What are your thoughts on the DKOldies drama?

[Kane99]

For those who don't know, DKOldies is a retro video game shop. They've been getting a lot of heat as of late, first off for their overly high prices on retro games and consoles, prices you wouldn't even see on Ebay and Amazon. On top of that, they've been getting hate for their refurbished consoles, to the point that some people are saying they're not even refurbishing consoles, just getting a working console in, saying it's refurbished and calling it a day. But, it seems some YouTubers tested out their service to see if they do refurbish their consoles, and so far every video I've watched, the console either doesn't work, or is extremely dirty. 

So what they must be doing, is testing out these consoles they buy, if they work, they'll slap their warranty sticker on it and say it's refurbished. Do you trust DKOldies? I have never purchased from them myself, and after how things are going, I don't think I ever will. 

Here are some videos of YouTubers dealing with DKOldies. 

Do you guys have any history with DKOldies? Have you ever purchased from them? I don't think I ever will, mainly because their prices are a bit crazy. But to be fair, their one year warranty on all games/consoles is nice, seems as if you don't have to pay to have anything sent back and can get your money in full back. Just sucks because these companies shouldn't lie about 

DKOldies did make a video denying these allegations, saying they do refurbish and clean all of their consoles. What's funny is they use a magic eraser to remove gunk on consoles, in the video they clean sticker residue from a Wii console. I guess those magic erasers can remove the base paint, and in turn a glossy finish becomes more matte. 

Anyway, what do you guys think of all of this? Is DKOldies a scam company? Or just lazy when it comes to refurbished consoles? I don't care if they overprice their products, whatever, I just won't buy from them. But to lie about refurbished consoles doesn't look good on their part. 

[Shagger]

I've a lot of these videos, including the other vids from ReviewTechUSA (I'll link his PS2 vid below because, holy shit is it bad), and they all say the same things. They can't all be lying, so this is very very poor from DKOldies. 

 

 

[Empire]

They might have an impact, but I don't think they individually have any outsized role in inflating the retro market any more than WATA etc. does, they're a side product of human greed, not a cause of it.

One thing I'm curious about, what do they offer if you were to sell them your games? The number I hear is most used game shops are getting "generous" in the 60% of retail/eBay offer range. So if there's a game that a brick & mortar store sells for $50 and DKO sells for $100 are they offering you $30, or $60?

[Kane99]

23 hours ago, Shagger said:

I've a lot of these videos, including the other vids from ReviewTechUSA (I'll link his PS2 vid below because, holy shit is it bad), and they all say the same things. They can't all be lying, so this is very very poor from DKOldies. 

 

 

If they said they were used consoles, I don't think I'd have a problem, or course aside from the non-working consoles people got from them recently. But they're saying refurbished when they clearly are not. That should be illegal, but I don't know if it is. 

11 hours ago, Empire said:

They might have an impact, but I don't think they individually have any outsized role in inflating the retro market any more than WATA etc. does, they're a side product of human greed, not a cause of it.

One thing I'm curious about, what do they offer if you were to sell them your games? The number I hear is most used game shops are getting "generous" in the 60% of retail/eBay offer range. So if there's a game that a brick & mortar store sells for $50 and DKO sells for $100 are they offering you $30, or $60?

I think most people who purchase from them are people who don't know the retro gaming market. You can easily get the majority of their catalog of products for cheaper elsewhere. Their site is not meant for collectors and gaming fans, but those people looking for that nostalgia itch. 

I do hear they offer good money for used retro games, so that may be a good aspect of their service. 

[Kale]

To be quite honest? I don't care about it either way. I am very in between on this subject. I am not a retro game collector, and feel it doesn't really matter to me. I have bought old games online through similar sites years ago and had good experiences. 

[Shortie]

I don't think we have this in the UK so I wouldn't be able to buy from them even if I wanted to but after reading your post and seeing what they potentially do, I would definitely steer clear of them for sure. If they are just slapping their warranty sticker on and saying they refurbished it, that is a very bad business idea for starters as they will soon get caught out and eventually lose out to those who spread the word. 

[PGen98]

I've never bought from them, personally, because I find other retro sources to be better for my needs, but I have seen the various videos and issues with them, and if they are doing the things they're accused of, as they seem to be, that's horrible business for them.  It's their responsibility to test everything, to make sure it's working, and if it's broken, to fix it.  It's also their responsibility to be within a fair market value for everything they sell, to an extent.  Of course free market capitalism being what it is, they can indeed set their own prices, but it's up to the consumer to dictate whether that's a wise idea for them by not shopping there.

