Re-seals passed off as new

[Ancestral_Spirit]

So I've ordered quite a few PS4 and Switch games as of late, and I generally speaking prefer brand new copies of games as opposed to 2nd hand ones.

This way if there's any DLC I'm guaranteed it, and everything in the game case, whether it be collectors edition items or the game disc itself, I know it'll be in pristine condition.

 

However......

Recently i ordered a copy of the PS3 game Venetica from an Amazon seller. It was advertised as brand new and sealed and only cost us around £20, so we bagged it.

When it arrived however, we knew for a fact that this wasn't a brand new sealed copy, but a re-seal.

EU copies of PS3 and PS4 games always have a tear strip near the bottom end of the case, this had no tear strip. The other problem was, it was a damned Blu-Ray case and NOT a PS3 case.

Naturally we contacted the seller, they apologised and said they must have sent us the wrong one and gave us a full refund.

 

Next we ordered Void Terrarium Limited Edition PS4 from TheGameCollection.

Again, it was being advertised as brand new and sealed, so we bought it.

Upon receiving it, we found the the entire box was scraped on all sides and corners, and had a tear at the top of the fold out part, slap bang in the middle. The only way this could happened is if someone had ragged the box open from the top and tore it in the process. Yet the box had an immaculate plastic seal around it.

The CD was also unsealed which would be very unusual for a NISA CE.

All the items were still in the box, so we contacted TheGameCollection and explained the situation. We didn't want a refund tbh since it was still the cheapest ANYWHERE and that was including 2nd hand copies.

 

Fast forward to today and we just received our copy of Crypt of The Necrodancer Collector's Edition for PS4, another order from Amazon.

The box is sealed. The cardboard corners look a little bent out of shape, but that can happen with Amazon packages so thought nothing of it. The sealing felt a little flimsy.

The steelbook......... has scratches so deep your fingers get caught on them, and rust is setting in near the spine of the box. Another re-seal  :/

I've just contacted Amazon, and they've sent me a return label and I'm getting a replacement. Here's hoping they don't just re-seal the one I'm sending them back!

 

So this is a warning to anyone that likes brand new games, or likes collecting sealed stuff. Don't judge that box by its cover, something shady may be lurking underneath, and recently there's an awful lot of re-seals being passed off as brand new sealed copies  :/

[DaivRules]

26 minutes ago, Ancestral_Spirit said:

I've just contacted Amazon, and they've sent me a return label and I'm getting a replacement. Here's hoping they don't just re-seal the one I'm sending them back!

I am extremely skeptical Amazon would ever spend the payroll and supplies necessary to re-seal a game considering they pass off all returns to Amazon Warehouse and they just sell them as is. 
 

I used to deal with re-seal scammers working retail in the mid to late 90s with mostly SNES and later N64 games as they would try to buy an expensive game, throw in a cheaper title, re-seal and try to return it. It wasn’t that hard to spot them and deny the returns. 
 

Sad to see people are still perpetuating this so many years later. 

[Ancestral_Spirit]

2 minutes ago, NERVergoproxy said:

I normally buy my deals for used and new off ebay. Normally games come as described with pictures and question asked before hand. 

 

The only company that when I buy new and comes opened with no wrap and a stupid sticker on them even when new is stupid GAMESTOP..

 

Well all of these had pictures, but they were all the same standard retail advertising pictures. When i see brand new and sealed, that's what i expect, especially from a bigger named company.

 

We have the same here in the UK with GAME. It's why i specifically ask them for brand new sealed copies when i go in store, otherwise for the most part, i just don't buy it.

My partner once tried to buy ICO from GAME years ago, the one with the cardboard sleeve. They tried to put a sticker on it and he stopped them and said; 'you put that sticker on it, i ain't buying it!'

[Ancestral_Spirit]

41 minutes ago, DaivRules said:

I am extremely skeptical Amazon would ever spend the payroll and supplies necessary to re-seal a game considering they pass off all returns to Amazon Warehouse and they just sell them as is. 
 

Sad to see people are still perpetuating this so many years later. 

