Gamestop looking to get back into retro games

[mailman187666]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/30/gamestop-planning-vintage-game-sales

so what do you guys think of this? an easier place for us to find our classic games? or a corporation who will be snatching the good deals out from under our noses throughout the country.

Some of the sellers at the flea markets may wind up finding it easier to trade them rather than sell to us for the $3-$5deals we are always looking to score. If Gamestop's prices are reasonable, it could work out great for us. I'm not sure what to think of this. I posted a thread about spare saturn cases earlier this week, it may make it easier to find those cheap sports games I've been looking for.

I want this to be a good thing for us collectors oh so badly.

[RCM]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/30/gamestop-planning-vintage-game-sales

so what do you guys think of this? an easier place for us to find our classic games? or a corporation who will be snatching the good deals out from under our noses throughout the country.

Some of the sellers at the flea markets may wind up finding it easier to trade them rather than sell to us for the $3-$5deals we are always looking to score. If Gamestop's prices are reasonable, it could work out great for us. I'm not sure what to think of this. I posted a thread about spare saturn cases earlier this week, it may make it easier to find those cheap sports games I've been looking for.

I want this to be a good thing for us collectors oh so badly.

Probably a good thing for collectors, esp. if they sell stuff complete, and a bad thing for independent resellers. Gamestop is in it to win it, and I wouldn't want to compete with them.

[Space-Ace-13]

I'm both really excited and worried about this. It will be another source to find the classic games we want and maybe hunt for a few deals... but I'm worried that gamestop's prices will be through the roof. Either way I'm excited for this to happen and I'll be hoping for the best

[Collector_Gaming]

I'm both really excited and worried about this. It will be another source to find the classic games we want and maybe hunt for a few deals... but I'm worried that gamestop's prices will be through the roof. Either way I'm excited for this to happen and I'll be hoping for the best

Thats the main problem i see with this.. Since gamestop will know no boundries in determining how much a copy of Super Mario World for the SNES should be sold at.. It could drive either everyone up making it harder to buy the games we want.. But in the end we'll take it and like it :|

Also as said before. Whatever Mom and pop game stores that are left will might as well start closing up shop and selling off excess inventory.

[MarioMania]

I'm thinking Gamestop wants to run other Retro Stores out of business

Soon they can't profit from Download Media, So they going after the retro crowd

[Collector_Gaming]

I'm thinking Gamestop wants to run other Retro Stores out of business

Soon they can't profit from Download Media, So they going after the retro crowd

Which is a smart move from a business stand point. But morally its wrong.. and who am I to say whats what... Business is business it ain't afraid to crack a few eggs to make a buck or 2

[BlastProcessing402]

Why don't they just bring back Funcoland.

[mailman187666]

Why don't they just bring back Funcoland.

I was thinking that maybe it wouldn't actually be Gamestop selling these games, but possibly a funcoland or a "Gamestop classic" or something like that. Then again you wouldn't have people who don't care about thier older games coming in and trading them towards the purchase of newer ones.

[Bojay1997]

I question what the size of the market for this really would be. Yes, there are literally millions of older games up on Ebay at any given time, but the overwhelming majority of them don't sell, even at really low prices. Most retro stores don't make the majority of their money off older games as I believe Joe found in running the DP store over the past few years. Frankly, this is going to be a lot of floor space for very little return.

[8bitgamer]

I figured they would do this at some point. I just hope they do it well (i.e. fair pricing, not throwing away the boxes and manuals, etc.)

[jperryss]

I figured they would do this at some point. I just hope they do it well (i.e. fair pricing, not throwing away the boxes and manuals, etc.)

Because Gamestop is known for their fair pricing and keeping components such as boxes and inserts intact. :roll:

Given their history, Gamestop will ruin classic collecting and there is no way this will end well for us collectors. I'm glad I've pretty much finished acquiring everything I've wanted to get over the past six years.

[Superman]

Here's to hoping they'll start selling Stadium Events for $0.19 again! :p

[Rickstilwell1]

Well one thing we probably don't have to worry about is them buying up boxed games from ebay sellers and screwing them up. They aren't going to pay more money for an item just to take it apart and sell it for less. I'm guessing their source is old backstock from back when they used to carry them and maybe thrift store finds (which probably means lots of junky sports games)

[Bojay1997]

Well one thing we probably don't have to worry about is them buying up boxed games from ebay sellers and screwing them up. They aren't going to pay more money for an item just to take it apart and sell it for less. I'm guessing their source is old backstock from back when they used to carry them and maybe thrift store finds (which probably means lots of junky sports games)

I kinda doubt they have much backstock from those days as most of their stores cleared classic stuff out a number of years ago and Gamestop.com followed suit more recently. Similarly, I doubt they have buyers scooping up thrift store or garage sale finds. Most likely they will simply buy bulk used stock from a distributor or start a buy back program that lasts for a few months to build stock and then distribute it nationally to individual stores which is how they have always done things previously.

