Secret Santa 2018 - Part 5. DONE!

[sworddude]

I didn't participate in this or any secret santa but i would recommend to exclude non usa people or keep it seperate,

Not because I'm a mean guy But as a pal collector Finding usa games is not that common since for many consoles there is a region lock, some stuff is imported but in general not that common for allot of consoles it is pretty special. Seeing someone complain about receiving pal games as an usa collector wich is ofcourse understandable.

As far as ds and ps4 games goes I do see why the pal sender went for those since these are region free and they are just the same withouth any differences. Maybe some dlc differences as far as the ps4 game goes,


If overseas buyers where still to participate in the future I would recommend them hunting for ds gba or gameboy stuff since those are the only consoles in wich case there is a decent amount of usa stuff out there since it isn't region locked from back in the day if one where to request some non exclusives. USA ps4 switch games are most definitely there but you would need to get them from specific sources or only buy ntc exclusive games wich where not released in europe but available in european stores. ofcourse there is also the option for pal exclusives for certain consoles but that could be tough to get depending on the item. eitherway it is a bit more difficult to mix different countries. Also in terms of overseas participants I would recommend to request usa exclusive items since I'm pretty sure pal stuff is also pretty hard to get in the usa maybe even more so in the handheld department compared to europe.

High shipping costs and slow shipping times could also be a side issue as far as this goes but I have seen some dissapointed faces over the years from USA santa's receiving gifts from pal senders in these topics so here are my two cents.

[desocietas]

Thank you, Fazerco, for coming by the live stream of the unboxing! For those of you who weren't able to make it, the VOD can be found here of the SS unboxing: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/355072539

No name was left, but thank you, Secret Santa! Feel free to let me know if you like if you were my gifter

[indenton]

If overseas buyers where still to participate in the future I would recommend them hunting for ds gba or gameboy stuff since those are the only consoles in wich case there is a decent amount of usa stuff out there since it isn't region locked from back in the day if one where to request some non exclusives.

Already been doing that for my SS this whole time Bro.  Speaking of which...

Turf was my Secret Santa this year and I got a whole goodie bag of GBA games here!



Th bottom 5 [Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, Rayman Advance, Super Puzzle Fighter II, ChuChu Rocket, Magical Drop] were all on my list.  ChuChu Rocket was being a little finicky at first but those 5 work.  I also got a handful of other GBA games (Frogger's Adventures being the only dupe of the lot).  The Game Boy Advance was the first Nintendo console I've owned so I'm still happy to wittle away the hours on a bunch of these games for years to come.  Thank you very much Turf and hope you all had a great Christmas this year. 

EDIT: Polarium Advance was missing from the photo because it was still in my DS, as soon as I saw the 'ATLUS' logo I knew this was going to be good.  Shaping up to be a nice little addition to my collection. Thanks again. 

[redblaze57]

My secret Santa knocked it out of the park this year. Candy this year was a large bag of small tootsie rolls and a ziploc of laffy taffy. First thing I opened was a case of 36 black/red chessex dice. Might seem like an odd thing to ask for, but they are great as counters for card games like Magic and Keyforge. Next up was the game Yakuza Dead Souls the only physical copy of a Yakuza game I was missing beside (ps3)s Kiwami 2(which someone in my family gave me). The next game I opened was N3II: Ninety-nine Nights I'm surprised I had this on my wish list but not the prequel my bad on that just means I got to find a copy of that game now. Next game was Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- (ps4) I fell behind on releases of this series so this is a jumpstart to catching up on the series. The last 2 items I had to were bundled together I opened up the first item seeing Lootcrate and the Psychonauts logo. I paused for a second and started repeating a combination of No Way and No Fucking Way as I dropped the box going to the last item which turned out was the Xbox copy of Psychonauts a game I've been on the look for for years. I was so amazed that I almost forgot about the lootcrate box which ended up having a replica of the main character Razputin's goggles in it. Thank you to my secret Santa Desocietas (yes I looked at the spoiler in her note)

I'm glad to see my giftee enjoyed what he got (I threw in Derby Station 2 as a joke since it seemed like a Bizarre random game to toss in with the rest)

[fazerco]

Thank you, Fazerco, for coming by the live stream of the unboxing! For those of you who weren't able to make it, the VOD can be found here of the SS unboxing: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/355072539

No name was left, but thank you, Secret Santa! Feel free to let me know if you like if you were my gifter

I loved the stealth cactus 

[puddingm]

I didn't participate in this or any secret santa but i would recommend to exclude non usa people or keep it seperate,

Not because I'm a mean guy But as a pal collector Finding usa games is not that common since for many consoles there is a region lock, some stuff is imported but in general not that common for allot of consoles it is pretty special. Seeing someone complain about receiving pal games as an usa collector wich is ofcourse understandable.

