So, I got bored one night some years back and wrote this up for cheapassgamer, it was met with generally favorable reviews but the admins moved in to an odd section and since lost steam. That said, its somewhat dated but most of the pertinent information is still there. Figured it may assist some newbies to the game or overall maybe shed some light on some of the methods I have used or learned over the years.
Below is a breakdown of what principles and effective methods are behind being a Cheap Ass Gamer. Also a breakdown of each major retailer will be posted with the good, bad and tips for each.
Basic Ideals 1. Smart Phones – This will be your best friend when looking for deals. Whether it’s to check the forums for updates on a particular deal, to price check a certain game to determine the value of the deal or to check a value to flip a game you found this is the must have in order to stay efficient and on top of your game.
2. Price – Paying full retail, well just isn’t what this is all about. Never accept paying full price for anything, some exceptions may apply, but if you play your cards right you can get it for a discounted price.
3. Patience – Concerning price and full retail value, game prices fluctuate quite often and quite quickly. Even a little as a week after a game’s release the price can drop so learn to determine which games have potential for sales shortly after their release. ALSO note that while paying full retail isn’t suggested, waiting for particular sales or saving enough flipped credit to purchase one is all part of the strategy. Example – Game A comes out, next week a store hosts a Buy 1 get one 50% off sale.
4. Plan your attack – While it’s fun to hop place to place blindly its best to have a game plan. Know what you’re after before you head towards it and how your deal plans to go. Bring all necessary coupons, information etc. with you to make things hassle free and prepare yourself to defend your deal if things at the store don’t go according to plan.
5. Know Policies – This includes all stores purchase guidelines, as it concerns what deals will stack with sale items, current promotions etc. Also know all stores return policies, sometimes it might take returning an item to get the best deal which will be discussed further. Link -
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/List_of_store_return_policies6. Maximize Your Deal! – Planning is everything like mentioned above; however it’s always good sense to get the most bang for your buck. Examples– Buy 1 Get 1 Free: Purchase a 20$ game, why get a 5$ game free when you could get a 20$ game for free.
Common Terminology –
YMMV – Your mileage may vary, meaning that while this sale may be found in one location it might not be at all. This includes certain stores selling an item for a particular price as well as participation in a sale/price change or price match. Best way to look at it, it’s worth a shot but not a guarantee.
B&M – Brick and Mortar, The actual physical store. Example – Best Buy B&M (usually means sale doesn’t reflect online as well)
TIV – Trade In Value, what an item trades in for at a particular retailer
Flip/Flipping – This is when an item is purchased at a certain value, usually cheaper than what it normally retails or trades in for, for the sole purpose of getting rid of for profit beyond your initial purchase price. Games/Items are flipped when they are bought cheap to sell/trade in else ware to make more money. Example – Purchase Game A at store for 10$, “flip” it to another store for 20$ credit.
BB – Best Buy
TRU – ToyRus
GS- GameStop
OP – Original poster, the person who created the thread or posted the deal.
B1G1/B1G1 50% off – Buy one Get one free or Buy one Get one 50% off
Courtesies –
Being a CAG means having respect. While we are all after the deal it’s important to consider all those involved.
• Stand Your Ground - It’s ok to be firm with a stores employee, but be polite for this in many cases will be the only reason you end up getting a deal. Stick to your guns but don’t act an ass and ruin any chance for you and future customers of getting something for a certain price or deal.
• POST IT! – If you find a good deal, share it, if it weren’t for others doing the same you wouldn’t have as much success with this site.
• Share it – Share your experience good or bad, how the transaction went, certain methods used to ensure you received the deal as well as rough prices/locations you received them.
• Respect – These forums are used to help all CAG share and post deals they found or for others to take advantage of. Thank OP’s for their finds and congratulate those who scored on deals. A little courtesy goes a long way and it what goes around comes around.
• Don’t Be A Hoarder – No one likes that person who buys out a store’s inventory of a particular deal just because it’s good. While flipping is encouraged please be considerate of others who might want to partake in a deal. If you post that you “purchased 20 copies” of a particular item don’t expect praise in return. It could happen to you.
Retailers Amazon- Probably the most popular and arguably the best as it concerns online deals. Amazon features just about any product your looking for as well as favorable discounts and third party retailers. Link –
http://www.amazon.com Pros
• Amazon doesn’t charge tax (Unless live in specific states)
• If shipped and sold from Amazon or one of its partners it ships free if order is over 25$. However with amazon prime you get free two day shipping on all orders under the same criteria no matter the price. Below is link to Amazon Prime student which is free if you have an .edu email address as well as regular amazon prime signup.
