4 ms·

I'm really curious what sort of support the retro video game business needs. My (clearly naive) assumption is that it would be as simple as sending them the car

I'm really curious what sort of support the retro video game business needs. My (clearly naive) assumption is that it would be as simple as sending them the cartridge and telling them to have a great day, but if you're meeting so many seemingly unpleasant people it seems to be a lot more than that. Could you share more about the sort of issues you face?

AussieWog93 6y ago
So sometimes discs won't load or cartridges won't read in their console, or they're unhappy with condition - sometimes this is as simple as apologising and accepting a return, sometimes people aren't happy with that and just want to kick up a stink. More often than not, the people kicking up a stink return a perfectly working product, and they just wanted to make sure we'd accept it by them being as foul as possible. Sometimes we'll get people just asking for more information on an item we sell. Usually you can tell whether or not these people are actually interested in the product or not by how they ask the question. If they're asking about a specific detail (for example, if they're looking for a particular serial number range on a console), they'll usually follow up if you give them a positive response. People asking less specific questions (such as asking for "more photos") are often just bored and have nothing better to do and will either disappear or ask more questions. You can waste literal hours serving these customers and in the process lose thousands of dollars worth of actual sales. The worst group are just really badly socialised people - often people with serious mental health or drug-related issues. If you engage with them, they will demand massive amounts of your time and have absolutely zero concern for your feelings (let alone your business goals). If they feel you have slighted they, they will respond in the most foul and violent way possible. Just today, my wife was publicly berated by an incel-type guy because she didn't respond to a message he had sent over a week ago. There are at least 2 other occasions I can think of in the last year where this happened. I think the thing to remember is that the average HN reader (and, by extension, most people that the average HN reader knows) is educated, values their time, and is socialised well enough to the point that they can hold down a job and maintain basic interpersonal relationships. The type of person who contacts customer support for products that shouldn't really require support are absolutely not like this. Mostly it's just people that don't value their own time (or the time of others), but multiple times every week we'll come across people with _serious_ social issues (I don't mean socially awkward, I mean "unable to regulate emotion like a healthy adult") and no-one to talk to about it.
- isthatsoup 6y ago
  This just feels like the cost of doing business in the market you're in.
  - number6 6y ago
    Well if you are bestbuy or something. Retro games sounds more like collectors items.
- rdtwo 6y ago
  Ha I get you I’m trying to sell a PlayStation on offer up right now and “buyers” are toxic even for one item. Idk why you do this to yourself I’d go nuts
  - ficklepickle 6y ago
    Offer up is where these people congregate. At least use Craigslist, the worst offenders can't seem to work Craigslist.
  - thirdsun 6y ago
    That is exactly why I prefer eBay to sell stuff. I happily give up the 10% sellers fee for not having to deal with countless potential buyers acting entitled, trying to negotiate or telling me how they could get the same item new for about half my asking price.
- mistersquid 6y ago
  Thank you for these details about the difficulties in handling support requests from people with underlying socialization and/or mental health issues. As someone who is mostly emotionally and cognitively balanced and who has been trained to communicate in order to reach mutually satisfactory outcomes, I don't even think to consider that some people are too maladjusted to use support resources (i.e. communication) in productive ways.
  - temp20201028 6y ago
jonhohle 6y ago
I trade in games as well and like any collectible, often sell items that are rare and expensive. As an individual doing this for a hobby, my margins are usually small, so selling an $400 console for $50 or so profit can go south pretty quickly if there is a dispute. Because buyers are often collectors as well, they sometimes have unrealistic expectations for the condition of 25-30 year old hardware. A seller once had a concern with a power supply that was genuine, but worn in a way he was unhappy about. Once returns and replacement were completed (thankfully I had another), I now risk a loss, or worse, a dispute where I end up with neither money or the item. Another time I sold a month of Xbox Game Pass I had received as a promotion. It was well under retail, but when the customer received it, it wouldn’t activate. I spent at least a week on chat with Miscrosoft support trying to resolve the issue. When it was finally resolved and the account credited, the buyer informed me they were a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber and the pass was prorated to 20 days, but they were expecting a month. No amount of explanation of what they purchased being different from what they expected would satisfy them. What I thought would be a simple $5 transaction turned into a significant stressor, and even offering a refund didn’t stop the persistent badgering. When platform reputation is on the line it’s no longer about the dollar amount of the transaction, but how it might impact future transactions. Most of the time things are very transactional and I try to undersell and over deliver. One time in 20 or so
- treeman79 6y ago
  My Dad dealt in coins for decades. Crazy thin margins. So many times people came in with a “20,000” collection they assembled. Basically client spent years of buying 3x over actual value as an “investment” They were always disappointed with the actual value. At some point I calculated his hourly earnings at around a dollar an hour. But kept him happy.
- sitkack 6y ago
  Thank you for your cultural service.
- mensetmanusman 6y ago
  I have a SNES DK competition cartridge in great condition framed with an unpopped condition milton bradley pog set https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1995-donkey-kong-pog-pitchin-game-206566856 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1995-donkey-kong-pog-... All acquired when I was a nintendo power obsessed kid :) Hope to sell it some day to a SV tech bro for 5 figures
noxToken 6y ago
Sometimes people just want to vent. There was a host on a podcast who admitted to venting to a company. He bought an item. It arrived and worked as advertised, but he was thoroughly underwhelmed by the product. The podcaster emails the company talking about his dissatisfaction. The response was something like, "We understand your frustrations. Even if there's no issue, you can send it back for a refund." The podcaster realized that nothing was actually wrong. The product worked as advertised. It didn't break. It didn't arrive damaged. There were just unfulfilled expectations. I want to say that he responded by thanking them for their time but a refund wouldn't be necessary. This guy inadvertently took up support time for an issue that wasn't really an issue. If you mix this scenario with entitled people or hobbyists who are very particular about minor details, sellers may spend lot of time on supporting very few customers.

