GameFly Bandit?

[Groo The Perverted]

Originally Posted by Propellarhead9

i've shipped coast to coast faster than that using standard mail.

correction. I just checked the gamefly page and they shipped it YESTERDAY (Tuesday).

Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow.

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by toefer

What is the only way to do it... sending back a low supply game to get another?

No, Gamefly ships new releases out on monday. You just have to make sure you have a game back to them on the monday before the release date. If it takes just one day to get back to Gamefly that means you have to ship back your game on saturday. They get it on monday, ship the new release to you same day, now you are the first person to get that new release. Unless a game is ignored by people (rare) you won't get it on release day without sending back a game in the manner I just explained. The same system applies to Netflix.

Going through a bunch of games, or not many games doesn't affect your chances of getting a new release. I have been with them for 3 years and plow through games, sometimes I'll have a disc for only a day or two before I send them back. There are other times when I'll only have 1 game for the entire month, or I end up buying them.

You just have to play the system if you want a new release. It isn't guaranteed, but it works more times than not. If you like a guarantee then pay the $60 for the single game. I'll gladly play 30+ games a year for $156.

[Groo The Perverted]

No game today. :-(

Hopefully tomorrow.

I liked Netflix's 1 day shipping.

[Propellarhead9]

Originally Posted by Dreaming in Blu

No game today. :-(

Hopefully tomorrow.

I liked Netflix's 1 day shipping.

Yeah my netflix ships really fast. The slow shipping was one of the reasons I haven't gotten a gamefly account.

[toef]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

No, Gamefly ships new releases out on monday. You just have to make sure you have a game back to them on the monday before the release date. If it takes just one day to get back to Gamefly that means you have to ship back your game on saturday. They get it on monday, ship the new release to you same day, now you are the first person to get that new release. Unless a game is ignored by people (rare) you won't get it on release day without sending back a game in the manner I just explained. The same system applies to Netflix.

Going through a bunch of games, or not many games doesn't affect your chances of getting a new release. I have been with them for 3 years and plow through games, sometimes I'll have a disc for only a day or two before I send them back. There are other times when I'll only have 1 game for the entire month, or I end up buying them.

You just have to play the system if you want a new release. It isn't guaranteed, but it works more times than not. If you like a guarantee then pay the $60 for the single game. I'll gladly play 30+ games a year for $156.

I'm still not sure I get what you're saying.

Are you saying the way it works is to time the return of a game with the day they ship out games? So somehow by them seeing your name on a returned game's enevelope on Monday morning, that will lead them to send you a game Monday afternoon?

In my case, I didn't even have my allotted number of games out. I had the 2-at-a-time plan, and only had one game out. The 2nd game I had out I purchased a few weeks before Uncharted came out (Beatles Rock Band) so I had an empty slot for them to send me a game, but the only game I had in my Queue was Uncharted.

It's not like I had 2 games out, and then sent one back a day before Uncharted came out, and they received it a day after Uncharted came out, and by then all their copies had been rented out. I had a nice empty slot in my Queue waiting to be filled up, for weeks leading up to Uncharted, and got passed over.

I know they can't fulfill everyone's request, but this is the third release in a row that I've wanted to rent, and got passed over. The last two times it took about a month until I finally got a copy to play, and I imagine Uncharted will be the same.

[LynxFX]

I'll make it simple.

New releases get shipped on monday.

If you want a chance at getting a new release, you have to send back a game on saturday for it to arrive at their facility on monday.

That's it.

After that initial release day it is all up in the air for when you might get a high profile game. It is pure luck/chance and has nothing to do with how many games you have in your queue, how long you have been a member or how big of a plan you have. Maybe the problem is that you only have one game in your queue? I have 30 and keep the big games on top and I usually get them.

[toef]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

I'll make it simple.

New releases get shipped on monday.

If you want a chance at getting a new release, you have to send back a game on saturday for it to arrive at their facility on monday.

That's it.

After that initial release day it is all up in the air for when you might get a high profile game. It is pure luck/chance and has nothing to do with how many games you have in your queue, how long you have been a member or how big of a plan you have. Maybe the problem is that you only have one game in your queue? I have 30 and keep the big games on top and I usually get them.

Haha, I'm still confused.

You're making it sound like returning a game right as the new one comes out is somehow advantageous to returning the game 3 weeks ahead of time, and not taking out another game in the meantime.

So what I was wondering is if what I was doing wrong was sending a game back 1-2 weeks ahead of time, so that it would clearly get back before the next big release date. That way they'd see I have an open slot to fill, and they'll look at my queue and see the only thing I want is the new big game coming out. But maybe, from what you were saying, I should hold onto the game for a bit, and when I finally return it, I should time it so that it is received on Monday, the day they ship out the new releases.

It's not like I'm sending back a game on Monday, hoping to get a new game on Tuesday. I'm sending back a game two weeks ago to hopefully get a game next week.

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by toefer

You're making it sound like returning a game right as the new one comes out is somehow advantageous to returning the game 3 weeks ahead of time, and not taking out another game in the meantime.

That's exactly what I'm saying. I'll put it this way, it has worked for me pretty much every single time I've done it. You on the other hand have been passed up 3 times in a row. There is something to it. I know it doesn't make sense, but it seems that Gamefly doesn't like nearly empty queues. My guess is that when they receive a game from you they are forced to check your queue and see what game you want next. If you have been waiting for a single game for 3 weeks, you probably aren't a priority. I bet they scan your queue once per day. It could be at the end of the day for all we know and by then they probably already shipped out all of the game you wanted, so put you off for another day. Rinse and repeat.