Student –
http://www.amazon.com/student Prime –
http://www.amazon.com/prime • Amazon will match all competitor prices in many cases. If they haven’t already, simply submit a lower price by doing so on the product page or speaking to with online chat help.
• Amazon in most cases offers a lower price on new retail items, add this with no tax or shipping charges and can easily be the best deal
• Amazon also has random “Gold Box Deals” which can offer nice savings on several games and related products. These are deals on a set timer for individual products as well as daily personal deals.
• Amazon on most items allows for Trade In’s. In many cases the trade in values can be much more than an item is purchased for a trade values can be locked in. Trading in gives amazon credit which can be used on any item sold on the site. Shipping on trade ins are paid by Amazon and are able to print a shipping label.
Cons
• If you’re not a fan of purchasing online or having items being shipped or unable to receive shipments this is their only method of purchase.
• Requires a credit/debit card to make purchases. Some may be uncomfortable with this or do not have such methods available to them.
Tips –
1. Price Match Policy , learn to use it if you rather purchase from Amazon to save on tax this can be quite helpful
2. Amazon sells used products too! – If you’re not concerned so much whether a product is brand new or not, in many cases Amazon will have used copies available for in most cases a much cheaper price. This includes games, accessories AND systems.
Best Buy – Best Buy is mostly known for their consumer electronic sales but also boasts as one of the major video game retailers. Their prices are usually on par with that of other competitors but sometimes online prices can be lower or certain deals can be found.
Pros
• Best Buy offers in store pickup or shipping on most the items they sell. This is good for many times a sale is only contained online yet instead of paying for shipping you can pick it up or get it shipped to your local store for free.
• Like mentioned above, sometimes deals can be found online only and can be a sure way to get your deal early.
• Best Buy will price match any advertised competitors ad, which can be helpful if it is more convenient or only source available to you. Making one trip to one store beats going to a few for the same deal.
• Best Buy offers purchase deals quite frequently such as B1G1 50% or a free game with the purchase of another. Many weeks can offer nice sale prices on a certain games so keep an eye for sales ads.
• Best Buy also offers trade ins. They usually offer more than other retailers as well as great promotions on items towards future purchases.
Cons
• Most cases Best Buy doesn’t lower prices regularly and can be the most expensive for regular priced games. They are usually the last to drop prices to match other competitor’s non-advertised products.
• In store pickup can be very YMMV, many cases an order can get cancelled at last minute or you have issues picking up your item due to inventory shortages.
Tips -
1. Best Buy offers price guarantee meaning if you purchase an item and it drops in price shortly after purchase you can return with your receipt and receive the difference.
2. Best Buy also has their own gaming magazine, Go Gamer, which every issue has coupons that can offer substantial discounts on current product. These coupons WILL stack with sale prices and in several cases can make a game/items price next to nothing. This magazine can be purchased in store for 5$ or a subscription (which can also be purchased in store) for 15$
3. YMMV sales are usually on an individual store basis but can offer some great deals such as 30% off all already clearance items.
GameStop – The king of video game retailers, love them or hate them they can offer some nice savings as well as certain perks. Link –
http://www.gamestop.comPros
• Reservations – When reserving a game/item this can be treated like layaway. No fees for doing so and can continue to put any amount towards the current reservation at any time. If you wish to cancel the reservation all current credit is refunded no harm no foul
• Power Up rewards card – Offers 10% off all used items (except consoles) and gives 10% bonus to all items traded in. Purchased in store or online. $14.99 per year and comes with the subscription to Game Informer Magazine.
• Usually the best place to find used, current generation games
• Promotions are what make GameStop still a viable option for CAG’s Link to current TIV and promotions -
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302004• Trade in promotions – Usually offered on up and coming titles, this is a great way to unload games towards the reservation or purchase of a new/unreleased game. Standard is 25% extra towards these titles which can be stacked. Also trade promotions can be offered when trading in a certain number of games whether its extra % or a straight value added to trade in credit.
• ALL trade in items, which nets store credit, is used and does not charge tax. For example if you trade in 59.99 worth of items to purchase a new game, your total is 59.99. No tax is applied
• Often, GameStop will offer B2G1 or similar sales on used items. This could include a particular platform or all used items. This is a great time to maximize a deal and can be used to buy used accessories as well. Example Buy 2 PS3 Controllers (with 10% discount from power up card) get a third free. Usually equates to substantially less than retail.