I'd agree with you, but Crypt of The Necrodancer wasn't just fulfilled by Amazon, it was Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L. (Copy pasted from my order history)

 

The other 2: Venetica was fulfilled by Amazon and Void Terrarium was sold by TheGameCollection

 

Here's some pics of the damage to the steelbook:

https://i.imgur.com/GSAKb2Q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JYvWfQE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UddIBUF.jpg

 

The 'scuffs' on the first picture are slightly rusty, but my camera can't quite capture it. Picture 3 is probably the worst one. I did take a fourth picture of a scuff near the opening of the case as well, but my phone decided to crash right after taking it  :/

[Xylobe]

38 minutes ago, Ancestral_Spirit said:

I'd agree with you, but Crypt of The Necrodancer wasn't just fulfilled by Amazon, it was Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L. (Copy pasted from my order history)

 

Amazon notoriously mixes third-party inventory with its own. Doesn't matter who it's sold by, anything you buy from them could arrive as a reseal or counterfeit.

[DaivRules]

35 minutes ago, Ancestral_Spirit said:

I'd agree with you, but Crypt of The Necrodancer wasn't just fulfilled by Amazon, it was Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L. (Copy pasted from my order history)

I have no doubt you got re-sealed games, directly from Amazon. I’m doubting resealing them was an intentional act by Amazon and instead likely the result of shenanigans that Amazon should have caught before accepting goods to sell but instead passed through as a result of some lowly warehouse workers more concerned with avoiding being fired for being part of the lowest performing quarter of employees.

 

 

[Ancestral_Spirit]

On 1/8/2022 at 5:54 PM, DaivRules said:

I have no doubt you got re-sealed games, directly from Amazon. I’m doubting resealing them was an intentional act by Amazon and instead likely the result of shenanigans that Amazon should have caught before accepting goods to sell but instead passed through as a result of some lowly warehouse workers more concerned with avoiding being fired for being part of the lowest performing quarter of employees.

 

Well i just received my replacement copy.

This time the steelbook is in half........ I'm done

Ordered it from a different site, since Amazon have now said they have no more available, even though you can order 1 from their site right now.

 

I'm unsure if you were classing me as complaining about this as a '1st world problem' since you brought in the lowly warehouse workers line, but with my job title I am considered one of those lowly warehouse workers, and we're supposed to report stuff like this to our bosses.

[dakk55]

This reminds me of the time I rented a game from Redbox back when Redbox was still renting out games. Inside the case was some printed paper copy somebody took of the CD to fool the machine. So I'm not surprised that there would be people on Amazon, either the official supplier or 3rd Party that would try to cheap out on stuff if they feel that they can get away with it. I can't speak for the warehouse workers, for all I know it was something that genuinely slipped past them or there was some unspoken rule concerning some of the products. Frankly, with all the stuff corporate gets up to, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

My advice,  try to research the reviews concerning the sellers. I know I've avoided some bad sellers by looking at the Amazon reviews and I've really only got scammed once due to the seller being from a foreign country that I couldn't read the comments very well.

[DaivRules]

4 minutes ago, Ancestral_Spirit said:

I'm unsure if you were classing me as complaining about this as a '1st world problem' since you brought in the lowly warehouse workers line, but with my job title I am considered one of those lowly warehouse workers, and we're supposed to report stuff like this to our bosses.

 

I wasn't classing you as anything, it was a throw away reference and nothing to do with criticizing your legitimate problem. Just giving my take on the disfunction of Amazon being a poorly run operation and suggesting Hanlon's Razor is a more likely explanation. Having worked retail under circumstances like Amazon holds it's warehouse workers to, we both know there's a fair number of people who know which corners they can cut, and they do. The "lowly warehouse workers" are what makes Amazon's retail function they way it has to help their success. My comment was subtle sarcasm that Amazon values them by constantly holding them in fear of meeting absurd expectations to keep their jobs. People who do the right things like you do should be appreciated.

 

[eigen-space]

4 minutes ago, dakk55 said:

My advice,  try to research the reviews concerning the sellers. I know I've avoided some bad sellers by looking at the Amazon reviews and I've really only got scammed once due to the seller being from a foreign country that I couldn't read the comments very well.

 

There's even problems with this though, depending on how the seller is selling through Amazon. Amazon allows sellers to comingle their products in the Amazon warehouses, so even if you buy from Seller A, you might actually get the product from Seller B for a number of different reasons (for example, Seller A's product might be in a warehouse 200 miles away whereas Seller B's is only 20 miles away). This can happen if the product is "Fulfilled by Amazon" because that means it is shipped from an Amazon warehouse even if the seller is 3rd party. If the item is sold and shipped by the 3rd party, then this shouldn't be a problem.