[Kane99]

16 hours ago, PGen98 said:

I've never bought from them, personally, because I find other retro sources to be better for my needs, but I have seen the various videos and issues with them, and if they are doing the things they're accused of, as they seem to be, that's horrible business for them.  It's their responsibility to test everything, to make sure it's working, and if it's broken, to fix it.  It's also their responsibility to be within a fair market value for everything they sell, to an extent.  Of course free market capitalism being what it is, they can indeed set their own prices, but it's up to the consumer to dictate whether that's a wise idea for them by not shopping there.

I think people would be okay if they actually honored cleaning products they ship out as refurbished. If something is refurbished, I expect it to also be cleaned in the process. They could as easily sell an item "as is" if it's never been opened up. 

The prices they set is kind of an afterthought. The focus is more on the idea that they sell items as refurbished, but never refurbished them. I think what's happening is that they get a used item into their store, test it, and if it works, slap that warranty sticker on it and sell it as refurbished. So they can in turn also set a higher price. 

If they were actually refurbishing these consoles, I wouldn't care. The prices are one thing, but lying to your customers about what they're getting, is not a good look. 

They thought no one would be wise enough to open these consoles either, but YouTubers did exactly that and outed their scam. And they can't come out and say they're sorry for these problems, because it would show they knew about these consoles not being cleaned or even refurbished. So they have to play along and keep denying they did anything wrong. I hear it could also open them up to a class action lawsuit if they were to come out apologizing. Hopefully they correct these mistakes and sell actually refurbished & cleaned consoles going forward. 

The prices could use some work, but there's not much you can do about that. It's their choice and they have a right to price their own way. 

[Shagger]

Sorry guys, but I saw this and had to share it. Now I want to make it clear I do NOT want this person harassed or bothered in any way, but you have to see that there are people out there faking defences for DKOldies for... reasons, and this particular video is as pitiful and obvious a fake as it gets.

 

 

Couple of issues here. Well, more than a couple, but lets just go with it it.

 

1. You can see the broken tape on the outside of the box running in the opposite direction of the tape he cut to open the box. Then, even worse, you can see the shipping label on the inside fold of the box. You can tell it's the shipping label through the barcodes the delivery courier uses to scan the package and it had the delivery address on it. The label is, thankfully for this guys sake, tough to make out, but you can tell it's an address. The other label was likely an internal label used by the DKOldies warehouse because I do believe at least the box came from DKOldies, As for the contents? Well, we'll get to that. The point is this box was clearly already opened, that is the only explanation. Otherwise the courier wouldn't have been able to see the address he/she was meant to deliver the package to nor scan the barcode to mark the delivery as complete on thier system. So already this white night from DK Oldies has screwed up. He opened the box then re-taped it with the inside folds on the outside. I mean, wow.
2. Packing peanuts suck. They're messy and very environmentally unfriendly. If that is how DKOldies packed this box, that's a criticism. The other DKOldies unboxings I've seen they haven't used packing peanuts (The one thing DKOldies seems to do well is packaging), adding fuel to the idea that this is fake.
3. That cartridge is a bootleg. I actually hope this guy is white knighting for DKOldies because if he paid DKOldies prices for the original, authentic game cartridges then he got fleeced big time.
4. Why was the cartridge and the console packed in plastic wrap? Shrink wrap is used to hold loose objects and individual bokes together on pallets while they're being shipped in bulk, it's not meant to be wrapped around individual items in a box. I suppose it would prevent dust and fibres from the packing peanuts getting to the connector ports, another good reason not to use packing peanuts in the first place, but it offers no impact protection during shipping. I actually think this kid did that himself because he already owned this stuff and this was a pitiful attempt to make it look like a more professional packing job, but he has obviously never worked in a warehouse or for a delivery courier.
5. That's at least more than the controller had, just thrown in the box with no protection at all. To be fair those N64 controllers are as tough as airline chicken, so I'm sure it'll be fine, but still that's pretty careless.
6. I don't know f this guy is blind or what, but the console is filthy. You can even see whare his fingers had rubbed of the dust. And if the console was indeed packaged like that from DKOldies, that dust must have been there when they packaged the console. Why isn't he mad about this? And if this is his stuff he already had or if he opened the box before (That's not open to debate, this box was opened before), why wouldn't he clean this stuff himself if he's trying to make DKOldies look good? None of this makes any sense.
7. Those odd screws are a sign DKOldies did not open up this console. Nintendo did use these odd shaped fixings in order to prevent tampering and the fact that those fixings are still there makes it likely the console has never been opened. Obviously, that's not proof DKOldies didn't open this as screwdrivers that fits those screws are available and I'm sure DKOldies have such tools, but why even upload the video if you can't open the console? Also, is just me, or were there a couple of screws missing?
8. Not only did he not open the console, he didn't even switch it on! Why not? Doesn't matter if this a fake attempting to make DKOldies look good or a genuine unboxing, he should have at least turned the console on and showed it working.
9. Whare was the power pack or the AV cable? Again, maybe I missed it, but I didn't see them in this video. This being an NTSC N64 I wouldn't to see the AV converter box we PAL people were "blessed" with (More on that shit in this topic if anyone is interested), but those other things being missing are a massive red flag.
10. Whare was the now infamous DKOldies sticker? Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't see it anywhere. For those who don't know, DKOldies places a holographic sticker over screw ports of thier consoles that void the warranty if they are removed which, by the way, in the US is illegal. They only very recently, and very quietly, changed this policy on thier website in the wake of this controversy.

