VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:

[bikingjahuty]

The US needs Black Friday deals on groceries instead of games and big TVs.

Sadly, even if they made groceries super cheap for one weekend, it still wouldn't fix the underlying issue of your money being worth jack now due to unchecked inflation. I don't want to make this political, but inflation benefits people at the top, while hurting practically everyone else. Unless something is done about that, which there won't be, inflation is just going to get worse and worse. Our politicians, nearly all of them, will never bite the hand that feeds them.

[kashell]

The US needs Black Friday deals on groceries instead of games and big TVs.

Sadly, even if they made groceries super cheap for one weekend, it still wouldn't fix the underlying issue of your money being worth jack now due to unchecked inflation. I don't want to make this political, but inflation benefits people at the top, while hurting practically everyone else. Unless something is done about that, which there won't be, inflation is just going to get worse and worse. Our politicians, nearly all of them, will never bite the hand that feeds them.

Oh, of course. I was just being a bit silly. Black Friday is usually associated with overconsumption of stuff that isn't necessary.

[marvelvscapcom2]

The US needs Black Friday deals on groceries instead of games and big TVs.

Sadly, even if they made groceries super cheap for one weekend, it still wouldn't fix the underlying issue of your money being worth jack now due to unchecked inflation. I don't want to make this political, but inflation benefits people at the top, while hurting practically everyone else. Unless something is done about that, which there won't be, inflation is just going to get worse and worse. Our politicians, nearly all of them, will never bite the hand that feeds them.

Without making this too political subreddit level. I will say I wholeheartedly agree.  This year has been rocky to say the least. The 99 percent bleeds so the 1 percent can live in excess. What hurts the Bee benefits the badger.  The bee sees its home and lifes work breaking away. The badger sees free honey. I dont see an end in sight. Only varying degrees of bad.

Surprisingly though.  TVs went from something people would save for months to buy. A big family decision with the wife. Now its something college kids abandon in their dorms. As a gift I got a 55 inch 4k tv for 115 dollars.  Crazy how that industry has evolved to be cheaper somehow.  Really nice set too.


With that said... I do wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and gaming holiday    Whatever that looks like to you all! 

[tripredacus]

I don't want to make this political, but inflation benefits people at the top, while hurting practically everyone else.

It seems that way but this isn't the case. It doesn't actually benefit anyone. Inflationary periods always lead to consoliation at the top, yes, but this also happens in the other levels as well. It just appears that way because numbers go up and we are lead to believe that big number > small number.

[Warmsignal]

This is the first year in almost two decades where I really don't care at all about the potential deals to be had on video games right now. The problem is multifaceted. There's very little being released that people like myself actually would want this holiday season, most of the stores in my area that still have games have a pitiful selection so even if they offer a discount online the stores won't have any product you can actually go get, and of course, the discounted games this year are mostly last year's games or crap titles and now that MSRP is higher than ever that 25% to 30% off doesn't seem like such a sweet deal anymore.

All the years I remember standing in lines to get fantastic deals on recent releases that were super hyped, and buy two get one sales when there was actually enough games in the store to pick three you wanted. It was always the most fun time of year to be game shopping. This year it just feels like it's over, it's a thing of the past. It exists on a handful of websites, and it's nothing you really want.

So yeah, it's another tradition ruined by modernity.

[bikingjahuty]

This is the first year in almost two decades where I really don't care at all about the potential deals to be had on video games right now. The problem is multifaceted. There's very little being released that people like myself actually would want this holiday season, most of the stores in my area that still have games have a pitiful selection so even if they offer a discount online the stores won't have any product you can actually go get, and of course, the discounted games this year are mostly last year's games or crap titles and now that MSRP is higher than ever that 25% to 30% off doesn't seem like such a sweet deal anymore.

All the years I remember standing in lines to get fantastic deals on recent releases that were super hyped, and buy two get one sales when there was actually enough games in the store to pick three you wanted. It was always the most fun time of year to be game shopping. This year it just feels like it's over, it's a thing of the past. It exists on a handful of websites, and it's nothing you really want.

So yeah, it's another tradition ruined by modernity.

At least for me it's been an opportunity to get games I wasn't going to pay full price for, but still wanted to play eventually. Perfect example of this was God of War Ragnorok which I picked up for $20 the other day. I also picked up a few switch games I've wanted as part of a B2G1 deal on used games at Gamestop. I don't think there will ever be a time where there aren't at least a few games I'm interested in buying at some point.


