If you are a gamer like me, then you know that seeing a new game that you like and not having the funds to purchase it is one of the most frustrating and heartbreaking experiences. However, this does not mean you have to settle as there are various options out there. Every avid gamer has a library of old games that they do not mind selling or trading in.
However, the disappointing part about this is that it’s quite hard to get a fair price for such games. That being said, here are a few handy tips to help maximize the game trade in value for those old titles.
Research the Value of Used Games
New games are usually hyped and will be worth more. However, all titles tend to depreciate, with most of them losing over 80 percent of their initial value in just a year. A highly rated video game will retain at least 50 percent of its value after the same period but will depreciate further after 2 to 3 years. Franchise games like Madden and FIFA lose their value even faster. For most of them, they lose over 80 percent of their original value when a new release comes out.. They track the selling prices for old games on eBay, Amazon, Half.com, etc.
Clean Up the Old Games
You should dust off those titles and put them in the original packaging if it still exists. Do forget to include manuals and maps as these small things tend to add a value of up to 10% to trade-ins. This is often the case for video games that were released before 2000. Retro gaming used to be a huge thing back then and finding original packagings of those titles will only increase your payout.
Sell Your Video Games For Cash
If you choose to sell your old games via Old School Game Vault, then you will avoid the frustrating store credit trick and you will get all cash as it will be what you’ve selected. Sites like this offer competitive prices for all games, including retro titles and consoles.
Sell on Craigslist
Perhaps the place where you are most likely to get the best value for your used games is Craigslist. In bigger markets offering competitive prices, games tend to sell quickly. This ideally presents the opportunity to package games that won’t sell with those that are more coveted. With this tactic, you will get a better selling price per title, thus allowing you to get those new games that you really want even sooner. The only disadvantage of selling or trading in on Craigslist is that you will have to meet people face to face. As such, you will want to be extremely careful when dealing with strangers.
Selling on Auction Sites Like eBay
Selling through this avenue has its pros and cons in comparison to Craigslist. There’s far more competition on auction sites, which tends to reduce the price a bit. Ideally, getting funds from sites like eBay takes longer than a face to face transaction. However, there’s little chance for something bad happening during the transaction. Also, if you have a rare title, places like eBay might end up seeking an extremely good deal for you.
Take Your Used Games to The Local Game Store
Most of the major video game retailers have programs that give you credit in exchange for your video games, which you can tunnel towards new titles. The convenience of not having to do too much work to sell those old titles carries a huge cost. A new video game that’s just a month old will be worth about $30, and with the exception of titles that have great co-op play, most games will not be played anymore. As such, even if your game is a month old and beaten, it will lose even more value in the trade in.
Even so, there are a few tricks you can use to get the best deal on trade-ins with video game retailers:
Most of the retailers have membership cards that have a number of benefits including a 10% discount on new titles and a 10% increase in trade-ins. If you plan to do numerous trade-ins, then such a card is a must-have. The savings will even be more than the cost of holding the card for a year. These cards ideally have special coupons to increase the value of trade-ins as well as special promotions that usually combine with card savings.
Here is one more tip for the major video game retailers. There is usually a promotion known as bonus trade-in credit that goes towards pre-ordered titles. As a wise gamer, you should sell your titles for credit towards the game on promotion and then cancel the order after you get the bonus credit. You will still have your bonus credit which you can use for the title that you really want. However, you should be aware that some employees and managers know this trick and some do not like it when it’s used. Consider waiting a few days between canceling the pre-order and spending it on another title.