Actually my friend, you can get 100% your money back within 7 days.

I hate it when people take advantage of this though. we ain't blockbustah people.

ManjiKengo

simmo

"But where is your guarantee that it will even work?"

The person's good feedback. Plus, I bought over 100 games using eBay and all have worked.

"If it does, then what happens if you don't like the game?"

You sell it on eBay for what you paid or sometimes more if it has increased in value.

"At least at Gamestop if its used you have a 30 day warranty, and a week to bring it back for something else."

And extremely high prices.

"You even have the option to get your cash back you paid for it."

That's not true. You can only exchange a used game for another used game. After you've exchanged once, you're stuck with that second game.

"How could Ebay be better than that?"

All the ways I listed above PLUS the fact that you don't have to deal with annoying GameStop cashiers pushing pre-orders on you.

schizogony

freespeech

azthegame

We dwell in a technological arena here, where anything shiny you buy is already being re-designed and prepped for upgrade before it even hits the shelf...and that includes software kids. GameStop is only capitalizing on everyone elses techno-ignorance. You smart gamers should know better, and therefore bitch a lot less.

primateforever

I used to buy used games a lot (I rarely buy new domestic games) but I'm way too knitpicky about the disk/case/instruction conditions. It was always a gamble. Best place to buy used games is mom and pop stores and Ebay. If you know what you're doing and who to buy from you'll never get ripped off on Ebay. Plus you can find used Imports on Ebay.

Prophane33

It is pretty amusing to look at old Computer Gaming World ads and see what prices for game software were like back when there was competition...

ElReyMysterioso-PBUH

Not really. Traditionally frivolous entertainment pursuits are some of the most recession-resistant commodities on the market. People don't stop doing what they love to do during a recession. In fact, they often do it more to help them forget about all the other crap going on in their lives at the time.

OneFreeMan

Yes, there are SOME people who run legit businesses online. However, its nigh-impossible to run a videogame-only business since you almost can not make money off of them.

However, the profit margin is so insanely low on videogames it means that
A) they either own their own mom and pop store
B) they're selling other items which they make more money on (This is what the big retail chains actually do, they get you to come-in for a 15 dollar DVD, and you come out with a HDTV)
C) they're selling stolen goods.

Considering ebay charges you for a listing, even 50 cents cuts into any profit margin you make.

To make even $1000 profit from selling new-games you would need to sell anywhere from 1000 to 340 games. One can't live off that, nor could one pay workers with that, nor could one fund a business.

SnakeCL

edgeblade

But then, I've found them really useful for all the times lately that publishers go "here'sournewgameohsorryit'soutofprintalready!" and you have to go to the ends of the earth to get a copy.

Did Ridge Racer 7 totally bomb? It was especially hard to get, even online virtually no one had it. One local EB had one copy.

fuchikoma

booticon

Yes, sometimes games don't get you jack S, but that's maybe because it's a crappy game, or old game. It's all supply and demand. For some reason, people are so apt to criticize and diminish the "evil" Gamestop when the few times I see Wal-Mart in an article, no one budges. It's all who works at the stores. I've seen good stores, I've seen shitty stores.

Don't want to sell? Don't sell. Don't like your trade-in value? Don't trade-in. Don't want a magazine, discount card, or pre-order? Don't do them. Simple enough.

tvo

Gamestop sucks. They raped my mother with their rip-off trade-in values.

Am I doing it right?

iamnotdryad

Hek415

I went in to a GS months ago to trade in some old games, some I hated, a few I cared about. When they offered me a pittance for Crimson Skies (which I love) did I trade it in then blow hatred all over the internet about how evil GS is? No, guess what I did? I KEPT IT! Great idea, huh? Problem solved.

Buying used games and accessories back is as much a service to the public as to the companies. You can't go to the Gap and get new clothes buy selling them your old socks, you can't go to Burger King and get a Whopper by selling them back your half-eaten food, yet you can go get a brand new game by selling your old ones? That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

As for independent game stores, I support them whenever possible. The problem is most don't get new releases anywhere near the release date, and new/used game sales are barely enough to keep the going. The city I live in use to have 5 within walking distance from me. The only one that's still open makes more money off airbrushing than games. It has nothing to do with GS, it's the tiny profit margins of video games. For that, thank the developers and manufacturers.

screamingslave

Evil_Snow_Man

Plus, they price their games in a very fair manner. My friend (I'm not shitting you) got a mint copy of Snatcher for Sega CD for $4.99 last week.

Please support them, many of their franchises a struggling to stay afloat against Gamestop.

[www.playntrade.com]

Doomstink

- 2 games per month: $25
- time lost when you select "keep it": ~ 4 days
- cost of those 4 days: $3.33
- cost of the game, if u want to keep it (skate in this example): $36

It costs $40 for a used game. The case is in pristine condition too when they send it to you. Gamefly rox.

Bootyology

heretrix

I only ever get rid of them if they completely suck. I traded some stuff in at EBGames ten years ago and I still regret it to this day. Since then I've only ever gotten rid of games I thought sucked (WarioWare: Smooth Moves for example) on eBay. I got $40 for it there, whereas Gamestop would have given me $7.00. Huge difference.

Anyone arguing the "additional costs" of eBay. The buyer pays most of them (besides the listing fee and paypal fee), so there isn't much that cuts into your profit margin. There's no way anyone can argue that trading at Gamestop is a better deal.

