Quoted from ercvacation:
I was told by Stern that the issues aren't widespread and are only being talked about due to a very vocal minority. I asked if the issues were fixed and they told me that they don't discuss matters of their internal operations with people outside the organization.
I’d love to know their definition of widespread.
I have talked to multiple dealers and all the numbers range from 10% to just under 20% (just Stern, not JJP) and that is only their estimate from games they have (e.g. showroom models), have seen or have credible reports on. That doesn’t count routed games where ops may not know or care or collectors that don’t know what to look for. Dealers that would comment all said almost the same thing “Stern believes they have the issue under control”, which makes you wonder what Stern has said to dealers (some of whom have to be pissed that they may be sitting on questionable inventory).
Less than 5%? Maybe I buy not widespread. Up to 20%? Maybe not widespread, but serious enough to warrant a “nothing to see here” response.