With that said, I agree with you that Black Friday isn't what it used to be as a gamer and collector. I used to go all over town to multiple Gamestops taking advantage of their B2G1 or B2G2 deals they've done in the past. On more than one occasional I actually spent too much money, but didn't care since I had like 10+ new games I'd wanted for a long time. Not only that, but the amount of new games I wanted was definitely higher than it is now. You're definitely not alone when it comes to feeling a bit disenchanted about the modern gaming landscape, but luckily it's not all doom and gloom. There are still a bunch of indie games that are getting released that I'm finding more and more have the soul that the mainstream industry has been lacking for some time. The only problem with indie games is getting them physically since there are only a handful of companies that make limited physical copies of them. Even though a lot of the better indie games that come out usually get the physical release treatment, there are sadly quite a few that never will, especially with the end of physical games being on the horizon. I guess my advise is to expand your horizons when it comes to gaming if you haven't already. There are a lot of great games out there if you're looking in the right place.

[marvelvscapcom2]

This is the first year in almost two decades where I really don't care at all about the potential deals to be had on video games right now. The problem is multifaceted. There's very little being released that people like myself actually would want this holiday season, most of the stores in my area that still have games have a pitiful selection so even if they offer a discount online the stores won't have any product you can actually go get, and of course, the discounted games this year are mostly last year's games or crap titles and now that MSRP is higher than ever that 25% to 30% off doesn't seem like such a sweet deal anymore.

All the years I remember standing in lines to get fantastic deals on recent releases that were super hyped, and buy two get one sales when there was actually enough games in the store to pick three you wanted. It was always the most fun time of year to be game shopping. This year it just feels like it's over, it's a thing of the past. It exists on a handful of websites, and it's nothing you really want.

So yeah, it's another tradition ruined by modernity.

At least for me it's been an opportunity to get games I wasn't going to pay full price for, but still wanted to play eventually. Perfect example of this was God of War Ragnorok which I picked up for $20 the other day. I also picked up a few switch games I've wanted as part of a B2G1 deal on used games at Gamestop. I don't think there will ever be a time where there aren't at least a few games I'm interested in buying at some point.


With that said, I agree with you that Black Friday isn't what it used to be as a gamer and collector. I used to go all over town to multiple Gamestops taking advantage of their B2G1 or B2G2 deals they've done in the past. On more than one occasional I actually spent too much money, but didn't care since I had like 10+ new games I'd wanted for a long time. Not only that, but the amount of new games I wanted was definitely higher than it is now. You're definitely not alone when it comes to feeling a bit disenchanted about the modern gaming landscape, but luckily it's not all doom and gloom. There are still a bunch of indie games that are getting released that I'm finding more and more have the soul that the mainstream industry has been lacking for some time. The only problem with indie games is getting them physically since there are only a handful of companies that make limited physical copies of them. Even though a lot of the better indie games that come out usually get the physical release treatment, there are sadly quite a few that never will, especially with the end of physical games being on the horizon. I guess my advise is to expand your horizons when it comes to gaming if you haven't already. There are a lot of great games out there if you're looking in the right place.

My theory is that Black Friday used to be quite special when it was delegated to one day and was mostly physical box stores only. I used to go every year and wait in freezing cold lines in MA. But it was worth it. It allowed for a lot of exclusivity and companies even did black friday edition consoles like Nintendo did with the new 3ds. I loved black friday back then.  Once saturday came you were shit out of luck. It was 1 day, 1 chance. It caused pandemonium yeah but at the same time the sales were more deep since they didnt have to sustain weeks on end. Once companies realized that they could stretch smaller sales into longer periods and pack deals into mostly online avenues to boost online commerce and strengthen their ROIs the consumer lost as always...   it's a shame.  But anything that truly benefits the consumer will be tweaked until consumer benefit is minimum and corperate gain is maximum.  They know if they go longer periods at smaller sales people will still buy more due to more opportunities to do so.  Cyber monday hinted at that. But even that was black friday as a cyber day. Now its cyber month.  Their is no real black friday anymore. So now instead of Switch 2 being 350 for 1 day. It will be 399 for 3 weeks.  Instead of borderlands 4 being 40 for 1 day. It'll be 55 for a month.   The deals don't hit like they used to imo.


