How can you tell if a Gamecube System is Brand New? Unused?

[acromite53 | 337]

Hey I might have found a brand new Gamecube system usused in box. What do I need to check for to make sure?

[austin532 | 467]

It can be hard to tell since Nintendo doesn't seal their boxes. Obviously if the plastic baggies look untouched and it has everything, there is a good chance it may be new or at least hardly played.

[RH | 4,902]

I think the easiest way to tell might be to inspect the cables. It's near impossible to re-wind cables the way they were in the box, and after being in the box for nearly 20 years, there should be indentations on the cables from the twisty ties.  If they don't look like they've been setting that way for a long time, that'd be fishy.

Regarding the console itself, I'd primarily look for dust in the cracks and finger prints around the open button.  That stuff is hard to get perfect with just a wipe-down. If you can, you can also open the console and look to see if there's even a faint amount of dust around the hinge gears.  That area also gets a little bit of dust with use, even in clean environments, and is really tough to clean without taking the unit apart and giving it a bath.

If it's suppose to be in an unopened box, then inspect the creases where you open it.  The corners might have wear from having been moved around and possibly bumped, but that fold should be pretty clean and crisp.  If it looks like it's been open a few times then, well, it could be new but it's not "unopened", that's for sure.

[acromite53 | 337]

Thanks guys. Didn't have much to go off of in the listing. But I just brought it home. Looks to be legit. I'll make a finders keepers post. It's a Mario Party 7 Bundle

[RH | 4,902]

43 minutes ago, acromite53 said:

Thanks guys. Didn't have much to go off of in the listing. But I just brought it home. Looks to be legit. I'll make a finders keepers post. It's a Mario Party 7 Bundle

I'd say that definitely looks legit.  It's near impossible to repack those systems back in there respective bags and put them back in the box and look that neat.  I know, I've tried countless times.

[acromite53 | 337]

17 minutes ago, RH said:

I'd say that definitely looks legit.  It's near impossible to repack those systems back in there respective bags and put them back in the box and look that neat.  I know, I've tried countless times.

Thanks for the insight. How does the bottom look to you? I dont really want to pull these out. The Mario Party 7 is still sealed. I've got a pretty good feeling it's new from talking to the guy.

[RH | 4,902]

I'd give it a strong "probably" legit.  That's an educated guess.  They I'd be a bit more confident if it weren't for the box damage.  See that crease?  That shouldn't happen unless the box had been opened, and some how folded from the inside of the box.  If the crease were in the other direction, then you'd know that someone just pressed something against it.  Since it's pushed out, someone opened the box, probably pulled out the cabling, closed the box, and didn't realize everything that was in there wasn't flush.  Of course, someone else could have checked the contents, rummaged around, and still made the same mistake, which is probably what happened. You're just not the first person to take a peak in there.  That's all that verifies.

[acromite53 | 337]

16 minutes ago, RH said:

I'd give it a strong "probably" legit.  That's an educated guess.  They I'd be a bit more confident if it weren't for the box damage.  See that crease?  That shouldn't happen unless the box had been opened, and some how folded from the inside of the box.  If the crease were in the other direction, then you'd know that someone just pressed something against it.  Since it's pushed out, someone opened the box, probably pulled out the cabling, closed the box, and didn't realize everything that was in there wasn't flush.  Of course, someone else could have checked the contents, rummaged around, and still made the same mistake, which is probably what happened. You're just not the first person to take a peak in there.  That's all that verifies.

Thanks. Yep I definitely think your right about it at least being opened before. I think there is still a chance the system is at least unused.

[Tanooki | 4,932]

That looks right to me, though I'm not expert.  There are some tells.

- Folded clear laid flat plastic around the cube.

- Cabling in the bags do no look distressed or out of line, ties are cleanly singly tied not retied

- Cardboard frame doesn't look to have been shoved, repositioned, or stressed in some way from being moved/removed

 

I'm in agreement the flap was opened, only due to the direction of the flap crease, but the rest is laid in there the factory would have done because you really can't get it back in there the same at all, alignment, cleanness, orderly nature of it all.  It screams untouched factory placement to me, other than that fold.  But if you notice, that fold really is just on the one side, it perhaps even got hooked on something and just pulled up a bit somewhere, somehow, maybe dropped or snagged something, and a snug pop just did that bend.  Notice how it angles downward as it goes to the right towards the true fold?  That to me screams a stress pull, not some oaf who didn't know how to open up an obvious cardboard flap.