Whether you’re shopping at your local electronics store or a national video game retailer, you’re going to have the option to trade in your old games and consoles. Trade in programs are a fixture wherever electronics are sold, and when you’re trying to get your hands on the latest game or console, trading in your old games seems like a good way to lower the high price of what you want. But is it ever worth your time and money to trade in your video games? The cons outweigh the pros.
Advantages of Trading In
- Convenience
Selling your games to a private buyer on Craigslist or another website will get you the most money. That’s the truth. However, there’s something to be said about the convenience of an in-store trade-in program. Instead of arranging a time to meet with an online seller or paying for postage, you can just trade in your games for credit to use on your next transaction. - Trade-In Specials
Every so often, retailers offer trade-in promotions. This is common among national retailers such as Game Stop. During these specials, you will receive twice as much store credit for your trade-ins. If you’re looking for store credit to use towards a big purchase, take advantage of these special occasions. - Local Deals
Your friendly neighborhood video game store is more likely to offer a better trade-in deal than the big box retailer, whether you want in-store credit or cold, hard cash.
Disadvantages of Trading In
- Minimal Profits
If you’re considering trading in your games for money, you’re better off selling them. Video games, like any other electronics, depreciate in value with every passing day. Rare games will garner more, but if you happen to have a copy of Earthbound or any popular old game that has ceased production, you’re better off selling online. You’ll never come close to getting back what you paid for your game or console. At best, you’ll get 70% of the original value—and that’s a generous figure for a game less than one-year-old. - Increased Gameplay Longevity
If you liked the game, hold onto it, folks. You’ll find that more titles are receiving downloadable content long after their release date, which means it’s taking a longer time for games to become irrelevant (but not longer for them to lose their trade-in value). - Missed Opportunities
You never know when a game is going to become a collectible. Take Super Smash Bros. Melee, for example. The Game Cube classic has been out of production for years, but its popularity surges on due to the Melee tournament circuit. Smash Bros. veterans cling to their old copies while young players are scrambling to find copies of the 2001 fighter. Looking to buy a new copy? It’ll cost you about $150 on Amazon. And that’s before shipping.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to make any money, you shouldn’t bother trading in your old video games. You won’t recoup much of your investment, and you’ll be frustrated when you spot your former title being sold for $20.99 when you were hardly given half. Ultra rare titles would fare best on eBay, where you can net hundreds for your collector’s copy. Unless you’re trading in mediocre titles to pay for something new, trading in your video games is a waste of time and money.
