Is it morally wrong to rip off gamestop? (Retro Game Trade loophole)

[desocietas]

I think gamestop has gotten a lot better about a few things over the years, but their buy prices are still..ugh. However, they do usually run decent promotions once and awhile, if you follow what they are foing (I don't sell, so it doesn't effect me) I really would hate it if they went away, as gamestop is really the only used game store in my city. They go under...no more spur of the moment used games.

I would also miss a dedicated gaming store because it's the only big business with employees who are willing to talk about video games. Can't talk to people at Target, Wal-Mart, or Best Buy about games. Heck, I can barely find anyone who's even working in that department at those stores, much less someone who has the time to talk about games.

[hoshichiri]

Trading in board swaps & repros to Gamestop for quick cash is 100% wrong. Anyone who says otherwise is just a greedy jerk.

No one is required to accept Gamestop's prices. You want more money? Sell on Ebay, sell on a forum, have a damn yard sale. Gamestop, despite their shitty values, does provide a service- they don't say no.. You got a handful of disc-only, scratched-up old sports games that people online don't think is worth the cost of shipping? Gamestop'll take 'em. You'll at least get a candy bar out of it. Choosing to rip Gamestop off gives them a good reason to start saying 'no'. Wouldn't it suck if they implemented a a new policy where they can turn down trades? Imagine being a kid hoping your old boring games will get you just enough for a new fun game, only to have a lazy cashier decide they don't want to process your trade in? I mean, think about it- you wouldn't bring a bunch of rare games to a good game store, they'll be suspicious. This is a thing becuase Gamestop won't say no.

As for not testing games- we all know Gamestop doesn't test everything anyway. They've always used their customers as their test base. If you do this, you KNOW for a fact your fake game is going to get bought. "oh, they can just return it." Unless, you know, a friend or relative picked it up as a present and the return window's closed by the time you get it. Not to mention the opportunties that person will have to pass for the game they want becuase they think they have it already.

You can take advantage of Gamestop if you really want to- you can watch trade-ins, wait for a raised value, use a promo at the same time- I've seen guys get their trades valued over the cost of the game on the right day. There's often games that GS sells for notably less than Ebay, if you can find one in-stock you can flip for profit. I share my Pro Rewards membership with my fiance's family- techincally against the rules, but they'll never buy one- now they get the discount & I get the points. I spend them on renewal certificates so I don't have to pay out of pocket. And Gamestop technically gets more sales now, since they can do better there than online.

[burningdoom]

Yes, it is. Not only are you ripping off the company, which no matter how you feel about them is still morally wrong (come on, you were all taught 2 wrongs don't make a right); but you are also screwing over whoever ends up buying that game. Yeah, they'll get a refund, I know, but it is a pain in the ass, especially if you waited 2 weeks for it to arrive.

[tripredacus]

I'm quite certain that knowingly dealing in counterfeit goods is illegal. I don't think there is any moral ambiguity here.

[shfan]

tripredacus beat me to it, but it's more likely a question of legality rather than morality. A loophole is more something that's legal but immoral or one-sided, doctoring goods to make them appear to be something more valuable is counterfeiting, plain and simple.

We don't have Gamestops over here in the UK, as far as I know, so I don't know how their trade-in rates compare, but there always seems to be someone irritated with trade-in shops on forums. In addition to "if you don't like them, don't use them", these trade-in shops really can massively boost your options if you're collecting on a budget. Only today I traded in a couple of DVDs which cost me £1 each for £11 each of store credit - so a couple of quid can result in 3 or 4 blu rays or a good second hand game (or 3!) Apart from limited runs, most of my new games come from trading-in unwanted items or stuff I've picked up to trade-up - without these shops that option would vanish!

[oldgamerz]

Put yourself in someone else's shoes for a second. Would you want to get all excited about a video game that you wanted to play, bought it, then came home and put the game in the console only to find out it was something completely different from what the cover said it was? let say you lived in a rural neighborhood and had to drive 30 miles to the nearest town only to drive back to the store if get you money back

Yes most certain this is morally wrong for a person to swap circuit boards with something different and sell them to Gamestop or any gaming store for that matter

[98dgreen]

Selling counterfeit goods is not morally wrong attempting to fool the buyer into thinking it is legit is.