Doomstink

Verge

Hollette

Also, no one was ever talked about how much they make in profit from a new game. Most of the discussion here is how you can trade a game in there and get $5.00 or put it on eBay and get $40.00. What sounds better to you?

Doomstink

I also don't see the ire raised in some people about their used games. I mean, they're a store, they're MEANT to make money. And yeah, I might be able to make an extra $10 selling my copy of PGR4 to someone on eBay, but I don't want to deal with all of the other variables that go along with that system. With Gamestop I just go in, put the games down, and then put the money towards a new preorder. No wait, no hassle or fuss.

eclipsegryph

Which by far was the best due to how much of the environment you could use to damage enemies also. That feature kinda vanished as the game went on. :/

Witzbold

*bows his head in shame*

otimus

GamestopPatron

I don't think that I've ever traded in a game that I bought new though.

ADAM

FranUnFine

They work on a point system. You trade games out to people you don't want any longer and you get points for it. I traded three old Nintendo DS games and got a total of 1450 points on my account now. Even the newest game like Smash Brothers Brawl on the Wii or Army of Two on the 360 are only 1000 points. So for shipping three old DS games I never play and spending $15 to ship all three to different places I have enough points to get a brand new title and a couple of low end games if I want. I think I'm going to get the newest Trauma Center and Resident Evil Umbrella Cronicles though. That's what I've had my eye on.

Normally you have to buy a trade token for $1 to request a game from someone (that's how goozex makes their money) but during the month of march they charge nothing and you can trade as many as you want without the trade token. Here is a link to the page with my referal id in it. If you sign up using it or under a friend that's already using the service we both get a trade token and 100 points after you trade your first game. click for goozex. Someone even tipped me 50 points when they received one of my DS games because everything was in mint condition. It's a nice little service.

Adam In Texas

Same here. I buy a lot of Games/Controllers/accessories on eBay. Granted I never buy new games on there (I tend to preorder at Gamestop or Amazon depending on how quickly I need them.)

Of course I do question the legality of some of the controllers showing up on eBay and other places lately.

battra92

schizogony

1: its impossible to find the game new.

2: if I know the game is ass and am bored but want to try it out anyways.

Asides from that I prefer to make sure my $$$ goes directly to the developer.

Witzbold

As much as I like getting decent deals for games, the time tradeoff going through the pains of EB/Gamestop keep me from using them unless they're the only one that have something I need -- something which doesnt happen too often now, since the JP xbox limits you to NTSC-J regions from time to time.

muu

The average profit from a game sale at retail is 1-3 bucks.

Think about that for a second. You'd have to sell 50 games to make $50-$150 profit.

Sure, there are occasionally people who sell games on ebay to get rid of them after they've been sitting around unopened for a while, but there's no reason for someone to be selling 5 copies of a game that was released days ago for retail price.

SnakeCL

EB's version (before merger) cost $5 and you could buy separately. GS's did not, it cost $10 (for 10 months) at one point and you always had to purchase it with the magazine (you could never buy the card separately from the mag.

@the rest:
If you don't like their practices, service, or prices - fine. Use ebay and one of the big box retailers like the rest of us. Cheapassgamer.com is pretty good for finding the great deals.

Whining about the same crap every time someone posts a GS article seems pretty repetitive.

figaro1010

ADAM

Of course, you should buy new when possible, especially if you want to support a game or its makers.

beeporama (brian.j.parker)

Anyway, I've always found eBay to be not only a good place to buy used games, but sell them too. Cut out the middle-man (Gamestop in this case) and both the seller and the buyer come out on top.

CaptMonkey

baked ham

And I guess I'm a bit bitter about it.

Scuba Steve

Just a little FYI, the majority of games sold on Ebay are in-fact stolen. There's little-to-no overhead in game sales, as most of the profit goes back to the developer/publisher.

You're actually helping the industry more by buying new-games from Gamestop than you are from ebay.

Of course, if its a location thing, different countries, etc. your mileage may vary. But Gamestop sees relatively little profit compared to its used-game sales.

SnakeCL

My favorite Gamestop moment was when I was looking to buy PSP accessories and the employee was giving me shit about how the PSP sucks. But I have a friend who manages a different Gamestop and she's amazing, her store is great. It's all about the employees, really. If you just use Gamestop for specific things and be savvy to their more suspect policies, it can be an ok place to shop.

Madeira

It certainly seems like a profitable business.

However, both buyers and sellers would be better using auction sites. The prices are much more reasonable there.

Marlor

Back in December when Circuit City was selling Call of Duty 4 brand new for 40 bucks, I bought one, played it until I was done with it, and then traded it in towards a pre-order for Smash Bros., which gave me a 20% bonus, plus I've got that Edge card, which is good for another 10% bonus, and I wound up getting 39 dollars in credit, which is only 1 dollar less than I initially paid for the game. I'd say I got a good deal on that one!

baked ham

No, I don't own stock in them...lol

bigdonthedj

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

ShaggE

Detre

Over here in the UK, we've got "GAME" which give you half of what the game is worth back, and that is only if it's sealed and brand new retailing at full price. I made the mistake of doing that twice when I bought my console because the games it came with were ass.

Candlejack

Demaar

Madeira

Angryrider

AnonymousFinger

If your trading in games that are fairly new anyways, unless its a really bad game, why did you buy in the first place? Renting and services such as Gamefly save you tons of money. Especially at 60 dollars a pop.

IIGrayFoxII

Zenax

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

Coldbrand

starscream1101