Received an Opened Game from Amazon

LAshurei on 12/12/2018 - 12:47
Last edited 12/12/2018 - 15:33

Hey all,

Wanted to know whether I should bother trying to go through the returns process to get a sealed copy. I just received my order of Yo-Kai Watch 3 for the 3DS but it arrived already opened and the contacts on the cartridge had the telltale scratches that indicate that it had been inserted into a console. This game only came out on the 8th and when I booted it up, it had no save files, so the only conclusion I can come to is that whoever bought it dumped it and then returned it, and Amazon decided to give it to the lucky person who didn't have release day prime shipping. I have little knowledge of how Nintendo handles its cart certificates, and I know the ban wave back in June was for Switch and not 3DS, but I wanted to at the very least be more informed of what consequences there may be if my suspicions are correct.

As an aside, has anyone else received a returned game from Amazon before? Is this actually a common occurrence that I was unaware of?

Thanks for letting me know Nintendo rarely seals their games. I can go ahead and game in peace.

Gaming 3DS Game Video Game

Related Stores

Amazon AU
Amazon AU
Marketplace

Comments

  • tdrive on 12/12/2018 - 12:50
    +1

    Their CS is really good. Give them a call or live chat and i'm sure they will help!

  • Tech5 on 12/12/2018 - 12:59
    +1

    I received both an opened game and an opened xbox. They checked records and told me that shouldnt be the case as it is confirmed new. They provided me shipping back, refunded money + a bit of extra credit

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 13:15

      Thanks, good to know. I don't know if there'll be a problem in my case since I did make a save file while testing the game.

      • Diji1 on 12/12/2018 - 15:35

        Amazon customer service is amazing. They fall over themselves to make sure you're happy.

        Live chat is the fastest way to do it.

  • ChillBro on 12/12/2018 - 13:02

    Sorry to hear that, op.
    You must be horrified.

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 13:10
      +4

      Clearly. An unscrupulous character of questionable origin touched my game before I did. If Amazon can't protect us from this indecency, who will?

  • thord on 12/12/2018 - 13:15
    +9

    Just FYI this isn't always a previously opened game. Some games (especially Switch and 3DS) don't come sealed. Often the seal you get is from the store you bought it from and is simply shrink wrap. Nintendo don't have an official seal on all their games like Sony does. You'll also find most switch and 3ds games have contact pin scratches. I presume this is from factory testing.

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 13:32

      Oh, I didn't realise. All the games I've ordered before, including 3DS, were sealed so the discrepancy here set off my paranoia a bit. Trust Nintendo to go against the norm and omit unnecessary things such as shrink wrap and chargers. Thanks for the heads up.

      • khell on 12/12/2018 - 13:52
        +1

        Yep, I've bought every game I have for the Switch off Amazon AU and none of them have come shrink-wrapped.

        • omguleh on 12/12/2018 - 14:20
          +1

          Yea none of my switch games had the seal except for Pokemon.

        • SephirothFF on 12/12/2018 - 20:36

          Do you buy games that ship from Australia?

          • khell on 13/12/2018 - 20:10
            +1

            @SephirothFF: Everything has been sold by Amazon AU direct - so yes.

  • DarthAntz on 12/12/2018 - 13:55
    +4

    a yo-kai touched it.

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 14:04
      +2

      Unclear whether good touch or bad touch.

    • Yarkin on 12/12/2018 - 14:18
      +1

      I thought Yo-kai only liked to watch.

  • EightImmortals on 12/12/2018 - 13:58

    So does the game work or doesn't it?

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 14:09

      It does. Wanted to make sure it continues working if I'm going to pay full price for it.

      • EightImmortals on 12/12/2018 - 14:17

        Fair enough, though if it isn't faulty is it worth the hassle to send it back and wait for a replacement?

        • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 14:32

          I created this thread exactly to determine that. Other replies have indicated that it probably is brand new so I'll happily keep my game if that is the case.

  • josho9 on 12/12/2018 - 14:21

    See other commentators re: whether the game has actually been used before, but this can sometimes happen due to commingling of Fulfilled by Amazon products and 3rd party sellers trying to pass off used (or, more commonly, counterfeit) products as new. Amazon customer service is excellent and will look after you.

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 14:48

      Thanks for that. I know Amazon CS is excellent but sometimes it can be hard to convey to them game-specific issues, especially when it's something like no shrink wrap + scratched contact pins + no save files -> possible cartridge tampering.

  • lint on 12/12/2018 - 16:58

    Aside from Nintendo rarely sealing their games with plastic wrap here, the copyright protection mechanisms that you speak of don't exist on the 3DS.

    Additionally, people who want to pirate will more likely just download it directly from the internet rather than buy a game online and then pay shipping to return it after dumping the image.

    • Ashurei on 12/12/2018 - 17:27

      Ah, I see. So the protection is a new thing they implemented with Switch?

      Normally I'd agree but with freeshop no longer viable and this being a EU/PAL only release (until February) with five different versions, I figured that there was a higher than usual chance that someone might've been desperate enough to go through all that.

  • PissLUR on 12/12/2018 - 20:10
    -1

    this is what you get from a 'free returns' merchant.

  • SephirothFF on 12/12/2018 - 20:40

    This is exactly why I never buy Australian Nintendo games. I assume it shipped from Amazon au. Has anyone ever bought a game on the Amazon au site that ships from Amazon US but turned out to be an Australian version? I doubt it but just curious as I'd like to order from them knowing I won't get Australian copies.

  • Zachary on 13/12/2018 - 14:20

    ban wave back in June was for Switch and not 3DS

    Wasn't there one for 3DS as well at some point?

    • Ashurei on 13/12/2018 - 15:08

      The ban wave I was referring to targeted individual physical cartridges in addition to accounts and consoles. I do recall reading about some 3DS console ban waves over the past couple of years though, yes.

      • Zachary on 13/12/2018 - 20:45

        You would have to have a 3D printer to copy the physical cartridges bit for bit……and sell those copies off….at a cheaper price…..to make a profit from the original you purchased to base your copied printed ones off…..

  • Zachary on 13/12/2018 - 20:44

    Yeah, I bought an opened game too before, albeit from EB Games - chucked it in and there was already a presaved save file for a brand new game! I pressed delete on the save file and started a new one. Problem solved.

    • festivalmayhem on 13/12/2018 - 22:23

      I assume this was back in the cartridge days?

      • Zachary on 17/12/2018 - 23:39

        They still sell cartridge even today….

  • kazuyamishima on 20/12/2018 - 11:34

    Bought 2 Nba 2k19 and 2 rayman legends alongside 1 mario + rabbids gold edition. ALL of them were sealed.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join