Did I get ripped off?

[WiseSalesman]

Now, I'll grant you that I haven't purchased that many games for my GBA (three, to be exact), but this seemed odd to me.

Today, I headed to my local gamestop to pre-order FF Tactics Advance, and I told the guy I would just pay the whole cost now, so I wouldn't have to worry about that when I picked it up. I expected to put down about $30 for a new GBA game. Instead, the total, including 8% sales tax came to $43.19.

Does this store just charge too much? Or is this normal?

If this is the price that new GBA games are going to be selling for from now one, I think Nintendo's making a big mistake, and I worry about their future success in the market. I know one of my main incentives for picking up a GB Player (which I haven't purchased yet) was that GBA games are so much cheaper than GCN games. But if I'm only paying $10 less per game, I'm going to feel like I'm getting ripped off, and would probably rather put the money towards GC or PS2 games.

[SoulBlazer]

I pre ordered that game also, but I only put down $5. $40 DOES seem a lot for a GBA game, but perhaps the game is big enough in size to warrent the extra cost.

[Bratwurst]

I've yet to find a Gameboy Advance game not marked to 25-20 at some point during its retail life somewhere. I don't bother with preorders unless they GIVE ME SHIT.*

* Not real shit.

[WiseSalesman]

I usually don't either, but it's important that i get a copy of this particular game on launch day.

[mikeetler]

Wholesale is in the upper $20's for Tactics. A number of stores will most likely shelf it at $34.99, in fact ebgames has that price on their web site already.

While a good number of GBA games are now shipping with $19.99 shelf prices, there are still a fair share of $29.99 retails coming out (most Nintendo direct titles, the Sonic games and others).

[Achika]

When the GBA first debuted, games were usually starting at about $35-40. About 20% of them may have been at $30, but those were many of the titles NO ONE was picking up. It wasn't until about 6 months or so later that 90% of the games were being released at $30

For that particular game though, it sounds resonable. My guess is when you go to pick it up, it may have dropped to $35.

PS. wether you put $5 or $40 down, you don't jump to the head of the line. The shipping department doesn't look at what you put down, just that you did.

[WiseSalesman]

PS. wether you put $5 or $40 down, you don't jump to the head of the line. The shipping department doesn't look at what you put down, just that you did.

I know that. I just like to put all my money down at once so that I don't have to worry about money when I go up to get the game.


For that particular game though, it sounds resonable. My guess is when you go to pick it up, it may have dropped to $35.

Interesting. What would they do in that case? Refund me $5? Give me store credit?

[SoulBlazer]

I see someone else can't wait to get their hands on this game either. :D

Final Fantasy + strategy tactical game + 'modern' game story = pure gaming bliss. :-D

[Achika]

PS. wether you put $5 or $40 down, you don't jump to the head of the line. The shipping department doesn't look at what you put down, just that you did.

I know that. I just like to put all my money down at once so that I don't have to worry about money when I go up to get the game.

The way you said "getting that game on that day" made it sound like you thought the above theory to be true, that's all. :)



For that particular game though, it sounds resonable. My guess is when you go to pick it up, it may have dropped to $35.

Interesting. What would they do in that case? Refund me $5? Give me store credit?

If you have your reserve ticket that shows funds taken in as cash, they should give you cash back. If you don't have it....then I'm going to assume it will be store credit, atleast that's how it is around here.

[Digital Database]

Heh, I too am looking forward to this game, about 2 weeks ago I preordered it and paid in full, the price for me came out to $38.13 at a local Gamestop.

I don't buy many new games, but for this game, this mammoth of a game I had to ake an exception.

I can't wait till September 9th! 8-)

[The Manimal]

Nintendo Power has a special that for $60, you get a one year subscription, FFTA, FFTA Official Strategy Guide, GBA SP Headphones, and a $10 off coupon towards a GBA SP.

Actually not too bad. I'm on my second issue of the subscription right now, so why are they sending me renewal stuff already? $20/yr subscription plus free Strategy Guide is the normal deal. Headphones are no biggie. But $40 for FFTA plus a $10 coupon for a GBA SP is not too shabby.



8% sales tax. Wasn't it 7% a year ago?

[WiseSalesman]

It was 7% a couple of months ago. They just raised it. Ohio also added a new additional tax on both cosmetics and gas. :roll:

Yeah, figure that out.

@achika: Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

@soulblazer: Actually, my main reason for looking forward to it si that Final Fantasy Tactics is probably my favorite game of all time. And, actually, I'm not too thrilled so far about the story, and even less thrilled about the "kid-ifying" of the game. Normally I wouldn't give a damn, but in a story based game, it's kinds of important that the storyline is ALLOWED to deal with mature concepts, like death. One of the most interesting things about the original FFT.....there was all sorts of betrayal and backastabbing, and sometimes, as you'd enter a battle and they'd be setting up the storyline for it, you'd just hear screams and see a small battalion getting slaughtered as you walk in to back them up. Now THAT was cool. So far, I don't know about the whole "Final Fantasy meets the Neverending Story" motif. But we'll see. It won't keep me from buying it, obviously. ;)

[Achika]

Nintendo Power has a special that for $60, you get a one year subscription, FFTA, FFTA Official Strategy Guide, GBA SP Headphones, and a $10 off coupon towards a GBA SP.

Actually not too bad. I'm on my second issue of the subscription right now, so why are they sending me renewal stuff already? $20/yr subscription plus free Strategy Guide is the normal deal. Headphones are no biggie. But $40 for FFTA plus a $10 coupon for a GBA SP is not too shabby.



8% sales tax. Wasn't it 7% a year ago?

Same here, but I've been subscribing for over a decade and they usually do that when there's some big promotion (they did it with ruby/sapphire). If you do the deal, they just tack on another year when the current sub runs out.