As far as ds and ps4 games goes I do see why the pal sender went for those since these are region free and they are just the same withouth any differences. Maybe some dlc differences as far as the ps4 game goes,

If overseas buyers where still to participate in the future I would recommend them hunting for ds gba or gameboy stuff since those are the only consoles in wich case there is a decent amount of usa stuff out there since it isn't region locked from back in the day if one where to request some non exclusives. USA ps4 switch games are most definitely there but you would need to get them from specific sources or only buy ntc exclusive games wich where not released in europe but available in european stores. ofcourse there is also the option for pal exclusives for certain consoles but that could be tough to get depending on the item. eitherway it is a bit more difficult to mix different countries. Also in terms of overseas participants I would recommend to request usa exclusive items since I'm pretty sure pal stuff is also pretty hard to get in the usa maybe even more so in the handheld department compared to europe.

High shipping costs and slow shipping times could also be a side issue as far as this goes but I have seen some dissapointed faces over the years from USA santa's receiving gifts from pal senders in these topics so here are my two cents.

Revealing myself to share my way as overseas participant (sharing ideas)~ my 4th year of participating on this site by the way O_O

I'm the SS for ignition365 - @ignition365 you have to receive your parcels in an "unorthodox" way since I consider that as the best way (reasons below)
People need to "not assume" their gifters are based in US

Receiving~
I personally use the official NZ shipping service based in US & pay for my own shipping due to:
1. I consolidate the parcels I have in US and ship it together - good discounts for combined shipping & I get to pay in my own currency too [shipping for this yr's SS parcel turns out to be around US$5 only - this is US to NZ via airmail! Now my SS will know why I requested no food ~
2. My SS won't need to pay for the high international shipping [sorry to my Yr1 SS Q.Q] & can focus on getting more games for me instead
One downside: I won't get my SS gifts until I send out my consolidated parcel [thus no photo to show yet - it's coming]

Note that I always state the condition, version & region I want on my SS wishlist.

Gifting~
I personally prefer to "source domestically" from different online sites (i.e. If the person is in US - I buy from US) & ship it directly from there due to:
1. Greater selection of games [I will be able to get what my giftee wants & for the correct region as well - I also make sure I get good condition ones]
2. Cost efficiency [prefer to get my giftee more games than like 2 games - games are super expensive here & are PAL as well! (don't even mention about the international shipping costs over here)]
3. Avoid long shipping time from overseas
One downside: My giftees will receive "parcels" instead of "parcel" = there won't be those special touches. However, think it can also be interesting to receive multiple parcels though [which is what I got from my US SS last yr ]

As an overseas participant, personally think this is the best method for all parties.

[sworddude]

Revealing myself to share my way as overseas participant (sharing ideas)~ my 4th year of participating on this site by the way O_O

I'm the SS for ignition365 - @ignition365 you have to receive your parcels in an "unorthodox" way since I consider that as the best way (reasons below)
People need to "not assume" their gifters are based in US

Receiving~
I personally use the official NZ shipping service based in US & pay for my own shipping due to:
1. I consolidate the parcels I have in US and ship it together - good discounts for combined shipping & I get to pay in my own currency too [shipping for this yr's SS parcel turns out to be around US$5 only - this is US to NZ via airmail! Now my SS will know why I requested no food ~
2. My SS won't need to pay for the high international shipping [sorry to my Yr1 SS Q.Q] & can focus on getting more games for me instead
One downside: I won't get my SS gifts until I send out my consolidated parcel [thus no photo to show yet - it's coming]

Note that I always state the condition, version & region I want on my SS wishlist.

Gifting~
I personally prefer to "source domestically" from different online sites (i.e. If the person is in US - I buy from US) & ship it directly from there due to:
1. Greater selection of games [I will be able to get what my giftee wants & for the correct region as well - I also make sure I get good condition ones]
2. Cost efficiency [prefer to get my giftee more games than like 2 games - games are super expensive here & are PAL as well! (don't even mention about the international shipping costs over here)]
3. Avoid long shipping time from overseas
One downside: My giftees will receive "parcels" instead of "parcel" = there won't be those special touches. However, think it can also be interesting to receive multiple parcels though [which is what I got from my US SS last yr ]

As an overseas participant, personally think this is the best method for all parties.

I do agree allot of pal games in general are more expensive than the ntc counter parts but the USa has some extreme super high end 1K + examples wich are less plentifull in pal regions. and yes if one where to request for example for ps1 ps2 consoles and let's say a wild arms 2 ps1 wich is an ntc exclusive I mean in pal regions these go for premiums allot higher than in the US the price differences can get pretty big.

I will say that it is an pretty nice idea if overseas buyers would buy in the USA and ship it directly to the person living in the US avoiding all the flaws as I mentioned but I could potentially see a problem that not all sellers in the US would accept payments from overseas buyers so in some cases there should be some help from a usa member if it doesn't work out.

