Alternatives to Gamestop / EBGames / eBay?

[Nz17]

I'm sorry if this has been brought up before, but after searching the forums I could not find any mention of this topic.

A lot of us, myself included, don't like the practices of Gamestop EBGames, and would prefer to shop at an alternative game chain/store. However with almost all the national USA chains now owned by this sole corp., there seems to be no alternatives. When this Gamestop in my town opened, I was apprehensively excited, but soon those reservations were quite justified.

Even before the store's arrival I have been an online shopper for quite a while. Now while eBay is nice, it isn't the optimal place to buy new games. Sometimes you can get a deal on older and/or used games, but new stuff tends to go for more than MSRP and usually doesn't include those nice preorder bonuses.

So my question to you, my fellow Roundtable members, is where can one hope to find decent prices and preorder incentives online and in the brick and mortar world? Are there viable alternatives, or is the country's retail world being monopolized?

[rhiohki]

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 my friend.

Seriously though, if you have a Game Crazy around your area, you may want to check them out. Also, estarland was a small Brick & Mortar chain that had a small fare of stores, but now only has one store in the Northern VA area, however they still have their website (estarland.com) which is pretty good and I think they do pre-order bonsues...but correct me if I'm wrong.

EDIT: I think Game Crazy was liquidating??....If so, slim pickins man....

[googlefest1]

could any one that purchased used games from estarland post how good or bad the condition of the game disk and box was

[christhegamer]

Video game X-change, man; It just never fails for me 8-)

(btw, nice avatar :-P)

[gepeto]

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 my friend.

Seriously though, if you have a Game Crazy around your area, you may want to check them out. Also, estarland was a small Brick & Mortar chain that had a small fare of stores, but now only has one store in the Northern VA area, however they still have their website (estarland.com) which is pretty good and I think they do pre-order bonsues...but correct me if I'm wrong.

EDIT: I think Game Crazy was liquidating??....If so, slim pickins man....

Starland was a great store but I think estarland is not associated with the chain and be careful estarland has alot of complaints. When I ask the store employee about estarland they said it wasn't associated.

I must say I love gamestop there buy 2 get one free is top notch. They have there problems but no other chain gives you buy 2 used get one free plus 10% off with the card.

When they stop doing that it will be a sad day. One thing I have noticed Now they merged with Eb they do not offer it as much. I am totally hooked on that sale.

Quick question what are the practices you don't like. Maybe I am missing something?

[keiblerfan69]

Just check your yellow pages in the "VIDEO" section. There should be a sub-categorie "VIDEO GAMES", just look for shops that aren't EB/Gamestop.

[Nz17]

No, see, some of you guys are assuming I live in a situation similiar to your own. But you see, many of us don't live in the midwest/southeast United States. I myself live in a town with a population of under 10,000 people. There is only one specialty video game store, and Gamestop is it.

I appreciate people mentioning the "real" businesses that they shop at, the physical stores that are still a haven to gamers. Though I lack access to these, many other people will find this advice useful.

I would like some more online recommendations. This eStarland sounds kind of "iffy," so anyone with say-so one way or another should speak.

Anyone have any other suggestions for online stores that do preorder bonuses? Maybe this topic belongs in Modern Gaming or Buying and Selling.

[Nz17]

Gamestop conditions: This is just regurgating what others and I have said in the past, but here goes...

-Underpaid employees (minimum wage everywhere)
-Disregards personal privacy (searches the pockets of employees whenever they want to leave the store)
-Attitude that store clerks are completely disposible and thus don't care about their attitude or experience, just that they will accept minimum wage and bad conditions with no chance of advancement
-Employees are forced to use their "debit card" payment system for at least the first pay cheque, which deducts money everytime it is used. The only other option with that system is to write out a check, which needs about three activation codes, the card being activated, and a verification telephone call by the bank teller
-Policy of destroying manuals and boxes for anything that was originally shipped in cardboard or came out before PlayStation (e.g. GBA, Genesis, SNES)
-Horrible trade-in prices (example: Hello Kitty Roller Rescue. New price -- $30, used price -- $25, trade-in value: $7)
-Use of razors to open all display games, cutting the tops of the cases and thus lowering their collector's value
-Will not accept returns of new games that have been opened, regardless of the games' condition, unless for exchange of the same exact game

That's just from the top of my head. Search the forums for horror stories.

