But yes, normally, trade-ins are tax free. So if you get $30 in credit for a trade-in, turn around and buy a $50 game with that credit, only $20 of those $50 will be taxed. Your trade-in credit is non-taxable.

To the EB-Canada person who traded in his Mario Galaxy for 17.00 ... ... last I checked it's still in the $20's, dude. You sure you're not spinning a web just for jumping on the hate bandwaggon?

TheJinManCan

GamestopPatron

magallanes

Oh and if you happen to receive a game you're automatically assumed to be a thief and can't just return it.

Screw them, they're not exactly poor and they shit all over us.

frankstallone

TearsandScreams

Also, the claims that there's no cost in buying and reselling used games are false. Not every used game gets sold right away, and publishers drop prices on new games all the time. When a game that cost $60 new drops in price to $20, and a store has 6 copies that they paid $35 each for, they're going to lose money.

If you don't like the price that Gamestop offers you when you trade in games, then don't trade them in. It's that simple. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to sell your old games to Gamestop.

GrlGmr

Don't let reason or logic stand in the way of a good aggro.

MuppetChrist

beowulfshadow

JojoTheSlayer

I personally don't buy used games. I'd rather pay $5 and get something in perfect condition that some twelve year old didn't use as a coaster.

And I know these asshats shrink wrap used games in really good condition and sell them as "new". I can tell the difference, and that crap doesn't fly with me. I got a copy of The Orange Box like this and I made them give me my money back and then went and bought at Target.

CaptainBuzzKill

MuppetChrist

Advance wars - $20.00
Trade Bonus for having edge card - $2.00

Bought No more heros used $44.99
Discount for having edge card $4.50
------------------------------------
No More heros cost me $18.49...
Not too bad. Oh and by the way Advance wars new was 29.99 so the best time to trade in a game is when it is still new.

I used to NEVER trade but realistically if I'm never going to play it again - trade early and maximize with a discount card and any other trade specials they have.
And they always have a trade special going on.

GamerDave

alias_007

GamestopPatron

I'd like to call "Shenanigans", but it just wouldn't work.

AntiZERØ

She then explained to me that as a property of GameStop they must abide by their policies. Before, a buy back on working games (and upon finishing the Game) would be possible, but Gamestop's policy would prevent Buying back games at full price unless the game wasn't working or broken.

I'm a calm guy, but that really ticked me off. So I talked it over with the clerk (knowing that it certainly wasn't her fault in anyway). I eventually asked, "Are there other options for me?"

She then said the only thing I could get is "Trade in" value. I asked, "So, how much would that be?"

After a couple minutes of computer checks, she came up with the value of, get this, SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!!!

"Seriously, a month after the launch, the trade in values for a $55.00 games is $17.00! That's ridiculous!" Of course she agreed, but she still asked if I wanted to get the Credit.

I told her I'd go out of the mall and across the street to the Willow Video Games (and video rental) I see if I could do better.

I got $25.00 for the game across the street, and when I told them about the Credit Value at EB Games, they were pretty shocked as well.

Maybe I got $30.00 worth of entertainment out of Galaxys', but the fact GameStop is the major public retailer of Games Media, doesn't excuse the lack of "Public" service.

AntiZERØ

Sintariot

Yeah the "other" bar is accessories, which have a ridiculous margin on them as well.

noosphear

The used market sells a ton of new releases for developers. Did you know that over 50% of the new releases GameStop sells is paid for, at least in part, with trade ins? Without the used game market, there is a chance that up to 50% of the sales of a new release wouldn't happen. That is a pretty significant number of day one sales that developers wouldn't be seeing. I run a pretty high volume GameStop store and I can tell you right now that if we did not take trade-ins our release window sales would absolutely plummet.

The release window is the most critical time for the developers as that is when they make most of their money. The gaming industry has grown so much that there is always another new game right around the corner. After the first month or so a game is out people simply lose interest in buying a new title until the price drops to $20. You have to consider that in that first month, GameStop doesn't have an unlimited supply of used copies of a brand new game. The developer is going to see that money most of the time. It is pretty ridiculous to think that any new sale six months after release is giving the developer a lot of cash.

I do think it is pretty ridiculous the profit that GameStop makes, however that profit is pretty much required to run the stores. Could GameStop lower their margin a bit? Sure, but the truth of the matter is people buy it, so why lower it? Between trade-in promotions, the EDGE card, and the 7 day satisfaction policy, there are a lot of good reasons to save some cash and buy used.

