i gave up lending dvds and games after a couple of them came back all scratched up. how hard is it to put the damn thing back in its case!?!?!? now i suggest they go and rent it or buy it and dont mention whether i have it or not. $10-$20 dvds are a bit easier to replace than $30-$50 games.

I am pretty anal about games/DVD condition in general. But in the end if it's a good deal and there are only light scratches to the disc I am ok with that. Although I do like the packaging to be in solid condition. No bends in the plastic, no tears in the jacket cover, no torn booklets, etc etc.

I don't have to have a game that is perfect...but I have to feel comfortable that the game is going to work fine. I took advantage of the buy 2 get 1 free at Babbages 2 or 3 weeks ago. I got Fable, Ninja Gaiden, and Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow. Fable and NG looked to be in great shape, but the Splinter Cell was pretty scratched up so i got a Full Spectrum Warrior that was in good shape instead. I am always paranoid about "what if I get 30 hours into a RPG or Adventure game and a scratch or scuff on the disc makes the game stop working?" That would suck bad.


wlj

My little sister wanted to get me something for Christmas so I was told to come up with something cheap. Well I saw Grabbed by the Ghoulies at EB used for $12. So that is what I passed along. Got it and the case was beat all to hell. Plastic ripped, there was a half dollar size tear/hole in the paper cover on the back, like someone had used it to stop a bullet. Not acceptable. I didn't open it, fearing they wouldn't take it back.

When I asked the clerk if I could exchange it, he asked what was wrong with it. I told him the case was beat all to hell and just wanted a new one. He asked what was wrong with the disc, so I told him I didn't open it. He seemed very confused. So he then asked, so you just want another case? Asked me like I had asked him to have my baby or something. Thought I was crazy. But to me, a case in that condition is worth no more than $2-$3. Especially not $12. Got a different one in basically new condition.

In the past couple of months I have started using those d-skin disc protectors. Anal? Sure, but it definitely helps the resale value down the road if everything is in excellent condition.

I didn't start out being really anal about my games and movies, back in the cartridge/videocassete days they used to be thrown all over the place.....and when DVD came out I would loan them out like crazy because I thought I was cool or something owning a dvd player (when they were new). but after time I started to notice how vulnerable they are to damage, way more than cd's. So my friends screwed up my shit so now they don't borrow it anymore, my house is a disgusting mess, but my dvd's and games are flawless. I actually have a one strike you're out policy when it comes to borrowing movies and games, and if someone messes them up they have to replace them and they don't get to borrow anymore. My neighbor borrowed my "Fellowship of the Ring" extended DVD and scuffed the sleeve so I made him buy me a new one and told him he lost his right to borrow, everyone thinks it's rediculous but I DON'T CARE MAN!!!! it's a matter of respect, if you don't have enough respect for me to give my shit back to me in the condition it was in when you borrowed it then piss on you!! :johnwoo:

Be grateful that the pages weren't stuck together... :D

Thank you! Make sure you tip your waitress. I'll be here all week!

I've always been anal about the condition of my games, but my kids are now heavy gamers at ages 9 and 11 so it's hard to keep them in perfect condition when they are in heavy rotation. Nintendo used to make it really difficult for me, with the cardboard boxes of the Gameboy games and Nintendo 64. I would get a new game, create a slit along the top of the shrinkwrap, open it up, remove the game, move the game to a game case, and tuck the box away in a cabinet. I'm sure people who purchased my used games were stunned to see how mint a 8 year old N64 game looked from my collection.

Anytime I buy games they have to be sealed, a lot of game shot try and sell you ones that have already been opened, obviously the staff have already played them :mad:

Just to eliminate hard feelings on both sides, I don't lend anything out. I'm not a jerk about it, I just say matter-of-factly, "Sorry, I don't lend my stuff out anymore. I've just had too many bad experiences."

I also don't buy used except on DVD Talk, where I know the vast majority of users are the same way I am about the disc/case condition. Despite that, I still e-mail people beforehand to confirm the condition of the game with specific questions. Anyone who cares about this kind of stuff would be insane to, say, order online from EBGames.com, no matter what kind of deal they get.

1st question) Does the game work flawlessly?

If the answer is yes I don't care about the condition of the case/manual, since the case sits on a shelf and the manual is never read. This goes for my DVDs too...I've never looked at a single insert in my 100+ disc collection.

I only get annoyed when I go to sell something on eBay and I forgot I bought it used (so there's a Blockbuster sticker I can't get off.)

