Amazon Is No Longer The Best Place To Buy Video Games In America (wrong regions)

[oldgamerz]

A lot of video games sellers on amazon.com are selling PAL games to Americans. and not even telling them they are PAL only versions. I got ripped off this month and almost twice when I ordered a Tiger Woods golf video game from off a seller on amazon.com's website. I thought it would be an american version but when I got it, it turned out to be a PAL version even though the seller didn't say it would be.

Today everyone who lives in the USA and shops from amazon need to look at where the item is being shipped from I got a PAL game and no PAL console. Point said you can't play PAL PS2 games on an american version PlayStation 2

Luckly for me JJgames, (an american based online store) from Denver Colorado had what I was looking for and I am hoping that JJgames does not give me a PAL version of this game

[weirdfeline]

It never was the best place. I'd much rather buy from eBay than Amazon.

[bikingjahuty]

Amazon sent me a PAL region copy of Doom a few years ago, but sent me another copy for free, this time the correct region. Got to keep the PAL version too

[emporerdragon]

I have never had an issue where I've gotten the wrong region game from any of my Amazon purchases. And even if I did, their return policy is simple and generous, making getting a replacement/refund a nonissue.

[vivigamer]

I have had this happen before when I ordered Chorno Trigger on the DS - Didn't bother me as the game worked and the there was no Addition DLC to attatch so I thought nothing of it. But Sellers on Amazon need to be more specific. Mind you, I bought an item on eBay this week which the seller clearly used a stock photo, because when the item arrived the case was very dirty... managed to clean it and the disc was near mint so once again no issue, but it does happen.

On Amazon, it's always wise to pay attention to where the seller is from - I was looking at chancing another DuckTales before they all went out an realised all the sellers were from the USA on Amazon.co.uk! So something else to keep in mind

[sworddude]

the problem is that for the majority of people they don't give a damm.

if it works it works. especially with modern games and even with ntc there is a large group that does not care if the console or handheld games are region free.

but yea indeed also plenty of sellers here that are from the usa and vice versa.

[ignition365]

Amazon does that a lot.  Like a lot.  Even directly from Amazon.com themselves.  I've got a handful of inadvertent other region titles.

JJgames has pictures of the exact item you're purchasing, so you should know what you're getting before you buy.

But even JJgames isn't the best... nobody really is.  Everybody sucks for one reason or another.

[hoshichiri]

This isn't a new problem- I once got a PAL DVD instead of a US one years ago- glad I noticed before I unwrapped it.

It is a problem borne of unscrupulous seller, unscrupulous customers doing returns, and a marketplace that doesn't always do quality control.

As a general rule, I don't buy older games from Amazon anyway due to lack of photos- your 'good condition' and mine might not be the same, I want to SEE the game! At least Amazon has a very favorable return setup, & it's pretty easy to prove a wrong region game is not as described.

[badATchaos]

To me Amazon has never been a good place to buy anything used. Ebay all the way. With ebay listings its easier find an actual photo of what you're buying and not just some stock image that can mislead people.

[ferraroso]

Yeah
At least in Japan, Amazon is far from being the best place to buy retro games (it is usually great for current-gen used stuff though), but I've still been able to find some good stuff there. Sometimes, cheaper, safer and with faster delivery than I would in Yahoo! Auctions (the equivalent to eBay around here), especially for the Mega Drive (for some reason).

[haloofthesun]

Amazon sent me a PAL region copy of Doom a few years ago, but sent me another copy for free, this time the correct region. Got to keep the PAL version too

This happened to me with Final Fantasy XV. It was sold directly by Amazon, not 3rd party seller. Got to keep both, so I just sold the PAL version. The last couple of years I've definitely had more issues with 3rd party sellers than ever before. There were probably 5 instances of receiving the PAL version without any specification of the region. Not sure why it's suddenly become a problem.

Of course, when buying used stuff online it's almost always better to go through ebay anyway. But every now and then a better deal can be found on Amazon. I've found that Amazon is much better with returns and supporting unsatisfied buyers than ebay, though. At least, that's been my personal experience.

[pacgamer89]

Amazon was never the best place in america to buy games.

[marvelvscapcom2]

Ebay is always the best imo.  Because you can see what you're getting and it's always the best price for retro games or any game older than modern gen era.  I like Best Buy for new stuff.

I think Amazon is the best for a lot of things.  2 day prime shipping is worth it's wait in gold.  I love using Amazon for pops.  But for games they are pretty lame

[masamune]

I've never received a video game that wasn't for my region before on Amazon.

I do choose sellers that give a good description of the game and have a picture of the actual item they are selling. Sometimes if the description sounds good, but there's no picture, I will e-mail them asking for pictures.

Doing it this way, I haven't had a problem.

I'd never buy a used video game off Amazon with no description and no picture to boot.

[oldgamerz]

Ebay is always the best imo.  Because you can see what you're getting and it's always the best price for retro games or any game older than modern gen era.  I like Best Buy for new stuff.

I think Amazon is the best for a lot of things.  2 day prime shipping is worth it's wait in gold.  I love using Amazon for pops.  But for games they are pretty lame

a lot of older NA  games are out of stock, I did see one 3rd party seller from California on Amazom.com before I created this thread. Selling a used copy of the golf game I was looking for, but it was for $25 USD plus shipping. I found the same exact game on JJgames.com for nearly 5 times less money and no shipping cost. and JJgames is even closer to where I live than anyone living in the state of California.

The reason why is that video game collecting boom has hit hard in america I guess, I mean after all this collecting site has  32,837 people worldwide that could have at least 100 games by themselves. I don't even know how JJgames is even getting their supply of retro video games, but after all a lot of people are selling their video game to JJgames I guess since they do buy them off other sellers used.

But like someone mentioned JJgames is not the best place for games either since them too are out of stock on a lot of their games too