Games: used or new?

cooljammer00

This is probably more of a D and D thread than a H/A thread, but I would like some insight and advice on this.

I'm going to be getting my hands on a PS3 soon, and I was just browsing Ebay for some decently priced games to play on it. Used games are obviously priced lower than brand new games. Used games can also vary wildly in terms of reliability (new, like new, "mint", etc.) and previous owner and the judgment call of the previous owner.

What exactly are we paying for when we pick up games new? Assurance/peace of mind? I see a lot of auctions which state something like "adult owned" meaning that they feel that they were mature and took care of their games. Yet I know that this is not necessarily always true. This is the first system that I'll probably be paying for most of my own games, so saving money would be great. When I buy a game used, should I be worried? Especially when the disc is being purchased sight unseen? Is it worth buying a game brand new only to have it devalue the second I remove the shrink wrap?

Feel free to discuss used vs. new. I just really want to know the pros and cons of buying used/new games.

VanityPants

Honestly, the choice between used and new is yours to make. There are several reasons why people decide to do either one. Some people buy used games because they like to know they're giving money to the developers, or because they like getting the game the day it comes out or just enjoy knowing the game is brand new.

You can find great deals with used games, though. If you aren't particularly worried about supporting the devs by buying the game brand new, and if you don't mind the fact that the game you're purchasing will have been played by someone else, there's a lot of value to be found.

I've never had any problems using ebay to find quality used games. The key here is to make sure you're buying from people with high ratings. It's pretty easy to find these people on ebay, just keep an eye on who you're buying from, make sure that they have a good amount of reviews and that they're mainly positive. I've bought plenty of used games this way and I've never had one come scratched, unplayable or anything like that.

If you're especially worried, you can keep an eye out for people who say they have a return policy, though not many do. The better ebay sellers out there will refund your money or find another way to make the situation right if something does happen. Furthermore, use Paypal. Paypal is there to protect you -- even moreso than it protects the sellers, it protects the buyers. If you ever have any issues (not receiving a game or receiving one that doesn't play properly) feel free to file a report with PayPal (after you try to talk to the seller first, of course).

Paypal takes a little bit of time, but they'll take really good care of you.

To summarize:
Buy only from people with high ratings (50+ or 100+)
Buy only using PayPal.
Keep all of the emails between you and any sellers.
Enjoy the games!

Oh, before I forget, Goozex (goozex.com is the site) is pretty popular now. Later on if you have some used games you don't play anymore, you can hop on goozex and trade them with other people to get yourself some new (used) games!

Local H Jay

to be honest, i only buy games new if i want them at launch. otherwise, i go to gamestop. the card gets you and extra 10% off used games, and if you wait long enough the games are pretty cheap.
like, instead of getting one game for my friend, i was able to get him stanglehold, far cry 2, and uncharted for under $60
people shit on gamestop a lot here, but if you don't sell to them and take their crazy deals it's not bad. i'm also very not into online buying, since it always seems i find a great price... and then it doesn't matter because of shipping, making the price higher again.
so yes, i am firmly in the used department. those games are perfectly good and if they aren't you can swap it for the same game.

Daemonion

I've never purchased a game used online, however, I have purchased several used console games from Game Stop and similar local stores and have never had a problem. The only thing you may be missing out on is the original game case (I don't care for these as they take up too much space) and the manuals (usually available online).

One thing I keep in mind is that, as far as I am aware, the money from a used game goes directly towards the game store/person you buy it from, and not to the game developer and publisher. The game developer and publisher receive money only from the sale of new games.


To put this into context, I sometimes go out of my way to buy some games new (at a higher than used price) to support particular developers by giving them my money (whatever amount it is after all the various fees they have to pay). I buy games used when I still want to pay the game, but for whatever reason feel the developer doesn't deserve my money.

This doesn't really make any kind of difference, but just wanted to put my perspective out there.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

It's just quality/longevity vs. price. With used games it's a great deal, because assuming they're kept in decent condition they don't really wear out.

I wouldn't necessarily buy a used game on ebay cause a small and relatively imperceptible scratch is easy to exclude from the ad through negligence or malice, but they can also be repaired fairly easily.

