Topic: STOP GIVING GAMESTOP YOUR MONEY! (GameStop Vs Amazon)

[SupaKirb]

So I had plans on selling some of my games that I didn't want anymore... So I did what other people in my situation do... I went to GameStop! Power to the Players and what have you!  Anyways, I wanted to check how much they would give me for my games, so let's have a look...

GAMESTOP

First off Epic Mickey. It's a fairly recent Wii game. Not new, but not old either, so let's see what GameStop offers me...

GameStop humbly offers me $16.00 for Epic Mickey..... Original Value? $49.99 + $2.50 State Tax= $52.49 (yeah I keep every one of my receipts)
Not that great of a deal... but hopefully we get something better for Kingdom Hearts!

Kingdom hearts Re:coded.... Much more recent, hasn't really aged much, and including Tax and all that stuff, I originally  payed $36.74

Now what does Lovely GameStop want to give me for this fairly pricey DS game?

12.00.....

-GameStop Total Value= $28.00....

AMAZON

OK Now let's see what Amazon.com will give me for this stuff...
(Keep in mind Amazon.com is a site that always has price drops and raises, so selling at a more opportune time can deliver better paydays)

OK Epic Mickey. Again, it's a fairly recent Wii game

Amazon gives me $28.75. Hmm.. Not bad considering that's more than half of it's original value.. good start Amazon..

OK now what about Kingdom Hearts?

Amazon gives me...

$22.00. Again, not bad considering that's more than half of it's original value.
(Also, with trade-ins at Amazon, shipping is paid for. (as long as you use a UPS store.) Just thought I'd mention that.)

-Amazon Total Value= $50.75.



FINAL

OK so let's go over all the math here....

GameStop Total Value= $28.00....
Amazon Total Value= $50.75.

Original Total Value=$89.23


Do you see the difference here people? And who knows, if I did this trade-in sooner I would probably get a lot more back.

But long story short.... Trade in your games to Amazon guys... You get store credit for the entire website.. and not just games. Meaning you can spend it anywhere you want, and also any time you want. It's a way better deal than what crappy GameStop is offering.

SUCK IT GAMESTOP! POWER TO THE PLAYERS MY REAR END!

[Morari]

I thought that this was old news? Gamestop gives you squat for your used games, but then marks them up to near new prices to sell them back to others. Nevermind that pretty much all of their games are "used" anyway, since they unbox so damn many of them. The place is a glorified pawn shop.

[broodwars]

Personally, I've never understood the whining from people over the amount they give you for what is essentially a Pawn Shop service.  What they do with your trade-in afterwards is none of your business.  If you don't like the offer they give you, take your trade-in elsewhere.  As you have already pointed out, there are alternatives that offer better monetary return.  I don't particularly care for Amazon's due to the long delay between when you send the package and when they give you the credit (or reject your items, as happened to me when I sent in a copy of Uncharted 1 that I got used from Gamestop that had a "not for resell tag" on it I never noticed).  I've heard good things about Best Buy's service, though.

Bottom line: if you like the immediacy of Gamestop's service and don't mind that you aren't getting the top value for your return, use the service.  If you don't, don't use the service and don't whine about it.  It's your own choice whether you want to use their trade-in service, and you have no one to blame for "getting screwed" but yourself.

[SupaKirb]

I thought that this was old news? Gamestop gives you squat for your used games, but then marks them up to near new prices to sell them back to others. Nevermind that pretty much all of their games are "used" anyway, since they unbox so damn many of them. The place is a glorified pawn shop.

I drew this up for my friends who still sell there stuff at GameStop. Believe it or not, there are still people who don't understand that there are much better ways to sell their games. Yes it's old news to most of us, but it could be a helpful tip to those curious about how much they can save when they sell the right way.

Also yeh, I know what you mean with GameStop's selling of games... I bought Zelda Phantom Hourglass new from them. And the guy got a display case, took a supposedly "new game" from a folder of sorts, and handed it to me as new. I was to naive then and I didn't really speak up much, but the next time a GameStop employer even thinks of doing that to me, they got another thing coming.

