Game Values - Why is this so hard?

[Crunchy English]

In my video game store, I here the same thing from people all week long. How can I only get 30 dollars credit for a game I paid 60 for last week? This question, and others like it, are the bane of my existence. Here, once and for all, are how your games are valued by the heartless retail world I represent.

Rule #1) Buying a video game is like buying a car. The minute you buy it, it loses half it's value. Buy Gears 2, walk out of the store, turn around and walk back in. The game is now worth half of what you paid.

Rlue #2) There is a hierarchy to how games keep thier value.

Rare, "but insanely popular with certain hardcore gamers" games - these are your old Final Fantasies, Your original Marios, your Resident Evils or unopened original Soul Caliburs etc. What you might call "Fetish Games" hold their value best. Simply put, they will always sell eventually regardless of cost.

Next down, new games. Games may lose half their value out the door, but they'll lose a lot more when the next sales quarters end they're pushed aside by the next big release. If a game doesn't turn your crank, don't wait, the faster you trade it back, the more of your moeny you'll recover.

Then JRPGS, these games could probably end up in the top rank of "Fetish Games", but since there are so many of them and there're all kind of samey, they don't sell as well as you'd think. A few of them might ascend to the top rank due to fanbase or rarity, but most don't.

Shooters. Shooters don't hold thier value well, and often have to be sold at bottom basement prices, but they do eventually sell to someone looking for a cheap thrill.

Movie Games. Don't bother trading movie games that are over a year old, and even before that they're worth very little. They started cheaper, and no one cares after the movie comes out on DVD. Sorry.

Sports Games. The minute your sports game is replaced with next year's model it is completely worthless. I don't mean 10% return worthless, I mean absolutely worthless, we don't want to buy it from you, we'll never sell it and if pushed we'll offer you 15 cents.

Hope that clears up any misconceptions on Games resale value.

EDIT -> Obviously, doesn't cover every game but it should be a decent rough guide.

 

[Phyroxis]

Makes sense.. Thats why I've got 100+ jewel cases in my room. =P

 

[Nimbus]

You got $30 for a $60 game? Holy crap that's alot. Around here you'd be hoping for ~$15.

 

[Amisbro]

To add to this I once went through this scenario:

Silent Hill: Orgins came out recently for the PSP and then got ported to the PS2. I noticed the game immediately because of Yahtzee's "Zero Punc" review and asked the guy at my local EBGames(His name was Rich) why the Orgins PS2 game was less than a new copy of Silent Hill 4: The Room.

The explanation: Because its a port!

Fair enough and the explanation on why the "The Room" was more was expertly given much like the leadoff of this thread with the explanation of "rarity grades" as I'll call them.

One thing still bugs me as a gamer and maybe it can be explained here or maybe I'll go look for a column on this soon, but when you see a "New Game" for say...$59.99 and then a used game for $54.99 to me shouldn't the people in the store just make up a new "New" sticker for the price? OK it was played but if its back in the store with a "Used" sticker for a 5 dollar discount it must not have been a well liked game by the player right? That always got to me because it made me go "OK...why can't they just put a 'New' sticker on it for that 54.99(USD) price?" and usually I won't buy the game because at the moment its out of my particular gaming budget. and I go look in the budget bin where the "real" used games are.

Anyone else feel that way?

 

[Silver]

And an interesting thing is that those values are completely breaking the law.

Just like any other business, game stores have a responsability to trade in products that doesn't work or even in some places products the customer wasn't happy with, for FULL PRICE during a duration of about a week (changes depending on where you are).

So if you know the law in your country, you can and SHOULD get a lot more money for trading in games, especially if you just turn around in the door or something like that.

Of course, most stores will be very reluctant to actually agree that there is a law like this, and since a single customer don't hold much sway they can usually wack you over the head and ignore you, unless you threaten to take them to court, which doesn't work everywhere since in places that would cost you more money that you'd make.

If more people acknowledged this however, the attitude in gaming stores might change. Or they might stop stocking PC games. But it's all a risk.

If you want to trade in a game you've got for a while though, I'd recommend Ebay or something. Someone's going to want it and not want to pay full price.

 

[Crunchy English]

My store allows a 5 day "Grace Period" for anything you buy pre-played for contact. But if you buy a new game, open and play it once, and return it, you're screwed.

Also, I know EB games only knocks 5 dollars off for used games, but at my store its usually closer to 15

 

[Bowstring]

Typically, the rule is that as soon as the seal is broken, its value is cut in half.

$30 for $60 sounds reasonable in that case.