[dakk55]

21 minutes ago, eigen-space said:

 

There's even problems with this though, depending on how the seller is selling through Amazon. Amazon allows sellers to comingle their products in the Amazon warehouses, so even if you buy from Seller A, you might actually get the product from Seller B for a number of different reasons (for example, Seller A's product might be in a warehouse 200 miles away whereas Seller B's is only 20 miles away). This can happen if the product is "Fulfilled by Amazon" because that means it is shipped from an Amazon warehouse even if the seller is 3rd party. If the item is sold and shipped by the 3rd party, then this shouldn't be a problem.

 

Fair enough. Dealing with multiple sellers running through one big corporation sounds like a nightmare to keep track of specific products, so I wouldn't be surprised if that is what happened to @Ancestral_Spirit

[AihaLoveleaf]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:53 AM, NERVergoproxy said:

I normally buy my deals for used and new off ebay. Normally games come as described with pictures and question asked before hand. 

 

The only company that when I buy new and comes opened with no wrap and a stupid sticker on them even when new is stupid GAMESTOP..

Some games are resealed with a very sticky sticker so they know you opened it. While others have that price sticker on it. 90% of the time I get them like this even when purchased NEW.

This right here. eBay has its share of scumbags, but more often than not I can see pictures beforehand of the exact product arriving to my home, rather than the generic retail imagery on Amazon store pages. I've been burned enough times after having been sent obvious returns and damaged boxes on collector's editions that Amazon is the last place I order from if I am picking up something I actually want to display on my shelf. Gamestop is even worse, and I'd sooner order a "new" game from Amazon.

[Ancestral_Spirit]

On 1/11/2022 at 6:02 PM, DaivRules said:

 

I wasn't classing you as anything, it was a throw away reference and nothing to do with criticizing your legitimate problem. Just giving my take on the disfunction of Amazon being a poorly run operation and suggesting Hanlon's Razor is a more likely explanation. Having worked retail under circumstances like Amazon holds it's warehouse workers to, we both know there's a fair number of people who know which corners they can cut, and they do. The "lowly warehouse workers" are what makes Amazon's retail function they way it has to help their success. My comment was subtle sarcasm that Amazon values them by constantly holding them in fear of meeting absurd expectations to keep their jobs. People who do the right things like you do should be appreciated.

 

Ah my bad, must have been the way I read it  >.<

I'm not really blaming the warehouse workers as such, I'm just saying that if we notice problems at my 'insert generic retail store' here, we're supposed to report them to our bosses, but then again if you don't know what you're looking for or have no interest in the items you're handling, I can see it very easily slipping through the cracks.

 

I think I'm finding it more annoying now, since I've been going through a bad string of them at the moment. I ordered a PS3 copy of Awakened Fate Ultimatum from an eBayer called Music Magpie. My partner said we should take the risk since an English EU copy is pretty pricey these day. Music Magpie are god awful for quality control, and never post pictures of what they're selling AT ALL. I told him it was just gonna be a German copy like everyone else is selling and lo and behold, German box. Got a decent discount for it though, since no where did they mention that the box was in German on their listing, so at least we have a physical copy of the game.

 

At least this time it was for the correct console unlike Cursed Crusade and Alone in the Dark.

Told us they were both EU PS3 copies.

Cursed Crusade was PS3 and American.

Alone in The Dark was XBox360 

On 1/12/2022 at 9:30 AM, AihaLoveleaf said:

This right here. eBay has its share of scumbags, but more often than not I can see pictures beforehand of the exact product arriving to my home, rather than the generic retail imagery on Amazon store pages. I've been burned enough times after having been sent obvious returns and damaged boxes on collector's editions that Amazon is the last place I order from if I am picking up something I actually want to display on my shelf. Gamestop is even worse, and I'd sooner order a "new" game from Amazon.

 

Had this issue with GAME in the UK, always use generic pics of what they're selling.

I'd bought and brand new copy of Sly Cooper 4 Thieves in Time, thinking maybe it'll be open but the copy will be new.

Opened the box..... Tea ring stain mark where someone had been resting their mug on the manual, scratched disc and the DLC code had been used. Needless to say I wasn't much impressed given that i had also had to pay delivery on the damn thing as well  :/

 

When I go to GAME these days, I asked for a SEALED copy.

If it's not sealed or doesn't have the EU Playstation tear strip at the bottom, for the most part, I just won't buy it anymore.

[MidnightDragon]

If I buy new at GameStop, either preorder or online. Otherwise I don’t trust it and get it

from elsewhere, usually Amazon, eBay, or Best Buy.

[Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]

I've had issues with this in the past as well. I bought a "new" copy of FF13 for PS3 a few years ago, and it was very clearly a reseal, it had Y-folds (though not very good ones), but no tear strip, and like your copy of Venetica, it was in a standard blu-ray case too, not even the original PS3 one. I bought it off ebay and ended up just getting a partial refund for it. Disc was in very good condition at least, but did have a few marks, definitely wasn't brand new.

 

I actually had a seller on ebay ban me from buying from them once because I received a resealed game from them, contacted them about it, and ended up getting a refund. Only found out I was banned a year or two later when trying to buy something else, and it kept telling me I was unable to purchase the item "at this time", or something along those lines. I checked out the seller, and realised it was the exact same seller I'd bought the resealed game from a year or two prior. Googled the exact message I was getting when I was trying to buy the item, and apparently it means the seller has blacklisted you. Can't say I was too upset, at least it meant I was possibly avoiding another reseal, though it's always made me wish I could also blacklist certain sellers from appearing in my search results.

 

Last reseal I think I got was from Amazon, directly from Amazon too, not even just fulfilled by them, which surprised me. It was a copy of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception; and Amazon seemed to be the only place I could still find new copies on. When I received it, it looked like it had been vacuumed packaged into some thin cellophane that was clinging to the case for dear life. The insert was all wavy and crinkled, and needless to say, I was disappointed having received a "brand new" copy in this condition. The disc was surprisingly perfectly fine at least, and I ended up keeping it since I couldn't find new copies anywhere else, I just replaced the case (the paper insert was actually fine, somehow, it was just the plastic holding it that was crinkled).

 

I'm surprised to hear of your issues with Game Collection. I've bought from them a lot and all the games I've bought have indeed been new at least, though I have received a few damaged games from them in the past (worst ones being a 2 disc game with one of the hinges on the flap holding the first disc being broken, and another where the spindle holding the disc was destroyed. The return and replacement processes were smooth at least). Sucks to hear even they're not safe from reseals. Sounds like maybe it was a returned copy that they sent to you or something. I did receive a clearly resealed copy of We Happy Few from Base last year, in rather bad shrink wrapping (very similar to the one Utawarerumono came in), with a loose disc to boot. Was kinda shocked about that because I've never had such issues with Base before, and haven't since (yet). I returned it and they refunded me no questions asked at least, and got an actual new copy elsewhere.

 

And don't even get me started on GAME... I try to avoid them like the plague whenever possible nowadays.

 

Sorry for the rotten luck you seem to be having. It's always extremely disappointing paying for new, often paying a bit extra than it goes for used, and then you get a used copy anyway.

Edited January 17, 2022 by SuperSmexy500

[Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]

I know this is an old thread now, but I actually did receive a resealed game from the Game Collection today, a very obvious one without even needing to open it. It's Neverwinter Nights for PS4, it had obvious dirt and damage to the case under the wrapper, which was a thicker plastic compared to the factory sealed plastic you see on other PS4 games, complete with dodgy looking y folds and no tear strip.

 

Opened it up, and yup, clear reseal, the disc had some marks on it as well. Nothing too bad, but there's no way in hell a "new" game would have a fingerprint on the disc.

 

Been buying from the Game Collection for years and this is the first time this has ever happened. It was definitely sold as "new", the Game Collection does also sell pre-owned games. The game is for my husband who isn't as fussy about these kinds of things as me, and it was pretty cheap anyway, so we'll see what his opinion is on it when he sees it later. Still, real shame that it feels like pretty much no where can be trusted when it comes to reseals for any games over a year old or so.

[GUDGER666]

Not all PS games in EU have the tear strip, most cases where they don't it is because they were sealed in a different country, low print, and in some cases due to stuff like damaged packaging, if there is a box of them and it was say dropped so some were damaged, the entire box would be put to one side then they would all be opened checked and then sent off to be factory resealed.

 

An obvious reseal is when they use crappy cling film, very common with Amazon, i would say about 70% of the movies/games I've ordered from them have been resealed this way. But if you get a Y fold seal its most likely a legit factory reseal. 

Edited October 28, 2022 by GUDGER666

[ZitMeatloaf]

I ordered a brand new copy of Kirby and the Forgotten Land the week it came out from Target's website (not a third party seller). I could tell the plastic looked different when it arrived and when I opened it up the cartridge was missing. Someone in the supply line had opened it, took out the cartridge and resealed it. It was a birthday gift (we're at the stage where it's just easier to buy what we want for ourselves, then the spouse "gives" it to the other person!), so opening that was a bit of a disappointment.

 

Contacted Target's customer support and they sent me another copy, which arrived in one piece with the game in the case the second time around. It sucks that people do this shit.

