Toys R Us selling used games

[Mark Asher]

May already have been a thread, and if so I apologize, but I noticed that Toys R Us is selling used videogames now, and taking trades. The games all seem to be uniformly priced in three tiers -- $14.99, 9.99, and 4.99. They are selling Xbox (360 also I think), PS2, Gamecube, and Gameboy titles. The prices aren't too bad, really. Gamestop tends to gouge.

Obviously, they only have old games at those prices. They had Prince of Persia for $14.99, though, which seems like a decent deal. They had the Sonic collection for Gamecube for $4.99.

Toys R Us is also buying used games, of course, though I didn't inquire about their pricing.

I know Best Buy was going to jump on used game sales at one time. Did this ever happen? I haven't seen it anywhere. It's certainly a good deal for gamers.

[Charlatan]

I know Best Buy was going to jump on used game sales at one time. Did this ever happen? I haven't seen it anywhere. It's certainly a good deal for gamers.

The Best Buy near my office, in Sterling, VA, has sold used games for a while. They have a couple racks near the door where there's a jumble of games for sale. It's not quite as bad as the EBGames 10000 copies of Madden 2003, but you have to be really motivated to dig through the mess since they aren't shelved with any rhyme or reason.

[Dave Long]

EB/Gamestop/Gamecrazy still do the best job of selling used games because they take the time to alphabetize and display them properly. I don't trade-in much, but I definitely like to pick up older gems for super cheap at these places.

[Sarkus]

I hadn't heard about ToyRUs so maybe it's a limited test at that store?

As for Best Buy I'm pretty sure they will ultimately not roll out used to all their stores. The publishers and console manufacturers hate used and there is some evidence that GS/EB is being penalized on system launch quantities. Meanwhile big box chains get larger quantities than their market share justifies. Probably more than coincidence.

[Dave Long]

Yeah, but if everyone's selling used games, what are consoles makers going to be able to do about it? Nothing.

[Slainte Mhath]

None of the Best Buy stores in my area (SouthWest Ohio) sell used games. I'll have to check the Toys'RUs stores here though, as $5 GBA games would rock for my 7-year-old son's GBA addiction.

Oddly, the best places in town to buy older new and used PC Games seem to be the EB Games/Gamestop stores. I haven't a clue as to why, but most of them seem to have a decent supply of PC Games at steep discounts as long as you aren't looking for anything released in the past 9 months. I've bought tons of great brand new PC Games from them for $5-$15 that were unavailable anyplace else or were still selling for $30 at Best Buy and Circuit City. Just one example, a couple years ago I found 3 big box sealed Planescape:Torment games at a Gamestop for $4.99 each. I kept one and flipped the other two on Ebay for $25 each. It's always a crapshoot, but I can sometimes find some really cool stuff there.

[Mark Asher]

If you're buying used PC games at EB/Gamestop, you are probably getting their remaining stock which will not be replenished. They have phased out that market. Just another example of how PC games are being marginalized.

[Lokust]

EB/Gamestop/Gamecrazy still do the best job of selling used games because they take the time to alphabetize and display them properly. I don't trade-in much, but I definitely like to pick up older gems for super cheap at these places.

wow, they do that at your gamestop? None of the ones around here do that... it's dig, dig, dig and hope for the best.

[Dave V]

If you're buying used PC games at EB/Gamestop, you are probably getting their remaining stock which will not be replenished. They have phased out that market. Just another example of how PC games are being marginalized.
Up here in Canada -- or at least in Quebec -- EB continues to buy and sell used PC games. There's no Gamestop that I know of in Montreal but at the three Eb shops that I frequent, they have a decent selection of new PC games.