Nova_C

Almost every single used game I've bought had problems. I refuse to buy used ever again because bad media is batting almost 1000 for me.

defreak

On ebay, look for sellers that have 100% rating and only like 20 to 200 feedbacks. These sellers are usually regular people like you and me that just use ebay to buy and sell stuff sometimes. We care about our rating a lot more than the power sellers with 1000+ ratings, because one negative feedback can screw our reputation up, whereas the power seller can afford some negative feedbacks. Because of this, we generally only sell things that we know for sure work.

If you don't want to spend the time searching or want peace of mind, just buy used games at gamestop.

Kitsuna

I've never brought a used game/DVD in my life. The reason for that is that I've seen how my brother treats his discs. I'm simply not prepared to take the chance that I'll get a disc that's been 'cared for' by someone like him, at least not over the internet. It's too much hassle sending things back and getting a refund by net/post.

I'd be more prepared to risk it if I were buying from a shop, but the price of their second-hand games usually isn't more than £5 lower than buying new, if that. I prefer to pay over the odds or wait for a price drop. It's worth it for the peace of mind to buy new as far as I'm concerned.

Captain Vash

If I walk into a gamestop, and they have the same game new or used, I'll go for the used copy, check the disk out before I leave, and as long as it's good, it's good.
I can't recall any incident where buying used, as long as I was able to visually inspect the product, has ever caused me grief.

That said, in ordering movies/games/etc via the internet, I would go new, just because of the hassle involved trying to return anything that was damaged beyond usability.

hellobuddy

Also one thing to remember, is that buying used games is in practice the same thing as pirating as far as what the games industry gets back in money, so if you are into supporting the industry that makes the games you love, I strongly recommend buying a new game atleast every once in a while

personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used, as atleast no third party company makes free money from our hard work that way.

but thats just me.

Local H Jay

hellobuddy wrote: »

Also one thing to remember, is that buying used games is in practice the same thing as pirating as far as what the games industry gets back in money, so if you are into supporting the industry that makes the games you love, I strongly recommend buying a new game atleast every once in a while

personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used, as atleast no third party company makes free money from our hard work that way.

but thats just me.

o_O
what the fuck is this rationale. this is like saying people who sell things at yard sales are pirates because they didn't make that lamp they are selling for $7
this is not right, at all. they give money to people, and then sell those things to make more money. those games were still paid for, at one point, so the developer got the money from the initial purchase. what you are saying is that every rental place, used car dealership, and pawn shop in history are pirates.
no, you are wrong. yes, the developers lose out on some money. know a good way to combat that? make incentives for buying the game new. exclusive content, lower initial prices, do anything to make them want to buy them new.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

Local H Jay wrote: »

hellobuddy wrote: »

Also one thing to remember, is that buying used games is in practice the same thing as pirating as far as what the games industry gets back in money, so if you are into supporting the industry that makes the games you love, I strongly recommend buying a new game atleast every once in a while

personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used, as atleast no third party company makes free money from our hard work that way.

but thats just me.

o_O
what the fuck is this rationale. this is like saying people who sell things at yard sales are pirates because they didn't make that lamp they are selling for $7
this is not right, at all. they give money to people, and then sell those things to make more money. those games were still paid for, at one point, so the developer got the money from the initial purchase. what you are saying is that every rental place, used car dealership, and pawn shop in history are pirates.
no, you are wrong. yes, the developers lose out on some money. know a good way to combat that? make incentives for buying the game new. exclusive content, lower initial prices, do anything to make them want to buy them new.

Except when companies implement that, most of the time it really sucks

resale rights are a good thing and it's unfortunate that developers can't see that

The Crowing One

Dyscord wrote: »

Local H Jay wrote: »

hellobuddy wrote: »

Also one thing to remember, is that buying used games is in practice the same thing as pirating as far as what the games industry gets back in money, so if you are into supporting the industry that makes the games you love, I strongly recommend buying a new game atleast every once in a while

personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used, as atleast no third party company makes free money from our hard work that way.

but thats just me.

o_O
what the fuck is this rationale. this is like saying people who sell things at yard sales are pirates because they didn't make that lamp they are selling for $7
this is not right, at all. they give money to people, and then sell those things to make more money. those games were still paid for, at one point, so the developer got the money from the initial purchase. what you are saying is that every rental place, used car dealership, and pawn shop in history are pirates.
no, you are wrong. yes, the developers lose out on some money. know a good way to combat that? make incentives for buying the game new. exclusive content, lower initial prices, do anything to make them want to buy them new.