• Orders can be purchased online and picked up in store if option is available and the store has the item in stock.
Cons
• GameStop will NOT price match other competitors and due to such is usually the most expensive
• Sales rarely happen. Some games will be 20$ or cheaper else ware but GameStop will not budge.
• If you’re a stickler for new games being sealed. GameStop “guts” or opens one or several for display purposes. Sometimes the only available copy is that of a gutted one. No discount will be applied for it being gutted.
• Disc conditions may vary from great to horrible, pay attention to any item you purchase as in most cases the disc was not checked upon trade in
• Low trade in values – GameStop is notorious for offering weak values for games they sell for quite a lot. Prepare to be next to insulted for what they are prepared to offer.
• Original Packaging – GameStop does not require trade ins to come complete with original case or manual. Majority of the time the only used games available will not include either. This not only makes the value seem less but also a turn off for many collectors/gift givers
• Purchasing Used online – This is EXTREMELY YMMV – Many cases a game purchased online will be disc only, no original packaging and in horrible shape. While some may get lucky understand that majority of the time this is the average condition
Tips-
1. Use promotions to your advantage! Trade in promotions can actually be quite nice which stacking games towards something. Can easily turn a few weak trade in values into quite substantial ones. This also includes B2G1 and similar promotions.
2. Return Policy can be your best asset. GameStop offers one of the more lenient and hassle free return policies of any retailer, especially concerning used items. 7 days no questions asked for full refund, 30 days to exchange for defective.
3. If looking for a particular game, you can check store’s inventory online. Always call ahead and ask whether they have it IN HAND as well as the condition (if gutted or if used not in original case). Many cases they will hold an item for you until you come pick it up.
4. Tons of locations can be beneficial for several reasons. Using the return policy to your advantage as well as promotions can net you positive results. For example, you’re looking to purchase B2G2 free but have only found say 2 games at one GS. You want to take advantage of this deal so you purchase them at the one GS, browse at another and find the other 2 games for your deal. Return the 2 you currently have and re-purchase all 4 to get your 2 games for free.
5. GS in most all cases does NOT differentiate used prices from regular or collectors editions, be on the lookout for used copies or collectors editions. These will be sold for the regular editions used price. *Note* - This may be frowned upon but due to such, there is nothing in their policy that prevents you from purchasing a used collector’s edition and returning (if already owned) the regular edition of that game and getting money back. Essentially netting a free upgrade to the collector’s edition.
Target – Not the biggest player in the video game market however Target can offer nice weekly advertised deals as well as regular exceptional deals on clearance priced items. Link –
http://www.target.com Pros
• Weekly advertised deals in most cases are actually quite substantial and can offer prices much lower than other competitors as well as frequent B1G1 50% and similar sales
• Not an overwhelming selection – Can be good if looking for a certain title and can be easy to find in the store as well as see any and all copies available due to layout.
• Arguably one of the better atmospheres for customer service, not crucial but some prefer to shop in more comfortable places
• Target regularly clearances out items in their store, including games and accessories. These continue to drop in price until they are sold. While extremely YMMV the prices some items can be found at can be quite staggering and offer “can’t pass this up” type deals as well as great flip items. Below is the link to the current thread where you can view clearance prices as well as check store inventory.
Cons
• Selection is limited versus that of other retailers. Best way to look at it is, if it’s new, popular or was a good seller, they will have it in stock. Target fluctuates inventory quite often so something that has been out a few months may or may not be available.
• Prices are usually slow to drop and most cases only full retail price games are even kept in stock due to fluctuating inventory.
• Store availability and inventory vary greatly from store when looking for certain items, especially that of clearance.
Tips
1. Targets layout their stores all similarly, meaning clearance items, video games/accessories for example will most cases always be in the same general area. This will be found on one of the end caps facing the wall of the store and will be clearly marked. Check all surrounding areas for items that may have been moved.
2. When purchasing clearance items, be sure to check the forums for the current lowest price seen. Many cases stores are late to make these prices changes or did not sticker them. Use price scanners to check all clearance items for some cases the actual price might be much lower.
3. If you’re willing to take the time , as all stores do price changes different, one clearance item you may find at one store might be out of stock at another. Using your smart phone, purchase the game/item and put a picture of or use a barcode scanner to get an image of an items barcode. Check other stores by scanning the barcode in the price scanner and in some cases the lower price will be found at that location. Simply return and re-purchase to receive the difference.