Anotherfluke told me only to subscribe in yearly lots. It's a tad more expensive, but you get the free stuff and sometimes they are exclusives (the SP headphones...donkey kong controller for 64 rings a bell too)

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I try NOT to learn too much about stories for RPG's, but from what I heard about the story for FFTA is that a bunch of kids in the modern world (AKA present day, which is NOT done that much in the world of RPG's, Persona being the only other series I can think off that does that) find a book called Final Fantasy and get sucked into a fantasy world. And I love FFT as well (next to Front Mission 3 and Vanguard Bandits as the best strategy-tactics games) so of course I'd buy this. :) Graphics look wonderfull for the GBA and it's susposed to be a challenging game. And yes, FFT had a great story, but it WAS rather depressing, especily the ending. Still, with both my GBA SP and Game Boy Player begging for a new game, can't wait. :D

[Anonymous]

Nintendo Power has a special that for $60, you get a one year subscription, FFTA, FFTA Official Strategy Guide, GBA SP Headphones, and a $10 off coupon towards a GBA SP.

Actually not too bad. I'm on my second issue of the subscription right now, so why are they sending me renewal stuff already? $20/yr subscription plus free Strategy Guide is the normal deal. Headphones are no biggie. But $40 for FFTA plus a $10 coupon for a GBA SP is not too shabby.



8% sales tax. Wasn't it 7% a year ago?

Same here, but I've been subscribing for over a decade and they usually do that when there's some big promotion (they did it with ruby/sapphire). If you do the deal, they just tack on another year when the current sub runs out.

Anotherfluke told me only to subscribe in yearly lots. It's a tad more expensive, but you get the free stuff and sometimes they are exclusives (the SP headphones...donkey kong controller for 64 rings a bell too)
What they said.

[The Unknown Gamer]

Let me give you some advice, don't preorder. Lately to me it seems that
most places that take preorders are jacking up there prices...at least when it first comes out. Like some video stores, Take Suncoast for example The Simpson season 3 box set has just come out. They were taking preorders
on a total price of $49.99. I bought the same set at Target on sale for $35.95. Take my advice shop around, it makes no differance if its a game or a video there is always some place cheaper to be found. I heard those same words at EB Games just the other day.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I know I get the same price if I pre-order or not.

There's two reasons why I pre-order these days -- to make sure I can get a popular game on the first day it comes out, and because they call me when it comes in. I'm so busy these days, and release dates so often get pushed back, that I can't keep track of them all. :) Plus I have about a dozen games on my pre-order list at my local EB for the rest of the year -- let them deal with it! :D

[SoulBlazer]

Wiseman,

Where did you pre-order FFTA at?

I just got back from going to my local EB (there are no GameSpots around here) and they are REALLY pushing the game with a large display model box and smaller box copies. Not the actuall back -- I mean, why would Rikku from FFX be in the game? :D -- but enough to get a good sence of what it is.

And the sticker on the front clearly said $29.95.

Looks like they think the game will be $40. Make sure you get a refund when you get the game on the 9th.

BTW, how are you going to play it -- GBA SP or Game Boy Player? Or both? LOL

[WiseSalesman]

Sp. As mentioned, I haven't picked up a GB Player yet, though I've been mulling over it for awhile. I'll have to keep an eye onGBA game prices, as one of my main motivations for getting it would be "cheaper games to play through", therefore offsetting the cost of the player.

To the people advising me not to preorder, it is important that I have this particular game on launch day. Any other game, it wouldn't matter, and i wouldn't have bothered with a preoder. I get to see my best friend a total of about five weeks per year, and he happens to be coming down the weekend of the 19th. We have an agreement to have an FFTA battle at that time. Therefore, it's absolutely imperative that I have the game, and be a little bit into it, by the time he gets here.

[Lady Jaye]

It's a game I also plan on picking up on release date (or close to it), except that I won't go to a store to buy it (taking advantage of my employee rebate at work since I work for the CompuSmart/Compucentre chains).

[Anonymous]

While we're talking pre-orders, the posts made by Gabriel at Penny Arcade really got my blood boiling. Here is the link to the posts, scroll down to the post titled "From The Inside" to read about "Teaching the customers a lesson" about pre ordering. I have a feeling the happens in cities more often than it does in rural areas. Prepare to be mad.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2003-08-29

Here is a quote:


It gets worse. Sometimes managers will instruct their employees not to sell a game that the person didn't reserve in order to "teach the customer a lesson" about reserving games. What I'm saying here is that it's very possible that there was a small stack of Otogi copies behind the counter that no one would sell you because they want you to reserve your games in the future.

[SoulBlazer]

I'm glad they don't do that at my local EB. I walked in to pick up my pre-ordered copy of a PC game (Republic, as it so happens to turn out :) ) and asked if they had extra copies of F-Zero. 10 seconds later, had that in my hands as well.

Personaly, I don't mind pre-ordering, as I've said and explained in other threads. It seems stores are abusing the policy, though. On the other hand, there are THOUSANDS of games coming out a year and you can't have all of them in one tiny store -- that's what the Net is for. Some kind of system has to be used to guage intrest and pre-ordering is the best one, at least for the forseeable future.

[WiseSalesman]

If I ever find out some motherfucker is dicking me over to make their performance review look better, I will immediately obliterate their nose (the manager, not the register biscuit).

[Captain Wrong]

Ahh...the joys of not giving a shit about the current generation of games just increased by one. :P


Seriously tho, that's some shady dealing going on there.

[Lady Jaye]

Thanks for linking to Friday's PA news. I usually read PA on the day that new strips are out, so I often miss out on stuff like that (Gabe in particular takes some time to post in the news section).