Trading In Your Xbox 360 For Drug Money
By William on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 9:05 AM PST In Microsoft
Sounds kinda crazy, but this happens more than we’d like to know. Ripten.com has an interesting article concerning the topic of people possibly trading in unopened Xbox 360 units to major gaming stores for drug money. The main question raised is do these companies have an ethical responsibility to turn down people? I think they do and it’s usually obvious when someone is trading in games or systems for dubious purposes. I live down the corner from a used CD shop and am pretty much the “Norm” (Cheers) of that place. They often turn down anyone trying to sell back CDs if it seems shady and they have the absolute right to do so. I understand that these stores want to make money, but I am big on ethics and believe they need to take a greater responsibility with things.
Definitely check out the full article. I think it raises some interesting questions that will only become bigger as gaming becomes more popular.
Do retailers look the other way more often than not? Scary but the answer may be yes.
My girlfriend (aka: the boss) finally convinced me to get out of the house and go get the hair cut I’ve been promising her I would get, the same one I have desperately been putting off. She tagged along of course to enjoy the many wonders of our local mall…….
I dont agree with that at all. If you have a product and a receipt you should be able to trade it in no matter what. Theres no “ethics” in returning a product unless youre scamming which is not the case. Nor should ethics and gaming be compared but the commericial world behind it. Is it ethical to dismember an opponent? Not to be rude but i think thos news entry is rediculous Im sure myself and others look shady and are not. As far as bringing us the scope on drugs and returning gaming products im happy to see the entry. But not a half muled response.
How can you judge someone is selling their Xbox 360 for drug money? I dont think a game store, or a pawn shop will care what they do with the money. As an Xbox 360 owner, I often go to the pawn shop and I see many shady charactors looking to pawn off some good Xbox 360 and playstation 3 games. Also other game electronics. I think its great, I get to buy a decent 360 game for half the cost. that is where I buy most my 360 games is at a pawn shop. and we all know many people sell lots of things for drug money or what ever. let it be, good deal for me I say. Games i have gotten at a pawn shop: Gears of war $20, Oblivion $30, NHL 2k7 $20, GRAW $15, Table tennis $15. and i have seen may good titles. i expect to find Froza motorsport 2 in the next month for cheap also. why not?
If someone is trading in an xbox 360 for drug money, they only person engaged in unethical activity is the person who wants drug money. Its not a gamestore clerks job or even ethical obligation to assess what the customer may or may not use the money for. Now, if the item is stolen, then it enters the realm of ethics because the store would be receiving stolen goods and thats a crime.
I am in my local game stores a lot and often see “shady” characters bringing PILES of games, sometimes as many as 20 games for trade in. They come in, and they don’t even LOOK at the games for sale, no interest whatsoever, they don’t even seem to know how many games they have or what they are worth, they just ask for cash and leave the store immediately. I think when this happens, there is a good chance the games are stolen.
@T,
There was no receipt. The individual left with less than a 1/3 of the value.
@Xboxlenny,
Your selfish outlook paired with their bottom line is why they do what they do.
@used cisco,
Hear no evil see no evil, is that right
Ask yourselves this, and believe me your responses will speak volumes about your character as men and women, if that woman was your sister, or your mother, or your daughter, would you still feel the same way?
Would it still be “your gain” Xboxlenny? Would you still feel the store was not in the wrong used cisco? Would you still feel that ethics are not a concern T?
I do take back one thing though from my article, and that is that I no longer believe that the national retailers are any different than your neighborhood pawn shop. My originally thinking was that they should hold themselves to a higher standard but it is quite clear now that the only difference between them and “Joe’s Pawn Palace” is an expensive backlit sign on the front of the store and the cookie cutter layout inside.
Mad-
Is a game store clerk really qualified to much that judgement call? What if the game store clerk happens to hold to stereotypes of black people? or people with mohawks? or face piercings? What if the seller is wearing a suit and works for a company named Enron?
I used to work a cash register. I know there are a crap load of shifty people out there with dubious motivations. But it is not appropriate to say “hey, i think you *might* be a thief, so services denied”. My job was to make sure that a) they didn’t steal from me and b) make sure the form of payment they were tendering was valid.
I don’t doubt that this shit does indeed happen, I’m just saying, it may not be a smart move to start having retail clerks profile customers.
Well as for my earlier comments, I am not out to buy a game from a drug dealer. As for Mad Gamers questions to me. It is my gain. i dont care who sells what game for what ever reason. I dont think the pawn shop will say “That was traded in from a drug dealer”. they dont ask that, so why should i care. Xbox 360 games are $60 or more, and thats alot of cash. I am a average working man like many good people. If i can save a few $$ on some games why not? If a person is addicted to drugs, they have deeper worries. Also I dont condone anyone stealing or wrongful means to sell their games. I know the feeling of having something stolen and no one likes that. I think its discrimination to judge a person or refuse a person that is selling their items. Also many pawn shops around town are policed and they do have the right to refuse any shady sales.
“@used cisco,
Hear no evil see no evil, is that right”
If it were that black and white, you might have a point, unfortunately, people coming in to trade in games consoles don’t have an “evil” sticker on their forehead, at least not in the game shops I’ve visited. This phrase is a massive oversimplification of the scenario and you know it. Oversimplification is a tool used by those whose arguments are weak when taking the reality of the situation into account.
And, excuse me mad gamer whilst I ignore your “if it was your sister” melodrama because that nonsense is a simple yet common ploy to draw peoples attention away from the actual merits of the discussion by introducing an overly personalized example that will sway people from an honest opinion.
Now, that we have your trickery out of the way……
I don’t know what country YOU live in, but I live in the USA. In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. We don’t judge you based simply on looks (or at least we shouldn’t!). If you, as a store clerk, don’t have probably cause to believe you are purchasing stolen goods (i.e. committing a crime) and you don’t know someones motivations for the money, not only is it NOT an ethical obligation, but your have no right to pass judgement on people, even your own sister.
Policing illegitimate trading has increased and the store front businesses amd/or individuals that purchase used or trade-in items can be held legally repsonsible, fined, jailed and potentially be charge with Treason to the United States which caries the Death Penalty. Don’t forget people using or selling drugs, buying/selling items to sustain drug addiction…etc. are all concidered under the new Terriorism and Treason Act.
It is like driving a car (motorized vehicle), it is NOT a right it is ONLY a privilage to drive so driving under the influence will now ruin your life.
Drinking and driving or the assiciation with illegal drugs is not a right in this country therefor you have NO RIGHTS PROTECTION when you commit this crime.