13 Dynamic Video Game Trade In Tips to Make the Most Money

Used Video Games

One of the worst experiences for gamers is seeing the new game that just came out, but not having the funds to make a purchase. There are options for the gamer whose cash flow is not quite up to snuff, a lot of retro video games have high trade-in value.

The biggest issue is trying to find the best video game trade in offer for those old games & gaming consoles. Then trying to figure out your selling options can be difficult, but here are some options that will help.  

How much are old video games worth

Research the value of your games & consoles to determine if the Trade-In process is the right fit for you. You can easily track sales data for many of the more popular games like:  Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, and Mario bros to name a few. Just go to eBay, type in the name of the game and click view completed sales.  This will give you a current value of your games and video game console sales.

One thing to keep in mind, a new video game is like a new car.  As soon as you open it or drive it off the car lot, the value tends to depreciate at a steady rate.  With most games losing 70% of its value after one year. A highly rated game after one year of being on store shelves will retain 50 to 100% more value. Also, franchise games, such as Madden and Call of Duty, lose value even faster. These yearly releases are only worth about 20% of the original price once the new release hits shelves.  

How much do boxes of old, retro video games sell for:

The quick answer here is it depends on what you have.  Out dated sports games, or mass-produced games like Call of Duty, Dance Revolution aren't going to get you much value.  Gaming Systems from Nintendo are what people looking for, classic original games like Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country among other popular titles. Retro consoles from Sega, Turbografx and other manufactures during this time sell, but not as well as the original Nintendo stuff.

What are the Best Selling Video Games:

Nintendo 64 games have great selling price, the Mario Party titles, Zelda games and any of the Pokémon titles sell very well.  All the original Super Mario Bros games from the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES.  Sonic the Hedgehog games from the Sega Genesis library are very popular.  Lastly, original Game Boy gaming console, Game Boy Advance games and in game items.

The Original Packaging Can Help Increase the Value

The better your video games look, the more they will bring on the secondary market. Whenever you buy a new video game, you should retain the original packaging, including the media holder and any inserts. Making the video game look like new will help it stand out from the row of similar titles at the video game store. If you choose to sell your video games online, having the original packaging available can give your video game trade in an edge over sellers of similar items who may not have been so careful.

Awesome Tip, The Cleaner the Better:

Dust off those used games and gather the manuals and original packaging if it still exists. Often overlooked, these little things add extra cash to your trade-ins. This is especially true of games produced prior to the year 2000. Not having the original packaging can cause a loss of 10% or more of the trade-in value of the games.  Take a little time to clean the dust and debris off your cartridge games, as this can easily increase their value.

Now You can get Real Money for your games

How do you complete the Trade-In Process with The Old School Game Vault?  Use our search brand, just type in the name of the game you are trying to sell.  Then find it on the search page results, then click the "sell it button" and the game goes into your Trade-In cart.  Then just do that process to sell all your games.  We also buy console and gaming accessories as well.  The same thing would apply to trade in your video game consoles & accessories.

The next step would be shipping your order to us, which is super easy.  We will send you a pre paid shipping label to FedEx, then just drop off your package with them.  Doesn't get much easier, not to mention you avoid any shipping costs when you trade in over $100. 

You can get some real money when selling to a video game company like The Old School Game Vault. You won't receive the annoying store credit, or cash payout, We offer the following payment methods, a direct deposit through zelle, gift cards from Amazon, store credit, PayPal, or paper check (A Paper Check generally takes 1 to 5 business days to arrive).

Video Game Trade In Values

Sell During the Holiday Season

Video games are always hot sellers when Black Friday rolls around, but the window for selling used video games may be a bit earlier. You want to catch avid gamers while they still have money to spend, and that can mean posting your favorite titles before Black Friday.

You can do a bit of experimenting to see when your video games to sell, at the best times. After you have sold or traded in a few old video games, you will begin to get a feel for which titles sell best when. You might find that first-person shooter games sell great in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, while role-playing games sell best in the summer months. Talking to other gamers can also give you a feel for when demand might spike for the titles you have to trade in.

Sign up to get some Extra Money

Many times you can make a quick buck or two, by selling during our Promotional Trade-In Value specials. For example, last month, we added another $15% more Trade-In value to orders with PlayStation 2 games & consoles.  So sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with our monthly Trade-In Promotion.

Selling on Facebook or other Marketplaces

This method has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages, but the convenience is nice. There will be more competition on auction sites than on Facebook, which will drive prices down a bit. Also, getting funds from eBay takes a bit longer than a face to face transaction. There is, however, a smaller chance of something bad happening during the transaction. Not many people get products stolen when posting on an online auction site.  Not to mention a Service Fee, many Online Marketplaces have fees involved with the selling process.  Whereas selling via The Old School Game Vault or Facebook marketplace, you won't encounter any silly fees.

Always Keeping Your Selling Options Open

An annoying fact about new game Trade-In Values with Larger companies.  Is a new game that is only a month old will only be worth thirty or thirty-five dollars.  This is a far cry from the $60 or $70 you just spent on the game. Then don't expect that payment to be in cash, Best Buy & GameStop for example will only want to pay you in store credits or gift cards.  This way you keep coming back to them.  You can get a cash payout, but then expect even less money than store credit.

Working with Large Retailers

Here is a small tip if you do decide to work with these bigger brands.  A popular Trade-In promotion that runs with GameStop is a bonus trade-in credit toward pre-ordered games. A wise gamer will trade in their games for credit toward the game on the promotion and cancel the order after receiving the bonus credit. The bonus credit is still there and available to be used toward a game of choice. Be aware that some managers and employees are aware of this trick and frown upon its use. The safest bet is waiting a day or two between canceling the order and spending the credit on another game.

Here are tricks to get more money on a trade-in with the major retailers. Most offer a membership card that brings a few benefits, including a 10% increase on trade-in and a 10% discount on new games. A gamer who will be doing a lot of trading must have one of these cards. The savings will more than cover the cost of the card over the course of a year. The membership also includes special coupons, through email, to increase trade-in values and special promotions that often combine with the card savings.

Remember, The Old School Game Vault is a great place to get rid of your unwanted video games. For the enterprising gamer, there are many online options to get some for cash or credit toward new games. There are also several sites for trading games directly with other gamers if the goal is just to keep a steady rotation of different games through the house.

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Thursday, 28 March 2024