Except when companies implement that, most of the time it really sucks

resale rights are a good thing and it's unfortunate that developers can't see that

I believe that the fact that Gamestop can make a very successful business model from offering games "pre-played" below the arbitrary $60 price point speaks to the will of the market to value these games under $60.

I buy almost entirely "used" games at this point. I just can't afford to run out and spend $60 on a new game, and, as a consumer, it just makes more financial sense for me.

I've hardly ever had an issue with disks not playing, though I do most of my purchasing from Gamestop where I make sure to peek at the disk before taking it home. You'd actually be surprised, probably, at how much punishment one of those little disks can take before it's borked. I've ever only purchased a couple of games off ebay, though the advice that has been given is good on that front.

One thing to note is that the majority of the used game trade has stabilized their pricing structure. I often find that the Gamestop price tends to be the median, with Amazon and eBay prices fluctuating near to that point. Every once in awhile (and most often for older games and lots) you'll come across a "deal", but the majority of prices aren't going to differ by more than $5-10 if you're looking at anything less than 2-3 years old.

hellobuddy

sorry if I was being unclear, I wasnt accusing anyone, my comment was merely directed towards companies such as gamestop , ofcourse you should be able to resell your old games

hellobuddy

And i wasn't at all comparing the act of reselling to piracy, I was just pointing out that in practice, the effect of it is the same (for game developers)

THEPAIN73

I love finding used games for cheap, especially if they are like new.

Amazon.com was the worst thing ever introduced to me since I spend so much time on it buying shit.

The worst experience was someone shipped me a DVD and failed to pack it properly, thus the case was broken. I complained and they knocked off about $2 off a $6 DVD. So well worth it.

CelestialBadger

hellobuddy wrote: »

Also one thing to remember, is that buying used games is in practice the same thing as pirating as far as what the games industry gets back in money, so if you are into supporting the industry that makes the games you love, I strongly recommend buying a new game atleast every once in a while

personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used, as atleast no third party company makes free money from our hard work that way.

o_O o_O o_O

I'm a game developer, and I hear this all the time from other developers. It's complete tosh. Customers should have a right to sell their games (at least physical, boxed games - the issues with virtual downloads are rather differerent). Developers that say otherwise just encourage people to pirate, (as you have done rather literally).

Would you say that you should not be allowed to sell your car, as this would deprive Ford of income from someone buying a new car? I rather think not. We in the games industry are not magically entitled to money from second-hand sales, and saying so just makes us sound smug - as if we were somehow more "special" than other entertainment industries. Fact is, if you can sell a book without paying the original author, you can sell a game.

Anyway it *does* benefit the sales of original games. Most people part-fund purchases of new games by selling old ones. So selling games second-hand actually stimulates the "new" market. It also keeps people in the habit of honesty. That step where you first pirate a game is a big one. It means you know where the sites are and have rationalised piracy. Pirating all your games is not such a big moral step after that.

KalTorak

I buy used (usually half.com) almost exclusively unless

1. I want the game at launch (rare, since I almost always end up waiting for reviews)
2. I want to play online and there are cd-key restrictions (Blizzard games I always buy new copies)
3. The game has been out for a while and the has been pricedropped/"Player's Choiced." Even then sometimes I'll get it used to save even more.

When buying used, if you can stand waiting the extra few days for shipping, try and go through Ebay or half.com. For used games, Gamestop is just a middleman that takes a huge cut - you sell a $60 game back to GS for maybe $30 at the most (if it's really recent), they sell it to someone else as used for $55. If you go to half.com (I sell used games on there too) you can sell your game for $50 - extra $ for the seller and the buyer gets a better deal as well.

AtomBomb

Just wanted to point on one thing about finding "normal" people on ebay. The 200 number is probably good, but make sure you're looking at the person's selling feedback. My feedback is around 200, but 70% of it is probably from me buying stuff. Plus, I've been on ebay since 1998.

Maybe a better idea is to look at how quickly they are generating feedback. If someone has 500 feedback, but they're only getting a couple a month, I would say that a regular person. If someone has 100 feedback, but they joined 2 months ago, they are most likely a professional ebayer.

urahonky

I'm a shill for www.half.com but it's seriously the site I use to buy games. I often find used games cheaper than 50% on there. It's a partner site with ebay so if you've got an ebay account it works.

