4 Jan, 2011
It’s an age old story we gamers know all too well; we have the bright idea to sell a game, we go to the shop, we go to the lovely person at the desk and they offer us a lot less then we ever paid for it. The sad thing is that we then see that game (maybe even our own if we went through with the deal) at a hell of a lot more then we were paid or offered for it.
It’s sad, but ever so true…
Today, Which? – the leading consumer watchdog – published a report which told the same story. The report states that a brand new game can lose value faster than “a used car.” Although it may seem like a far-fetched comparison, cars are known for their fast depreciation rate, losing up to 60% of its total value after 3 years. It seems a game can be even less of a sound investment, losing up to lose 70% of its value in as little as just three days.
We aren’t even talking about small unheard of games either. Which? took games like Red Dead Redemption and Call of Duty: Black Ops to many leading stores such as Game, Blockbuster and many others. What they found was sad indeed; for CoD they were offered only £16.70 from Game, after buying it only three days previously for £44.99. Red Dead Redemption, another popular game, also saw poor returns from Game as they offered only £6 for Which?’s copy. While on the shelves it was marked up and selling for £29.99!
Some see it as unfair; as developers do not see any money from pre-owned sales and the stores are gaining huge profits for themselves. It’s also hinted that this is the reason why stores such as Tesco or Asda are now offering trade in services. What’s more, average Jo Public are also being squeezed for not just brand new games but for pre-owned ones too.
So, Which? (such a gracious bunch) came up with a top 5 things to do with your old games:
- Sell early – if you wish to sell, better do it quick because a game’s value over time plummets.
- Consider store credit – some shops (mostly supermarkets who are new to the pre-owned games…game) offer in-store credit for your old games and it’s usually a lot more then they offer money-wise.
- Shop around – Look around different stores. You maybe able to find better prices. Supermarkets are offering competitive prices.
- Consider selling online – you can get better prices and have more control over the sale on sites like Amazon and eBay.
- Hang on to your games – a given really, but with later released DLC some games can be revived after a long drought.
The report seems pretty damning on the fact of selling games. Personally, I need something drastic to sell my games. I like a collection and I like my games, hence why I bought them. The results, however, speak for themselves; games are not very profitable and selling them on isn’t going to see a massive return on your behalf. In fact, you may just want to keep hold of them or sell them online to not only get a small profit but a 1 up on the high street too!
Sources:
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/12/video-games-lose-value-faster-than-used-cars-240675/ - Which? full Investigation
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/12/video-games-lose-value-faster-than-used-cars-240675/ - Which? article
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