More and more of the games I've been purchasing brand new have already been opened up, and the game disk removed so that the empty box is on display. When I buy the game, sometimes the sales clerk just pops the game into the box and hands it to me. Occasionally, they reseal the box with one of those clear round stickers.

Question: does this mean that my brand new game isn't in "mint" condition because the box has been opened? Would this make a difference to its value if I ever want to sell it as a collectible?

Wow, I have never heard of any store like that.
Do they do this because of theft? If I were to buy a game, for the purpose of collection, I would try and by direct, from the publisher.
If I want to play a game, say, Dark Fall. I will buy it used, from my local EB games. If there are any problems, they will refund. I have not had any. Be very wise, as anyone can make it look new. Heat, shrink wrap and stickers. If you have a hard to find game, mint or not, it worth it.
The games, that I buy on line, new or used, I have to have the original box and the paperwork that came with it. Think album art and records.
Important note: If you are collecting, download all the info on that CD-ROM game and burn a disk.
The sites or even the company may not be around in a few years, to get patches, upgrades and WTS. I put all this stuff in the box, then I am ok.

I think they do that for security.. some games are shrinkwrapped, especially those I have bought online so maybe they have a guy unwrapping them in the backroom and taking the stuff out. Other stores have an opened box on the shelves and will fetch a sealed one from the back. May be worth asking if they have sealed copies.

Hugs

tig

Mint and factory sealed are two different things.

Mint is unused but the box can be open.

Factory sealed is just that, selaed by the company that printed the game, and the CDs are unused.

A factory sealed game is much more valuable, and you cannot call a re-sealed, mint game factory sealed. Some do, but they are bad sellers.


Gamehound

Babbages and EB in the NO area have been doing this for years. Its because of theft. But its not done with titles under $30. I am a collector and this does not bother me because I play my games anyway. I just keep everything in "Mint Condition".

So the difference is factory sealed or MIB (Mint In Box)

I have Queen the Eye rpg with sealed discs... another variation!! Yes, I Will play it....

the EB's in my area have been gutting boxes for ages. gamestop used to do it but now they place games in plastic boxes so you can't even open the box flap and sometines you can't even see the system requirements but at least you know they are factory sealed. depending on the EB you will see some 20 titles gutted.

Thanks for the tip. When I bought a couple of games at EB, they were sealed, but perhaps I was not buying a popular game!

I prefer to buy my games in a sealed box - just to make sure that I get everything that is supposed to be in the box. Sometimes the people working at the local game stores don't always seem to be all that "together" - I'd wonder if they put everything in the box that was supposed to go in there!

Hi

I gave up relying on the truth of these specific descriptions after I discovered just how many people are able to "re-shrinkwrap" any or all parts of what they want to sell

But as I am not a collector who just collects but doesn't play....I PLAY 'EM ALL ....I just go for whatever game I want and use my own judgement as to the veracity of descriptions.

If I don't trust the description, I don't buy the game - or I offer less for it

Cheers.

Mad

It's not just that. Some people are very careless with their CD's. They play a game once and sell it, but they toss their CD's all over the place when changing them and they get scuffed and scratched.

That's right Tigger. In the Netherlands they always put the game in the box when you are paying and indeed for security.

The local EB stores here have been gutting the boxes for years too. They will tell you that it's because of theft. If you're lucky you might get the right store and salesclerk who will go out to the back storage area and get a good, sealed box. But, I was in an out-of-town EB store recently, and picked a new game box from the shelf. It was empty and looked used but was full price. I asked the salesclerk if I could get a new sealed game box with a shrinkwrapped cd, and he said he would look. He came back out a few minutes later and told me that there were no new boxes (no new game boxes? I wonder how many they stock), but that everything was ok, and if I had problem to just bring it back. They don't realize that it's not always a five minute drive to the store for us. He had a shrinkwrapped cd jewel case in his hand and inserted it into the empty, slightly tattered box. Since it was a Nancy Drew game, I asked him for the registration card that should come with the game. He looked puzzled, and said there is no such thing as a registration card. I tried to explain to him that some people (especially collectors) like to have game boxes intact, instead of having them gutted. He thought I was a little strange. I walked out, went to another game store in the same mall, and bought the game unopened, at least it looked factory sealed. While eating lunch in the food court I cut the seal, opened the box and voila ! everything was there including the card. How refreshing !

I agree with those here saying that the store can shrinkwrap the games themselves. I used to know a store owner who admitted that he frequently opened a game box, played the game, and repackaged it so that no one could tell the difference. It was so easy to do.

Staples is a good place to get pristeen games. I've never seen a tattered game there.

I prefer it when they put that little tissue paper loop on the box that says "Sealed for Your Protection"...Oh wait, that's not games and it's "Sanitized for Your Protection". Does that mean it's never seen the inside of a sanitarium?

This is someone who works at a GAME STORE?!

I think it's funny when clerks at EB (or wherever) try to tell me there's "no such thing." "Syberia? There's no game called Syberia." "Shadow of Destiny? They never came out with a PC version of that game." "Broken Sword 3? Are you sure you don't mean Tomb Raider?"

Whatever happened to "the customer's always right"?!

-emily

I think being a clerk at a game store is difficult because the people who come in to purchase things tend to be passionate about the product. I've been in game stores where people (okay, usually young men) are debating the pros and cons of the latest game with the clerks. The debates are not always civilized.

Customers expect the clerks to have played just about every game in the store. Obviously, they can't do that (well, not if they have a life outside the store).

Now they also have to deal with adventure gamers who care passionately whether the game box has been opened and if the registration card happened to fall out. They must wonder what planet we are from.

Okay, it'd be nice to buy an adventure game and not have a clerk say: "Wow, people are still playing graphic adventures??!!!" It would even be nicer to be able to buy a game like "The Legend of Lotus Spring" without seeing pity in the clerk's expression as he rings up the sale.

Some day I (I see this in my dreams) I will return to the EB that sold me Lotus Spring, game in hand, and I will say: "See this? This game is NOW selling for $100 on Ebay. I could make good money on this game if I hadn't opened the box, played the game and misplaced the registration card. Snicker now, why don't you?"

Still, as long as the stores keep carrying the games we shouldn't give the poor clerks too hard a time, should we?

Sure... I don't *expect* them to know the name of every new game that comes out. But I expect them to give me the benefit of the doubt and realize that they don't know the name of every game that comes out. What's more likely... a game they've never heard of has been released? Or I decided to go into the store and ask for a game that was a figment of my imagination?

When I was in high school I wanted to work at EB. Of course, that was back before adventures were considered a dying breed... I actually *would* have known something about the merchandise! But I didn't have a car and the mall was too far to walk...

emily

Hi Emily

Ahhhhh. But thinking about it from another angle....You were probably saved from a job with less than spectacular wages, hostile confrontations with adventure game players and the cost of all that shoe leather !!



Cheers.

Mad