The Elite Trading Circle and Thanks for the 200 Point Bonus

Mike Rohde Says So, this is what I want to do: I want to go to Goozex.com, click My Preferences, and then click a button that says, “I want to make trades only with people who actually mail their games on time and also don’t claim a game I sent is broke when it ain’t.” Or more succinctly, that button could be labeled, “I don’t want to trade with douche bags.” Or, if you want to put a positive spin on it, the button could say, “I want to create my own personal elite trading group that consists of non-douche bags.” (I'm being critical of Goozex members because I care, I really, really care. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be so critical.)

Yes, I am asking for a Goozex Feature Request that allows you to select criteria that determines who you trade with. I’ve been an upstanding Goozex citizen for quite some time now and I believe I’ve earned the right to not trade with douche bags. There, I said it.

How would Goozex go about doing this? It’s simple really. Just have the ability to filter out anyone who has given or has received negative feedback in the past six months. The button you click for that filter could read, “Only trade with cool people.”

Or how about this? What about a feature that allows you to create your own elite trading circle? The feature would allow you to create user defined lists of those people you prefer to trade with. And they in turn would select you as someone they prefer to trade with. So, if I bought Left 4 Dead 2, and then a week later decided the game blows monkey balls I could put it up for trade. One of my elite friends, who doesn’t realize Left 4 Dead 2 blows monkey balls wants it real quick. Boom-O! I can send it to my elite friend within a day or two and in turn he’ll provide positive feedback. He gets a game quick and I don’t have to worry about a douche bag working the system by saying they got a bum game. Sounds good, huh? The only problem is that eventually you’d have to go outside your circle to get new games; or you’d have to keep inviting new people into your circle to enhance the library of games within your circle. Sure, this idea has some flaws and drawbacks, but it beats out having someone accept your request for Tiger Woods 09 and then not send a confirmation until a week later…

This all might sound very negative and my apologies to the fine folks at Goozex if it does. But my brother recently got the shaft by two different gamers who promised to send Batman, who never did send the game, and I am still waiting on Tiger Woods to show up (there are 5 days left before I can vent out with negative feedback). So, there is some relevancy behind my Feature Request of wanting to only trade with cool people. Maybe perhaps we need a button to click that reads, “No douche bags allowed.”

Now for some praise.
I am very much in favor of this 200 point bonus system that is in effect if you trade a game within a month of its release. I am guessing this is spurring gamers to trade games sooner than they might normally do. I recently received a confirmation for Assassin’s Creed II. This is a very recent release and I’m already getting it. I’m very happy about that and I have a feeling that this 200 point bonus has something to do with it. However, it’s not doing much for me getting Borderlands, cause I’ve been stuck at a Long Wait for a long, long time. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

All in all though, Goozex is doing the best they can. It’s not their fault some gamers are douche bags. Not everyone can be as cool as the people I would put in my elite trading circle.

ODST Tops Most Offered List

Jimmy James 70 Says The Most Offered list was updated a couple days ago and I was surprised to see Halo 3: ODST topping the list. This turn of events made my predictions from last week appear foolish in that ODST would not be available to trade for a long, long, time.


However, if you take a closer look at the numbers, I'm holding true to the idea that the majority of Goozers do have a Long Wait ahead of them for ODST. Check out this screenshot:

Even though ODST tops the Most Offered list, the Trading Info shows there are no copies currently Actively available. There are, however, 111 copies On Hold. That's a lot of teasing going on... Meanwhile, 244 Goozers are Actively requesting the game while another 206 have it On Hold, and then there's 114 Goozers who want it but have restrictions against them (either lack of points or trade credits).

Since the game released, ODST has traded eight times. So, there are eight lucky Goozers out there who scored a copy. It does appear that copies are leaking through the system, but it's a trickle, and I still don't expect the floodgates to open for a long time.

Is there a lesson to learn with this list? What I'm asking is, should the list be updated so that only the Most Active and Offered games make the list, and the Most Offered but On Hold are excluded? That way, Goozers can see a list of games that they can readily trade for. With the list as it is, certain games are dangled in front of you, without a whole lot of hope of you playing it.

Maybe we can go ahead and make that a Goozex Feature Request: to configure the Most Offered list to exclude games that are On Hold.

With that said, I did find on Goozex.com a Most Available list, which excludes ODST. The problem is, I can't find the javascript to place this list here on the blog. Maybe that's the real Feature Request?

What’s next for Goozex?

Erik Kubik Says Recently, Goozex added DVD trading, including DVDs, UMDs, Blu-rays, and HD-DVDs. What can Goozers expect next? Some members of Goozex have suggested console or CD trading, or expand their game trading to include older systems.

One of the most popular ideas that comes up again and again is adding older video games to the trading system. Goozex already trades PSX and Dreamcast games! Why not roll the clock back a few more years? Goozex could add games from such systems as Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis, N64, Sega-CD, Nintendo, and Super Nintendo. Obscure consoles such as Panasonic 3-DO, Atari Jagaur, Game.com, and the Wonderswan would be left out due to the apparent lack of interest by today’s mainstream gamers.