[8bitgamer]

Because Gamestop is known for their fair pricing and keeping components such as boxes and inserts intact.

I hear ya.

[sloan]

I despise gamestoppo. Why not bring back Babbages or Electronics Boutique before this crappy outfit gets into the classic gaming mix.

"..specifically pointing towards GameStop's website as the destination for this new venture."

That quote from the linked article makes it sound like the mom and pop shops will have no local competition. They will be conducting the retro business through online sales.

[Gameguy]

I was thinking that maybe it wouldn't actually be Gamestop selling these games, but possibly a funcoland or a "Gamestop classic" or something like that. Then again you wouldn't have people who don't care about thier older games coming in and trading them towards the purchase of newer ones.
I'm not sure why anyone would think they'd be selling the games in their actual stores, it's like people didn't see the second sentence of the headline.

"Retail giant planning on expanding its online sales catalogue"

Note the word "online". I remember years ago they sold stuff only through their website, mostly older crap in horrible condition that they just wanted to get rid of. I'm guessing they're going to set up something similar to that only without clearance prices.

[jperryss]

I despise gamestoppo. Why not bring back Babbages or Electronics Boutique before this crappy outfit gets into the classic gaming mix.

"..specifically pointing towards GameStop's website as the destination for this new venture."

That quote from the linked article makes it sound like the mom and pop shops will have no local competition. They will be conducting the retro business through online sales.

I read it the same way and was just about to point that out.

[Trebuken]

The stores do not have room to merchandise retro-product. They really do have to get out of business on some systems.

I would not be comfortable ordering from their online store unless it is a whole new thing from them. In the past you never new what you would get. They did not value boxes or manuals and it seems unlikely they would individualize each listing on their web-site according to each copy of each game (as ebay is by each seller).

Unless they could be successful I doubt their will be any price inflation, yet I do believe price inflation could help retrogaming by adding value to older games and merchandise. If Gamestop can learn the value of a box and manual then perhaps it will benefit the hobby, and maybe get at least a little respect from their detractors.

I have shopped Gamestop for years and am not as opposed to them as some (Got Uncharted 3 Collector's Edition for $18.99 New In Box acouple days ago, originally $99.99; not all is bad at Gamestop).

[The 1 2 P]

I just hope they do it well (i.e. fair pricing, not throwing away the boxes and manuals, etc.)

I wouldn't bet on either of those things happening. I will give it a look once it's up and running but I'm pretty sure that Gamestop will start pricing their rare/valuable retro games just as high as they sell for online(which is what they do now for rare current gen games like Metroid Prime Trilogy). Although I have no problem with one more place to search thru, I'm still going to be getting the majority of my retro games from the same places I do now: yard sales, flea markets, Goodwills and thrift stores.

[Greg2600]

Am I allowed to swear on this forum? Let's see. How about FUDGE NO!!!!

Many of us, like me, who has spent countless hours trying to rehabilitate classic games and consoles that were beat to hell via Gamestop.

[j_factor]

The thing I remember most from when they still carried some older stuff in the online store is "may or may not include box and manual". Fuck. That. Noise.

[Ryudo]

Too little too late. I either go to my local shop or Play n Trade and been going to Play N Trade for 5 years. Same amount of time I quit going to Gameshit
http://www.playntrade.com/

http://www.worldsgamestore.com/

[wiggyx]

Do not like.

[thegamezmaster]

Why don't they just bring back Funcoland.


Great idea!

[NayusDante]

A GameStop moved in across the street from my local Play N Trade, and his sales shot up from all the referrals they give him for PS2-era stuff and earlier. It'd definitely a decently sized market.

Back in the 90s, distribution companies sold NES games in blister packs to K-Mart, all barcoded and prepped for easy sale. THAT'S the only way I'd trust GameStop to do retro games.

[Greg2600]

So my initial anger has worn off! I re-read the article, and it's online sales only. I have a few questions though. First of all, it sounds like GS has this massive stockpile of classic games they've been sitting on? Second, if they bothered to actually check ebay, they would realize that most everything there are pictures of the actual merchandise, NOT stock photos. What collector buys something without knowing the condition? They would have to do something like the tradengames.com website, but that requires a ton of setup. Given what I assume is a massive inventory, I don't see that happening, and thus, I don't see this being worthwhile AT ALL to retro gamers.

