Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince comes out today ahead of its movie debut. Available on all major platforms from July 2nd.


Price round-ups are forum discussions that let the community track prices and trade in offers for upcoming releases. It is an opportunity to share trade in exploits, point out online sales, reveal broken street dates and helps reduce work for staff so that we can have more frequent round-ups.

JB - then. 1 for 1 (usual exclusion).

Let the wheeling and dealing commence. I got my copy (MySims which was $20 in the kmart sale).

Now what do I do with it? Surly not play it??

Yep, traded in a game and got HP6, then walked over to GAME and got $50 store credit.  I wanted them to price match GameTraders' L4D price of $69.95 but they wouldn't do it.  And then I tried to get them to price match GH:Smash Hits @ $69 from GAME.com.au, and they wouldn't do that either.  So I know have $50 store credit and no game.

Assume that's not the Wii trade in value?

Anyone know what that is?

Um
$40 at game, though if you're lucky just return it into JB.

I got $48 :P

garth did you trade it in back to jb hifi or did you return it?

My opinion on this activity is that if people exploit the system too much, the stores will become cluey of our behaviour (and such websites) and cease to provide example deals. Just remember, be fair on the store and to others who may want to use this trade bait, don't go trading in heaps of copies for your own personal gain!

My opinion is that, as a rule, the stores make good $ out of these deals by the profit margins in pre-owned games.

We are just on the other side fighting to restore the karmic balance. It's our sworn duty.

But yeah, don't go nuts.

 

You can spend about $25 for a cheap game (preowned?), trade it at JB for HP6, then return it to JB (I don't know how you can do this....) for $48, or at GAME for $50. However, the stuff at GAME is a lot more expensive than at JB.

And I agree with Charlie's comment - Aus game retailers are so ridiculously overpriced, this is just one way of evening the playing field so we can get a fair price

Its useless to try ask people not to do it or to be fair to the businesses they are ripping off. People will do what they want. See the post below your own. Personally I think store/game managers should instead be monitoring Economical Gamer just to know which games to refuse or which values are appropriate.

while I am not againest trade exploit like this, I would suggest doing it at EB if you intend to return the game, JB is a much better retailer that constantly offers good prices & deals.

+1

Well firstly, i'd say the fact that we're exploiting is rather justified.
You'd get $60 trade value for a game you got for $90 if you trade it in on the first day
and they will profit $25 by selling it for $85.

This is just an example, probably also very hypothetical.

Also, @Alex

I went into 3 jbhifi's
They didn't accept returning it because it's a trade in deal

Then I went to the one near Melbourne Cent, off Elizabeth and showed this little scratch/dent underneath the wrapping and asked for store credit.
Just go to JB then GAME.

I was more implying that it is in the stores interests to sell more pre-owned games as the profit margins are better. Say $20 profit on the MySims I traded in as opposed to $5 on Harry Potter they 'sold' me.

Not sure we are 'ripping off' anyone. If anything we are a cash cow.

@Charlie

Thats a really good point.

All the games we're buying for bait of them would have cost them about 10 bucks, they've practically double'd their profit margin,

I say rip off EB because they're all about the money - they don't care about customer service, and their prices have pretty much been consistently higher than any other retailer since they opened in Australia.

Anyone having troubles at JB hi-fi of getting multiple copies at the same time. e.g 3 or more

You may want to know the real numbers before saying such things. The scenario described was inaccurate though. Correct numbers aside. If a store pays $50 for a game with a trade in deal for one title like with Harry Potter then they would need to sell the preowned title for $50 to break even. Are they buying copies from the publisher for $50? Are they selling MySims preowned for $50+? I do not know.

I tried to get two copies at EB but they were sold out of 360 versions and the 2nd Wii copy they had, they couldn't find the box.  I still traded one $19 Wii game for a $79 Wii game.  Now I just need to exchange/sell it for cash, credit or a decent game.  I wonder how much JB Hi-Fi is getting their copies for, they must be making a loss.

Whatever it is, take the advantage of the trade in offers. Goodwill aside, JB is making **** loads of money anyways. As long as they are making money, who cares, not even their share holders. I truely believe in

1. Set the rule of the game.
2. Play it and be done with it.

There are always loop holes to find. Respect and enjoy.

