Gamestop Scalping Scandal.

For some reason, Xenoblade used is more expensive than Xenoblade new at Gamestop. Usually when stuff like that happened when I worked at Best Buy, they'd just change the price as soon as they could, but with Ganestop's nice, tidy monopoly on the Monado, there have been claims of people seeing employees opening copies of the new title so they could sell them used.

Gamestop, why you getting yourself in to trouble like that? Man up and fix that price.

Oi, I hadn't heard of them actually opening up new copies and treating them used.  That's messed up, especially since they've been reported to sell copies for around $90.

This article here provides hope though:  http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/14/xenoblade-and-metroid-prime-being-restocked-at-gamestop

I still have my European copy (which only cost me $40 new) but I gave away my American copy to a friend (who doesn't play it, as far as I know, which makes me feel a bit regretful giving it to her).

I haven't seen the source of the claim that Gamestop's been instructing its employees to insta-used its copies, but if their price-points are rooted in the actual cost of the game, which it looks like they are, then why is it being posted as being cheaper new than used?  Unless the new price has gone down since I last checked.

There's been a lot of bitching going on in the Xenoblade tag about it. People who've had the game for years are sick of it a little bit, some are all like "if you really wanted it, why did you aait so long?"

While I am waiting for proof of the pre-owned status being applied to games before they actually are pre-owned, some jrpg people are just laid back and or waiting for the mainstream craze to die down a little bit.  I waited way too long to get Lunar Silver Star Story and was upset that I couldn't get a collector's edition a year after its release, but I was also really dumb about it and I feel terrible for giving the person at the desk flak for it.  

I guess I'm just disappointed that Gamestop is making it difficult for new fans to get in to the series, because I love Monolith and I want more success for them.

katimus_prime wrote:I guess I'm just disappointed that Gamestop is making it difficult for new fans to get in to the series, because I love Monolith and I want more success for them.

It's a shame, really. Still, the situation is shitty and I hope americans will be able to buy the game at a fair price soon. What Gamestop is doing is pretty much thief.

Also, I don't think being owned by Nintendo will ever work for Monolith Soft in term of popularity, unfortunately (look at how the wiiU is doing, look at the poor marketing at Nintendo *I think they marketed Xenoblade alright in Europe but in the US... yeah... also Iwata, Nintendo's CEO, doesn't seem very competitive from what I read*). So much for being like Bethesda. I don't see "X" ever selling like Skyrim.

For me it's strange when used copy is more worth then new one. I don't know, it's still possible to buy new Xenoblade in America or not? Because if yes then it's even more crazy.

I checked prices on my Polish "Allegro" (It's something like ebay here) and holy chaos, price is really high, almost 200% of what it was at start. I may search in online shops but maybe I would find new copy in normal price...

Well nintendo isn't good with promote things, Xenoblade wasn't really promoted, not before publishing of game, no after that, no poster, no figures, no something that would warm up a fanbase.

Only nice promote serie right now it's Tales of in my opinion, but only in Japan. They have festivals, magazine, cafe with dishes from games, tons of figures, mangas, posters etc.
For rest of world it's bad, I heard that Tales of the Abyss port to 3DS has so little copies that it was almost impossible to get. I didn't bother with English ver of Graces and Xillia because I have Japan copies and no money for more. Anyway because of that I think I will buy Tales of Symphonia port for ps3 (even if I'm not sure I will rebuy new ps3) because I'm worry that if I will wait I won't be able to buy it later.

I think only no-problem games (from japan) with number of copies is Final Fantasy and KH series.

I think Nintendo's biggest problem is that it thinks it can sell itself, but between Nintendo not being compeditive with the HD and online scenes, it's kind of become the kiddie console.

And as much as I adore Monolith and I'm really glad they're still standing, it is a really bold goal to hope to sell like Skyrim on a console like the WiiU. Almost all of Bethesda's games are designed with the pc in mind, then the consoles (all of them, except the wii). However, Bethsoft is not infallible. There was this game called Brink once. It was terrible.