Sorry this is so long, this part of the used games market is never talked about in forums when we are discussing GameStop as the evil empire. You would think that GameStop is single handedly ruining the video game industry. When in reality, the publishers know that trade-ins drive business and release window sales.

One last thing, everyone who is saying that they buy and sell their used games on ebay and making just a few bucks less than you paid for it, you might want to look in the mirror. Why on earth would you sell it for such a "high" price? I mean you are GameStop at the point. You are taking money out of the developers hands, and you are playing a game for a month for 5 bucks. I'm fine with making money and keeping it in the community. However, you can't berate GameStop or any other retailer for doing exactly what you are doing on ebay. If you actually took the time to read whats above, theres a good chance you are "stealing" from the developer yourself.

Sorry so long. TLDR and all that business. ;)

noosphear

W.C.Gold

Slatz_Grobnik

GenericKen

If you work at GameStop, you'd notice that money isn't going anywhere. GameStop doesn't cash in on reserve deposits that weren't picked up; they sit there forever (or at the very least, so long that they won't see leftover Burning Crusade money for years to come), long after the SKU is deleted.

The majority of the "other" bar is composed of the cut GameStop gets when an idiot buys one of those trashy 3rd party controllers that Pelican makes and GS slaps its name on for an easy 30%.

supafrench

GamestopPatron

it can't seem to realize that it's undermining the industry in which it makes it's profit in the first place by doing so...

then again, if gamestop quit peddling used games, someone else would fill the void in the market anyways...

Imagine all the shelf space they'd have for greatest hits without used games on shelves? they could really help the industry and thus themselves if they kicked the crutch...

it's sad to see capitalism rape it's participants.

mentally_unstable

JackTretton

pABSO

fozzyozzy

thaKingRocka

Nohman

fearing

WHAT HORRIBLE SCUMBAGS!

If people will give them games for as little as GS takes them for, and people will buy games for as much as GS buys them for, and they make a profit doing this, then all they're doing is being smart. Blame the consumers if you don't like the prices, the stores exist to make money, not to give money to the customers.

Shashakiro

KidU

spartan789

xot

Zippidydoodaa

dicknasty

Got so carried away I forgot to proof read.

Draco Basileus

And for used game sale the market works something like this:
For new games
- You buy the game and pay the listed price. You weren't forced to do this, unless you think you have been lead into a sinister cycle of addiction, which is probably true.

-This game is now yours and you have a right to try to sell it to anyone at any price you would like. They have the right to refuse paying this price.

-If you go to Gamestop/eb etc, and accept the price they are willing to pay you in trade or cash, that's entirely up to you. Because they are clearly displaying the used market value for newish/popular games is roughly 5 dollars below the cost of new.

As interstate78 I think was trying to state, was that for there to be a used market, new merchandise must first be sold and resold back. So for popular games that are in demand the price for resell is higher, the price of used remains high and the price of new stays high. But you as the seller and buyer of used games set the value of what you will accept. Gamestop is just making a profit on what you have accepted like any company.

If people, instead, sold their games on craigslist or ebay primarily, it might look somewhat different. Instead of one company getting that profit, the buyers of the game would see more money back.

Ehardergardens

They have to realize that $60 dollar games are sustainable across the board. Not every game can be sold for $60, nor should they. That's why used games make sense. The customer gets to experience the game at price that they find reasonable and are willing to pay. Gamestop, GameFly, and other distributors of used media recognize this need and make these products available to consumers at a price they can afford. On top of that, many stores (brick & mortar and online) stop stocking games after only a few years due to the extreme overhead costs associated with software. If the initial costs were cheaper, then newly packaged games would most likely sell to more people, and be available for a longer period of time.

Look at DVD and CD sales, a person can still buy a copy of the same DVD or CD released 5+ years ago and pay roughly the same price as the day it came out (though DVD prices are dropping fast with the new formats gaining popularity). Meanwhile I have to scour EBay and Gamestop to try and find a used copy of a game that came out two years ago. WTF?!

Draco Basileus

So long as I get the full-price return policy, I don't care. I don't see why anyone would care other than collectors. EB's reshelved PC and console games since the early 1990's (used to re-shrinkwrap and re-shelve them myself). No biggie.

Knara

RastaSega

That's right, you bought one that's new.

No, I waited a week, or two to see if any more used ones popped up.

In these days of downloadable demos, I put a personal price on games.

