# I pit Alter Reality Games, and post a warning to gamers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716 "2010-01-20T17:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/41 "2010-01-22T18:43:09Z")
People still pay money for Magic cards? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/42 "2010-01-22T19:17:05Z")
If there are local gamers groups or gaming conventions in your area, get onto their message boards and/or newsgroups and report what happened. Card buyers need to know this company’s business practices, and they might have their own stories to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/43 "2010-01-22T19:28:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If there are local gamers groups or gaming conventions in your area, get onto their message boards and/or newsgroups and report what happened. Card buyers need to know this company’s business practices, and they might have their own stories to tell. I posted it already on one Magic Board. But I’m uncertain as to where to go for the most bang for my buck. My goal is to get this story out there to the most people without blanketing the internet with spam. oh and on a side note **Green Bean** , thanks for the compliment. My pic on the site was just a funny one I threw up there because it seemed humerous to me at the time. Maybe I’ll switch it around in the future if Arnold lets me. Meantime, if I ever make it back round yer parts, we’ll definitely have to go river rafting again. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/44 "2010-01-22T19:29:50Z")
> [@Gustav](#): > > Well I can’t condone lying, but as far as the sale goes, what I’m hearing is that he had the item up at a certain price on the webshop, and then when he runs up your purchase he realizes “oh snap, that’s not the right price, it’s worth way more” and wants to cancel the sale. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable? That’s what actually happened, probably. The issue is mainly about lying that he was out of stock, and therefore wasn’t going to honor the online price because he didn’t have any. If you’re out of stock of an item at an advertised price it is customary to either offer a rain check or backorder. To honor the price, one way or another. To get someone in the door with an advertised price and then offer the item at a higher price is a bait and switch and is illegal in most jurisdictions. In any event, he’s shooting himself in the foot in the long run. Card games are about moving merchandise, not getting max dollar value for each. Most cards don’t retain value very well, so it’s best to sell them and get the money today than hope they’ll be one of the few which goes up when the popular card fluctuation fairy visits. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/45 "2010-01-22T19:30:52Z")
> [@Gustav](#): > > Well I can’t condone lying, but as far as the sale goes, what I’m hearing is that he had the item up at a certain price on the webshop, and then when he runs up your purchase he realizes “oh snap, that’s not the right price, it’s worth way more” and wants to cancel the sale. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable? That doesn’t sound like what happened. Cards don’t have bar codes or anything, so it wouldn’t be a matter of the “computer” price being different from the “marked” price. And even if the website price was wrong, the store owner didn’t say that they were mismarked at the time that **Ender** made the purchase. (ETA: **Mtgman** snuck in on preview. If they were indeed mismarked, why didn’t the owner just say so?) Sounds to me like this is what happened: 1. Ender buys 4 of a particular card on Jan. 14. for about $7 apiece. 2. Later on Jan. 14 or sometime on Jan. 15, the store gets word that that card is about to shoot up in price. 3. The store owner says “oh, crap. I just sold 4 of those for only $7!” 4. The store owner cancels Ender’s purchase, because he thinks he can sell those cards for at least $14 apiece, netting him an additional $28 and maintaining his store’s reputation as a source for really desirable cards. 5. Sometime in the next few days, the value of the card shot up even more, and the selling price went to about $21 apiece. Sometimes transactions are legitimately cancelled because the cards were indeed sold before the online inventory could be adjusted, or because the inventory figures were incorrect. That happens, especially when dealing with thousands of collectible cards. But that price jump makes it seem _veeeerry_ unlikely that it was just an inventory error. But the question is–Did YOU know that the cards would suddenly become more valuable, **Ender**? Did you know you were getting a heck of a bargain? Because if you found out shortly before you made the purchase, it would support the idea that you managed to slip in under the wire just before the owner jacked up the price in response to the same information. (No criticism intended. I’m just curious.) Also, are other websites and word on the street showing a similar jump in value? I wonder if the store owner can wiggle out of this because the cards are secondhand and there’s no way to prove which actual cards were sold to who and when. The guy could claim that THIS was the sequence of events: –Cards 1-4 were listed on the website for $7. Ender purchased cards 1-4 on Jan. 14. –When they went to fill the order the next day, they discovered that cards 1-4 had been sold already for $7 apiece. So they canceled the order. –They went through some old boxes and found cards 5-8 so that they could replenish their inventory. The thought of contacting **Ender** to see if he still wanted them conveniently slipped their mind. –They priced cards 5-8 differently than they had priced cards 1-4. I guess that’s possible, but if this is a small-ish shop, it’s not likely, because $28 is a big enough sale that they would have been annoyed to have lost it. Or they could claim that cards 1-4 were in “good” condition while 5-8 are in mint or near-mint condition, resulting in the difference in price. In other words, is there any way to prove that the cards that are now priced at $21 are the exact same cards that **Ender** tried to buy? This would be a pretty dumb argument when dealing with new goods, but with secondhand goods, the “same” product could be priced differently. I guess it depends on the POS system and the employees willingness to participate in a cover-up. **Ender** –oh don’t change your pic! It’s cute. It’s just that I thought I should say something since I was testifying on the matter of your looks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/46 "2010-01-22T19:34:32Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I posted it already on one Magic Board. But I’m uncertain as to where to go for the most bang for my buck. That’s why you would want to post at a general games board or games convention board. This company may be doing this to customers of other products. