I'd been wanting a 3DS for a while and had looked into either buying an XL model or going for an Ambassador with all its 20 free NES/Gameboy Advance games goodness. So as recently as last week I'd come close to going for systems up around the $180-$200 mark depending on their condition and games included.

But then! I thought.. hey.. there's people out there who might not even know they're 3DS is supposed to be an Ambassador. People who are probably selling theyre systems right now. And what better place to look than eBay.

So I set off on a mission to check for listings that had pictures of the systems serial number and used Nintendo's Ambassador status checking tool to see if anything below $180 was good

Much to my surprise I got a lot of Ambassadors around the $130-$150 mark. So I ended up picking up a mint condition Cosmo Black 3DS with a copy of Pokemon Black and all the Box/Paperwork intact for $145. A good $40 saved. $40 that'll go towards a Supercard DSTWO anyway haha.

One thing to note though: When I got the 3DS, the Ambassador game downloads and Ambassador Certificate did not show up in the eShop. A quick call to Nintendo explaining that I owned an Ambassador with no games showing that had not been connected to the eShop before 2012 quickly solved the problem. The games showed up in less than 6 hours.


3DS Ambassador Checker: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/3ds/en_na/3dsambassador.jsp

 

[MegaAce™]

One thing to note though: When I got the 3DS, the Ambassador game downloads and Ambassador Certificate did not show up in the eShop. A quick call to Nintendo explaining that I owned an Ambassador with no games showing that had not been connected to the eShop before 2012 quickly solved the problem. The games showed up in less than 6 hours.

Well, you actually had an Ambassador one, so my question would be, how will Nintendo be able to determine if it is actually an Ambassador one when it hasn't been connected before 2012?

 

[xylos]

I'm

Well, you actually had an Ambassador one, so my question would be, how will Nintendo be able to determine if it is actually an Ambassador one when it hasn't been connected before 2012?

I'm pretty sure they verify the serial number and then activate the games for that specific 3DS over the eShop.

 

[science]

I bought an Ambassador 3DS yesterday off of Craigslist in fairly good condition with Mario Kart 7, Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Starfox 64, Tetris: Axis, Pokemon Black, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, and Mario 3D Land for $150. Turned my XL into an abmassador and am now looking to flip the console and some of the duplicate games for (hopefully) a profit with some cool new games after it is all said and done.

EDIT: He also had some other eShop titles on there already purchased as well, like Pokedex 3D, Kirby 3D, as well as some GameBoy and indie titles. I'm pretty happy. The only downside was having to wipe my Mario Kart 7 save data, and my Streetpass data. Oh well.

 

[Sychophantom]

I'm pretty sure they verify the serial number and then activate the games for that specific 3DS over the eShop.

That's what they do. I had bought one for my mother shortly before she died. She never updated, connected it, or anything. When I got it back, I found out it was an Ambassador unit, called Nintendo and had the games show up in the eShop account in 20 minutes.

 

[xylos]

I bought an Ambassador 3DS yesterday off of Craigslist in fairly good condition with Mario Kart 7, Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Starfox 64, Tetris: Axis, Pokemon Black, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, and Mario 3D Land for $150. Turned my XL into an abmassador and am now looking to flip the console and some of the duplicate games for (hopefully) a profit with some cool new games after it is all said and done.

EDIT: He also had some other eShop titles on there already purchased as well, like Pokedex 3D, Kirby 3D, as well as some GameBoy and indie titles. I'm pretty happy. The only downside was having to wipe my Mario Kart 7 save data, and my Streetpass data. Oh well.

Wow! Now that's a deal. I guess the point of it is do your research and hard work will pay off

 

[Duo8]

I got a 3ds manufactured in 2010 but not connected to eshop until 2013. Are there any way to get ambassador?

 

[loco365]

I got a 3ds manufactured in 2010 but not connected to eshop until 2013. Are there any way to get ambassador?

As was stated in the thread, call them and give them the serial number. You should still be able to get your games.

 

[NariIro]

I got a 3ds manufactured in 2010 but not connected to eshop until 2013. Are there any way to get ambassador?

I believe ALL 3ds's around that time are considered in that line. IM NOT A 3DS OWNER so dont qoute me on that.

 

[Duo8]

Now they ask for a receipt. Which I've lost
Well I'm screwed. No ambassador for me I guess.

 

[NariIro]

Now they ask for a receipt. Which I've lost
Well I'm screwed. No ambassador for me I guess.

