Where can I buy a VIP code for Battlefield: Bad Company 2?

We rented the game from Blockbuster to see if we liked it and now we are purchasing the rented copy because we enjoy the game and it is cheaper (since we already paid the rental fee) to just keep the copy we rented and pay Blockbuster the purchase price, but now we have no VIP code and apparently you get some pretty cool gear with it. We actually got it at the store the day it came out as soon as they opened, so the game was brand new out of the box, but of course they don't give you a VIP code for a rented game, so now we are SOL. I have found online sources that say you can buy one for $15 from the in-game store, but I have looked at the store in the game, and on the XBOX Live Game Marketplace under all downloads for the game and all game add ons, and nada. In the game, it has a map pack that has VIP under the price, but no way to buy the VIP code. I found them on eBay, but as it is a string of numbers and not a material, viable product, I am a little wary of purchasing there as they could just give me a bunch of random numbers that are absolute crap and made up for $15, or never send me anything at all. Also checked other usre based purchasing sites like craigslist (long shot, I know, but worth a shot) and nothing. Help?