[goatdan]

This really means nothing. When has GameStop *ever* worked in a way that satisfies collectors? By opening new product for the floor and then selling it to you as new anyway? By putting big stickers that you couldn't peel off onto paper boxes? Or by throwing out the inserts of different stuff because it takes up too much space?

I don't know of any collector that bothers with them unless it is for new stuff, and then usually they go the Amazon route.

Also, I got no idea what they are actually thinking they are going to pull off here. I / the GOAT Store has literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of inventory now, and it's not enough to be my full time job. This is going to become an experiment by them until they realize that they simply cannot make enough profit on it to really be worth their while, and then they'll drop it quietly.

[mailman187666]

All I know is that Gamestop has lost a lot of respect from collectors/gamers/enthusiests over the past x amount of years. I think this is really the best chance they have of redeeming thier reputation. Tell me how awesome would it be if we saw threads like this on digit press

August 2014 Finds:

Checked out gamestop (online/instore whatever they end up doing) and found Gargoyle Quest 2 NES for $15 loose, thanks gamestop.

just saying I'd rather have good places rather than crappy to get games.

[FABombjoy]

This strikes me as a toe in the water from a company that is concerned about Blockbuster Video'ing. They could pull off the vintage thing but I doubt the gross profits from vintage sales could even pay their CEO's salary. The vintage gaming market is small and the subject is complex. I'm not sure how Gamestop could refit their stores to adequately support their plan, beyond their old model of simply buying and selling whatever walked in off of the street. Raines is talking boutique but Gamestop will need one helluva facelift to get there, especially going upstream against their past transgressions.

If they really make a go of it, my only concern is that whatever voodoo they choose to employ for valuation could have an affect on vintage pricing. This would only be if they make a serious attempt with a market-style eye on values, as opposed to just pulling out the old Funcoland pricing sheets.

[DeseoParadise]

I like it

I wish they sell them at low cost...

[substantial_snake]

Why don't they just bring back Funcoland.

Why the hell would you want that?

The local store here was price gouging like a shaddier proto-gamestop before it shut down. I must of just been in a bad area or something but I had very few positive experiences at Funcoland.

Anyway this is probably bad for the local game store, however finding one that doesn't ebay check every item today is quite rare so I have little sympathy for them now anyways.

[Collector_Gaming]

Why the hell would you want that?

The local store here was price gouging like a shaddier proto-gamestop before it shut down. I must of just been in a bad area or something but I had very few positive experiences at Funcoland.

Anyway this is probably bad for the local game store, however finding one that doesn't ebay check every item today is quite rare so I have little sympathy for them now anyways.

Yea but do you blame those stores for Ebay checking? I don't.. I would do the same to be honest. Your out to make money not start a museum.

Its the same way other 2nd hand shops regardless of what they sell.. If a item fetches 2k at auction you know damn well i am gonna ask 2k for it. The one thing I am sure everyone of us knows in the world of selling is you once you start going down in price you can't just turn around and go back up.

[Double Ugly]

I have serious doubts that this will benefit retro game collectors but I don't think it will hurt us either. Only time will tell.

[chrisballer]

I personally think this will be nothing more than it used to be; loose carts sold online that are way overpriced with stock photos. I see a bunch of over priced N64 games and the like available is all. I usually am not so pessimistic, but I remember the ridiculous prices they used to have at Funco-Land.

[Greg2600]

I personally think this will be nothing more than it used to be; loose carts sold online that are way overpriced with stock photos. I see a bunch of over priced N64 games and the like available is all. I usually am not so pessimistic, but I remember the ridiculous prices they used to have at Funco-Land.

Agree 100%, I saw no indication this would come to brick and mortar stores. GS doesn't have the inventory for that, and who in their right mind is going to trade in NES games there for $5 store credit when you can get 5 times that on ebay? The website will be a failure and anyone who buys from them is going to get duped, receiving a mess of a cartridge.

[substantial_snake]

Yea but do you blame those stores for Ebay checking? I don't.. I would do the same to be honest. Your out to make money not start a museum.

Its the same way other 2nd hand shops regardless of what they sell.. If a item fetches 2k at auction you know damn well i am gonna ask 2k for it. The one thing I am sure everyone of us knows in the world of selling is you once you start going down in price you can't just turn around and go back up.

Yeah I do once they started ebay checking at the register.

There is literally no point in going to there store if thats there normal policy over ordering over ebay, its a shitty business practice and one that almost every store selling retro games seems to do now. I understand why they do it but its still a shitty to price bumb at the register and turns me off of whatever I was going to buy.