The biggest problem I see with trading older games from older consoles is there are quite a few of us nostalgic gamers who no longer have our SNES and Sega Genesis to test the games. Most of us sold them to pay for other gaming systems or school.

What about the point value of these older games? Unless the games offered were rare RPGs or limited print titles, I am certain the point value would be no more than 100 points.

Two other issues to consider are the cartridge save system batteries dying and/or game cartridges wearing out with age.

And then there is console trading, is it a good idea or blight on the system? This is similar to the argument for 8 and 16 bit game trading. What systems would Goozex allow? What about warranties? Would Goozex cover a RROD 360?

My biggest worry is the cost, how much would Goozex charge for a Xbox 360 Core system vs. a Playstation 2? What would shipping and handling cost? What would the cost of consoles be: 1500, 2000, or maybe even 3000 points? Who has that many points from just trading games and DVDs? Would the market become flooded with systems nobody wants? There are too many questions here and not enough answers to warrant this step yet.

Of all the ideas suggested by Goozex members, CD trading is the most logical. Many of us, including myself, still buy CDs. It would be nice to have a place where I could get CD’s for cheap besides Half.com. The Goozex guarantee could easily cover damaged CDs, as they would cost very little to replace. Goozex would benefit by making most CDs valued at 100-200 points, with more for the deluxe editions. Looking for a rare, out-of- print CD by your favorite artist? I am sure there is someone on Goozex who has the CD.

So Goozex, where do you go from here?

Goozex DVD Trading Follow-up

Erik Kubik Says Goozex’s DVD trading feature went live a few weeks ago. Initially, the site was clogged with user traffic, as well as updates to the system. Everyone was trying to list their “haves” and “wants” for DVDS. I’m almost certain I did not list my stuff until several days later.

In retrospect, I would say that the added DVD trading feature has been a success. Many of the Goozex users, both old and new, have commented in the forums that the system is easy-to-use, and straightforward with searches. A fair amount of DVDs, Blu-rays, and UMDS have been traded back and forth.

The biggest concern is the listing system. Many users have discovered there are several different retail versions of movies and television shows, including widescreen, full screen, special editions, and re-releases. This became a problem when I was trying to find a copy of Animal House; at 100 points it was a steal but I had to pick through several different versions to find the one I wanted. Goozex needs to find a way to make sure traders clearly list the item, including if it’s a re-release, special edition, screen size, etc.

The points vary from one version to another. Some releases are 200 points while others are 150 points. I am also concerned about certain seasons of various TV shows. Muze and Goozex have done a fairly good job of updating their listings but there are still a few holes. For example, some seasons of The Simpsons are not listed. It would also help if DVD seasons were listed in order on the page, such as seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4, versus this order, seasons 1, 6, 3, and 9.

One of the greatest things with the system is the number of very reasonably-priced DVDs and TV Box sets. Even the rare and out-of-print DVDs are popping up as users utilize the system. Speaking of reasonable DVD sets, I got most of the King of the Hill series for far less than what retail charges. So far the DVD trading part of Goozex is working great and I’m sure as it grows, features will continue to be added to the benefit of the users.

Goozex.com Feature Request: Gifting Points and Tokens

Dale Culp Says Goozex works through a system of buying and selling games. You buy a new game, play it, and sell it back. That way, you keep a good supply of points at your disposal for new games. A problem comes into play when you really like a particular title, and you don’t want to sell it back, and then you don’t get your points back. All of a sudden you find yourself with no points and there are more games that you’d like to play.

Like a lot of people, I can only afford one or two games a month, so I try to pick games I'll really like and stick with them for a while. Occasionally, this methodology steers me wrong and I pick up something I can't wait to get rid of, but more often than not, I find a keeper. Bioshock, for example, is a game I might never play again, but I like having it in my collection. Fallout 3 has a steady stream of fantastic downloadable content and I find myself still playing this game even though I finished it months ago; I'd be kicking myself black and blue if I got rid of it! Meanwhile, there are many other games that I'm requesting while my points drop lower and lower (because I don’t sell back many of my games). What's a Goozer to do?

Currently, there are two ways you can get more points: you can buy them or you can sell games. Some people might even stop in at a retail shop, pick up some bargin-bin titles, and then sell them for a profit on Goozex. However, that’s certainly not a fast and reliable way to gain points…

So that’s me, the guy with no points. On the other hand, I have friends who are constantly trading games and recommending titles all the time. They have thousands of points and are more than willing to send some of them my way, but there’s no way for them to do that; at least, not yet.

Right now, you can’t gift points or tokens on Goozex. You could buy a gift card for someone if you wanted, but that's not exactly going to help you out when you have more points than game requests. Wouldn't it be great then, if there were a way to gift points and tokens to friends in need? Rather than continuing to accumulate points with no use for them in sight, wouldn't it be so much better to send them off to someone who could really use them? Maybe someday, if we asked really nicely, perhaps this could be a future feature on Goozex.com?