Capitalizing from Old Games Made Easy

OK, here’s the scenario: The past few years have been good to you; you’ve amassed quite a library of games, and even managed to beat a fair share of them.

Then — due to a sudden change of heart, unruly family members, a need for something new at minimal costs, or the commands of a foreign king — you decide it’s time to unload some of you games like boulders from Everest.

After all, sometimes us gamers need a little extra cash to help buy a new release, or to simply pay rent on time.

Retailers

Selling your used games back to a major retailer is generally not the best idea. GameStop is accessible to most and has a ton of used games, but often will give you a very low rate of return — especially if you’re doing a cash trade.

Occasionally, GameStop offers some decent trade-in deals toward pre-orders or additional credit when trading in multiple games, but do not expect anything other than GameStop credit. If you’re looking to get some green for you’re game, you may be better off just selling it to a friend.

Other big retailers, such as Amazon and Toys R Us, buy used games, but don’t offer anything much different than Gamestop. Never bad to have a wide array of options, though.

Online Marketplaces

There are other places to sell your games to round up some greenbacks in times of desperation. Half.com or eBay come to mind. However, each has its own set of fees that will cut into your take. Be sure to remain aware of these when peddling your wares.

One good thing about these online shops is that you can check the value of the games you wish to sell, allowing you to price accordingly (eBay is great for this). In addition, these virtual storefronts work well if you have a rare game to hock.

(Suikoden II for more than 100 dollars! Not something a gamer would sell unless they had no soul!)

Getting paid from these sites does take some time, so if you need some quick cash this is not the place for you. With 14-day billing cycles, at least a few days per auction, and a couple more for shipping, it will be a good week before gettin’ paid.

Game-Specific Web Sites

Some of the best sites to get the most bang for your buck are dedicated gaming sites (go figure). The long-standing Game Trading Zone, Goozex, and the rather new Valu Valu all offer places to either trade for games or make some cash from your collection.

GameTZ is a community in which users create “Have” and “Want” lists for games. The Web site then helps to make matches so members can barter. Anything can be traded, qualities are listed, and the latest trades are displayed on the home page so you can see what people are willing to part with.

So if cash is all you desire, than cash you shall have.

Goozex is built on a point system (1000 points for the newest games) in which you mail your games to users in return for points. You can then use those points to receive games. Each trade costs an additional dollar, plus shipping fees.

However, users can buy bargin bin games on the cheap and trade up to A+ titles.

Lastly, Valu Valu is a new site where users can sell their games at a price computed by algorithms. The formula takes the game’s condition and assigns it a price (it can be changed by the user, though). The Web site also provides graphs on the latest pricing of individual games.

It will be interesting to see how successful this Valu Valu venture is over the next year.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of other methods to sell your games, these are just some of the most popular. If none of these options are for you, or you just can’t seem to part with your glorious collection, you can always make like Scrooge McDuck and dive in!

If you know of any other methods beyond those listed above, please utilize the comments section!