To summarise, this kid fooled fooled nobody, and HE should refund DKOldies whatever it was they paid him for this. And if they didn't pay him, well that's just sad.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Shagger

[The Blackangel]

"It looks like it's not a Phillips, and it's also not like the cross hair one..."

A Phillips screwdriver IS the "cross hair" one.

I've seen come complete fake videos in my time, but this one takes that cake. The only thing I can think of that's fake, but portrays itself as real is pro wrestling. But in this case, I would give more credit to wrestling.

Edited February 27, 2023 by The Blackangel

[Shagger]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:59 AM, The Blackangel said:

"It looks like it's not a Phillips, and it's also not like the cross hair one..."

A Phillips screwdriver IS the "cross hair" one.

I've seen come complete fake videos in my time, but this one takes that cake. The only thing I can think of that's fake, but portrays itself as real is pro wrestling. But in this case, I would give more credit to wrestling.

 

Pro wrestling doesn't lie about what it is, but I wouldn't describe it as "fake". It's an act, a show, it's scripted, staged, but not fake. They don't go through the kind of training, injuries and physical hardship that they do for something "fake". To the point though, Pro Wrestling doesn't lie about what it is and that's the difference. This video this guy has put together is not only a lie, it's an incompetent lie.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Shagger

[Kane99]

13 hours ago, Shagger said:

Sorry guys, but I saw this and had to share it. Now I want to make it clear I do NOT want this person harassed or bothered in any way, but you have to see that there are people out there faking defences for DKOldies for... reasons, and this particular video is as pitiful and obvious a fake as it gets.

 

 

Couple of issues here. Well, more than a couple, but lets just go with it it.

 

1. You can see the broken tape on the outside of the box running in the opposite direction of the tape he cut to open the box. You can tell it's the shipping label through the barcodes the delivery courier uses to scan the package and it had the deliver address on it. Then, even worse, you see the shipping label on the inside fold of the box. The label is, thankfully for this guys sake, tough to make out, but you can tell it's an address. The other label was likely an internal label used by the DKOldies warehouse because I do believe at least the box came from DKOldies, As for the contents? Well, we'll get to that. The point is this box was already opened, that is the only explanation. Otherwise the courier wouldn't have been able to see the address he/she was meant to deliver the package to nor scan the barcode to mark the delivery as complete on thier system. So already this white night from DK Oldies has screwed up. He opened the box then re-taped it with the inside folds on the outside. I mean, wow.
2. Packing peanuts suck. They're messy and very environmentally unfriendly. If that is how DKOldies packed this box, that's a criticism. The other DKOldies unboxings I've seen they haven't used packing peanuts (The one thing DKOldies seems to do well is packaging), adding fuel to the idea that this is fake.
3. That cartridge is a bootleg. I actually hope tis guy is white knighting for DKOldies because if he paid DKOldies prices for the original, authentic game cartridges then he got fleeced big time.
4. Why was the cartridge and the console packed in plastic wrap? Shrink wrap is used to hold loose objects and individual bokes together on pallets while they're being shipped in bulk, it's not meant to be wrapped around individual items in a box. I suppose it would prevent dust and fibres from the packing peanuts getting to the connector ports, another good reason not to use packing peanuts in the first place, but it offers no impact protection during shipping. I actually think this kid did that himself because he already owned this stuff and this was a pitiful attempt to make it look like a more professional packing job, but he has obviously never worked in a warehouse or for a delivery courier.
5. That's at least more than the controller had, just thrown in the box with no protection at all. To be fair those N64 controllers are as tough as airline chicken, so I'm sure it'll be fine, but still that's pretty careless.
6. I don't know f this guy is blind or what, but the console is filthy. You can even see whare his fingers had rubbed of the dust. And if the console was indeed packaged like that from DKOldies, that dust must have been there when they packaged the console. Why isn't he mad about this? And if this is his stuff he already had or if he opened the box before (That's not open to debate, this box was opened before), why wouldn't he clean this stuff himself if he's trying to make DKOldies look good? None of this makes any sense.
7. Those odd screws are a sign DKOldies did not open up this console. Nintendo did use these odd shaped fixings in order to prevent tampering and the fact that those fixings are still there makes it likely the console has never been opened. Obviously, that's not proof DKOldies didn't open this as screwdrivers that fits those screws are available and I'm sure DKOldies have such tools, but why even upload the video if you can't open the console? Also, is just me, or were there a couple of screws missing?
8. Not only did he not open the console, he didn't even switch it on! Why not? Doesn't matter if this a fake attempting to make DKOldies look good or a genuine unboxing, he should have at least turned the console on and showed it working.
9. Whare was the power pack or the AV cable? Again, maybe I missed it, but I didn't see them in this video. This being an NTSC N64 I wouldn't to see the AV converter box we PAL people were "blessed" with (More on that shit in this topic if anyone is interested), but those other things being missing are a massive red flag.
10. Whare was the now infamous DKOldies sticker? Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't see it anywhere. For those who don't know, DKOldies places a holographic sticker over screw ports of thier consoles that void the warranty if they are removed which, by the way, in the US is illegal. They only very recently, and very quietly, changed this policy on thier website in the wake of this controversy.