Guys, as a user of this system for years, I suggest you don't return them to JB.  Matching the deal at EB and then returning the game to a different EB under the full price receipt for store credit is the only way to ensure that the loop hole doesn't get closed.
It will also ensure that JB doesn't close down these offers as they never see the deals at EB.  If they see what people are doing through their computer system they will stop offering the deals.  Matching it at EB is a win win situation, 1. the deals keep going, 2. We rip EB off, which they have been doing to mum/dads for years.
Personally I'm off trading at the moment, and probably won't do it for a while, but just looking out for ya all :)

lego batman x5 ($20 each kmart clearance sale for PS3)

went to my fave JBhifi and had a chat to a familiar sales rep, she helped me out and knows of the "exploit" but said i could return one if i wanted for store credit, i was upfront with ehr and said i didnt want to **** in my own backyard (i shop here all the time, for music, dvd, games etc)

i told her i felt bad enough trading all 5 batman copies, they sell it for $79 and would more than likely get ok money for it 2nd hand, even though my copies were all brand new

traded 2 at EB for store credit then bought FUEL (EB Pheonix dont put up much of an argument)

will give 2 to my brother who will trade for credit tonight and get me a copy of resident evil 5

the 5th one is a b'day present

im all for people taking the piss out of EB, i felt dodgy getting 5 copies from my local JB, but i think its fair to say, i will spend the difference 4 or 5 times over before the end of the year with them (need a new digital SLR...)

so let me get this straight...u traded 2 copies of HP6 at EB games ( when u got these HP6 at ur local JB?) how much did they give u for each HP6 that u got? im unclear...

So match the JB deal at EB then return it at another EB? Do they let me do that? Because I know JB won't let us return it. Will EB match the deal? I've been hearing bad things about them being really fussy over it.

theyre quite happy to match the deal but it takes heaps long cause phone lines been off the roof for this deal(they call etc, some d1ck was givin me sh1t sayin Fear was on the exclusion list eventhough it wasnt...told him to call jb or i'd just do the deal at JB...

Quick question is am i able to return the HP6 game to a diff EB from the one i purchased at or must it be the exact same store that i got it from?

Just traded in My French Coach ($15 at 365games) for the Wii version at JB. Going to try sell it on eBay, otherwise, GAME.

Also got Facebreaker on PS3 from JB for $18, as it's not on their exclusion list. So so awesome.

My local EB refused to match the deal. They said "go to JB then and buy it from them", or something like that.

The guys at my local GAME were more than happy to give me $50 a copy x4 because they said that they weren't getting HP6 in at all!  Which is really suprising and probably why they're giving so much.  I didn't even bother taking them out of the shrinkwrap.

I asked EB if they would price match trade in value, which they said they would, but when they rang up it was "only $40" (bs, as I traded 2 copies in later at GAME for $50 each). Still got it anyway, but shows how dodgy EB Games can be.

Apparently GAME is now only offering $25 for HP6.
In future, I think you have to get these kinds of deals early in the morning, before they all change their trade in value.

$25? Wow quite a change.

Are you serious? $25?!

Traded for two copies. Used Project Slypheed and Cabela something something both 360 titles. Am planning to keep 1 and have already sold the other to a friend for the cost of the trade games. Both games used cost $15 each.

Regarding GAME $25 statement I made earlier -
The manager at GAME in my area said that she got an email, and that would be the new trade in value.
Apparently many GAME's are still $50, but I doubt they will be the same tomorrow.

Regarding GAME dropping the Trade Price, JB HI FI are trading the PS3/360 Copies of the game for $48 dollars, and most games are cheaper there anyway, so I don't think it should be too much of an issue

my JB would only let me have 2 copies per day, per customer

so i got 2 there instead of three haha

OK, fair point. So you believe this is a loss leading tactic? I don't agree, but it's a fair position. Almost worked for me, I was yay close to splashing $180 for Season 1 and 2 of Blu Rayed LOST.

The Wii versions was stickered at $48, I would imagine this is pretty much cost. Anything traded in that could be resold above this price would be profit. I can see MySims falling in this category. I would estimate 90% of the games they receive could be sold at or above this price point.

Again, I'm pulling numbers out of my ass so could be completely wrong :)

yeh this is how i got mine done....works perfectly as u can return the game to any EB u want (if u dont want ur local one to be sussed out) got a couple of gifties and soon will have enough to get me another console...

WOW! You guys really need to get out of the house more and learn how business works in the real world. Many of these trade deals work on two levels. Either the company has rebate scheme with the games publisher whereby they get a certain amount of money back per title they sell, regardless of how the value of the game was tendered. Secondly, the company may wish to do the trade deals in an effort to liquidate capital for further purchases and to build pre owned stock levels

Also for the record, I think it is great that so many people are willing to hunt around for these trade deals. If we are smart as a community, it is a great way to make all Australian retailers more competitive  ;D

Thanks for the advise Mr Trump.

/Applies for place on The Apprentice

Close...but no cigar.

To be honest it sounds like the only store worried about this stuff is EB. GAME appear to be using the JB offer to their advantage and JB are using it to push sales of HP and build stock levels.

At some point they will catch on and limit what you can get. The fact they have it dated for a small window will help with it getting out of hand for them.