If I'm buying a game used, it means it wasn't worth full price to me in the first place. So if I can't find it for my target price, I'm not buying it.

lordargent

AND FOR THOSE WHO SAY USED GAMES COST MONEY TO DEVS.

What did you do last time you went to the store and there were no used copies left?

That's right, you bought one that's new.

You see if everyone bought their games legit, in the end the developers would still win. If a store has 2 used copies and 4 new ones and 5 people go to the store to get that game, that's at least 3 new copies sold.

Oh well I guess you get my point.

EVERYTHING we do has consequences.

interstate78

supafrench

Video game developers and publishers are pissed that they don't see a dime of the resells, when in reality anyone under the sun would like to pay cheaper amounts for their games and other consumer products, from video games to food! Some consumers passionate about the industry agree with these developers, however, that GameStop is robbing them of their profits. They later said to resell their games on the internet instead.

...

News at 11!

PS: Stop beating a dead horse. GameStop is a business and makes money selling and trading. The internet hates GameStop. We know. Leave it.

TheJinManCan

cybereality

anyway, i think someone else made this point in another thread, but its fair to say the used games people buy/sell at gamestop, many wouldn'tve bought them at all at full price, but for say $30 they would. So saying its a billion dollars out of the industry's pocket isnt entirely true.

TheIrishNinja

Papa Midnight

Yeah the perks sure are nice though.

ManjiKengo reads DuneTiger reads Kotaku, seems pleased.

About the gamestop shit....

Where's my fucking money? I hear of some cocksuckers getting paid 8 bucks an hour and they aren't management. Where is my fucking money?

ManjiKengo reads DuneTiger reads Kotaku, seems pleased.

I have shopped at Gamestop for years. I have never had a bad experience with the company. I will never understand how an industry like video games can attract such uninformed consumers. Video games are not a cheap investment, even when buying used, and just like any other product that requires a sizable personal investment, they should be researched ahead of time. I price compare before buying, I call ahead of time to ask what my games are worth in trade in. If I can find a better deal elsewhere, I go elsewhere. If I don't think I am receiving enough money back when I trade in my game, I don't trade it to Gamestop.

If a Game Advisor attempts to sell me a gutted copy of a game, or a used game that does not have the original packaging, I politely ask for the 10% "open discount". If the Game Advisor is new and does not know what I'm talking about, I ask for his manager, who will give me the discount. If they won't give me the discount, I simply won't purchase that copy of the game.

As for the vitriol against the pre-order system, that I will never understand.

As I got older and started art school, I needed a job with a flexible schedule. Retail called, so I applied at a lot of places. Lo and behold, I was hired at Gamestop. While the pay is definitely lower than in other companies, my management and the company treat me very well and the perks are excellent. In the last three months I have received free copies of Jericho, Super Mario Galaxy, and Phantom Hourglass just for being at work, along with other freebies for employees that companies send along - access to game betas, work shirts and tee shirts, free MMO trials, etc. I enjoy customer service, and for the most part, almost all of my customers are folks that are the exact opposite of some of the hateful people commenting to this story.

There are a lot of options out there. I don't understand why people take such a personal negative stake in Gamestop. Especially considering that many out there that shout the loudest about how they want the company to fail and burn in hell still shop there on a regular basis, bring that negative energy into the store with them, and then unleash it on someone else.

MuppetChrist

tshack

I'll never forget the day I brought a bunch of used Genesis games into EB to trade toward a new game. I think they were paying about $1 each and turning it around and selling them for $15. Lesson learned in the realities of the used game market.

xot

voltron88x

I'll never forget the day I got my wii...

Game Customer: How much will you give me for my Wii and Zelda and Wii play and composite cables?

Game: umm...£130? [to resell for £170+games separate]f

Me [in the queue behind about to enquire about Wii Stock]: I'll give you £150!

GC: Sold to that man

GC and Me: Screw you Game [Dramatisation: this line may not have happened]

Big_Jock

Benjo

doctorwily

I buy more games with that money. Instead of giving Gamestop a huge percentage. I'll sell a used PS3 game myself for $30 - $40 and get a new game. And that is rare because I usually keep my games. Gamestop only pays about $25 and charges $55 for a used game.

And besides, you saw the chart. Gamestop makes $650 million. I'm sure I'm not hurting anything.

Besides all of that I hate them because they punish their own customers for not preordering. What kind of a company orders short to punish those who don't preorder?

