As with every hobby rooted in technology, video gaming demands a steep price to keep up with the latest and greatest. Between new systems being released every five years and the rising cost of the games themselves, chasing after the newest games can be prohibitive to those without highly disposable incomes. So, why not dig through the leftover scraps of your peers and enter the world of second hand gaming? Well, the companies behind the games would have you believe that buying used games is killing the industry, but you're broke and buying from
somebody is better than stealing, right?
The most viable option for used gaming would be your local retailers like EB and Gamestop. You can trade in your used games for a bit of in-store credit or even less cash. They'll take that same game and sell it used for $5-10 below the new price. For trading it in, you'll usually get half of the used price in store credit. Not a terrible deal when it comes to games you plan on never playing again, but if you think about it a bit, these companies are making a killing with this scheme. There's got to be a way to cut out the middleman.
How about taking your business online? A newer used game retailing on websites like Amazon and eBay can go for $15-10 less than the new price, but for the buyer there's the added hassle of shipping costs and dealing with weirdos from the internet. For sellers, this is a noticeable profit compared to the local stores' trade-ins that could justify the extra effort.
On the far end of the spectrum, there are game swapping sites like
http://www.goozex.com/, which lets you grab new games at virtually no cost. Goozex, which sounds dirtier than it needs to, takes an interesting approach where games traded in are converted to points for you to get games with, rather than waiting for another user to show up and make a perfect match for a peer-to-peer exchange. Of course, being tied down to points when fluid cash is available elsewhere does seem a bit illogical, but the near-even exchange rate of their system just might make it work.
Will stepping out of the standard retail scheme work for you? Well, you have to offer something that people want, nobody's going to bite if you're pushing boxless copies of
Clayfighter 63 1/3 with "JASON MAYHEW" scribbled on the back. If it's not new or a fan favorite, you might be stuck with it. Keep boxes and instruction manuals to retain the "like new" appeal. If a disc is slightly scuffed, you can make it playable again by stripping off a layer of the disc with a cd-buffing device. Selling bunches of games as a single lot should be a last resort, as you'll likely be shorting yourself of possible profit. Unfortunately, there seems to be no best way to buy used games, as most prices end up about the same. Just be aware of what prices are out there and you'll get lucky every now and then.