Oblivion Shopping... Shopping for Oblivion

I’ve talked about The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion before.


I bid on a number of Oblivion listings on eBay trying for a good deal. My objective was to find a reliable seller with a new or good used copy (with everything – retail box, map, instruction booklet and original DVD) and spend, including shipping, no more than half of what I would pay if I bought the game new at a local Electronics Boutique, Future Shop or Best Buy store. These stores are currently selling it for $59.99 plus tax, or you can get the collector’s edition for $69.99.

I bid on and lost six eBay auctions before winning a used game in superb condition plus the official Prima Oblivion game guide book all for $28.50 (US dollars) including shipping from a seller in Barrie, ON. This is a really good deal since I would have bought the game guide book too anyway. I figure I saved about $66 for the game and the book over what I would have paid at Future Shop.

I can tell from the turned-down page corners in the game guide that my seller probably played Oblivion as a mage. I myself usually play a fighter/mage combo character. I played Morrowind all the way through twice as a Dark Elf and worked at developing a versatile character with very high blade skills. I wonder if this will also work well in Oblivion?

I just noticed that people are showing video clips of their Oblivion gameplay (and mods) at YouTube!


If you’re not a hardcore computer rpg gamer the previous two paragraphs probably don’t make much sense but, never mind, this post is really about shopping, not about gaming.

I wouldn’t normally go to such lengths to save $66 to play a computer game, even one that I really want, but I already knew that I would also have to upgrade the graphics card in my computer. When I added everything up it started to look like a major investment.

I was determined to nickel and dime this every way that I could.

A few months ago, I researched graphics cards so I already had a short list of cards that would handle the very intensive Oblivion graphics and were also compatible with my computer. Luckily my computer system manual and ATI’s web site were very helpful in figuring out what would work in my 4-year old Dell PC.

Of course I really, really wanted the ATI graphics card at the very top of the list, the most powerful and fastest card, the most expensive card, the $299.99 US card. Too much money, I thought. So I was considering the lesser cards in the range of $169 to $199.

Despite being an experienced eBay Seller and Buyer, I’m reluctant to risk buying graphics cards on eBay otherwise I probably could have found one there for a lower price. I like to buy my computer hardware brand new, still sealed inside the original manufacturer’s packaging and covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Or else given to me for free out of The Big Guy’s stash.

But, as is usual with computer stuff, just wait a little while and things get cheaper.

This Canada Day weekend, Future Shop celebrated in their usual manner with a really big sale. And, guess what. They had the very graphics card that I had written off at $299 US as too expensive on sale for $199! That’s Canadian dollars!

Woo Hoo!

Read on, it gets even better.

I had $9.41 left on a Future Shop gift card, the last remnant of a few gift cards that The Big Guy gave me last year in one of his occasional fits of generosity.

I also had another $100 Future Shop gift card that I got from Aeroplan in return for a bunch of air travel points that turned out to be impossible to use on actual air travel due to black-out periods, a shortage of seats designated for air travel points redeemers, and hopeless soul-destroying waits on hold wishing that a human being with a heart would answer my calls to Air Canada’s reservations call center. Besides, these days I prefer WestJet.

Anyway...

Do you realize the GST has also been lowered from 7% to 6%?

So, the graphics card plus tax only cost me $116.58 in real money.

Let the fun begin!