I thought that this was old news? Gamestop gives you squat for your used games, but then marks them up to near new prices to sell them back to others. Nevermind that pretty much all of their games are "used" anyway, since they unbox so damn many of them. The place is a glorified pawn shop.

Exactly, people shouldn't complain. (I hope I wasn't mistaken as complaining?) It is YOUR choice on who you do business with. Realistically, you are never going to get top value for your used games. But there are better options out there. Like Amazon.

[NWR_insanolord]

Goozex will generally get you even better value than Amazon, but it'll take longer as well. I was looking to trade in a bunch of stuff a couple months ago, and I chose GameStop over those other ways that would probably have given me quite a lot more because it was quicker and simpler.

[ShyGuy]

Where does Hastings rank?

[broodwars]

Exactly, people shouldn't complain. (I hope I wasn't mistaken as complaining?) It is YOUR choice on who you do business with. Realistically, you are never going to get top value for your used games. But there are better options out there. Like Amazon.

Yeah, I suppose I should have been a bit more specific because I wasn't really referring to you.  I was more referring to the people who go around these forums screaming "YAR!  GAMESTOP BE EVIL AND DESTROYING THE GAMES INDUSTRY!  THEY TAKE MY GAME WORTH $15 TRADE-IN AND SELL IT FOR $45!"  All the complaining about GameStop just irritates me, because this is a free market economy and you're free to take your business wherever you choose.  Just understand that where you take your business is your decision, and it's a business' responsibility to try to get as much value as they can for your trade-in.  GameStop has some policies I don't care for (the opened "New games" really irritate me), but you can't beat the immediacy of boxed retail 5 minutes from your house and they do have an agreeable selection of Used Games (not as extensive as Amazon, but much faster access time).  I time and plan my trips carefully to take advantage of various sales and deals, and I'm overall satisfied with how I've come out of them.

[SupaKirb]

@insanlord- Excellent point you brought up. You said that you use Gamestop because it's basically more convenient correct? This is probably another huge reason people choose GameStop more often than not. And Goozex? Hmm... never heard of it. I'm gonna look into that site. Thanks.

@broodwars- I see where you are coming from. It is pretty annoying when people complain about something that is their own doing.

@ShyGuy-Hastings? Is that another trading site?

[ShyGuy]

Game/Music/Movie/Book store chain, they take trade-ins, cash or credit. http://www.gohastings.com/

[oohhboy]

It maybe a free market economy, but the lack of information loaded with massive information bias, let alone perfect information really messes with the whole "free market always works" and the invisible hand rubbish.

While the tone of the OP is somewhat alarmist and the news, well old, he has done his homework. While I wouldn't say Gamestop is killing gaming, it's not doning it any favors by playing both side for it's own gain. There is nothing "free market" about this if this is all you subscribe to. A far more free market solution would be to directly trade between people than to go through a middle man that charges such ridiculous margins.

[Stogi]

Craigslist?

[oohhboy]

Craigslist?

I never said the free market works all the time. 

[Chozo Ghost]

Yeah, about 10 years ago I was foolish enough to trade my NES games in to EBgames (which is now owned by Gamestop, but it wasn't at that time). I remember they gave me 3 cents for Super Mario Bros. and then like a week later I saw it on the shelf being sold for $3 which is 100 times the value of what they gave me. I was an idiot but I learned my lesson and that was the first and only time I bothered trading anything in anywhere.

But although Amazon offers much better rates, if you want my advice you should sell the games yourself via sites like ebay or half.com. That way you get cash instead of a store credit, and you will get a much better value because you are cutting out the middle-man. Of course there is commission, but its like 15% or so which is far better than them giving you peanuts and then selling it for close to retail. You can sell it close to retail yourself.

ETA: Buying games from them isn't a great idea either because they charge too much and always make you deal with a bunch of bullshit. They always try to con you into paying for warranties and signing up for memberships and magazine subscriptions and other useless bullshit. Don't listen to them! They last time I bought anything from them the guy working there kept harassing me to spend $20 on a player's guide to the game I bought and he got really offended when I refused. So **** him and **** gamestop.

[Morari]

"YAR!  GAMESTOP BE EVIL AND DESTROYING THE GAMES INDUSTRY!

