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Gamestop now selling an entirely new SKU of Metroid Prime Trilogy as "preowned"?

Miyahon

Member
I ordered from Gamestop online and received it last week. It looks just liked the pic in the OP. The manual and disc are in new condition with no scratches or marks on them. I got it for less using the rewards and promo code.
 

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
Now I'm curious -- for anyone who bought any of these, do they come with working Club Nintendo registration codes?
 

G0523

Member
God, Metroid Prime Trilogy looks so weird in a regular Wii case. The steelbook version by comparison looks so much better.
 

KHarvey16

Member
Yes, but said manufacturer can stop selling them said product if they sold it above MSRP....

The manufacturer could do whatever they wanted, I don't understand your point. Besides, a retailer wouldn't raise the price significantly if it were readily available new elsewhere for MSRP, and if it's not readily available anywhere else the manufacturer won't stop selling to their only retailer.
 
Just to try an open the floor a bit. With DVDs and CDs do we have similar things happening of alive publishers or record labels having some items in their catalogue out of print and only available at a high price. My gut feeling is those markets have gone for saturation (at least on mainstream) but I want to check this (I'm not counting things like most anime where the company is bust and the license expired).

I'd say Metroid Prime is not super mainstream but it is on the shelf...
 

jcm

Member
So, hypothetically, GameStop sells them at the "fair" price of $45... and in less than an hour CAG and FatWallet have purchased every copy and relisted on eBay for $85 or more.

That's not what happened when Atlus reprinted previously-rare games and sold them at Amazon. Prices fell, and the games became non-collectible, just as the law of supply and demand suggests should happen. All it takes is a manufacturer and a retailer who aren't looking to extract every last dime from their customers.
 

tchaten

Neo Member
Now I'm curious -- for anyone who bought any of these, do they come with working Club Nintendo registration codes?

They come with a pristine manual and disc - no other papers - no Club Nintendo sheet - doubt this was a reprint - more likely is that they have been storing up these trade ins for doing a big release online again - they are also had a fairly big promotion of trading in 2 games to get a new game for $10. Metroid Prime Trilogy and Xenoblade were on that list.
 
They come with a pristine manual and disc - no other papers - no Club Nintendo sheet - doubt this was a reprint - more likely is that they have been storing up these trade ins for doing a big release online again - they are also had a fairly big promotion of trading in 2 games to get a new game for $10. Metroid Prime Trilogy and Xenoblade were on that list.

No, there's no way this isn't a reprint. Gamestop would never put loose discs they've collected into new cases with new manuals in them. They'd just put them in generic cases and sell them for full price anyway.
 

jakeumms

Member
The prices on both MPT and Xenoblade were lowered recently, probably due to the fact that they weren't selling at such high prices. They are now $70 and $80 respectively. Consequently, I did a little coupon-fu and wound up with a new copy of MPT for $45. PowerUp reward members can get the game for $65 and then there are always crazy coupons floating around on the internet.

Now, notice, that I said a new copy. There is no way that this is not a reprint. In fact, there's a new wrinkle that might explain where some of these games are coming from. The cover is a standard white Wii cover, the manual is brand new and didn't have any crescent-shaped handling marks that you'd usually see on used manuals and the disc itself is shiny and fingerprint-free. No Club Nintendo code this time but I can confirm that the store I bought this copy in also had a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles, also in brand new condition, with a CN code. The interesting thing about this copy of MPT is, after peeling off the GameStop price stickers, I uncovered a label with Previously Owned printed on it. That label however was not sourced from GameStop.

This label is exactly like the label that is all over the all of the cheapie copies of games that are filling dump bins in every retailer in Los Angeles. 360 GTA IV for $10 and Wii X-Men Destiny and a slew of others for 2 for $10. For months, these "Previously Owned" copies have been flooding into Target, Fry's, Best Buy etc. I've purchased a few of these
prior to buying MPT and each time, it is the same situation. The covers, manual and discs all look brand new and I would be hard pressed to see how it could've been used. If I had to guess, I would imagine these are remainder copies and, instead of cutting the covers as was previously done, it's been decided that a sticker on the shrink wrap is an now acceptable way of marking it as a remainder.

These copies of MPT and XC were probably printed to be mixed in with the other Wii titles that are being blown out all over but, somehow, they didn't get there and are now being sold as used and for collector prices. Still, I got a fair price on a copy of a game that has been at the top of my Must Buy list for a while now and it's in new condition to boot. If XC comes down to a saner price, I will probably try to work a similarly discounted sale out for myself.
 

Spud of Doom

Neo Member
The financial incentive is there, this seems very shady. In the UK we sometimes get the cheaper retailers selling 'grey market' goods, which have been bought in Europe where it is much cheaper, and shipped to the UK for a budget price. It often happens with music CDs. Could these be a similar type of stock from, say, Canada?

This was basically my initial reaction to the matter. It looks like there are printed ESRB labels on the insert itself, though, which is why I suspect there is a bit more going on behind the scenes here. As far as I can tell, there was never a version of MPT available in the USA other than the steelbook, so there shouldn't be any of these inserts with ESRB print on them unless a reissue has happened.
 
Man i remember once, maybe 2 years sgo i found a used copy of MPT at gamestop for $40...i was stoked. No steel book and it was a generic used game casr but i didnt care.

Then i got home and the game froze often. Disc was so fucked up that MP2 & 3 would never load. Had to bring it back.

Eventually broke down and bought a used copy off Amazon for 80. Had the steel book and slip but no manual or art book.

Totally worth it, love these games.

All this kinda reminds me of those random times I'd see the xbox version of Marvel vs capcom 2 at Gamestop for 60. Never bit the bullet on tjat one.
 
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