Early videogame distribution

[ThattJackal]

So today I happened upon a store called "pandora's cube" in college park md which was selling early copies of Madden '10 for $20 above MSRP, I suppose for getting a copy of the game a few days earlier than the published ship date.

Does anyone else think this is as immoral as I do? This place is also known for selling modded xbox 360s and ps3's preloaded with bootleg games. What's the best way for me, as a consumer advocate to turn these guys in?

[Olo401]

[email protected]

ENEMIES LIST RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR

[Jodwahh]

Nobody like's a grass.

[Yuri-G]

I don't think it's so bad when they sell it a few days before street date, but marking it up and doing the same thing somehow seems so much worse to me. I'm not really sure why, it just does. I guess it's the greed factor.

[Correction]

People who overpay 20 bucks to play madden a few days early get what they deserve.

[Roranora]

Any potential backlash for breaking a street date is largely dependent upon the publisher's willingness, or often lack thereof, to get ugly with the retailer. Most cases, it ends up sliding because it's really not worth it getting shitty with big retailers because a few dipshit hourly-paid employees didn't care enough to keep the product in the back.

Now, your place here in MD.. I dunno, this place could be a little hole-in-the-wall, and they're definitely being shady marking it up above the MSRP it will soon be everywhere else. But.. you'll have your work cut out for you getting EA's attention.

[RakEx]

Snitch.

[Khamsin]

Spoof his IP and download an early copy of Madden '10 off a public tracker. That'll get EA's attention.

He won't get in trouble for his black market shop, but he may get 10 years in prison plus sued for a couple million in damages for downloading the game and modding his xbox.

[MrW]

Snitches get stitches!

[eunhye]

Pandora's cube. man i miss Maryland. i bought a modded PS2/Dreamcast from them in 2001 ? shh. they have tons of hentai and awesome anime.

[Korremar]

Pandora's cube. man i miss Maryland. i bought a modded PS2/Dreamcast from them in 2001 ? shh. they have tons of hentai and awesome anime.

lolk

If by "awesome" you mean "horrifically overpriced", or perhaps "almost entirely low-quality bootlegs". I was friends with a couple of the guys who worked in the Pandora's Cube in White Marsh, they did so much shady shit, surprised they managed to actually stay there as long as they did. They always had investigations running on them.

[archibaldcrane]

This place is also known for selling modded xbox 360s and ps3's preloaded with bootleg games. What's the best way for me, as a consumer advocate to turn these guys in?

...

You aren't advocating for the consumer by turning them in - you're advocating for Microsoft and Sony and EA. As a consumer, I want a place like this to exist in case I want to buy the stuff that they sell that noone else does (referring more to the modded systems than the pre-release Madden whatever).

If you want to white knight on behalf of the game manufacturers, fine - just don't pretend like you're doing consumers some great service while doing so.

inb4 but if the game companies don't make money then we all suffer because they don't make games anymore!

[Zilong]

Pandora's cube. man i miss Maryland. i bought a modded PS2/Dreamcast from them in 2001 ? shh. they have tons of hentai and awesome anime.

The notion that anyone actually buys anime and hentai is quite laughable.

[Hosom]

inb4 but if the game companies don't make money then we all suffer because they don't make games anymore!

It's true. That's why people stopped recording music in the '90s, no one could make any money because cassette tapes were being traded. Oh wai...

[Charismatic]

The notion that anyone actually buys anime and hentai is quite laughable.

I'd your hentai

[BadKarma]

YOU SHOULD NEAVR BUY GAMES BEFORE STREET DATE! *cough*

[Lbelle]

wow I lived in MD for 18 years and never heard of this place...I know it's wrong of them but like someone said, if they're willing to pay extra because of the street date then who cares? Sounds like they sell cool stuff, I wanna go there plz dont get it shut down.

[BadKarma]

I bought mine for retail price 4 days early, niggas be gettin ripped off in maryland

[Stiker]

So wait...they are taking advantage of retarded people willing to pay an overly marked up price on games? Uh...if people are that fucking stupid to do it for the sake of just getting a game before street date, sounds like a great business model to me.

Besides it isn't like they are stopping you from getting your copy of the same game for the actual price a week or so later.