Sundermania

Ajh

AleeYun

The average gamer though is honestly a moron though. Most people don't care at all about their shadiness, because it's easier to get ripped off at a GS 5 min from you in lieu of A: buying new, or B: driving out to a GOOD used place.

GhaleonUnlimited

xot

What, you don't want to do that? Well GameStop isn't your replacement. If you want to show that you're smart, just put it on eBay. It takes a small amount of clicks, and the only work you have to do is take a picture and ship it out.

If you want to show you aren't smart, continue to trade-in games to GameStop and complain about it. It's what you get for being lazy.

It is crazy how much GameStop gets away with 50% though. I don't know why Best Buy hasn't entered the used game market. ANY competitor could easily start a used game market where they give gamers back more than 50% of what they sell it for, and would INSTANTLY cause huge competition for GameStop, forcing them to give better deals.

Mit

klip_twings

Dexor

It's convenience. For a lot of people, going to Gamestop to get a small amount of credit that you can use immediately is a better choice than selling it yourself for a lot more. As you have to deal with listing the item, arranging payment and shipping the item. If you're under 18, Gamestop might be your only choice.

aka Bitter

/Why did they have used COD4s in stock within 2 weeks of that games release? Who thought it was a good idea to sell COD4 back to them? Those people would be better off renting games.

/never sold anything back to gamestop, but I do remember selling my original NES and a bunch of games to get enough money to buy a SNES and a couple of games (this was in the pre-gamestop days).

lordargent

emeraldgsl

Irenicus-the one and only

bl0ven

...wth.

Wuffles

My friend who runs a Game store in my country always tell me how bad it is to make profit on games and systems today. Compared to other retail.

Irenicus-the one and only

There was a company that was buying the IP rights to a handful of niche titles of yesteryear and making reprints of the game due to the high demand and low availability of the titles. The games, being quite old were being priced NEW at $20, but GS, knowing the demand, through them in with the used games and upped the price to $30!

If that's not illegal it SHOULD be!

mindl4pse

shouryuuken

There is no money to be made on new video games or consoles, that's why there are no major chains that deal only with selling new software and hardware, it's just not profitable.

Games are way too expensive, so for most parents even getting $25 back on a game they paid $60 for a few weeks ago is better than it sitting unplayed in a drawer somewhere, and saving even $10 on a used game is better than nothing. Most people can't be bothered to sell their games on eBay so going to Gamestop is the equivalent of going to one of those places that sells your stuff on eBay for you (and takes half of what the item sells for).

I used to manage a store and have actually gotten into arguments with people who think that if Gamestop sells a game for $54.99 that's what they should pay people for it too. No one is ever going to be happy with trade-in prices because they always want the world.

Businesses need to make a profit to justify staying in business. If you don't like Gamestop, that's your prerogative (I avoid them whenever possible myself since I know they are a horrible company to work for) but criticizing them over their trade in/used game prices is just pointless. It's like criticizing a fish for breathing through its gills.

skullivan

Perhaps they don't have enough money to buy them new but still want to play the game? I know I buy used games when the prices are right.

Wuffles

I'm sorry but that deal setup with the game industry is for the publishers to sort out, not me as a consumer so if such a thing is not in place which I doubt then thats not my problem and should not be a problem to ever enter my mind.

They are completly helpless? making more money then ever last year, if it was at a decline I might be "inclined" to care or think you are even right in that assumption.

I buy new, not always, infact I mostly buy new but sell a lot of used games. And I do affect by playing the game in any way, shape or form even if I bought it used, don't you dare to compare this to piracy. Much more then not playing the game at all. I bought the game, what I do with it is up to me, unless you want the person buying a used game of me from ebay to send 10% to the lead designer in an envelope. I'm sorry, but I stand by what I said, I buy and play games for the entertainment, not to support a cause and even less to make it some charity case. Power to the consumer in this case!

If thats a problem then talk with the publisher or industry organisation representing them, if there is one, again not my problem.

Irenicus-the one and only

Rent the games if you turn around that fast.

Stop buying and trading in. Quit FEEDING Gamestop!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Lstormy10

Now, if I'm BUYING used games, I almost always go to Craigslist. Better prices than GS/EB, every time.

MrBartokomous

wiimote cases in the shape of swords? or are those hardware?

PGGB

baked ham

Krondonian

This is, of course, besides the point that you're trying to compare a cheap rental to an expensive used copy purchase.

