EB Games

Full review
I typically buy my video games used from half.com whenever I'm buying online. You typically can get a decent price for a reasonable shipping amount. However, not all recently released games are immediately available for a good price on half.com. So with the upcoming release of MVP Baseball 2005, I decided to again purchase from EBgames.com. I have done this before, ironically for the previous installment of MVP Baseball and also for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Both times I walked away a satisfied consumer.


About EBgames.com

EBgames is your typical video game store that sells new and used video games, video game systems and video game system accessories, DVDs, and other gaming paraphernalia from video game themed action figures to Magic Cards. Their online site has roughly the same inventory as their stores with some exceptions. They are very comparable to Gamestop.com in terms of price and selection.


Site Layout and Navigation

One of the first impressions you get when you see EBgames.com's front page is the hot games that they are advertising along with a pictorial representation. The titles themselves have their own advertising block on the homepage and the general layout of these ads is roughly the same as Gamestop.com. Navigation of the front page is mostly performed by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page, which are sorted by platform. Also you can navigate to a specific area by clicking on the many different categorized links in the left pane. These categories are sorted by platform, gift cards, classic consoles, specialty shops, links to physical EBgames stores, and links to their corporate offices. The right pane is used more for informational purposes. It lists upcoming releases along with their expected ship dates. Also there's a block dedicated to best selling games. There's a window to sign up for the EBgames newsletter, and a window that shows the current deal of the day.

The rest of the site is pretty easy to navigate as well. The internal search engine doesn't allow you to categorize by platform, genre, ESRB rating, or any other basic video gaming criteria, but it does a good job of recognizing keywords and displaying relevant results. Product pages do a good job of providing information about the product you wish to purchase, including tech specs, screenshots, key features, release dates, prices for both new and used versions, and both professional and reader reviews.


Ordering

EBgames.com has your basic web ordering interface with one notable wrinkle. EBgames.com uses your typical shopping cart ordering system where you add items to your cart, then checkout all at once. You're required to setup a profile, but luckily all the information you fill out is required for the order anyway and will save you time later as your identity is categorized by your email address. EBgames.com uses many of the typical payment options. You can use five different credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, Discover, NOVUS, and Amex. You can use EB Games gift cards as well as money orders. Sales tax also applies to all states except Delaware, New Hampshire, Montana, Oregon and Alaska. EBgames uses 3 different shipping carriers: USPS, UPS, and FedEx for deliveries inside the US. Shipping is also classified into 4 different classes: One-Day Air, Two-Day Air, Three Day, and EB Saver (5-10 days). The different classes not only denote the time it takes for the product to arrive, but also the price. The prices range from $11 to $2 depending on which shipping class you use and whether your order is more or less than $75. The processing time is usually 24 hours unless the product is back or pre ordered. International shipping rates are based on UPS's international shipping rates and are usually delivered as early as within 5 days.

The one wrinkle in the ordering process is instead of having your game shipped to your house, you can instead ship it to a nearby store. This can be advantageous because you won't have to pay any shipping charges. You will still have to pay sales tax (if applicable), but you'll probably have to do that anyway for online orders. So unless it costs you more money to drive there and back than have it shipped to your house, this could be the better option. It's also nice because the EBgames store will call you to let you know it came in. The only catch is that you have to pick it up within 48 hours or else you'll be charged a $5 handling fee.


Prices and Selection

Prices and Selection at EBgames.com are pretty competitive. Not only does EBgames have a decent selection of games, but they are also among the lowest prices you'll see, aside from specials offered by department and electronics retailers like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Circuit City. In addition, the used games have prices that are as low as $2 less than their new counterparts (for recently released games) to prices as low as $10 less than their newer counterparts. However, the availability of used games isn't very dependable, especially for newly released games as well as games for older systems like the SNES and NES. For older systems it's best to try and find the game on Ebay. Still, if you're looking for a game, chances are you'll find it at EBgames.com, if not Gamestop.com is another online store that has a comparable selection.


So How Did This Latest Experience Go?

My latest experience with EBgames.com went pretty well. I pre ordered MVP Baseball 2005 from the website and had it shipped to the local EBgames store. They called me at about noon the day it came in and I picked it up an hour later. I had to wait in line at the store, which can be a problem for huge releases like Halo 2 or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but in this case it wasn't much of an inconvenience. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to play the game later that day because I had to watch the kids. So the advantage of getting it a day early wasn't realized. But still I saved money on shipping, and guaranteed I had my copy for Xbox just in case there was a larger demand than expected (which can happen from time to time). Overall, I had an easy time ordering because my billing and shipping info was already setup, and I am very familiar with the shopping cart interface. I didn't have any problems with the accuracy of the order, or any other phase of the transaction. Overall I was pretty pleased. I would definitely shop at EBgames.com again if I'm looking to pre order a popular game. I feel confident that I'll walk away with my game the day after it ships every time.


Update 12-7-05

After a recent order from EBGames.com, I received a $10 voucher from an independent site towards any purchase on EBGames.com just for filling out a survey. Anyway, this voucher really opened my eyes to what EB really offers. I'm really having a hard time getting my money's worth with this $10 voucher. For instance, on Half.com, the prices are very competitive to the point where I'd only be saving a couple dollars by using the voucher. Also, I won't have a rough idea as to the condition of the game from EBGames.com, whereas on Half.com I would. Finally, I can't combine this voucher with any other coupon like 15% off used games, free shipping, or even use my EB Edge card. Right now I'm looking into Star Ocean. If I buy the game new it comes out to $12.49 including shipping, but if I buy it used using those three coupon codes, it comes out to $13.49 including shipping (free in this case). Finally, I can get the complete game (case, manual, etc.) used on Half.com right now for $15.49 shipped. Now imagine if I didn't have the voucher or access to these coupon codes or EBEdge card.

On an unrelated note, I bought a used copy of Dragon Warrior VII the other week from EBGames.com. The case was broken and was missing the manual. Both disc were there and in fair condition (light scratches but playable). Again, it kind of disappointed me to see this game in such poor condition. While EB Games does have a guaranteed to work policy, I wonder how often they'd expect people to go out of their way to ship back a scratched product, especially if the problem shows up weeks after you start playing the game?


Update 12-12-05

Well, I got a $10 voucher for EBGames.com after I ordered Dragon Warrior VII the other week. So I decided to order Star Ocean new because the used version would likely be in an unspecified condition. So I got the game today and what I received was quite alarming.

Now I don't want to throw out allegations without proof, but I have reason to believe their "new" games are actually used. The first thing I noticed was the game was sealed rather poorly in a different quality shrink wrap not consistent with truly new games. The next thing I noticed was the manual was rubber-cemented to the outside of the case but inside the shrink wrap, not inside the case itself. I have never seen this for new games. The final thing I noticed was there were slight scuff marks inside the case as well as slightly noticeable on the discs themselves. This is definitely not consistent with a new game. I think what happened is that the used games that could be passed off as new were shrink wrapped by EB and resold as "new". Now the part that really stinks if this were true is it means the used games are of the worst quality. I've seen this "technique" used before when I worked in Staples. I mean, they had a shrink wrapping machine upstairs and I saw them use it on returns all the time. I wouldn't surprise me if EBGames.com did this with the slim margins they have.