AussieWog93 6y ago

So sometimes discs won't load or cartridges won't read in their console, or they're unhappy with condition - sometimes this is as simple as apologising and accepting a return, sometimes people aren't happy with that and just want to kick up a stink. More often than not, the people kicking up a stink return a perfectly working product, and they just wanted to make sure we'd accept it by them being as foul as possible. Sometimes we'll get people just asking for more information on an item we sell. Usually you can tell whether or not these people are actually interested in the product or not by how they ask the question. If they're asking about a specific detail (for example, if they're looking for a particular serial number range on a console), they'll usually follow up if you give them a positive response. People asking less specific questions (such as asking for "more photos") are often just bored and have nothing better to do and will either disappear or ask more questions. You can waste literal hours serving these customers and in the process lose thousands of dollars worth of actual sales. The worst group are just really badly socialised people - often people with serious mental health or drug-related issues. If you engage with them, they will demand massive amounts of your time and have absolutely zero concern for your feelings (let alone your business goals). If they feel you have slighted they, they will respond in the most foul and violent way possible. Just today, my wife was publicly berated by an incel-type guy because she didn't respond to a message he had sent over a week ago. There are at least 2 other occasions I can think of in the last year where this happened. I think the thing to remember is that the average HN reader (and, by extension, most people that the average HN reader knows) is educated, values their time, and is socialised well enough to the point that they can hold down a job and maintain basic interpersonal relationships. The type of person who contacts customer support for products that shouldn't really require support are absolutely not like this. Mostly it's just people that don't value their own time (or the time of others), but multiple times every week we'll come across people with _serious_ social issues (I don't mean socially awkward, I mean "unable to regulate emotion like a healthy adult") and no-one to talk to about it.

isthatsoup 6y ago
This just feels like the cost of doing business in the market you're in.
- number6 6y ago
  Well if you are bestbuy or something. Retro games sounds more like collectors items.
rdtwo 6y ago
Ha I get you I’m trying to sell a PlayStation on offer up right now and “buyers” are toxic even for one item. Idk why you do this to yourself I’d go nuts
- ficklepickle 6y ago
  Offer up is where these people congregate. At least use Craigslist, the worst offenders can't seem to work Craigslist.
- thirdsun 6y ago
  That is exactly why I prefer eBay to sell stuff. I happily give up the 10% sellers fee for not having to deal with countless potential buyers acting entitled, trying to negotiate or telling me how they could get the same item new for about half my asking price.
mistersquid 6y ago
Thank you for these details about the difficulties in handling support requests from people with underlying socialization and/or mental health issues. As someone who is mostly emotionally and cognitively balanced and who has been trained to communicate in order to reach mutually satisfactory outcomes, I don't even think to consider that some people are too maladjusted to use support resources (i.e. communication) in productive ways.
- temp20201028 6y ago

jonhohle 6y ago

I trade in games as well and like any collectible, often sell items that are rare and expensive. As an individual doing this for a hobby, my margins are usually small, so selling an $400 console for $50 or so profit can go south pretty quickly if there is a dispute. Because buyers are often collectors as well, they sometimes have unrealistic expectations for the condition of 25-30 year old hardware. A seller once had a concern with a power supply that was genuine, but worn in a way he was unhappy about. Once returns and replacement were completed (thankfully I had another), I now risk a loss, or worse, a dispute where I end up with neither money or the item. Another time I sold a month of Xbox Game Pass I had received as a promotion. It was well under retail, but when the customer received it, it wouldn’t activate. I spent at least a week on chat with Miscrosoft support trying to resolve the issue. When it was finally resolved and the account credited, the buyer informed me they were a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber and the pass was prorated to 20 days, but they were expecting a month. No amount of explanation of what they purchased being different from what they expected would satisfy them. What I thought would be a simple $5 transaction turned into a significant stressor, and even offering a refund didn’t stop the persistent badgering. When platform reputation is on the line it’s no longer about the dollar amount of the transaction, but how it might impact future transactions. Most of the time things are very transactional and I try to undersell and over deliver. One time in 20 or so

treeman79 6y ago
My Dad dealt in coins for decades. Crazy thin margins. So many times people came in with a “20,000” collection they assembled. Basically client spent years of buying 3x over actual value as an “investment” They were always disappointed with the actual value. At some point I calculated his hourly earnings at around a dollar an hour. But kept him happy.
sitkack 6y ago
Thank you for your cultural service.
mensetmanusman 6y ago
I have a SNES DK competition cartridge in great condition framed with an unpopped condition milton bradley pog set https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1995-donkey-kong-pog-pitchin-game-206566856 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1995-donkey-kong-pog-... All acquired when I was a nintendo power obsessed kid :) Hope to sell it some day to a SV tech bro for 5 figures

noxToken 6y ago

Sometimes people just want to vent. There was a host on a podcast who admitted to venting to a company. He bought an item. It arrived and worked as advertised, but he was thoroughly underwhelmed by the product. The podcaster emails the company talking about his dissatisfaction. The response was something like, "We understand your frustrations. Even if there's no issue, you can send it back for a refund." The podcaster realized that nothing was actually wrong. The product worked as advertised. It didn't break. It didn't arrive damaged. There were just unfulfilled expectations. I want to say that he responded by thanking them for their time but a refund wouldn't be necessary. This guy inadvertently took up support time for an issue that wasn't really an issue. If you mix this scenario with entitled people or hobbyists who are very particular about minor details, sellers may spend lot of time on supporting very few customers.