The way PS sales go, the way gamestop does buy 2 get one on pre owned often, the way amazon slashes games for prime day and summer sales.  Black Friday is almost useless now.  But that doesn't mean it is without it's fun.  Like BikingJahuty said.  I found some deals on games that I otherwise wouldn't have been willing to commit to for half off or 30 percent off. And overall tech and games did decent this year.   Assassins Creed shadows at 30 was good for me to play it and not pay the 47 to 60 it usually is. So i'm happy with that. 


I heavily agree that you gotta look into AA games today.  Indie devs or budget productions are doing beautiful work.  IE: Stray, Jusant, Gris and Untitled Goose Game all stand out as unique experiences to me.   I feel this gen is either the most dense or most dry depending on how you game. 

[kashell]

I think there comes a time when everyone that dabbles in the world of selling stuff online deals with a less than desirable interaction. And really, the one I just experienced wasn't bad. Their item arrived and I got paid. Still. It wormed itself enough in me to head to this topic to post about it.

I had a listing for a CIB game. Someone reached out and asked if I would just sell them the box. I told them no. They asked how low I'd be willing to go to sell the item complete. I told them to send an offer so I could see how much I'd get after all the fees/taxes. The offer they sent was too low, so I declined. They asked AGAIN if I'd be willing to sell just the box. Their words: "Are you sure just don't want to sell the box?" I reiterated the same answer: no, the game will be sold complete and as is.

I sent an offer that would work for me and didn't hear back until about a week or so ago. They sent an offer that was less than the one I suggested. I declined. Their words: "Darn. I thought you were happy with [insert dollar amount here] before" (sic)

I responded that I was, but the number that they submitted was not that one I originally suggested. I sent the offer. They accepted! I packed up the item, shipped it, and it arrived. And then, I waited for them to rate me so I could get paid. For those that don't use Mercari, buyers have 72 hours to rate their experience/provide feedback/let the seller know of any issues. After 72 hours, buyers automatically get paid.

After 48 hours, I messaged them asking if things went okay with the delivery. Silence. It was on the final day just before the 72 hours that they rated me. I rated and reviewed them in return in order to get the funds. Now, y'all know ya boy loves to write reviews and can get wordy. This time was no different. As far as I could tell, I was firm but fair when I delineated the experience. The tl;dr version (more on that later) is that the buyer was on the difficult side and took long to rate.

Quick aside: why was it worth pointing out that the buyer took long to rate, you may ask? Well, we all know that we live in a society where we're glued to our phones. This person was normally responsive and quick with replying. So, to get radio silence when the package arrived, and to get radio silence when I asked if things went smoothly went against the MO.

Obviously, this person didn't care for the honesty and messaged me about it being rude. I replied that I didn't intend for it come across as rude (because goodness knows I could be) but I did want to point out that the entire interaction was odd. They also mentioned that they were traveling for work - hence their not rating me until the eleventh hour. Well, if they responded to my message about allegedly traveling for work, then I would have been like "cool". Again, people are glued to their phones. This person had ample time to respond.

They asked if I could delete the review. I told them no, and reminded them that 4/5 stars is still good. Somehow, they managed to get the review deleted - thus the reason why I can't copy and paste it on here. Their final message to me was "Reviews deleted [peace sign emoji]". I left one review, so I'm not sure if "reviews" was another typo or if he just want hog-wild and decided to delete other reviews that were less than 5 stars.

Anyways. I got paid. I never responded to their last message. I had a few steering wheel conversations about what I could/should say but you know what? I'll leave it. What's the term floating around nowadays? "Let them?" That's what I did. So, that's the story. Obviously, there won't be any more interactions with them.

[bikingjahuty]

I've been selling stuff on eBay since 2006 and I've dealt with some real pieces of work over the years. My worst experience was actually as a buyer. I bought a game from someone, can't even remember which game it was, that was shipped in a Pop Tart box and surprise, it arrived damaged. I left negative feedback (I probably should have reached out to them first, but whatever), and they sent me a message threatening me with physical violence if I didn't change or remove the feedback. Of course I reported them and their 1000+ feedback account got banned. They then proceeded to make new accounts just so they could continue to harass me and even began buying items I would post and then never paying for them. This went on for several months. Ebay was incredibly unhelpful in all this and just did wack a mole with banning their new accounts. I essentially had to take a long break from ebay and began just ignoring their messages. Several months later I went to post some items to sell and they had finally cooled off.