So just try it out. Fill up your queue, at least 10 games. You can pad it even further with games that aren't out yet. (If you can't find 10 games that you would want to play then you shouldn't have a 2-game plan from Gamefly. Rent from blockbuster.) When a game that you want is about to be released, send back a game and make sure that it gets to them on monday. If shipping typically takes one day, ship it on saturday. If it takes two days, ship it on friday. See if you get the new release. If you don't, well I guess Gamefly hates you.

[BluHavik]

Stole 86k and only gets at most 6 months before parole? American justice at it's finest.

[BluHavik]

Originally Posted by Propellarhead9

Yeah my netflix ships really fast. The slow shipping was one of the reasons I haven't gotten a gamefly account.

I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it myself. Takes roughly 10 days from the time I mail a game back to get a new one. Netflix I can drop a movie off at the post office on a Monday night and have a new movie in my mailbox on Wensday morning.

[Groo The Perverted]

Originally Posted by BluHavik

I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it myself. Takes roughly 10 days from the time I mail a game back to get a new one. Netflix I can drop a movie off at the post office on a Monday night and have a new movie in my mailbox on Wensday morning.

Yeah I don't know if I'm gonna keep doing this after this month is over. It's not gonna be worth it really, because I can rent one or two games a month from a local place for about the same and not worry about whether or not games will get broken or missing in transit. Because that's essentially what I'll be getting. two a month considering the transit time.

I lose the "keep as long as you want" but I'm not a big gamer anyway so there's not a whole lot of games I'm going to be interested in.

Oh well....

The game I got coming (hopefully) tomorrow (shipped Tuesday) is UFC Undisputed.

Thinking of doing the "keep it" for 39.99

Not sure if that's the best deal I can get, depending on the condition.

When they ship out the games do you get the case and manuals, or do they ship that if you select to keep it?

[BluHavik]

Well I was looking for an answer to your case/manual question I found this

http://www.gamefly.com/help/

Go to number 10 about fastreturn

I'm not to far from finishing RE5, I'll wait and see how it goes with that return.

[Another_Dude]

Originally Posted by Dreaming in Blu

Thinking of doing the "keep it" for 39.99

Not sure if that's the best deal I can get, depending on the condition.

When they ship out the games do you get the case and manuals, or do they ship that if you select to keep it?

When you click "Keep It" they:
- Ship the next game in your que (if available).
- Mail you the case and manual.

[Wreck]

keep its are awesome because they arent some stickered case from gamestop ... they are brand new and the case is crystal clear, 100% new and pristine.


As for your Saturday theory for a monday shipping of said new release... you need to understand that works for you because of the distance of where you are sending yours back from to your distro center.

For me I'd be better off to get it out on Friday before noon. So keep that in mind folks ...

[toef]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

If it takes two days, ship it on friday. See if you get the new release. If you don't, well I guess Gamefly hates you.

Cool, thanks. That actually makes sense, that they probably scan your queue when they receive one of your games back, and if they notice there's nothing to send you, you kind of get forgotten. So maybe it really is best to have the game get back on Monday, so when they scan your queue they actually have the new release you want ready to ship out, and throw one in the mail for you.

I'll have to see if there is a way to track how long the returns take. I know they usually send me an email asking which day I mailed it back, so they can get an idea of how long it took to receive it. I think last time it took 3-4 days.

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by toefer

I'll have to see if there is a way to track how long the returns take. I know they usually send me an email asking which day I mailed it back, so they can get an idea of how long it took to receive it. I think last time it took 3-4 days.

Yeah that is the biggest question mark if you aren't near one of their distribution centers. When I was in Denver it would take 2 days, with an occasional 3 days to get there. That did make it harder to judge the time. On the plus size, they do email you right when they receive your game, so make sure you have email alerts on. My post office did finally start the Fast Return, which meant I got next day shipping pretty much guaranteed. I believe you get an email from Gamefly that says "We have received notice of a Fast Return and will ship your next game immediately." or something to that effect. I'm now in LA so the shipping is always one day and makes things easier. Hopefully Gamefly will keep expanding and build new distribution centers around the country, or Netflix will start renting out games. Right now they ship from Los Angeles, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Tampa, FL and Austin, TX.

An added bonus for those that are new to Gamefly, you earn $5 every 3 months, and if you are with them at least 6 months you get 5% off all "Keep It" prices. Stay 12 months and you now get 10% off. You have to spend the $5 within 3 months, but there is a one day overlap of getting the next $5 bonus, so for one day you can essentially get $10 off, plus %10 on a keep it, or a purchase from their store. I bought Call of Duty 4 and Resistance 2 for $24 each within a month of their release and I was the first one to use that disc.

Another trick, if you know you are going to use the service, purchase a gift certificate for 6 months or 12 months. The longer it is, the more you save. 15% off for 6 months or 20% off for 12 months. That is $18 a month versus $23 for 2 games out.

[Groo The Perverted]

Originally Posted by BluHavik

Well I was looking for an answer to your case/manual question I found this

http://www.gamefly.com/help/

Go to number 10 about fastreturn

I'm not to far from finishing RE5, I'll wait and see how it goes with that return.

I got the game today. that fastreturn sounds cool. I wonder how often they'll do that or just say "it must not have been scanned right" lol.

[Groo The Perverted]

Originally Posted by Another_Dude

When you click "Keep It" they:
- Ship the next game in your que (if available).
- Mail you the case and manual.

thank you, sir.