mooby
02-06-2011, 08:17 AM
Selling games directly is not nearly as simple as putting a listing online and waiting for the offers to pour in. Personally I have a lot of games where Gamestop is the only feasible buyer (particularly with PS2 games). Basically if you have the time and creativity then it's preferable to sell your games directly online but if you're on the go, have average games, or are selling at prices that are similar to Gamestop, then it's more of a hassle. Bottom line Gamestop is always an instant buyer for virtually every up to date game you own.
For example if I wanted to sell my copy of FIFA 11 for PS3 I would not only have to take into account that people have to shelve out an extra $10 for the online pass but as of this moment I have to compete with 152 other listings for a buyer and most of the people that want this game are going to local shops to buy it new or to buy used copies so they don't have to wait for shipping, also in some cases the shipping cost will result in me lowering it to a price that is maybe at most $5 more then what Gamestop will give me.
Again given the option it's almost always better to sell directly but keep in mind unless your selling games in demand games that are 2 or 3 months old at $20 below retail you might end up waiting a while (usually months at a time). Not to mention the fact that theres a long list of ways to get in trouble if you sell bad merchandise as well as the fact that E-Bay takes a cut of your earnings while Craigslist comes with the risk of making you another fraud victim.
Don't get me wrong Gamestop isn't all lovey dovey but they are quick and easy compared to the do it yourself approach. I think most of the flak that Gamestop catches is the fact that people trade in their used games for $10 or $15 and then see them go on sale for $30 or $40, while forgetting the big picture where Gamestop trades for millions of used games, many of which never get sold and a portion of which they can't sell due to the fact that they're damaged in a way that couldn't be detected during the trade in. Heck sometimes they'll take damaged games in hope that the credit they'll give you will serve as an incentive to get you to buy something.
If you're too busy than I will admit Gamestop is an easier option, but for me I prefer trading elsewhere because I have the time to wait, I can get more money, or in some cases I can trade games I don't want anymore for another game directly from another person. But Gamestop doesn't offer nearly enough value imo, and the reason for that is since so many people trade in one game, it keeps driving the value down. If I took my copy of Madden 10 to Gamestop, they'd give me what, $.75 cents for it? Because so many people have already traded it in. Whereas I can go online and sell it for 10 bucks, because it's barely used, in great condition (I never leave games out, if it's not being played its in the case), and the 10 bucks some guy will pay is still cheaper than whatever it costs at Gamestop or other retailers.
For example if I wanted to sell my copy of FIFA 11 for PS3 I would not only have to take into account that people have to shelve out an extra $10 for the online pass but as of this moment I have to compete with 152 other listings for a buyer and most of the people that want this game are going to local shops to buy it new or to buy used copies so they don't have to wait for shipping, also in some cases the shipping cost will result in me lowering it to a price that is maybe at most $5 more then what Gamestop will give me.
Again given the option it's almost always better to sell directly but keep in mind unless your selling games in demand games that are 2 or 3 months old at $20 below retail you might end up waiting a while (usually months at a time). Not to mention the fact that theres a long list of ways to get in trouble if you sell bad merchandise as well as the fact that E-Bay takes a cut of your earnings while Craigslist comes with the risk of making you another fraud victim.
Don't get me wrong Gamestop isn't all lovey dovey but they are quick and easy compared to the do it yourself approach. I think most of the flak that Gamestop catches is the fact that people trade in their used games for $10 or $15 and then see them go on sale for $30 or $40, while forgetting the big picture where Gamestop trades for millions of used games, many of which never get sold and a portion of which they can't sell due to the fact that they're damaged in a way that couldn't be detected during the trade in. Heck sometimes they'll take damaged games in hope that the credit they'll give you will serve as an incentive to get you to buy something.
If you're too busy than I will admit Gamestop is an easier option, but for me I prefer trading elsewhere because I have the time to wait, I can get more money, or in some cases I can trade games I don't want anymore for another game directly from another person. But Gamestop doesn't offer nearly enough value imo, and the reason for that is since so many people trade in one game, it keeps driving the value down. If I took my copy of Madden 10 to Gamestop, they'd give me what, $.75 cents for it? Because so many people have already traded it in. Whereas I can go online and sell it for 10 bucks, because it's barely used, in great condition (I never leave games out, if it's not being played its in the case), and the 10 bucks some guy will pay is still cheaper than whatever it costs at Gamestop or other retailers.