[ignition365]

Revealing myself to share my way as overseas participant (sharing ideas)~ my 4th year of participating on this site by the way O_O

I'm the SS for ignition365 - @ignition365 you have to receive your parcels in an "unorthodox" way since I consider that as the best way (reasons below)
People need to "not assume" their gifters are based in US

Receiving~
I personally use the official NZ shipping service based in US & pay for my own shipping due to:
1. I consolidate the parcels I have in US and ship it together - good discounts for combined shipping & I get to pay in my own currency too [shipping for this yr's SS parcel turns out to be around US$5 only - this is US to NZ via airmail! Now my SS will know why I requested no food ~
2. My SS won't need to pay for the high international shipping [sorry to my Yr1 SS Q.Q] & can focus on getting more games for me instead
One downside: I won't get my SS gifts until I send out my consolidated parcel [thus no photo to show yet - it's coming]

Note that I always state the condition, version & region I want on my SS wishlist.

Gifting~
I personally prefer to "source domestically" from different online sites (i.e. If the person is in US - I buy from US) & ship it directly from there due to:
1. Greater selection of games [I will be able to get what my giftee wants & for the correct region as well - I also make sure I get good condition ones]
2. Cost efficiency [prefer to get my giftee more games than like 2 games - games are super expensive here & are PAL as well! (don't even mention about the international shipping costs over here)]
3. Avoid long shipping time from overseas
One downside: My giftees will receive "parcels" instead of "parcel" = there won't be those special touches. However, think it can also be interesting to receive multiple parcels though [which is what I got from my US SS last yr ]

As an overseas participant, personally think this is the best method for all parties.

Just to throw this out there, I wasn't really complaining and figured the drop shipping was because my SS was international.

[puddingm]

Revealing myself to share my way as overseas participant (sharing ideas)~ my 4th year of participating on this site by the way O_O

I'm the SS for ignition365 - @ignition365 you have to receive your parcels in an "unorthodox" way since I consider that as the best way (reasons below)
People need to "not assume" their gifters are based in US

Receiving~
I personally use the official NZ shipping service based in US & pay for my own shipping due to:
1. I consolidate the parcels I have in US and ship it together - good discounts for combined shipping & I get to pay in my own currency too [shipping for this yr's SS parcel turns out to be around US$5 only - this is US to NZ via airmail! Now my SS will know why I requested no food ~
2. My SS won't need to pay for the high international shipping [sorry to my Yr1 SS Q.Q] & can focus on getting more games for me instead
One downside: I won't get my SS gifts until I send out my consolidated parcel [thus no photo to show yet - it's coming]

Note that I always state the condition, version & region I want on my SS wishlist.

Gifting~
I personally prefer to "source domestically" from different online sites (i.e. If the person is in US - I buy from US) & ship it directly from there due to:
1. Greater selection of games [I will be able to get what my giftee wants & for the correct region as well - I also make sure I get good condition ones]
2. Cost efficiency [prefer to get my giftee more games than like 2 games - games are super expensive here & are PAL as well! (don't even mention about the international shipping costs over here)]
3. Avoid long shipping time from overseas
One downside: My giftees will receive "parcels" instead of "parcel" = there won't be those special touches. However, think it can also be interesting to receive multiple parcels though [which is what I got from my US SS last yr ]

As an overseas participant, personally think this is the best method for all parties.

Just to throw this out there, I wasn't really complaining and figured the drop shipping was because my SS was international.

Don't think you were either

[indenton]

I second the notion that we shouldn't assume that our SS will always be based in the US That's why I've always picked out a bunch of region free stuff so that the games will work.  (GB / GBA / DS / PS3).  I always see photographs of people with dozens of games from their secret santa.  It makes me feel like i'm being stingy, but oh wait I went over-budget, again! I usually draw something for these kinds of gifts too.

The recipient didn't share their loot in the forum threads so it felt unappreciated, even when I tried to build up the sentimental value in my own personal way.

[indenton]

Also thanks for the feedback, I was gonna include some digital art myself but seeing as you were 'disappointed' I'm relieved I decided against it.  I don't I'll bother participating next year. The comment "Half-assed" I think is what hurt the most. The hours I spent digging through online listings finding the couple items I could even consider for the SS considering the budget we had.  like I didn't bloody try or something. 

Your PAL, Indenton

[soera]

Gonna lock this. I feel that any more responses on this thread are going to be bringing it even more into a place where it really shouldnt go. Im pretty upset that it got to this point. Ive seen people receive gifts that they were not happy with (I know of one person who received 1 game valued around $8 that they already had in their collection for years and that was the entire package). I myself have received gifts that didnt quite fit my wishlist (One was a single homebrew for a system I dont collect for or even own). The fact is no one has complained publicly till now. The focus was to give a gift to someone else online. I hate to say it but this has been the toughest Secret Santa to sit through cause of this.

I will probably not continue this tradition on here after this year.