[Ancestral_Spirit]

On 28/10/2022 at 1:42 PM, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV said:

Been buying from the Game Collection for years and this is the first time this has ever happened. It was definitely sold as "new", the Game Collection does also sell pre-owned games. The game is for my husband who isn't as fussy about these kinds of things as me, and it was pretty cheap anyway, so we'll see what his opinion is on it when he sees it later. Still, real shame that it feels like pretty much no where can be trusted when it comes to reseals for any games over a year old or so.

 

I have had this same problem with the game collection a couple of times now and did ask them about it 

They said that they receive all their games from a supplier, rather than order them manually themselves. So whatever the supplier sends them, that's what they sell.

So this supplier, whoever the company is, is the one sending out reseals to websites to sell as new. Whether or not they're aware they're doing this, I don't think we'll ever really know for sure.

 

On 28/10/2022 at 2:28 PM, GUDGER666 said:

Not all PS games in EU have the tear strip, most cases where they don't it is because they were sealed in a different country, low print, and in some cases due to stuff like damaged packaging, if there is a box of them and it was say dropped so some were damaged, the entire box would be put to one side then they would all be opened checked and then sent off to be factory resealed.

 

An obvious reseal is when they use crappy cling film, very common with Amazon, i would say about 70% of the movies/games I've ordered from them have been resealed this way. But if you get a Y fold seal its most likely a legit factory reseal. 

 

I will admit I have noticed quite a few EU companies in the UK, especially limited print companies, have been giving me Y fold seals. I'm totally ok with that.

 

However I don't think a Y fold seal is necessarily mark of anything official. I've received Y fold sealed games that have been in pretty shoddy condition and I'm not just talking about the cases, discs and inserts too. Had this happen at ASDA. Turns out workers were opening games with scalpels, taking the contents out and then resealing them like they were brand new. Not saying this happens everywhere or is all that common, but defo something to be aware of.

 

On 28/10/2022 at 2:47 PM, ZitMeatloaf said:

I ordered a brand new copy of Kirby and the Forgotten Land the week it came out from Target's website (not a third party seller). I could tell the plastic looked different when it arrived and when I opened it up the cartridge was missing. Someone in the supply line had opened it, took out the cartridge and resealed it. It was a birthday gift (we're at the stage where it's just easier to buy what we want for ourselves, then the spouse "gives" it to the other person!), so opening that was a bit of a disappointment.

 

Contacted Target's customer support and they sent me another copy, which arrived in one piece with the game in the case the second time around. It sucks that people do this shit.

 

See above.

 

It does suck though, especially for those that prefer sealed copies as collectors. Personally I tend to keep my games sealed until I'm ready to play them, or if they have download codes in them but these days I'm way more inclined to open them the day they arrive to check for shenanigans.

 

As for your comment about you and your partner, me and mine are pretty much the same. If we ever want something gaming wise, 9 times out of 10 we both want it. So we don't bother with birthday or Christmas presents anymore cos we're too busy buying looooaads of stuff all year round.  ?

[wajbsb]

I tend to buy used, it's generally cheaper and once you've opened a new copy it's automatically used anyway. I'm careful with who I buy from though, I look at reviews and pictures.

For some reason I've never felt comfortable about buying from Game Collection or Base, I don't know why.

I used to like Electronics Boutique! Then they became Game and were still ok, but Gamestation was better. Then the criminally lucky wideboy lout that is Mike Ashley bought Game and they became truly awful. Wouldn't shop there now if my life depended on it, especially not online - £5 delivery is having a laugh for a standard game, especially at business rates. Plus I wouldn't want to put any more money in Ashley's greasy mitts where I can possibly avoid it.

[Dreakon13]

Being a pseudo-collector, I have a decent amount of sealed games but I do intend to open all of them sooner or later.  So I won't say I've never gotten a re-seal but it wouldn't really matter unless something appeared to be wrong underneath.

 

Never totally trust any online retailer/storefront to send everything 100% as expected/advertised every time, is all I can really say lol.  More and more sites, Amazon and Walmart come to mind, quietly mix in third party sellers and you never really know... not even getting into the fact that Amazon and Walmart themselves are far from perfect.  It's just the risk you take buying online.  The only thing I can suggest, is if you're using eBay, to ask the seller to send you actual photographs of the item they're sending you and make your decision based on that as best you can.  I've done that a few times and the sellers are usually receptive... if they aren't, they probably aren't worth the risk buying from anyways.