Not nearly that bad, but most recently I had a guy give me Neutral feedback (at least it wasn't negative) because the item he bought wasn't as "New" as he wanted it to be even though the item was...brand new. I wish I were kidding. I guarantee it was because he planned on sending it off to be graded and was mad he couldn't get like a 90+ condition rating or whatever. Modern Pokemon card people are insane.

[dhaabi]

They asked if I could delete the review. I told them no, and reminded them that 4/5 stars is still good. Somehow, they managed to get the review deleted - thus the reason why I can't copy and paste it on here. Their final message to me was "Reviews deleted [peace sign emoji]". I left one review, so I'm not sure if "reviews" was another typo or if he just want hog-wild and decided to delete other reviews that were less than 5 stars.

That Mercari found it acceptable to remove your review that was, I presume, fair-written and objective to the transaction is what's most alarming to me. I've never used Mercari, but that sort of action only deters me from ever using their service. If anyone can simply voice a complaint in regards to the other party's experience when it's rightly justified and have their feedback removed, then a system relying on trust between buyers and sellers can't exist.

[kashell]

I've been selling stuff on eBay since 2006 and I've dealt with some real pieces of work over the years. My worst experience was actually as a buyer. I bought a game from someone, can't even remember which game it was, that was shipped in a Pop Tart box and surprise, it arrived damaged. I left negative feedback (I probably should have reached out to them first, but whatever), and they sent me a message threatening me with physical violence if I didn't change or remove the feedback. Of course I reported them and their 1000+ feedback account got banned. They then proceeded to make new accounts just so they could continue to harass me and even began buying items I would post and then never paying for them. This went on for several months. Ebay was incredibly unhelpful in all this and just did wack a mole with banning their new accounts. I essentially had to take a long break from ebay and began just ignoring their messages. Several months later I went to post some items to sell and they had finally cooled off.


Not nearly that bad, but most recently I had a guy give me Neutral feedback (at least it wasn't negative) because the item he bought wasn't as "New" as he wanted it to be even though the item was...brand new. I wish I were kidding. I guarantee it was because he planned on sending it off to be graded and was mad he couldn't get like a 90+ condition rating or whatever. Modern Pokemon card people are insane.

Are people still game grading? Isn't that supposed to be just one giant farce?

Anyways - interesting stories you've got. Really, nothing surprises me anymore. Threatening with violence is probably the most extreme thing I've heard (and I know that there are some lunatics out there) but he was just being a poor sport.

[bikingjahuty]

I've been selling stuff on eBay since 2006 and I've dealt with some real pieces of work over the years. My worst experience was actually as a buyer. I bought a game from someone, can't even remember which game it was, that was shipped in a Pop Tart box and surprise, it arrived damaged. I left negative feedback (I probably should have reached out to them first, but whatever), and they sent me a message threatening me with physical violence if I didn't change or remove the feedback. Of course I reported them and their 1000+ feedback account got banned. They then proceeded to make new accounts just so they could continue to harass me and even began buying items I would post and then never paying for them. This went on for several months. Ebay was incredibly unhelpful in all this and just did wack a mole with banning their new accounts. I essentially had to take a long break from ebay and began just ignoring their messages. Several months later I went to post some items to sell and they had finally cooled off.


Not nearly that bad, but most recently I had a guy give me Neutral feedback (at least it wasn't negative) because the item he bought wasn't as "New" as he wanted it to be even though the item was...brand new. I wish I were kidding. I guarantee it was because he planned on sending it off to be graded and was mad he couldn't get like a 90+ condition rating or whatever. Modern Pokemon card people are insane.

Are people still game grading? Isn't that supposed to be just one giant farce?

Anyways - interesting stories you've got. Really, nothing surprises me anymore. Threatening with violence is probably the most extreme thing I've heard (and I know that there are some lunatics out there) but he was just being a poor sport.

Yes unfortunately, and yes it is a complete scam. Somehow, some guy getting paid $20 an hour is qualified to give a came, card, or whatever a condition rating, a plastic case is put on it, now it's suddenly worth 5x more than it would have been otherwise. People who buy graded merch have legit problems they probably need to seek professional help for. It's completely out of hand with Pokemon cards at the moment. I'm currently selling a bunch I've had for 15-years plus and that whole scene is pure cancer.