To summarise, this kid fooled fooled nobody, and HE should refund DKOldies whatever it was they paid you for this. And if they didn't pay him, well that's just sad.

Yeah everything I saw in that video shows me that it wasn't even an order from DKOldies. The biggest giveaway was the shipping label being inside of the box, he had re-taped an already opened box, but put the inner flap on top instead. You can see the old tape on the side of the box, which isn't the clear tape. I watched this guys video on it yesterday.

I honestly think the guy who made the unboxing video is trolling all of us, and is..

1.) trying to joke about it, saying this was actually a package from DKOldies, like haha, this is what you can expect from them and their fans typical reactions, or could be he hates DKOldies and just made a dumb video to make fun of the them, but over-exaggerated it. 

2). He is a genuine fan of DKOldies and thought this would somehow help make them look good. But if that was the case, why not buy from them? 

I'm leaning towards 1 myself. Mainly because of how dirty the console was, how it was packaged. But then again, I could be totally wrong and this guy could be genuine in attempting to make them look good, but it backfiring on him completely. 

[killamch89]

I've never bought anything from DKOldies but I've seen a few of those videos as well about their underhanded tactics when it comes to selling their refurbished consoles. Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from them and advise others to stay far away.

[Kane99]

2 hours ago, killamch89 said:

I've never bought anything from DKOldies but I've seen a few of those videos as well about their underhanded tactics when it comes to selling their refurbished consoles. Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from them and advise others to stay far away.

The public outcry has been crazy as of late. I really didn't expect these YouTubers to blow it up as big as they did, but it's still going and more videos keep coming out about them and their shady practices. 

I steered clear of them due to their prices for the most part, but the addition of their lies on refurbished consoles pushed me even further away from ever purchasing from them. 

I wouldn't care about the prices so much if they had actually refurbished the consoles/devices they sell. But they are selling consoles as refurbished at a higher price. Because anyone would buy a refurbished console over just a used one. 

I wonder what their prices are for just standard used consoles that haven't been clean and refurbished, but happen to work. I imagine they charge less, or don't even sell them as used and just sell all consoles as refurbs. 

[The Blackangel]

On 2/27/2023 at 4:03 AM, Shagger said:

Pro wrestling doesn't lie about what it is, but I wouldn't descried it as "fake". It's an act, a show, it's scripted, staged, but not fake. They don't go through the kind of training, injuries and physical hardship that they do for something "fake". To the point though, Pro Wrestling doesn't lie about what it is and that's the difference. This video this guy has put together is not only a lie, it's an incompetent lie.

You're definitely right there. Everything is scripted and preplanned, but the injuries they suffer and the grueling schedule is 100% real. There's not a wrestler alive who hasn't suffered a serious injury. There have also been wrestlers who died as a result of the business. The most well known being Owen Hart.

What I mean by fake, is a lot of the physical violence. They don't punch each other with their full strength, or some of the moves. For example, with the pile driver, their head isn't slammed into the mat. It's actually held high up enough so that it doesn't hit the mat like that. If they did drive their opponents head into the mat, it would almost definitely cause either paralysis or even death from a broken neck. And if you watch someone punch, they stomp the mat as they swing. But most don't even notice that as they're not looking at the wrestlers feet.