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/47 "2010-01-22T19:52:34Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > But the question is–Did YOU know that the cards would suddenly become more valuable, **Ender**? Did you know you were getting a heck of a bargain? Because if you found out shortly before you made the purchase, it would support the idea that you managed to slip in under the wire just before the owner jacked up the price in response to the same information. (No criticism intended. I’m just curious.) You’ve pretty much nailed the sequence of events I imagine happened as well. So if I had to be completely honest here, then yes. I knew. The card was worth $2. Maybe $3. Had been for years. But a series of events occurred, topping off with a fantastic new deck that came out over the weekend of the 9th and 10th and this particular card I knew was just going to zoom off in value. So I ordered it for $4.95 per (which, as shown from above, was still well above what the par price on this should be) plus an outrageous $7 S&H, which I did because I took a gamble that the card would be worth more. It is. It’s going for probably $13-$16 now. Oh, and since I’ve spent so much time degrading Alter Reality Games, I thought I’d at least talk about a good vendor. I went searching through the internet for other vendors to buy from as well, that day. Supergamesinc processed my order and shipped the cards fast and extremely well protected. They even included a little scorepad I could use in Magic games! They currently have Dream Halls listed at the now correct market price and could have easily turned around and screwed me just like this guy did. But they didn’t. They honored their contract. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/48 "2010-01-22T20:48:10Z")
Regarding vendors: I’ve purchased from the following: (I think they all carry Magic as well) –Troll and Toad: My favorite overall. Good prices, good service, good selection. Good site. They ship really slowly, but it’s only .99. –Gathering Ground: Good prices on certain types of cards. No problems with ordering. I’d definitely order from them again. –Gamingetcstore.com: High prices on most things. But they often have hard-to-find cards in stock. The site is annoying to use. No problems with ordering. Cards from all three were in excellent condition. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/49 "2010-01-22T23:20:45Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Wow. How old are you? There comes a point in everyones life (Usually before they turn 12) where they stop playing around with cards mean’t for kids. I bet you have hair longer than your shoulders and lanky or possibly overweight. No offence, just a unbiased opinion about your “lifestyle choice”. The sad thing is this could have been a good troll if you weren’t so retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/50 "2010-01-23T00:03:42Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Should I have stopped playing with Legos when I was 12 too? I like playing with toys. I don’t care if they’re “for kids” or the kind that are strictly for adults only. Pokemon may be primarily marketed toward children, but they absolutely support and encourage adult players. The Masters division has had by far the most players in every tournament I’ve been to. I’m 38, by the way. > > I DO have hair longer than my shoulders. And I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing, even for guys. Long hair on a guy can be totally hot. As for being overweight–Yep. I’m fat. But most Pokemon players that I’ve encountered are normal weight. > Being in the Pokemon world, I’ve encountered many Magic players, and for a lot of them, the stereotype does hold very true. But not all of them. Sheesh. > Look, I’m used to people making fun of me, making assumptions about me, and looking down on me because I play Pokemon. I know it’s “weird” for an adult, and I frequently avoid telling people about it because I know what their reactions are likely to be. I play because I love it way more than I care about what closed-minded people think. I just expected better from the Dopers. > > Dollars to donuts, the people dicking on **Ender** in this thread are geeks themselves, desperately trying to make themselves feel better by doing to Ender what other people do to them. Now _that_, my friends, is what’s pathetic. > . Back in my day, if I saw a strange long-haired man wanting to play pokemon with me I was told to find the nearest police officer. In response to your last paragraph: That’s just what losers say to make themselves feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/51 "2010-01-23T00:06:38Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > The sad thing is this could have been a good troll if you weren’t so retarded. 1. Noone asked you. 2. Trolls? Enough with the Magik already! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/52 "2010-01-23T01:07:19Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > 1. Noone asked you. > 2. Trolls? Enough with the Magik already! “No one” is two words. “Noone” isn’t a word. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/53 "2010-01-23T01:18:08Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Back in my day, if I saw a strange long-haired man wanting to play pokemon with me I was told to find the nearest police officer. In response to your last paragraph: That’s just what losers say to make themselves feel better. “Hey little boy! Wanna play some pokey-man?” :rolleyes: And to what strange long-haired man are you referring? Certainly not me. > [@needscoffee](#): > > “No one” is two words. “Noone” isn’t a word. What about our own **Noone Special**? Maybe he asked him. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/54 "2010-01-23T01:18:09Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > “No one” is two words. “Noone” isn’t a word. And the game is spelled “Magic”, as in “Magic: The Gathering”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/55 "2010-01-23T01:30:35Z")
Look how polite we are at the SDMB. Faced with the immature, arrogant posts of a numbskull like **marochko** , the most we do is correct his grammatical and factual errors! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/56 "2010-01-23T02:30:54Z")
Well, SOMEONE has to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/57 "2010-01-25T15:53:06Z")
**Bith** , it’s because no one has yet invented a way to punch people via the internet. Give it time, though. Give it time. ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/58 "2010-01-25T23:08:26Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > **Bith** , it’s because no one has yet invented a way to punch people via the internet. > > Give it time, though. Give it time. I agree. I would love to do that to certain people sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Genericuser234](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5daacb/32.png) [@Genericuser234](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genericuser234)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/59 "2010-01-25T23:10:43Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > And to what strange long-haired man are you referring? Certainly not me. Well not you directly. Just anyone who isn’t a Normie. Which is the category you fall under. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716/60 "2010-01-26T01:25:50Z")
> [@marochko](#): > > Well not you directly. Just anyone who isn’t a Normie. Which is the category you fall under. A… what?!? 😕 (Okay, fine, I think I can guess what that means. But it seems like a rather childish and absurd label. Is it being used seriously here?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-alter-reality-games-and-post-a-warning-to-gamers/525716.md?page=4)