I've bought probably 30+ games on it. NEVER had an issue with the quality of game or case. I've bought from people with 0 feedback, and 1000+.

EggyToast

One reason I prefer buying used games from people (rather than stores or pro ebayers) is that it's far more likely to be in good quality.

The person who loses their manual, cracks the case, and scratches up the disc is unlikely to be selling their game anytime soon. Furthermore, Amazon allows people to return games and get refunds if the item is not as described (so if you sell a disk that's "like new" and it looks like it tried to go through a paper shredder, it's unlikely you'll keep any money anyway), and eBay auctions thrive on having pictures of the actual item.

I've sold a few games myself through Amazon and/or eBay, depending on the market prices. I don't buy many games myself, and usually the savings for used games that I'm interested in aren't significant enough to justify the slight risk. For example, if a game is $57 on Amazon, and used copies sell for $48 plus $4 shipping, that's a mere $5 difference. For $5, I'm going to buy it new -- and yes, help the developer because I'm not really saving any money.

If I'm not buying a game close to launch, typically I end up just waiting until the reduced-price version comes out, at which point the same calculation comes in -- Amazon is $3 less than other places and has free shipping.

hellobuddy

CelestialBadger wrote: »

hellobuddy wrote: »

Also one thing to remember, is that buying

*snip*

Wowowowow, take it easy. As I said, I have no problem what so ever with people selling their old games, so dont put words in my mouth. And im also not saying that reselling is the SAME as pirating, not at all. And it is our job as an industry to make people want to buy new games, yes, otherwise we will go the way of the dodo. However, in the meantime while we figure out how to do this adjustment, and it isnt an easy nut to crack, our life is certainly not made any easier by the growing size of the used market. And once again, im not saying its WRONG to sell your games to other people, im just saying that it is a problem, for US(thats "us" not "the us". Just stating a fact, not judging.

The game rentals are also becoming a problem these days, as people are wanting more and more bang for their buck, which makes it really hard for us justify making fun 10 hour single player games anymore, as people will just rent them. Now you might say that "hey, if they are renting them you still get money right so why are you even bringing this up?" Well, the situation for game rentals isnt the same as it is for movies. When a video store buys a copy of a movie, it buys the rights to rent it out, and thus pays more for it than what you would do in a dvd store, but with games, there is no such practice. So after the owner of the store has bought the game for 60 dollars he can rent it out to x number of people and we will not see a dime of that.

But hey, fair game, thats how it works, and if we want to survive as a business we need to adress it.

so. In conclusion.

1.Im not bitching
2.Im not judging
3.Im not telling you what to do
4.Im just trying to inform some random people on the internet about how it works

Im happy if you play our games at all.


Also, sorry, I didnt mean for this to turn into a big ol thing about reselling, but since you guys seemed to misunderstand me, I felt it was better if I explained clearer what I meant.

firewaterword

I've bought probably dozens of used games from Gamefly. Generally a very good deal, they're guaranteed, and I've never had a condition problem with any of them. Plus, the manuals and cases are always in perfect condition. Hell, when I got Persona 3 from them, it came with the art book and extra CD as well.

CrossBuster

I use Goozex to get most of my games. Once you've accumulated a good number of games that you're done with, it's probably the best way to preserve their value.

I haven't had a single problem with any of the games I've gotten from that site, with the exception of a cracked case on my most recent trade (the disk was fine, though).

Luck3ySe7en

To the OP: I did the same thing when i bought my PS3 and went ebay and amazon crazy. 4 of 4 games that i've bought used so far, have worked perfectly. The cases were clean, the books intact and the discs looked fine. On the other hand, i have my 60 bucks ready for next week when Uncharted 2 comes out.

CelestialBadger

hellobuddy wrote: »

Wowowowow, take it easy. As I said, I have no problem what so ever with people selling their old games, so dont put words in my mouth

[....... snip]

Also, sorry, I didnt mean for this to turn into a big ol thing about reselling, but since you guys seemed to misunderstand me, I felt it was better if I explained clearer what I meant.

Sorry if I came across as aggressive but you did say "personally I prefer if people pirate our games to bying them used" which is rather the opposite of my own feelings for the reasons I outlined. Purchasing used games is much better than piracy.