[keiblerfan69]

-Policy of destroying manuals and boxes for anything that was originally shipped in cardboard or came out before PlayStation (e.g. GBA, Genesis, SNES)


That makes me cry. I say your best bet would be to use EBAY then.

[InsaneDavid]

I think Game Crazy was liquidating??....If so, slim pickins man....

Naa, they were just clearing out a backlog of retrogames in their distribution centers, distribution channel, and stores as well as getting their inventory numbers correct and auditing their game prices. (lots of Genesis games went down while Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt carts went from 25 cents to $2.00, stuff like that)

Why not check the DigitalPress Buying and Selling thread while you're here? (be SURE to check feedback and ask questions) You can get some great deals, I picked up a perfectly working Coleco Pac-Man VFD tabletop for $10 shipped (worth about $80 after I replaced the top shell with a mint fully stickered one I had on hand). Boxed complete Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego (NES) for $12 shipped. (one of very few irregular box NES games). Heck, just yesterday I got a PSOne LCD Screen boxed complete and a slew of PS1 longbox games for $30 shipped. You can find some deals and most are happy to work out a final price. Check my thread while you're at it (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66944). :)

[Teknik_SE-R]

as for chains, Gamecrazy is a good one, although, there are a couple nice local record stores that sell anything multimedia related. They even have a bin full of broken controllers for like 2 bucks a piece, It's awesome.

Rhino Games is also another good chain (just bought by Blockbuster a couple years ago as ther "game crazy fighter" and is actually saving Blockbuster's butts financially right now). These guys keep boxes and everything. I get games CIB for cheap (below online rarity guide price) there all the time. They told me they were going to go online in the next couple years also.

We also have in my area a place called Bukoos, which is just a place where Fed-Ex sends mis-shipped/damaged items to sell at mega cheap prices. I think most, if not all, of it is new merchendise, but my friend got battlefront 2 for like $15 there. I don't know if that chain has spread nationwide yet, but If it comes to your town, its worth going to to scavenge every once in a while.


I don't usually buy new games online, but If you don't want to support Gamestop, go support your local K-wal-Ko-get (did I cover all the retail chains in that bastardized word?) every city has one of those.

[Nz17]

Upon investigation, it is indeed true that eStarland is owned and operated by Starland, regardless of what such-and-such employee may have said.

From their Web page [ http://www.estarland.com/index.asp?page=StoreLocations ]:

If you are in the Northern Virginia/ Maryland/Washington DC metropolitan area, visit our retail stores at the following locations:

Starland, Inc
Main Office:
Phone (703)941-0165
Fax (703)641-3633

eStarland.com (703)941-0165

Starland Annandale (703) 642-0813
6960 Bradlick Shopping Center
Annandale, VA 22003

Hours:
Monday through Saturday - 10am-9pm
Sunday - 12pm-5pm

Copyright © 2003-2005 Starland, Inc.


So yeah, all owned by the same company. But there are horror stories about some transactions, then?

[gepeto]

Upon investigation, it is indeed true that eStarland is owned and operated by Starland, regardless of what such-and-such employee may have said.

From their Web page [ http://www.estarland.com/index.asp?page=StoreLocations ]:

If you are in the Northern Virginia/ Maryland/Washington DC metropolitan area, visit our retail stores at the following locations:

Starland, Inc
Main Office:
Phone (703)941-0165
Fax (703)641-3633

eStarland.com (703)941-0165

Starland Annandale (703) 642-0813
6960 Bradlick Shopping Center
Annandale, VA 22003

Hours:
Monday through Saturday - 10am-9pm
Sunday - 12pm-5pm

Copyright © 2003-2005 Starland, Inc.