Anyway, for a game I fully expected to get as rare as the Persona games 3 months after its original release, at least the bad publicity is giving it a little bit more spotlight?

Meh, nobody will buy it at that price, at least, they'll just pirate it. Which sucks. But at least people are playing it.

The think i find it hard to believe is why is pre-owned more expensive? If the game is truly pre-owned then they make like 75% profit if they sell them for cheaper than the new version.
The new versions sold at less of a margin, by degrading the resale value by opening it, they are essentially throwing away money and sowing distrust in customers who see pre-owned copies more expensive than the new ones.
To me it seems like lunacy, absolutely lunacy to sell the new-preowned copies, for higher than the new ones. Just increase the price of the new ones? And if that makes people go to the pre-owned ones, then OMG, MORE PROFIT TO YOU? I don't get it.

Also random fact. Monolithsoft helped work on the graphics for both Animal Crossing New Addiction, and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Bored. Seriously.

I wish I could buy few packs of Xenoblade to sold it right now XD I would made some money in this way XD.
But David has right, people rather then buy it will download iso from net.

I guess from the standpoint of someone whose only emulation experience has been for super old school systems like the NES and SNES, and stuff with the R4 on the DS, it kind of blows my mind that a computer can run a console game.  I guess I've just never owned a computer good enough to handle it.  Being a bit of a have-not in this situation, I would have no idea how to pirate it unless I was walked through like a toddler and shown what to do every step of the way, and I'm generally pretty smart.  A lot of my other friends that I know that are hardxcore nintendo gamers...not so smart.  They just want something to work as described right out of the box.

That being said, a bunch of people are still buying it.  >_>

Gamestop turns 100% profit on selling used games, because all the money goes straight to them.  As a retailer, they have to pay for the new copies, and they do give a couple bucks (usually measly) to people who trade in their games.  Xenoblade's inflated used price was caused by some sort of weird rarity equation in their systems, but I'd think with so much press by now, the price would have gone down.

But thats what i don't get! They are opening copies the company paid money for, and selling them as used, at a higher price, so their profit margin is lower than if it was actually used? Why not just raise the price of the new version and the preowned version?
But then people would buy the preowned version if the new version was a little bit less, but it isn't? Unless they are literally no 'new' copies left.

Well you can use Dolphin on a PC or load it up on the Wii itself. Not going into the specifics and piracy is a bit of a subject i don't want to subject this board to as you undoubtedly don't support it, but its almost as easy as PSP, in fact its only a little harder than buying a R4 card, which in the UK are a banned export now xD

Looks like they cut the price down by 10 bucks. Still an outrage though.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I explained that right.  >_<

It'll take longer than I have time for today to explain it correct, so I'll take another crack at it tomorrow.

Anyway, it's definitely not that I oppose emulation.  I was just saying I am absolute crap at learning how to handle any of the bigger emulators.  I myself only have a mac, too (my husband has a PC, but I don't like to touch it if I don't have to), and that's another bar to my getting anywhere learning a little more.  (I may or may not have started a thread in the General Discussion board for people interested in talking about emulation privately.)

Sorry, i want meaning that you oppose it, its just generally forums don't let member discuss it as it can put them in a difficult position legally, as emulation itself itsn't legal but the rest is, and i didn't want to do that xD

I get what you mean, by making everything pre-owned, they remove the new games, and that ramp up to price to such a degree that its making more money than a pre-owned game would. I think. xD

It's all good. :>

I'm guessing the bigger forums simply can't allow talk of stuff like that because of their size.

I just think they're taking ridiculous advantage of a systematic anomaly. American businessmen are usually only concerned with the numbers. :/

Yeah, but maybe that was on the table from the beginning?

That's also a possibility. Gamestop isn't made out of the highest moral fiber at the moment. It's possible that they wanted exclusivity on the title specifically so this would happen. :[