GameFly: it’s no Netflix
I’m currently a subscriber of both Netflix and, as of recently, GameFly. I have to hand it to ‘em — while BlockBuster Online does have an interesting twist on the mail-a-DVD scheme, allowing you to return and exchange titles at local stores, it’s really GameFly that took the media-by-mail model and made it interesting. Still, despite the fact that they serve up totally different content, I’m just not sure GameFly’s going to be able to keep me as a customer; having experienced Netflix’s best-in-breed service, it’s really difficult to imagine sticking around. Shall we compare?
With Netflix you get three movies at a time for $18 per month (or two for $15); GameFly charges $22 for two titles and $29 for three. Granted, I know games can cost between 2-3x more than your average DVD, but the perceived cost difference is pretty great. With one service you get two discs for $22, the other you get three discs for $4 less. Also unlike Netflix, which has distribution centers all over the country, I won’t get my GameFly title for at least four or five days after mailing it since I’m two mail-days away from GF’s LA-based distro center. Worse still, GF is frequently out of popular titles (something that really shouldn’t be a problem, considering how few titles it actually has to stock compared to Netflix), and that I’ve seen its system not ship me anything while waiting for the very next title on my “Q” to become available. Frankly I just don’t see how GameFly will be able to compete if/when another games-by-mail service muscles onto the scene. With any luck, that service would be run by Netflix, and be made available as a simple account upgrade. A boy can dream, can’t he?
Co-founder of 
I’m amazed Netflix hasn’t made that move yet (I was surprised they weren’t doing it two years ago)
TiVo, Netflix, GameFly, Zipcar. You are going big on the subbies, my friend. Don’t come crying to us when all these companies give you the monthly fee wedgie.
Sounds like GameFly is about where Netflix was in its first year. Smaller market has made it tougher for them to scale to multiple warehouses.
Actually, ZipCar isn’t monthly! Thankfully. But between Netflix, TiVo, Napster, and cable, no doubt at all I’m getting the subscription-content wedgie!
They have a rapid return program… I presume you’re using that? I very rarely wait more than three days between the time I drop a game in the mail and receive a new one and I’m on the east coast. I do netflix too and don’t find the experience that radically different.
I’ve used a couple of different rental services out there and have returned to Gamefly for consistency and game selection. They’ve got a whole different set of rules than netflix with a smaller market share and, as you pointed out, higher overhead. Taking these elements into consideration they’re actually doing a pretty good job and, in my experience are leaps and bounds ahead of their competitors.
u should give gameznflix a try….
regarding price, they are much cheaper than gamefly
1 out at a time 9 bucks
2 ” ” 13 bucks
3 ” ” 17 bucks
and they offer both movies & games for the same price..
now, honestly, they are much younger than netflix & gamefly… and they still have some flaws, but u can’t beat the price… and u do see noticeable improvements to the website everyday…. just recently, their search engine is now “powered by google” and they recently added an 800 # so people can call & ask about service issues….
and they have 9 distribution centers vs. 2 for gamefly
i do hear complaints about inventory… but at almost half the price of gamefly… i am willing to wait a little longer if need be…. thanks, al