Heheh, if it were a loss leading tactic then they wouldnt be doing it. Stores are getting into preowned titles clearly because they can make some extra money. I just think going about saying those of us doing exploits are cash cows is a bit much. Plus the stores get left holding the bag and have to sell a title preowned somehow at a price larger than it was bought new by the trade exploiter. I have no idea what portion of trade bait is sold at a profit (profit against the trade in game) versus which ones are sold at a loss. But I do think that the fact only larger game retailers and not the small independant ones are offering/matching them is a sign of how risky trade in deals are.

@ Charlie and Azamat... Gotta love kids on school hols  :)

That could be taken the wrong way. Mr Conroy will be after you and this place will be on the banned sites list. Plus I think you're grooming up the wrong tree.


@Anthony - Potter (one for one being a rare example) I'd agree there is more risk.

But for the 2 or 3 titles traded I believe there is good money to be made.


Longest thread I've even seen on here.

I can agree mostly with that. This whole time Ive been talking about the exploits that are almost too good to be true and everyone goes crazy over them.

Why did you post that? Insulting people about retail knowledge and for being in school? If you intended to enlighten anyone about business you shouldnt have opened your first ever post here with "WOW! You guys really need to get out of the house more".

how much is the normal trade in price for EB right now?

$15(16.50 with edge)...just called them up....just return ur game with the receipt for full refund or get another game :D 7 day advantage :D

So currently can we have an overview of the places we can take the HP to and what they're offering (in terms of store credit).

GAME was at $50 but now is at $25?
Other JBs are taking the HP back for $48 store credit?
EB offering a measly $15?

Give me some confirmations - and please let me know what city/area you're from.

Well the reduction at GAME seems to only be at some stores. Sounds like the news that the game is worth less credit is taking time to filter through. Dont like the chances of it staying that way though past today.

We all knew this was going to happen - kudos to the people who got in early!

This is what Rundle Mall Adelaide told yesterday, however I asked about "the new Harry Potter Game" and didn't clearly state "Half Blood Prince".  So there is a chance the guy looked up the wrong game.

Hope that helps.

$15 is likely given that eb is selling the preowned copies for $35 (for 360/wii/ps3). strangely enough the psp/ps2 copies seem to be worth more to them (selling for $45 each).

I got $50 credit from GAME, but they wouldn't price match anything I asked for. And they don't even know their own trade in deals... I talked to one of them about trading 6 Wii games for new DSLite and he just gave me a blank stare.

Even last week when I want to trade a game towards their pre-order deals, they had absolutely no clue and said I need to wait till the game come out first before I can trade the game to the pre-order. Sigh, I had high hopes for GAME based on my stay in UK, but now I guess I have to stick with JB and EB at least they know their own promotion!

I think you are visiting a dud Game store - I have had no trouble when trying to redeem the offers on the website!

I just called my local (Vic) Game and JB stores and Game trade in for HP: HBP is $37, JB offering just $25

which GAME store in melbounre?

Yeh sometimes GAME's own employee's dont know whats going on but you should just tell them to go to their own website to check out the deals. Thats what I do, if they don't know about them.  Their computers should have access to their own webpage.

Did anyone actually play the game?

I did for a bit, it's pretty funny.

Harry rides a broomstick to the best of his abilities, yet Ginny is faster than you
Harry runs like Usain Bolt, though if you crash into someone YOU FALL.

I sorta ragequit because i cbf looking at the manual when it came to making potions.

I might buy the game again when it's $5.

Thanks mate..as a 'kid' i would love to have another 'video game industry' business lesson so i can grow up to be as smart as you.

Hahaha he really has no idea who you are, does he Azamat.

Love your work btw Azamat. You've provided me with plenty of great deals on games for the past 2 years. Keep it up!

According to my local GAME store (Southland, Victoria)
The game was $50 trade in value, then went to $25, then went to $37.50 and is based upon how much they are getting at any one time.

I got EB to match the deal and then I returned it to another EB and got $59 credit.  They usually price match JB and put $59 on the receipt, instead of the $79 they want for it but if you get a new employee with no one to correct them, they might put $79 on there.

One EB employee said he could only price match and couldn't match the trade 1 get it free but I think he just didn't want to phone JB to confirm the deal.  I was just unlucky that day.  I haven't found a catalogue with this deal, so they really have to call unless they already know about it.  Printouts from the website aren't usually good enough.

HP6 was worth $30 store credit at my local GAME store (Box Hill) this afternoon.

Today is the last day you can get the HP6 trade deal at JB Hi-Fi.

Better get in quick.

Actually it ended yesterday.  It's now trade 2 same format games and ends 10th August.  They didn't give me any Top Trumps cards but I forgot to ask.  The deal was already great without them.

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/games/harry-potter-&-the-half-blood-prince/

I made the mistake of playing my copy.

/shudders