[kedawa]

I have a feeling that if this has any effect on the classic game market at all, it will drive prices downward.
If they actually start taking in old games again, the credit they offer will be a pittance, and the depreciating effect that would have on value would drive prices down.
The next time some shyster tells you they can get big bucks for an old common game on ebay, you can ask him how much GS will buy it for.

[Badhornet]

After reading the article, I got the urge to drive down to my local mom and pop game store where I bought a few games.

[Jaruff]

So my initial anger has worn off! I re-read the article, and it's online sales only. I have a few questions though. First of all, it sounds like GS has this massive stockpile of classic games they've been sitting on? Second, if they bothered to actually check ebay, they would realize that most everything there are pictures of the actual merchandise, NOT stock photos. What collector buys something without knowing the condition? They would have to do something like the tradengames.com website, but that requires a ton of setup. Given what I assume is a massive inventory, I don't see that happening, and thus, I don't see this being worthwhile AT ALL to retro gamers.

They're already selling retro games (well have in the past, they're "out of stock" right now) to PUR members. The prices were outlandish, considering you can get a $10 coupon for 10k points.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-s-retro-game-vault-is-ridiculously-stupid-221067.phtml

http://www.poweruprewards.com/PUR/Index/RetroGameVault

IIRC, the cheapest thing on there was 20-30k points when I looked many months ago.

[The 1 2 P]

This is going to become an experiment by them until they realize that they simply cannot make enough profit on it to really be worth their while, and then they'll drop it quietly.

This is how I see it too. It will be no different than when Best Buy, Walmart and a few other places started selling used games only to realize they weren't making any money off of it and quietly let it die. Best Buy actually starting selling used games again(this is ttheir second go-around) but they aren't really making much money off of it. They use it more as a trade-in tactic for selling new games.

[NayusDante]

Best Buy is in dire straits right now, and they don't have a solid plan to get out. The founder is trying to buy back the company through stock acquisition at something like 150% market value. The automated used game kiosk idea they touted a while back would make more work to sort and inspect trades, but that's the OPPOSITE of what the company needs to do. I'm all for job creation, but Best Buy needs to trim the fat and focus on fewer products and services. Best Buy Mobile is a good model of that strategy.

GameStop is in a similar situation. I keep seeing existing stores getting bigger and renting out adjacent mall units to create a double-wide store. For the past few years, they've been testing all sorts of new products. First it was music CDs with a top-10 album spinner on the checkout. Now it's iOS devices. They're desperate to stay relevant in a world that's threatening their business model. None of these things stay for long. Both companies are attempting to hold their bottom line with more when they should just stick to what they're good at.

If they do a retro program, expect to see maybe a dozen titles, and expect them to be cart/disc-only. Anything more is going to be more trouble than it's worth to test, stock, and store.

[BetaWolf47]

If this means they won't be tossing out games, I'll support it. Donate a game to Goodwill, there's a chance it might just be thrown in the trash. I'd just like to know if they're going to gut games.

[Collector_Gaming]

Yeah I do once they started ebay checking at the register.

There is literally no point in going to there store if thats there normal policy over ordering over ebay, its a shitty business practice and one that almost every store selling retro games seems to do now. I understand why they do it but its still a shitty to price bumb at the register and turns me off of whatever I was going to buy.

wait wait wait..... back that up.....

So your telling me as an a example... They mark a game for 3 dollars (or 2.99 to make it sound more business style).... and you go to purchase the game and they just hop on ebay immediately like they had a second change in heart and check the price and change it on you?

[substantial_snake]

wait wait wait..... back that up.....

So your telling me as an a example... They mark a game for 3 dollars (or 2.99 to make it sound more business style).... and you go to purchase the game and they just hop on ebay immediately like they had a second change in heart and check the price and change it on you?

Yes, that's what I mean by ebay checking. I don't care if a retro store prices their items by ebay but changing prices at the register as an "oh sorry, its really X much" is bullshit.

We just had a thread on this a relatively short while ago where someone else was complaining about the same thing and its something I've only ever seen the small mom and pop shops do.

[Collector_Gaming]

Yes, that's what I mean by ebay checking. I don't care if a retro store prices their items by ebay but changing prices at the register as an "oh sorry, its really X much" is bullshit.

We just had a thread on this a relatively short while ago where someone else was complaining about the same thing and its something I've only ever seen the small mom and pop shops do.

Well if thats the case then fuck them and walk out the door and tell them have fun looking for a new job cause your business model is gonna run you into the ground.

[Greg2600]

I had a final thought on this, which I posted on AtariAge as well......

