SCAMMERS - Don't Waste Your Time If you value your time, avoid Gamer's Paradise. The posted business hours don't seem to mean anything. I made the hour-long drive to visit the store, only to find it closed in the middle of the day when it was supposed to be open. After finally getting in touch with the owner on Facebook, he claimed he had to leave because of a "delivery mix-up" and said he'd be back soon. It wasn't the first time I'd heard an excuse either. After multiple trips ending the same way, it became obvious that keeping regular hours isn't a priority. A business shouldn't expect customers to guess whether it'll actually be open. The store itself also feels disorganized. Shelves are cluttered, inventory isn't labeled well, and a lot of items seem to be sitting around without any clear intention of being sold. Before making the trip, I was told over the phone that I'd receive $24 in store credit for a complete, working Nintendo console with the controller and cables. I brought in three complete systems along with games, controllers, and extra cables. The owner gave me values for each item one by one, but after everything was added together, I realized later that I had been shorted by about $20. Since I wasn't given a receipt or any written breakdown of the transaction, I had no way to verify it until I got home. Another thing that didn't sit right with me was that none of the consoles or games were tested before being accepted. Everything was simply taken behind the counter, which didn't seem very professional. Instead of honoring the $24 he'd quoted me over the phone, he only offered $15 for each Nintendo console. I noticed the difference at the time but didn't argue, which I regret. The whole reason I accepted store credit was because I wanted to buy the Xbox that had been sitting in the display case for months. As soon as I was ready to purchase it, I was told they couldn't sell it because they couldn't find the controller or power cable. If that's the case, it shouldn't have been sitting in the display case with a price tag on it. When I returned the next day hoping to exchange my credit for something else, there wasn't anything I wanted. I asked if I could simply get my trade-in items back instead. I was told they had already been mixed in with other inventory and couldn't be returned. They ended up giving me cash instead, but once again I came up about $20 short. By the end of it all, I traded in what I believe was close to $200 worth of games and consoles and only received $71. Between the inconsistent hours, misleading trade values, lack of receipts, and poor customer service, I won't be returning. I recommend taking your business somewhere else. read more

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Stopped into Gamer's Paradise recently after hearing a few people hype it up as a hidden gem for retro gaming. Wish I could say the same, but unfortunately, the only thing hidden here is the logic behind the prices. We're talking $60 for a loose copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, cartridges with faded labels going for collector's edition prices, and scratched-up discs marked "as-is" that cost more than they do new online. It's like someone googled eBay listings and pulled the highest number they saw then added tax. The selection looks impressive at first, but dig a little deeper and you'll find it's mostly filler: endless copies of sports titles, bargain-bin shovelware, and broken peripherals sold as "vintage." A few rare finds, sure but at prices that make you question whether you're shopping at a store or a museum gift shop. the woman staffer was not friendly, but there was a weird defensiveness when I asked if they ever negotiate or offer bundle deals. I get that retro gaming is a niche, but this place seems to be banking hard on nostalgia and hoping no one checks eBay or PriceCharting first. If you're a collector with deep pockets or just really into overpaying for mid-condition games, maybe this is your spot. For everyone else, you're better off looking online or hitting up a local swap meet. read more

Started perusing Gamer's Paradise back in 2021 when they resurfaced my GameCube copy of Thousand-Year Door (worked great after!) Not sure what issue Bryan in the (currently) only other review had as I've never had major issues with Gamer's Paradise. I've bought both a PS2 and an Xbox 360 from them with nearly half of each in store credit and I've never, ever had issues with them honoring a purchase or deal. They've always been courteous and professional, at least to me, and a lot of their prices are sometimes even more fair than other places. My only major complaint is that quality control of stuff they sell is a bit variable. Part of it is just what comes with selling retro games, but a few times I've bought games or hardware that obviously were not cleaned (or in the former case, resurfaced if necessary), but this has never been so severe that it's been a total dealbreaker with them. Overall, would recommend. Update: Janice is fibbing a little; they're selling Super Mario Bros. 3 at $24.99 and have been for a while, which is pretty damn close to going market price. read more

SCAMMERS Does not honor store hours. Constantly late to his own store. Doesn't open up on days that he claims to be open. Spent 1 hour driving to the store just to find out the guy wasn't there. And if you could get in contact with him he gives you a lame excuse about family issues, he seems to have a lot because he doesn't realize this is the third time He's done this in a month. Store owner will not hire employees to open the store for him and insist on doing it all himself. Not a true business at all more of a lonely guy with the ridiculous video game collection nobody wants. And I mean the lackluster library of nothings. So I went into the store with the promise over the phone that I would get $24 store credit for a complete working PlayStation 1 with controller and all the cables. I went in there with three consoles complete a number of games and loose cables and controllers that added up to a total of $111. He gave me the prices one at a time for each item but when he tallied up the total he shorted me $20. I didn't even notice until later that night because he didn't provide me with a receipt or any other form of transaction to sign. On top of that he didn't even test any item out so I could have been given him a bunch of worthless junk. So it was very unprofessional and he didn't even give me the $24 that he said he would over the phone instead he gave me $15 for each console. Which I noticed but didn't say anything, which is my fault. However when I attempted to buy the Sega Master System he had in the glass case for the past year you can tell he was hesitant to sell it to me for the store credit he had given me and told me that he couldn't find the controller or cables so he couldn't sell it to me despite it being in the glass case for the past year. He had it displayed just like other things that he had no intentions of selling. I told him I'd come back the next day and was surprised to find nothing else I wanted. So because his daughter was there I tried to explain because the only thing I wanted they wouldn't sell that I would take my business elsewhere and asked for my items back. She claimed she couldn't find them when I had just brought them in the day before. So she game me cash which defeats the purpose and also shorted me again another 20$. I gave them 200$ worth of stuff and they gave me 71$ what a bunch of criminals. DONT go here, they are scammers. read more

Gamer's Paradise - Video Game Stores Near Me - Paradise, California