Explain to them that you dont have the receipt becuase you bought the ds SOOO long ago, and ask them if they expect you to hang on to a piece of paper for (instert amount of years here) If that doesnt work PM me and ill give you a script that is a GUARANTEE to get you the said items, (i used this script on a ds that i bought that DIDNT have a serial number and got a brand new dsi for free.)

 

[ut2k4master]

Explain to them that you dont have the receipt becuase you bought the ds SOOO long ago, and ask them if they expect you to hang on to a piece of paper for (instert amount of years here)

well, you HAVE to ;P

 

[NariIro]

well, you HAVE to ;P

Again ive worked my magic and ive gotten a new dsi by sending in one that didnt have a serial number, didnt have to pay a dime either.

 

[Duo8]

They said they can't find my s/n, so they can't validate ambassador status. I tried with the online checker, it gives a not found without the last number, and a "not qualify" with the number.

 

[NariIro]

They said they can't find my s/n, so they can't validate ambassador status. I tried with the online checker, it gives a not found without the last number, and a "not qualify" with the number.

If they cant find your serial number then why is the 3DS that you own even out of their hands? its their screw up not yours and you should be entitled to the program they offered. If all else fails threaten to call The Attorney General.

Alot of people dont know this, but if Nintendo or ANY other company receives 3 thats right 3 complaints from the AG the next morning when everyone goes into work there will be a padlock and chain on their doors that they CAN NOT remove.

IF you dont wanna play that HARD you can just stall them, if you stall them for TOO long their supervisor will give them a sign to speed it up and they will start to give you more things. Or they will put their supervisor on the line and you can talk to them, if you stall THEM long enough THEIR boss starts to get upset. When their boss gets upset they will lose their job so since they dont want that they will give you what you want.

"How do you know all this oh magical one."
TLDR i worked for the nintendo call center. Learned the way to get what you want.

 

[Duo8]

I'm using email support though, can't call them from here. Maybe I should keep bugging them. Thanks.

 

[BerserkLeon]

Just called NoA to see if I could get the ambassador status on my older 3ds because the checker said it was eligible.
Basically.. before buying off ebay ask them if they have the ambassador stuff already on the 3DS. If not, ask them if they registered the 3DS on club nintendo or anything. If so, you'll have to get THEM to do it if they have the receipt. If they don't have the receipt, you're screwed.
If they have the receipt but have not registered the 3DS through nintendo, they can just send it to you and you can call ninty to get it set up.
If they can send the receipt with the 3ds, you're golden. If not, you'll need to lie through your teeth.
and while on the phone/email do NOT ever mention that it's secondhand, or they'll tell you the bonus was for people who bought the 3DS at it's initial price and they can't give it to you if you're not the original owner.

Ed: I'm not really mad though since I can just yarrr the games.

 

[mysticwaterfall]

Alot of people dont know this, but if Nintendo or ANY other company receives 3 thats right 3 complaints from the AG the next morning when everyone goes into work there will be a padlock and chain on their doors that they CAN NOT remove.

I agree with the whole supervisor thing, but the above is total BS. You know what will happen if you complain about a company to an attorney general? (I'm assuming you mean a state one, since good luck getting anywhere on a federal level...) in all likelihood your complaint will be taken, filed, and never looked at again. Sure, if they get enough complaints they might investigate, but you cannot just unilaterally shut down a company because somebody complained about it. If that was the case, every chain in the entire country would be closed right now. Name any big store/company (Walmart, Target, Best Buy McDonalds, Microsoft, etc) and I guarantee you they have thousands of customer complaints against them. Really, the only way a store/company can get closed as you describe would be a) a restaurant with serious health violations b) a company with serious safety violations or c) high level illegal activity.

There is nothing illegal about Nintendo refusing to give you the ambassador games if you don't meet the requirements of the program. Contrary to what you seem to think, AGs are not gods who can do whatever they want on a whim.

 

[RecurringAwesome]

So my issue is that I bought my 3DS at launch and was unaware of the Ambassador program until I had already sold the system to a friend and purchased a 3DS XL. If I can get the serial number of the original 3DS will I be able to get ambassador access on my XL? Also I don't have the receipt. Could I claim that the 3DS was lost or stolen but I had written down the serial number before hand? I really want the exclusive games on my 3DS XL and technically I have the right to own them.

 

[Haloman800]

I'm

I'm pretty sure they verify the serial number and then activate the games for that specific 3DS over the eShop.

So, you're saying, even though the original owner didn't claim the Ambassador games, with a call to Nintendo they sent them to your 3DS?