They are if you believe game publishers. Anyone who buys a used game might as well be stealing it as far as they're concerned.

[lolmonade]

I've never understood the mentality of selling games for the sake of buying new ones.  If i'm unsure of whether a game will be worth brand new retail pricing, I'll always rent it before making a decision on it.  I've got to know that my game will have long-term replay value before I drop cash on it, or if not, I'll have to find it super cheap a year or two down the road to justify owning it.  Sure, it's an extra $5-7 over the cost of a new game if you decide to purchase, but it's much better than buying that game at $50-60, playing it once, and then trading it in for $15-25. 
 
Regarding Epic Mickey, while I appreciated the atmosphere and attention to detail in animation and story ideas, I felt the game to be too bland, which is just an example of why I'm grateful that I rented before I considered purchasing.  Then I was able to purchase Kirby's Epic Yarn after renting both over the weekend and finding that game delightful to play with my wife.

[Sarail]

Where does Hastings rank?

Hah! I thought I was the only one near a Hastings. Fantastic. I'd like to know, too. I've never taken anything in to get traded before there.

[MegaByte]

FWIW, I've gotten several items in great condition for cheaper than anywhere else from Hastings through Amazon. I've never seen a B&M shop.

[SupaKirb]

Well as you know I have about $51 bucks from Amazon for my game trade-ins. I was going to buy 2 new DS games with the money, Probably Pokemon, and  either Mario 64 DS or Crono Trigger.  But  Because Crono Trigger is about 14 bucks, I will just be getting that and donating the rest to the American Red Cross's Tsunami relief effort for Japan.

Anyways yeah... it's not much, but it's something. I thought I'd take one for the team. And besides, I love Japan, so it's money well spent.


Also, thank you for all of your replies on this topic, didn't think I'd get so many lol.

[Stratos]

I'm liking your avatar, SupaKid. Nostalgia Chick is great.

As for used game sales, I remember I sold a few N64 games back in the day. I saved boxes then and brought in the boxes. I was pretty sad they didn't give me extra for the complete package/nice condition but then later I saw they had tossed the box. I saw my game on the shelf next trip down and no box. I asked and the guy said they don't keep boxes. Sad.

And I don't sell games now. I've regretted every single sell back I've done except for one. And my sister regrets the one last one (GC Harvest Moon).

In fact I later bought back one of the games from a different source and will probably try to gather the others at some point as well. I'm just too attached to my games and like collecting.

[nickmitch]

Yeah, GameStop is a rip, but you Amazon is an enitirely different company. Looking a going in to a GameStop, you sell them a game, they give you credit, then they resell the game at a high mark up. Ok. But keep in mind, Amazon's business model relies on supply chain, so they're good at it. You're used game could go anywhere in the world (almost). Meanwhile, GameStop has to sell it back at that one store. That's pretty limiting.

I'm not defending them by any means, but at least you should look at why GameStop is a rip.

[Oblivion]

I personally love Gamestop, so I don't know what people are talking about.

[UncleBob]

My only concern with GameStop is the entire selling open games as new shtick.  Aside from that, trading in/selling your old games is a horrible, horrible thing to do, so if you get ripped off in the process, 'meh.

[Nick DiMola]

Meanwhile, GameStop has to sell it back at that one store. That's pretty limiting.

This isn't exactly true. I believe the games initially go back on the shelf at that store, but Gamestop ships games around to meet demand in given areas, or to spread stock between stores. But, yes, it is more limited than Amazon in its operational capacity.

My two biggest complaints about the place is the one UncleBob mentioned and the fact that they willingly toss game boxes and manuals for used games to make space in the store. Obviously, it's an understandable practice, but it makes purchasing a bunch of used stuff pretty unappealing for me.

[Chozo Ghost]

If one were to search the dumpsters behind Gamestop stores would they find these tossed out game boxes and manuals?

[Dirk Temporo]

Only in the event that the game that those boxes and manuals went to was unable to be found. Sometimes discs just seem to disappear, and somebody will pull a case off the shelf and want to buy it, only for there to be no game. So the case just gets thrown in the trash, along with whatever is in it. Oftentimes, the game is found several days/weeks/months later.