there should only be one type of condition for games on eBay- "used"

[gbpxl]

I know that the overwhelming opinion will be against me on this, but here goes.

Anyways, I don't like the term "new" being used on eBay. Anything that is purchased secondhand would be considered pre-owned, and thus, not "new." New would imply that the game was never owned by an individual- it just came from the factory and is sitting on a store shelf or inside a warehouse.

I also don't like Gamestop's idea of "new." They break the shrinkwrap, put stickers all over the box and still sell it at the same price as games that have the shrinkwrap intact and call it "new."

Furthermore... the distinction between "like new," "very good," "good," and "acceptable" varies so much between person to person that it lends itself too easily to feedback wars, arguments, etc. I've received games in "good" condition that I thought should have been "like new." I've also received "brand new" games with crushed boxes, shrinkwrap missing.

If eBay eliminated the condition tiers, it would force sellers to be more detailed in their photos/descriptions if they wanted top dollar for their auction.

[No]

I consider a game brand new if it has a seal, like new if it has been open but not played or only tested once to see if it worked.

In the UK, retailers Game, HMV and Grainger Games sell "new" games similar to Gamestop in the US especially if it is a niche title but I can understand since it reduces theft. With Grainger they are cheaper than the other two but sometimes more expensive than Amazon. Only way to get a sealed game from Game and Grainger is hope that it is a popular title such as COD, FIFA, Assassin's Creed or that they are the exclusive retailer like how I got DuckTales Remastered and Wolfenstein: The New Order Occupied Edition and hope that you don't have the last copy of the game. Supermarkets are different however they only stock the most popular games and in the cases of the Vita, 3DS and the Wii U either stock a very limited range or not at all.

Regarding eBay or at least eBay UK, I usually see either Used-Like New, Used-Very Good or Used-Good. On Amazon, I have also seen acceptable condition where the disc is full of scratches and possible missing manual, on the occasions of ordering stuff from Amazon most of the things fitted towards the description perfectly as in that they were Used-Very Good or with Xenoblade Like New. One that surprised me was something listed as Good condition and was Like-New condition.

There are retailers who use eBay and actually do sell new games from their warehouse (such as Argos, ShopTo, Koch Media) and sometimes you do see individual people selling sealed copies of games as unwanted gifts. So it isn't wise to say that everything on eBay is used. A lot of stuff perhaps but not everything.

Then again it is all about the individual regarding condition of a game. Like someone could consider it poor condition if it has a tear or a dent on the packaging (some Japanese shops apparently do this) or good condition despite lots of scratches on the disc and folded instructions.

If eBay and other online sites eliminated the condition tiers, I do feel that someone could get away of selling a broken game to someone as they could easily say, no condition tier? What's the point then, people know what game that they are buying. Also with Blu-ray discs it is hard to tell whether it is new or indeed used unless it has scratches that is indeed possible or fingerprints.

[Raidou]

I understand the argument, however, I definitely disagree on some of your points.

First of all, "new" is needed since there are online stores that do sell new sealed games- they just use eBay as a store front (often in addition to their own website). 

I agree that some conditions (Good, Acceptable, Poor) are very subjective to the point where they mean very little. However, 'New', 'Like New' and 'Very Good' are very useful as a consumer-  these descriptors have detailed conditions attached, and there is little room for "subjectivism". If a seller misuses these conditions, it's the same as if they openly lied about an item's condition in the description.  I do not think that streamlining the condition descriptors on eBay will make sellers provide more/better photos- I've seen waaay too many poor/lazy/misleading/confusing listings to think that changing condition tiers will change human behaviour.

As for buying new sealed at retail, EB Games and JB HiFi in Australia also have their shelf stock unsealed, however, you can usually get a sealed copy if I ask for one. It's a pain, but it's possible.

[Fokakis79]

Agree with Raidou, because I know you can buy PS4s and Xbox Ones new on ebay. I think a lot of items posted on the homepage on ebay are new items.

Most of the time, I only buy an item if it has a picture of the actual item, so I can judge for myself what the actual condition is. There are times though that will buy something that does not have a picture, if the price is right, a lot of the times I have gotten really great deals on ebay just because no one else bid or bought it because it did not have a picture.  The item though needs a clear description of the item before I will take the chance on it.

[Crabmaster2000]

I think they should just drop all the condition descriptions since no one follows them anyway. Just have a new and a used option and for those of us buying used the pictures and descriptions should suffice.

[gbpxl]

How many people here use Amazon? I don't know how the format is now but the last time I looked for used games on there, I couldn't find pictures, only descriptions. That's why I don't use Amazon. I have no problem buying something that only has pictures but I have a problem buying something that only has a description.

[techwizard]

i always had trouble with amazon the few times i tried it, it seemed to have issues with shipping to canada (even on the canadian site) and at the time i don't think it would let me use paypal, i was stuck with credit card which i don't have. it looks like that might all be improved now, but i agree the listings are displayed really poorly, and the navigation isn't as straightforward as ebay.