DKOldies
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About
DKOldies is a retro video game store located online at DKOldies.com and physically in Pennsylvania. The company gained considerable attention throughout the 2020s for its social media content, especially on TikTok, where the company posts videos about day-to-day life in the DKOldies store, showcasing its retro products and shipping customer orders. In late 2022 throughout early 2023, DKOldies began to receive criticism for selling overpriced refurbished consoles that purchasers claimed were not well refurbished, leading to a class action lawsuit from Treehouse Law.
History
DKOldies was founded in 2003 by Drew Steimel.[1] According to the DKOldies.com[2] "About Us" page, Steimel began selling retro games on eBay[3] in the early 2000s, using his basement as a warehouse. His business continued to find success, leading to the founding of the DKOldies website and physical storefront, located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.
DKOldies began posting content online as early as March 18th, 2015, when they posted their first video to the DKOldies YouTube[4] channel, showing viewers how to repair a broken Nintendo Entertainment System console, garnering over 16,000 views in eight years. They continued to post on their YouTube channel going forward (content example shown below).
On August 14th, 2015, DKOldies posted a video to YouTube where Steimel destroys a Gameboy Advance SP that he claims is a bootleg, garnering over 129,000 views in eight years (shown below). Some commenters claimed that this was not a bootleg, but a rare IQue version of the console (shown below).
The company increased its social media presence throughout the late 2010s and 2020s, spreading to sites including Facebook,[5] Instagram[6] and TikTok,[7] the latter of which became notably popular throughout the 2020s. Their TikTok page acquired over 2.5 million followers by 2023, with some of their most popular video series showcasing workers looking through their archive for viewer-requested games, shipping packages to customers and often giving the customers extra items, refurbishing consoles and generally showcasing retro consoles, accessories and games (examples shown below).
@dkoldies Reply to @mariusglaser who’s next? 🧐 #retrogaming #retrogames #gaming #spiderman #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #foryourpage #fypシ #ps2 ♬ original sound – DKOldies
@dkoldies You could be next! #retrogaming #retrogames #gaming #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #fypシ #retro #nostalgia #nintendo #n64 #shipping #smallbusiness ♬ original sound – DKOldies
Death Threat Video
On August 4th, 2022, DKOldies posted a video to TikTok[8] and YouTube[9] responding to a comment left on one of their videos that read, "Im coming to kill be ready." In the video, the host says he considers it a death threat and says that the police are investigating it. The video gained over 1.3 million views on TikTok and 714,000 on YouTube in nine months (shown below).
Refurbished Consoles Controversy / Class Action Lawsuit
On December 11th, 2022, YouTuber[14] Jacob R posted a video where he disassembles a refurbished PS3 console purchased from DKOldies for $300 to determine how well refurbished it is. Throughout the video, Jacob claims that the console was overpriced and ultimately gives it a 3/10 rating for refurbishment, particularly complaining that the controller went unrefurbished, garnering over 312,000 views in five months (shown below).
Jacob R posted several more videos to YouTube[15] and TikTok inspecting the refurbishment quality of DKOldies consoles over the following weeks. On January 20th, 2023, he posted a video examining the refurbishment quality of a PS3 he purchased for $400, giving it a 1/10 refurbishment score, garnering over 500,000 views in four months (shown below).
On February 2nd, the DKOldies YouTube channel posted a video where they show their refurbishment process on a Wii, garnering over 187,000 views in three months (shown below, left). On March 3rd, YouTuber TronicsFix posted a video examining the refurbishment of a $300 DKOldies NES and finding issues, garnering over 852,000 views in two months (shown below, right).
In early April, a sponsored Twitter[10] post by the law firm Treehouse Law, LLP advertised a class action lawsuit against DKOldies regarding their refurbished consoles (shown below). On April 7th, YouTuber[11] The RetroBro posted a video where he confirms that Treehouse is pursuing a class action lawsuit against DKOldies for falsely advertising their refurbished consoles after speaking to a Treehouse rep on the phone.
Online Presence
DKOldies became a popular subject of memes and criticism throughout late 2022 and early 2023, particularly following controversies about their overpricing of retro consoles and their refurbishment process. On February 12th, 2023, TikToker[12] @_dyllie_ posted a video parodying the style of their videos, garnering over 1.3 million views in three months (shown below).
@_dyllie_ @dkoldies be like #skit #dkoldiesscams #dkoldiesnottrusted #dkoldies #dkoldiesoverpriced #pc #tech #techtok #fyp #dyllie #gaming ♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose
On May 10th, Twitter[13] user @BooneIsBritish posted a screenshot from the video where Steimel destroys the GBA SP, writing, "Reminder that the owner of DKOldies destroyed an extremely Rare IQue GBA cuz he thought it was fake. This company is a laughing stock," garnering over 27,400 likes in five days.