 

[Good morning blues]

To add to this I once went through this scenario:

Silent Hill: Orgins came out recently for the PSP and then got ported to the PS2. I noticed the game immediately because of Yahtzee's "Zero Punc" review and asked the guy at my local EBGames(His name was Rich) why the Orgins PS2 game was less than a new copy of Silent Hill 4: The Room.

The explanation: Because its a port!

Fair enough and the explanation on why the "The Room" was more was expertly given much like the leadoff of this thread with the explanation of "rarity grades" as I'll call them.

One thing still bugs me as a gamer and maybe it can be explained here or maybe I'll go look for a column on this soon, but when you see a "New Game" for say...$59.99 and then a used game for $54.99 to me shouldn't the people in the store just make up a new "New" sticker for the price? OK it was played but if its back in the store with a "Used" sticker for a 5 dollar discount it must not have been a well liked game by the player right? That always got to me because it made me go "OK...why can't they just put a 'New' sticker on it for that 54.99(USD) price?" and usually I won't buy the game because at the moment its out of my particular gaming budget. and I go look in the budget bin where the "real" used games are.

Anyone else feel that way?

Wait, are you saying that they should sell used games with labels saying that they're new? That's ridiculous, you can't knowingly sell something to someone under false pretenses.

And if you're complaining that stores don't reduce the price of used games enough, I agree, but this scam is a huge moneymaker for game stores so don't expect it to go away.

 

[Shade Jackrabbit]

And an interesting thing is that those values are completely breaking the law.

Just like any other business, game stores have a responsability to trade in products that doesn't work or even in some places products the customer wasn't happy with, for FULL PRICE during a duration of about a week (changes depending on where you are).

So if you know the law in your country, you can and SHOULD get a lot more money for trading in games, especially if you just turn around in the door or something like that.

Of course, most stores will be very reluctant to actually agree that there is a law like this, and since a single customer don't hold much sway they can usually wack you over the head and ignore you, unless you threaten to take them to court, which doesn't work everywhere since in places that would cost you more money that you'd make.

If more people acknowledged this however, the attitude in gaming stores might change. Or they might stop stocking PC games. But it's all a risk.

If you want to trade in a game you've got for a while though, I'd recommend Ebay or something. Someone's going to want it and not want to pay full price.

It's shaky ground though because compared to all other markets, there's a risk that during that time you owned the game you copied it and are going to sell copies or something, and effectively are buying the game for free or 5 dollars when you should be paying 60.

That's what one store told me at least.

 

[Silver]

Yes, of course it's risky business. Then again, people could just go download the games directly instead of bothering.

The thing is, the regular customer shouldn't be punished for this. It could happen with many other mediums as well, movies, music, hell, if you stretch your imagination, clothing and other stuff as well. It's easy with games, yeah, and it's a widely practiced crime, but making the customer suffer because of this is not the way to do stuff. Look at Spore, it got pirated so much because EA tried to stop piracy by harassing their paying customers.

I can imagine someone pirating a game because of this too, they go to a store, buy a really cool game, just to find out it doesn't work, and tries to return it, for store credit, if nothing else. What happens? They get told to sod off. They should have rightfully been able to trade that game in for another one that does work, and may feel justified in downloading another game, a game they by right should have had anyway. The only difference now is that they don't have a receipt, and have a useless dvd lying around the house.

Tell them that next time, and remind them that it's illegal wether it's risky or not.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Yes, of course it's risky business. Then again, people could just go download the games directly instead of bothering.

The thing is, the regular customer shouldn't be punished for this. It could happen with many other mediums as well, movies, music, hell, if you stretch your imagination, clothing and other stuff as well. It's easy with games, yeah, and it's a widely practiced crime, but making the customer suffer because of this is not the way to do stuff. Look at Spore, it got pirated so much because EA tried to stop piracy by harassing their paying customers.

I can imagine someone pirating a game because of this too, they go to a store, buy a really cool game, just to find out it doesn't work, and tries to return it, for store credit, if nothing else. What happens? They get told to sod off. They should have rightfully been able to trade that game in for another one that does work, and may feel justified in downloading another game, a game they by right should have had anyway. The only difference now is that they don't have a receipt, and have a useless dvd lying around the house.

Tell them that next time, and remind them that it's illegal wether it's risky or not.

"Morality and legal niceties have very little bearing when it comes down to the true question- who has the clout?"

 

[hoskie]

This just helps to reaffirm one of the myriad of reasons why I rarely sell my games.

In most cases, it's worth hanging on to them for the sake of 'the collection' rather than selling them back for pittance.