USA Used Games...

[Galant]

Okay, so unless you picked up some news somewhere this is probably only going to be relevant to, or answerable by, US residents but who knows...

EB Games, such a wonderful place with their friendly staff and nice little store. I don't ask for much in a gaming or PC store, just a sensible layout, nice, informed staff, or perhaps all in all, just a customer friendly approach to things. Here in Tucson we had a lovely EB store and it was pretty much perfect. Perhaps the best thing about it was that EB was the only game store which dealt in used PC games. I'm not one who cares about having everything shiny and new, as long as the game works and doesn't look like it's been used for stacking material in a monster truck rally I'm satisfied.

Well, it had been a few months since I'd been down to my friendly neighbourhood EB Games store and I decided to pay them visit to see if I couldn't pick up some interesting piece of gaming quality. Yet what did I find when I went down there - they'd been mugged - by Game Stop! Tyrannical gits. Not content with being a naff store themselves, they seem somehow to have gained enough money and power to buy out my beloved EB Games, and though they left the sign hanging they ripped out her soul. You know what EB Games is now? It's Game Stop in red and white with the same staff, just as friendly but emasculated and forced to be irrelevant clones with no real purpose. All they have to do is point people to games, occasionally offer an opinion, take money and hand over boxes.

Now I realise that the used game business could be a nice way to lose money, but things like used games and DVD's add a bit or personality to a store. Instead of wandering into a store and finding you could be in any one of thousands any where there could be unique differences. If I'm going to buy full price, new games, I may as well just do it online. Personally though I preferred a bit of interaction and the feeling of the gaming community. The same customers would frequent the same stores and as they brought in old games and left with new ones you'd get to know them.

Anyway, I have two things to say, the first is to ask a question - does anyone know of a US store that still takes and sells used games? Preferably available in Tucson

Secondly, if they're concerned about losing money to gits who buy games, install them, crack them and bring them back how about a store using some initiative and hosting third party exchanges. A little extra work but a good move I think. They would take used games from individual sellers, put them up on their own little rack, and when someone bought a game they could pass on the profits, minus a cut, to the seller. Of course, that could be seen as competition to their own store, but I still think it's worth a look. Building a bit of community and personality woudl be a boon to business I reckon.

[herulach]

yep, eb were pretty good until game bought them, although theyre probably 4 entirely different companies. Are there no mom and pop places around? I generally find theyre better anyway, that or do it all online.

[spazman]

Gamestation is the best UK game retailer IMHO, might have something to do with my 25% discount on new stuff and 30% on 2nd hand , they definatley have the largest selection of games for all sorts of formats, and when i asked for metriod on game cube they actually knew what i was talking about, rather than getting some smart comment about the gamecube.

[Rave]

AFAIK no game retailer in Britain (new or s/h) will give you a refund unless the game is demonstrably faulty- which IMO is fair enough. If you want to pirate games use file sharing, don't try and screw over the retailers.

My favourite game store was a place called Pink Planet in Southampton. I got proper friendly with them, possibly because I ended up blowing £100+ a month in there. Nontheless I got friendly with the guys, which helped when I returned the s/h Saturn they sold me because it had wonky video output. After a while they got bought by CEX. CEX are still a cool shop but their prices are usually top dollar, sadly. When I moved back to SE London they were about the only place I could score Jap games and accesories, so I carried on spending plenty. £80 for a Dreamcast BB adaptor (which I've never used) and Ikaruga was about my record in one hit though.

[Galant]

No independent stores around that I know have, maybe I'll have to look harder.

[XA04]

I'd have a look around at little stores, not big name type stores. They will have competition so they will lower their prices more than likely. Plus all the staff usually aren't lemmings.

[Nick]

XA04, believe it or not, its unlikely a small independant will have cheaper prices than the big chains.

The big guys have buying power to drive down the prices... the little guys don'y. This is happening right here in the UK too... and I have a piece in the pipeline about it.