So yeah, all owned by the same company. But there are horror stories about some transactions, then?

Thats interesting. The funny thing is I saw thier website first. I was impressed by there over all selection of rare hard to find games. What really impressed me was there trade in credit calculator. So when I heard there was a starland store close to my house I go excited. When I arrived at the store we started talking I brought a few games in to check the tradein credit no where close to the online offer.

Then I was thinking about sending it in thats when the employees stated the non afiliation. Then I noticed the website was estarland. So I took there word for it.

The funny thing about dealing with online sellers is when you purchase rare older games it is hard to guage the condition. Some buyers are very finicky a scratch here there cancel the deal. Some sellers are eager to sell overlook belimishes. One mans hoor might be assable to another.

In the cartridege era this didn't matter as much.

Now used cd's that are scracth and resurfaced what do you do.

I personally like to inspect the cd game before purchase and I get nervous when I buy used games on ebay I have to take the sellers description word on it.

One time I won alot of sega saturn cd online. The majority of them looked like they were scraped against bricks with.

If I didn't have some weird hope of possible future recovery I would have chucked them along time ago.

And the company buy-rite didn't help the online gamestore community. They were ripping people off so bad the attorney general had to shut them down. Imagining sending in 350.00 for a turbo duo and then never getting the system or refund and getting then blown off.

Over the past 6 years I have made over 200 transactions. Up until late 2003 most have been very sucessful. But due to technological explosions ripoff are becoming more frequent. I have suffered 4 or 5 online losses That totally blew I loss a total of about 220.00. And it is becoming more than read the fine print. You can do everything right and still get ripped off. So if you are going to live online factor in the loss. Online is a lawless community. it is getting better but no where close.

[suckerpunch5]

Me and my brother have found that the local pawn shop is a really good place to find newer games for cheap. You have to be quick though! You can also look online, and try to force local stores to price match. Definitely check the pawn shops though!

[Niku-Sama]

i have got one word for you

pawn shop's

[dairugger]

here in arizona we have a store called Bookmans- they buy and sell new and used books, magazines, games, and music and movies- I dont know if theyre online, but ive found alot of great deals! everything from vintage gamefan's and EGM's to rare sega-cd and snes games.. and pawnshops and swapmeets and fleamarkets can be great, as well as yardsales- and goodwill... but like anything else theyre hit or miss.. i usually buy off ebay from a reputable seller-sometimes you pay a little more, but you get a game in good condition with spinecards,etc.. and good luck!

[Sylentwulf]

I'd LOVE to live near a game store like gamestop and EBgames. Too many people take for granted on this website living near 30 pawn shops/goodwills and 20 major chains of videogame and toy stores.

MY suggestion? You live near a gamestop. Go to it.

Personally, here's my breakdown:
walmart - 1 - 15 minutes away, 2 - 35 minutes away
TRU - 35 mins, 1 - 1 hour
EBGames - 1 - 35 minutes
Gamestop - 1 - 30 mins, 1 - 1 hour
Goodwill - 1 - 30 mins
Salvation army - 2 - 30 mins (neither EVER carries games)
Target - 1 - 30 mins
Best buy/CC - 1 - 30 mins 1 - 1 hour
Pawnshop - 1 - 30 mins (horrible place)

That's it, anything more than that is at LEAST 1.5-2 hours away from my house. I actually bought 2 games from WALMART last year just because I didn't want to drive 30+ minutes.

[JPeeples]

I'm glad to see Starland is still operating. I used to use them for my importing needs, and their prices were pretty good. Replay is another local gaming-heavy store (used to have two locations, but now it's back to one) that I snagged a lot of great bargains from. Pawn shops are a great way to get classics, as are flea markets and yard sales.