Well, the guy offered me a refund if I send the game back, though I'm wondering it wouldn't be faster and easier just to sell the game myself. I'll have to think about it, but whatever I decide, the fact that he's offered makes me feel somewhat better.

Holy sh*t! That's what that is! -eek-








;)

Just send it back and give him a positive for being willing to work with you on it and take a loss (he's paying for your shipping, I assume?).

Yeah, that's what I've decided to do. I'd be stupid not to... I’ll let him worry about selling it again.

I am not that anal about my games , as long as they work, that is good enough for me.

I work at a EB and we and a fellow co-worker tried to make a disc (DVD game demo disc) look like some of these people try to trade in. After throwing it at the ground, stepping on the disc and rubbing it in the carpet, the cement out back...

After all this .... still did not like some of these they try to bring in. When someone trades in a game and it looks really bad, i give the " we can't take this " speech and they always say "well... why not?" "Well, it is pretty stratched up and you see that little crack in the disc..."

I have no problem going to change cases for customers or even getting out multiple copies of the game for the customer to see. Sometimes we wont even sell the person the game just because of the condition, better to tell them now then when they see it later. IF you ever get a previewed disc at an EB or Gamespot, just ask to look at the disc, if they wont let you... ring out and look at it right there. They have to replace the disc with another one or refund.

We might not be the best ranked... but we have some of the best, loyal customers I have seen.

Yep, I very rarely loan anything out, I'm very careful with the condition of my games (as well as other stuff), consoles, etc.

The funny thing is that I often sell stuff off or trade at GameRush and only keep a very select few games after completing them/getting tired of them, etc. So the care I take with them usually benefits someone else quite a bit...

Wow....to each his/her own, but some of you peeps blow me away. I let friends and family borrow dvd's all the time, and sometimes games too. I buy used games/dvd's often as well. As long as it works ok, and look reasonably ok, it's all good. Doesn't need to be perfect. These are just possesions, I don't mind sharing them, and I appreciate it when others share as well. I haven't come across a truly 'anal' owner yet, count me lucky!

Well, I can't say I'm completely off-the-wall anal. I have let my cousin barrow some DVDs, but I know he's careful with them. It can sometimes be impossible to avoid all light scratches, so as long as they look reasonable good (in my somewhat harsh opinion) when I get them back, I'm reasonably happy.

It's when I get something that looks REALLY f***ed up that I have a major problem with. I just feel dirty owning a game (or DVD) that looks like it was used to scratch someone ass with... :mad:

I have been on a buying/trading/etc. spree in the past two months, and I have snagged 95 PS2 titles, about 50 PS1s, and maybe 10-20 each on Xbox and Gamecube titles, mostly used. Every single used one has been in decent shape, with all instructions, etc. Most of them either don't have scratches, or have light surface scratches, but compared to some of the ones I passed by, mine are great.

I have seen some horrible discs, especially coming from Blockbuster. I've seen people that stacked their discs up (no cases,) or stick 'em in binders and toss the cases and instructions, and other atrocities.

Since I was getting so many games at one time, I knew I wouldn't be able to even play 2-3 of them before the exchange period would end, so I wanted to get discs that I would have a reasonable assurance of playing without problems down the road.

I would prefer to find cartridges in the box with instructions, but that is a losing proposition around here, as most game stores don't even take the boxes.

I haven't really encountered many clerks that thought I was stupid for wanting to look at the discs, but most of them were game players too, and many were amazed at how bad some of the discs were.

On a side note, does anyone hate getting Greatest Hits, Player's Choice, or Platinum titles? Again, out of all those discs I picked up, not a single one was the Greatest Hits, etc., versions. I still hope to find a few PS1 Squaresoft titles that aren't in the Greatest Hits sleeve, since I already have about 20 of them in the black case.

I go out of my way to NOT get Greatest Hits, Players Choice or Platinium games. I like all my games looking uniform on the shelf.

Very. I don't have any gaming friends anymore as I've gotten older and moved away, so loanings not an issue.

I loan DVDS and CDs, but only to friends I know take good care of their stuff.

I like to keep everything I buy in tip top condition.

I don't really see this as being a bad thing although it obviously completely kills the resell value. They are making a personal decision that they don't need the case etc, it's not like they are necessarily careless with looking after their games, as with disc scratches.

I've been thinking about doing this with my dvd collection and if I had as many games as I do dvds (700) I would probably consider doing it with my games also!