How do they restock? Are we now going to be bidding against GS buyers on ebay? Will GS start taking trade-ins at local stores? That I feel will be very painful to the few retro game stores out there, who will have their inventory sources taken away. Especially since GS is just going to put them in their mail packs back to the warehouse. I see very very little positive about this.

Now, what they could do, and may, is model the Barnes & Noble (parent company) stores which sell used books. Have you seen them? They are few and far between. You can trade in old books, although they don't take them if they have too many of that genre at the time. You don't get a ton for them. I find it very fun to browse that section though, even though the prices are usually way above Amazon. They could do this with games, but that means floor space which most GS stores don't have, they are too small.

What GS should have done years ago was to establish an ebay alternative, like the lightly used game gavel, for video games. By now, that may have had the market share over ebay. They didn't, because they're short sighted. Now they're coming running it at the last minute? Like the used BN book example, GS could make a portal for people to sell their used games and take a commission, like Amazon does, but they'd be 3rd fiddle in the game. They're only hope would be to leverage their points system somehow.

[Collector_Gaming]

That I feel will be very painful to the few retro game stores out there, who will have their inventory sources taken away. Especially since GS is just going to put them in their mail packs back to the warehouse. I see very very little positive about this.


I have a feeling Gamestop corporation gives absolutely no cares to mom and pop stores. As long as money is going in their pockets they don't care what bridges get burnt down along the way

[Robocop2]

Well if thats the case then fuck them and walk out the door and tell them have fun looking for a new job cause your business model is gonna run you into the ground.

Yes that very thing happened to me the other day. A shop here has two locations and the guy who I presume is the owner possibly told me he had a Jag and CD unit he would sell me over at their other location (inside a mall marketplace, think flea market but with AC sort of) that he would sell me for 200.00. I get over there and tell the guy running the counter and he says "that'll be 275.00" I said wait hold up I was just told 200 bucks and I get a "sorry he doesn't check prices all the time" BS. That was the only and last time I will go there.

[Tanooki]

I don't see anything good coming from this this time around from them. Gamestop has a few really obtuse corporate policies that's really going to help jam the prices up even higher. They don't believe on used games except for the current generation in keeping paper. Imagine some dumbass turning in something like say Bubble Bobble 2 complete in the box, if they don't revise that asinine policy you got one less box and manual on the market, perhaps even the little black sleeve too. The game costs too much as it is already, but what if they ended up taking in enough of the titles and just tossing the stuff out, price goes up even worse. Gamestop also in their trade-in vs priced out policies we know are pretty much bastards. They give like 5-10% on most stuff, then they go by the current market rates on games and knock like 5 bucks off the top. Do you really think you'll go into that Gamestop and again with Bubble Bobble 2 here let you get that cart they bought probably for $5 or so for $20-30? Fuck no, you'll be paying probably around $150 for the cart. They know retro is a collectors market and they'll competitively price with ebay just low enough it's easier to buy with them on a 14day warranty / return if you hate it setup vs ebay buyer protection and paying for shipping.

Gamestop getting in will likely drive up prices on the popular franchise games and the rares, the middle children is hard to say.

[kedawa]

I usually just steal from people like that.
Feels good.

[Nathander]

I'll be amazed if it helps collectors, not only in how poor Gamestop usually treats games but in the fact that they'll probably only be carrying high demand, highly published games. It could help out if you were starting a collection/had a passing interest in older games but it's unlikely they'll pick up many copies/deal in rarer older games that often. Sure there may be trade ins but who knows how poorly they're going to treat those games, along with how poor condition they might be in to begin with.

[substantial_snake]

Well if thats the case then fuck them and walk out the door and tell them have fun looking for a new job cause your business model is gonna run you into the ground.

Pretty much, I see stores that do it tend to close soon after but some of them hang on somehow year after year.

Its why I have little sympathy for mom and pop shops now. I guess you could make the argument that the industry squeezing them so hard forces their hand but I still find it inexcusable. Locally we have an alternative too in a chain that started poping up a few years ago called Disc Replay. They function like an old used Video Store from the 90's but sell pretty much any media format including games from modern to classic at usually damn good prices too. In the few around here I've seen a healthy supply of NES, SNES, Genesis, and 2600 at least in every store along with systems, controllers, etc. They usually sell their games at about 5 bucks barring a few exceptions and I have never been ebay-checked at the register when buying something

[kedawa]

Charging premium prices isn't always a bad thing, especially if you're in an area where rent is expensive, but shitty business practices are never acceptable.
Being sketchy on prices, having a dirty store and disorganized merchandise, and just having all-around lousy customer service seems to be the norm with short-lived independent game stores. I guess that applies to all kinds of unsuccessful stores, really.