new last year. explicitly stated i wanted new copies of god of war 3 and demon's souls (both retail at $20 greatest hits editions). was asked by the employee if i wanted the used copies for $18 and after saying no, she assured me that the discs were fine, and i had to again repeat that i wanted the new copies. she grumbled and got me the new copies. i finished my transaction but was furious.

i mean, i didn't say 'i want X'. i said 'i want a new copy of X' and i can understand asking once if i'd want a used copy for $2 less, but the fact she asked me again pissed me off to no end. read your fucking customers: if someone comes in and asks explicitly for something, you don't question them, you get what they ask for (unless they didn't have it). i doubt this girl would have continued to pester me to buy used if there wasn't some story or company incentive for her to get me to buy used.

That doesn't happen at my local stores. Anyway, Gamestop pushes pre-orders (those are new) and Gamestop is always running a special where you get more if you put it towards a pre-order or a recently released NEW game.

Here's the special right now:

Power Trade: Get a 30% trade bonus on any games traded toward a new copy of: Darksiders II, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Madden NFL 13, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron


Anything else you would like to say about them pushing used games?

My Gamestop has a list behind the counter going "Gamestop is currently searching for:" and a list of games that has been released recently. They do this in order to encourage people to play the games and then trade them in so they can resell them while the demand for them is high (during release hype).

Not to mention that it more or less says in the employee handbook that if a customer comes up with a new title you have as used, you are supposed to ask them if they would like to save money buying used.

Also the fact that they shrinkwrap used games and sell them as new.

That is all i want to say about them pushing used games.

Is there something wrong with a business seeking out the most valuable products so they can sell them? You act like it's a big secret, check their website, they often run specials for new releases (get $30 back in the first month). Yes, they encourage people to do business with them, so does every other business.

If there is something wrong with Gamestop trying to sell used games then there is equally something wrong with them trying to sell new games via pre-orders. I have been pushed for a pre-order every time I shop there. I have rarely been asked if I wanted a used copy instead.

Your last statement can't be backed up for every store.

 

[Epona]

no offense, but their policies are directly opposed to what their president says. they encourage used sales, to the point of second-guessing their customers' decisions if they want to buy new.

my story: bought a PS3 new last year. explicitly stated i wanted new copies of god of war 3 and demon's souls (both retail at $20 greatest hits editions). was asked by the employee if i wanted the used copies for $18 and after saying no, she assured me that the discs were fine, and i had to again repeat that i wanted the new copies. she grumbled and got me the new copies. i finished my transaction but was furious.

i mean, i didn't say 'i want X'. i said 'i want a new copy of X' and i can understand asking once if i'd want a used copy for $2 less, but the fact she asked me again pissed me off to no end. read your fucking customers: if someone comes in and asks explicitly for something, you don't question them, you get what they ask for (unless they didn't have it). i doubt this girl would have continued to pester me to buy used if there wasn't some story or company incentive for her to get me to buy used.

That doesn't happen at my local stores. Anyway, Gamestop pushes pre-orders (those are new) and Gamestop is always running a special where you get more if you put it towards a pre-order or a recently released NEW game.

Here's the special right now:

Power Trade: Get a 30% trade bonus on any games traded toward a new copy of: Darksiders II, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Madden NFL 13, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron


Anything else you would like to say about them pushing used games?

My Gamestop has a list behind the counter going "Gamestop is currently searching for:" and a list of games that has been released recently. They do this in order to encourage people to play the games and then trade them in so they can resell them while the demand for them is high (during release hype).

Not to mention that it more or less says in the employee handbook that if a customer comes up with a new title you have as used, you are supposed to ask them if they would like to save money buying used.

Also the fact that they shrinkwrap used games and sell them as new.

That is all i want to say about them pushing used games.

Is there something wrong with a business seeking out the most valuable products so they can sell them? You act like it's a big secret, check their website, they often run specials for new releases (get $30 back in the first month). Yes, they encourage people to do business with them, so does every other business.

If there is something wrong with Gamestop trying to sell used games then there is equally something wrong with them trying to sell new games via pre-orders. I have been pushed for a pre-order every time I shop there. I have rarely been asked if I wanted a used copy instead.

Your last statement can't be backed up for every store.

Well if you ask me if there was more about them pushing used games and I pointed to it. Why would you even ask that if pushing it isn't a problem as you are saying now?

But hey its just business. Then it is alright for the publisher to prevent them cannibalizing sales this way.

Let me clarify:

- They should push used games, they are a used game store
- My local stores don't push used games on me, if I bring a new box to the counter, I get a new copy. If people are too lazy to pick up a new box off the shelf and just go in and ask for a specific game, of course a used game store is going to suggest the used copy first.

No see, used sales are a good thing for an economy and consumers have a right to resell what they buy. Gamestop is doing nothing wrong by creating a business around used sales. People choose to sell their old games to Gamestop, there is no arm-twisting. Publishers trying to stop used sales, now that is anti-consumer. I am sorry if you can't see the difference.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Well they could always try making more games that are actually worth full price.

2 posts in and we already have a winner

Soooo....

If it is worth the full price that will prevent it from being resold?

i my case?

yes.

i don't, or didn't rather, i've migrated to the PC, but i don't just 'trade a game in' when I'm done with it, i trade games in when they suck. if i like them, i keep them and play them again at a later date cause .....
*gets a cane and oxygen tank*
back in my day, we didn't have steam sales, or a gamestop to trade games in, you got maybe one or two games a year, and you played THOSE to the point of mastery.