Remember that the folks on this forum are pretty much the target audience for games, and maybe some of them are wavering about whether piracy can be morally justified or not. A game developer saying it is OK could be a strong influence towards the dark side :-)

hellobuddy

Yeah you are right, I could have phrased that differently

EggyToast

Incidentally, used games and scratched discs are significantly less of a problem on PS3, as blu-ray discs have a protective coating over them to prevent scratches. I've noticed it significantly on movies, as it's rare to get a "like new" DVD but the blu-rays look pristine.

Gihgehls

EggyToast wrote: »

Incidentally, used games and scratched discs are significantly less of a problem on PS3, as blu-ray discs have a protective coating over them to prevent scratches. I've noticed it significantly on movies, as it's rare to get a "like new" DVD but the blu-rays look pristine.

All plastic optical discs have a coating on them to protect the data layer. Remember, the data is on the top (label side) of a disc, and the rest is plastic.

Blake T

The argument that it's the same as pirating is one of the stupidest things you can ever here.

The basic economics of it is, if the game is good then no one will want to re-sell it so therefore there will be little to no copies available for you to if you want to save some money. You then are forced to buy new/wait for a sale.

Artreus

I bought Arkham Assylum used and I really wish I'd just spent the extra $5 to support the developer.

edit: Blake, while the whole piracy argument is really dumb, good games get sold back all the time. A lot of people just have shit taste in video games and would prefer barbie horse adventures or Madden and sell back a good game if they got it for whatever reason. Sometimes parents sell games back, or sometimes you just really need some money. There are plenty of reasons a great video game would be available in large numbers used.

EggyToast

Right right, and usually the scratches on DVDs and CDs are in the plastic anyway (which is why resurfacing can work). Blu ray has an anti-scratch coating instead of just plastic, though. It's in the wiki page (and the spec) and was touted as both one of the reasons why blu-ray was better than HD-DVD as well as inferior (because it had it and because it needed it).

I only brought it up because used PS3 games should inherently have very few scratches, esp. ones that actually affect the game.

Shadowfire

EggyToast wrote: »

Right right, and usually the scratches on DVDs and CDs are in the plastic anyway (which is why resurfacing can work). Blu ray has an anti-scratch coating instead of just plastic, though. It's in the wiki page (and the spec) and was touted as both one of the reasons why blu-ray was better than HD-DVD as well as inferior (because it had it and because it needed it).

I only brought it up because used PS3 games should inherently have very few scratches, esp. ones that actually affect the game.

It's also one of the reasons Netflix is having problems with Blu-ray... the disc is more scratch resistant, but also more brittle because of it. Cracks are pretty common with minor amounts of stress that a normal DVD would bounce right back from, and the tiniest crack ruins the disc.

EggyToast

That's something I hadn't thought of -- the discs are certainly fine for mail in their cases, but in a dinky sleeve in with boxes and other junk, probably do have a lot more stress.

More reason to make sure that any used games you buy include the case, I suppose.

cooljammer00

Whoa, never meant for this to turn into a thread full of rage. Thanks for the arguments though. Maybe used games aren't so bad after all.

So what is the price where you should get something new v. used? Like, when you aren't saving more than a certain amount of money. Ebay is full of, to paraphrase Daisy Steiner from Spaced, "fucking psychic bidders" who keep outbidding me just above where I feel is the most I would pay for a used game. What's a decent percent price point for a used game? 60% of the current new price?

Fallingman

I dont buy second hand games from the major retailers. I dont feel that they discount them enough to justify it, and I know how much money they make from them.

I would however by direct from someone over ebay.

eternalbl

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Whoa, never meant for this to turn into a thread full of rage. Thanks for the arguments though. Maybe used games aren't so bad after all.

So what is the price where you should get something new v. used? Like, when you aren't saving more than a certain amount of money. Ebay is full of, to paraphrase Daisy Steiner from Spaced, "fucking psychic bidders" who keep outbidding me just above where I feel is the most I would pay for a used game. What's a decent percent price point for a used game? 60% of the current new price?

I find it's usually easier and cheaper to use buy it nows. I think there's a psychological thing when people get on ebay that bidding is a competition so auction items end up fetching more than buy it now items, including shipping. Otherwise though, with some patience you can get a decent price by bidding on items that end on weekdays during the day because less people are online to bid.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

I wind up only buying older games used, because you can't find them new at retail. Also, they are usually discounted more than "newer" games would be. If a game is new enough to still be on shelves, I'll usually just buy a new copy.