(re: FA: Many new sealed sierra classics for sale) One question: How many people, 10-15 years ago, purchased computer games and left them unwrapped? How many warehouses are there full of old, collectable games sitting around? I can’t believe there are that many.
I’ve been ripped off repeatedly by sellers using the same tactic – they advertise used games that have been re-shrink wrapped as new. I collect older games, but I always hold out for new games because I want pristine compact discs or floppies and all of the original material included.
Many times when I’ve purchased “new” games at sometimes inflated prices I get the game in the mail, unwrap the shrink wrap and discover a disc scratched all to hell and missing documentation. If I confront the seller I usually get one of two responses. A) He/she claims that he purchased the game from someone else and it was already shrink wrapped, or B) Tough luck.
If I leave negative feedback I either get negative feedback in return or a bogus report turned over to Ebay. One woman two years ago claimed I “threatened” her in email after I left negative feedback for selling me a repackaged game that was used. My threat, word-for-word? “If the game is not in new, pristine condition as described I will expect a refund.” Despite the fact that this woman couldn’t produce a single threatening email and refused to refund my payment when she was clearly in the wrong, Ebay sided with her and threatened to suspend me. I quit Ebay instead and didn’t use it for years.
I think many, many collectors don’t even realize this because they leave many of their collectible games in the shrinkwrap. If they actually unwrapped some of them, they’d be in for a shock.
If I purchase a game online, I make sure the seller has a clean feedback record and I make sure I protect myself through Paypal. I don’t apologize for asking questions of a seller, especially when they have a large selection of games, all new, advertised at the same time.