It's not just that developers are completely helpless if used copies are sold. It's that myself and others have a better chance to drive the market in a direction we want (with money) by buying new. Buying used doesn't influence a developer in any way, shape, or form.

Quark

--------

The effect of trade-ins on the industry is probably very difficult to measure. On one hand it potentially encourages sales; e.g. a person might only buy a new game due to the money they get from a trade in. On the other hand, the potential damage is obvious; multiple people get to play the same copy of a game while the publisher/developer gets only one sale.

However, by my own, admittedly unqualified, guess I'd bet the secondary market does more damage than good.

Sweetz

OneLetter

BruzeWayne

Well, sure, but they're also the ones taking the $23 loss if they don't sell that copy of that game.

They undoubtedly make good money on used sales, but they are also the ones taking all the risk. Often times stuff they buy back doesn't get re-sold. Hell, a lot of times GameStop buys used stuff knowing that it won't sell. They do it to build up the service, so that they when they do sell used stuff, they get healthy returns on it.

It's business. With property rights how they are and the market being free, these sorts of transactions shouldn't surprise anyone.

Bishmon

Featherhammer

Kaemon

Irenicus-the one and only

Personally, I find that pawn shops, garage sales, small/local game shops, and other sources are better means to get used games than GameStop. With most used games at GameStop, they're only $5 cheaper than a new copy, even if it was just the disc alone. Sometimes you'll find a good deal on a used game, but not often.

BPMΣ

Krondonian

Adam In Texas

brello

Dullspork

There are two easy ways for developers to defeat this.

One, market their games so that they are "must have" on release day.

Two, make the games good enough so that you aren't tired of them and ready to trade them in after two weeks.

The second one is really crucial. I'm tired of buying games and feeling like I just completely wasted $60. I much prefer waiting a while and buying used so that I only feel like I completely wasted $20.

robinandtami

Manny

Manny

JackGreylock

Oh and I like Pawnshops too.

Irenicus-the one and only

@giddieon: I play games for entertainment, not charity work, next time you rent a dvd movie I'll be there and bitch at you for not buying it or didn't go to the cinema when it came out.

Next people will tell me game rentals put developers out on the street begging for food /sigh

Nice work Gamestop. But your pay for pre-orders, thats a scam right there, Ebgames and Game in europe does not charge for pre-orders :)

Irenicus-the one and only

It will be glorious

aaa

I've completely cut off Gamestop. I buy and sell used games straight to other gamers that I meet on the net and I buy new games at Best Buy. No need to preorder ever. You go in and buy a game that they have plenty of for anyone that wants one. Like shopping in a real fucking store is supposed to be.

Gamestop is a glorified pawn shop.

Sundermania

Then again how is it any different than rentals?

balls187

BlazinNoni

BlazinNoni

gils0n

BlazinNoni

BlazinNoni

LittlestLamshi

But again like it was brilliantly put - this aint new god damn it.

P.S. ebays good too

Communist_Gamer

Moonshadow101

TheHun

And the only games I've traded to GameStop were games I would only have been able to sell for a few bucks on eBay - by the time eBay takes its cut and you have to deal with packing it up and bringing it to the post office, it isn't worth it. If I can get $10+ for it, eBay is the way to go.

And the only games I buy new from GameStop are preorders that I know will be still in the seal. Selling open case games as "new" is a scam. But I usually go to Best Buy or the like for preorders.

seafisch

valhum

As for console games, I usually try to stay away from Gamestop. Ebay/Amazon.com usually get my purchases.

Cpryd001

On another hand, as Manny said, game developers/publishers don't get a penny from the used market.

Yobari

LittlestLamshi

I am waiting for a spanish copy of Oblivium to show in the nearest GameStop with a price inferior to 30 € to buy it. Muahahahahahaha... I dont want to pay 50€ for a dumbed down Morrowind.

Tei

giddieon

DigitalHero

Quark

Chilango

LunyBen

I don't know about most of you guys, but I'd rather pay the extra to 10-15 bucks getting my games new.

Fyren

SanjiX

GUNDAM-RX-78-2

ElijahDProphet

SanjiX

LittlestLamshi

kyosuke9999

I can get most games new at Target for less than Gamestop would charge me used.

My name changed for an unknown reason

ghnvt

First time I read over that, I saw "half incest protein". What the hell's going on in my head?!?!?! REOAR!!!

ComradeStalin

ihatepeterh

Manny

Manny

Gamecrazy FTW!

LittlestLamshi