Guide to buying used games

[JerryTerrifying]

Guide to buying used games

I was looking at my facebook page when I saw a post from one of the used local game shops.  They were advertising a game they just got in at $59.99.  It was a copy of Tales of Symphonia.  A pretty sweet game well worth owning.  The problem was you can buy a complete copy on Amazon for $20 less.  I comment on the photo something along the lines of "Are you even trying to not rip people off?  You can get a complete copy shipped to your house for $37.50"  Later that same day they posted a Family Guy game for the ps3 for ten to twenty dollars more than a shrink wrapped brand new copy on amazon.  I posted a link to it on their page.  

Now you might think of this as trolling or me being a dick.  I however am always on the side of the consumer and want everyone, myself included to get the best deals possible.  I've been collecting older games for about 14 years now and a large part of that time I acquired my games in the wild without the interference of ebay.  I say interference because it was about 10 years ago that ebay started affecting used game store prices.  Shops would check amazon and ebay and use that as a price guide, which it isn't.  Especially ebay.  Ebay is an online auction house.  With a little luck deals can still be had on ebay if you learn the ancient practice of bid sniping or just happen on an item when no one else is interested in it.

These days nearly everyone has an internet connection or more often than not a smart phone.  So every one has access to ebay and amazon and the masses are generally more comfortable with e-commerce so used game shops using these online shops as a price guide is more common than ever.  This is not good for the consumer.  Long gone are the days you could walk into a used game store and find a gem for a few dollars and here to stay are the days of Super Mario/Duck Hunt selling for more than a penny.  Truly dark times.

The first thing we're going to go over is the fine art of comparison shopping.  If you're looking for a particular item do a tiny bit of research!  Look up what it's going for on amazon in the condition you want the item, check the completed auctions on ebay for that item in the condition you would like it in. That's an excellent first step.  Now if you live in an area with a lot of used game shops the next step requires an ounce of human interaction so brace yourselves and hold onto your asses we're going to make a few phone calls.  In my area there are about five independent used game shops within easy driving distance.  Call all of the game shops and ask if they have the title you're after, ask about it's condition and it's price.  

There are a few more factors that need to be considered.  Shipping, gas and time used to travel to and from brick and mortar stores.  The game shop furthest from my house is about eight miles away so that's a 16 mile trip.  that's about half a gallon of gas which is about $1.50 so that's added to the price of the game they have at their location.  Not to mention the time to drive there, get the game, pay and return home.  How much you value your time is up to you but personally I hate driving during the day and do most of my business at night.  I'm pretty spooky that way.  When looking online I always add the price of shipping which is a premium service that saves me the horror of leaving my dank pit of despair for frivolous bull honkey.  

Finally there's one more place to look.  Craigslist!  That place used to be a gold mine and I have found tons of things I've been looking for at incredible prices so I still give the 'ol CL a search when I'm on the look out for something.  So now that we've completed our research, a feat that takes nearly 10 minutes when it's all said and done, we have now become an informed customer much less likely to get boned.  Now keep in mind that saving a few bucks here and there does add up a lot faster than you'd think.  By saving that money you've got more funds for more totally rad games!

I do know that looking for games and poking around the shops is quite a bit of fun but that's no excuse to accept the sticker price.  If you see a game that you want while you're out and about and have a smart phone check online prices.  If there are better deals online confront engage in negotiations with the cashier.  Actually you should always attempt to haggle just a little bit.  I'm a cheap bastard, what can I say?

[Death Adder]

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