This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Are shops allowed to sell games before release date?

My friend is bragging that he will receive Black Ops a week before the release date because he knows a manager from a shop..wtf? Is this even allowed to be done? I thought shops can't release games that early to the public..

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 1

Yuck

10

If the publisher has sold the game to the shops on the grounds that it won't be sold before the release date, as most do, then it's illegal. Shops tend to do it anyway though.

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 2

MD.

They can, but I odubt the game's publisher would be very impressed. I think there have been a few occasions where a shop has sold the game early to everyone, the publisher has found out and refused to supply them in the future. Doubt they would find out with 1-2 games under the table though.

Reply 3

$tar£reaker

11

I used to work in a game shop and we weren't allowed to sell games early, the till even stopped us from putting games through early but one time the rival game shop across the road started selling fifa10 a whole day earlier than they were supposed to and our shop were allowed to sell it then that day too. :dontknow:

Reply 4

karateworm

11

There have been instances of shops selling (massively anticipated) games a few days early, to out do the competition. Usually they get pwned by the game company afterwards though.

Reply 5

FrozenBeak

OP

12

Thanks for your fast replies people :smile:

Reply 6

Kevin J

15

$tar£reaker

I used to work in a game shop and we weren't allowed to sell games early, the till even stopped us from putting games through early but one time the rival game shop across the road started selling fifa10 a whole day earlier than they were supposed to and our shop were allowed to sell it then that day too. :dontknow:

The bastards.

Reply 7

$tar£reaker

11

Kevin J

The bastards.

I bought my wii from that shop cos it was going for £80 at the time :ninja2:

Reply 8

Nayberay

15

A Gamesmaster shop around my area sold Formula 1 and Dead Rising 2 a day early.

At work (hmv) we're not allowed to, we'll get Black Ops in probably 3 - 4 days before release for pre awareness but we won't sell it until the release date. Think we would get grilled.

Reply 9

Law123mus

11

It's not allowed but my mate is also a manager in a shop and he managed to get me one mw2 a couple of days before the release date.

Reply 10

G93

I don't really know about games, but I work in Waterstone's and we get books a few days, sometimes a week or 2 before release and if we sell them before release date we'll get a telling off from the publisher and they might refuse to supply us in time for release on other books. But there are actually other books we receive that we're allowed to sell before release date, they're never really anticipated books though.

Reply 11

Motorbiker

21

If you know a manager or someone at a game shop then you can get a game early.

It's still illegal but they do it anyway to their friends etc. I used to be a video games colleague and i sold myself a game early twice.No one else though, i couldn't be bothered with the risk of getting in trouble for other people...

Reply 12

Svenjamin

17

For any goods release (music, DVD, games, book, whatever) there's an embargo*, which prevents them from selling earlier than the release date. Some stores do try and break the embargo, but if they're caught they are made to pay a fine, and could risk future deals with suppliers. Generally the shops which break embargos are the small independent shops who need the sales and think they can slip under the radar, big chains are much more cautious. There have been cases of big chains accidentally releasing something early due to a staff mistakenly pulling them out of storage early or an admin error, but they're pretty rare. Knowing someone who works at the shop sometimes helps, but since receipts keep a record of the exact time of sales many stores would be reluctant to even allow staff to buy early. One of my friends used to work in Woolworths, and his boss would let him take a game home early and then run the sale through on the day of release to get round that, but it takes a pretty understanding boss.

*Not sure if that's the correct legal term for the policy, but it's what my boss always used to call it when I worked in WH Smith.

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 13

Yaba's Turd

2

I got fifa 11 a day early when I pre ordered off Zavvi. Online and not instore are probably two different matters but.

Reply 14

K the Failure

2

Is your friend 11 or something?

Reply 15

edd360

15

But where do shops by them from?

Reply 16

Dalimyr

17

Yaba's Turd

I got fifa 11 a day early when I pre ordered off Zavvi. Online and not instore are probably two different matters but.

Yeah, online's a totally different matter - it's accepted that games may arrive to online customers early as it's common practice for games to be shipped out a few days early in the hope that customers would receive them on the release date, but because it's in the hands of the Royal Mail then some will get it early and some will get it late. On the high street, the customer gets a copy of the game within minutes rather than days so selling copies early is very much frowned upon in shops.

Reply 17

mogger71

Yuck

If the publisher has sold the game to the shops on the grounds that it won't be sold before the release date, as most do, then it's illegal. Shops tend to do it anyway though.

Yuck

If the publisher has sold the game to the shops on the grounds that it won't be sold before the release date, as most do, then it's illegal. Shops tend to do it anyway though.

MHorman

If you know a manager or someone at a game shop then you can get a game early.

It's still illegal but they do it anyway to their friends etc. I used to be a video games colleague and i sold myself a game early twice.No one else though, i couldn't be bothered with the risk of getting in trouble for other people...

Illegal?? Which law are they actually breaking then?

As far as I'm aware, they're breaking their terms with the publishers/distributers but apart from that then then not actually doing anything wrong.

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 18

Dalimyr

17

Contract law, breach of contract. It's not like they'd serve a jail sentence for it, but if legal action were to be taken then they'd probably have to pay damages.

Reply 19

</Tom>

14

No they're not, but guess who has New Vegas. :yep:

Are shops allowed to sell games before release date?

Related discussions

Articles for you