Slashdot Mirror
Is Trading In Used Consoles Worth It?
DataportJunkie writes "Most people choose to trade in their used game consoles when a newer one comes out to save a few bucks, but this editorial at Gaming Horizon suggests that you just hang onto them. 'Stores typically only make $1 or $2 when you pick up a new console from them, but when they give you $70 for your used PlayStation 2 and sell it for $95, they just made themselves an easy $25.' The author recommends using eBay or donating your used consoles to hospitals if you need to get rid of a system."
If somebody gives you $70 for something you don't use anymore, then that deal is worth $70 to you. It doesn't matter whether that person goes on to make $5 or $25 when they sell it on, the bottom line is you just made $70.
So I should hang on to my consoles to spite the retailers? Come on, if my consoles are gathering dust and I can easily get a few bucks for them it's perfect - I don't feel like hunting down a buyer or organizing an ebay auctions with all the shipping and payment worries it entails. What's wrong with that?
I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
So because the store will make money if I sell them my system, I should not sell them my system?
Because...
Ummm...
I want my local video game store to go out of business?
Philip Sandifer's academic website
1. Keep older console ...
2. Taunt game store owner
3. Track market for dust
4.
5. PREVENT profit!
Hm, this doesn't feel like it usually does...there's a problem here somewhere...
I like the idea of giving the old systems to the hospitals... Not only do you make some hurt or sick people a little more comfortable, but you might also get a tax write-off at the same time.
Otherwise, I don't see a big deal in selling the game system like most people have already said. Unlike the old Atari systems, there are A TON of the PS1's and PS2's or XBox's, so if you ever wanted to go back and relive your childhood later, you could always buy the system off E-bay (extremely cheaply) later on in life.
Want to test my theory? Go to Ebay and type in "NES" or "Nintendo Entertainment System" and see how cheap things are for someone to relive their childhood...
I once sold a broken PS2 for about $90 on eBay. I advertised it as such and it sold anyway. I bought a brand-new PS2 for $150 which included another controller, effectively making the replacement console cost about $30.
However, eBay scares off a lot of people. You have to photograph your item, list it, and follow through with the payment and shipping process all on your own time. By contrast, bringing your PS2 to a game store takes virtually no time at all and you get your (smaller amount of) money immediately. There are businesses that sell your stuff on eBay by doing all the hard stuff for you, but a game console isn't valuable enough to make up for their fees.
For more information, click here.
First, when you get a next generation console, it might not be able to play the games from the previous generation (e.g. Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and possible the Xbox 360).
Additionally, some (like the PS3 is rumored to be) will not accept the memory storage devices from previous generations. Keep that PS2 around for PS2 games you've sunk a lot of time into but haven't finished.
Also, old games can be a lot of fun again after you haven't played them in years. I have a blast playing football (Tecmo Super Bowl) against my friends on SNES. The 2D platformers on the system are awesome as well.
Old games and systems can be worth a lot of money after a long time. I have in my possesion a copy of Chrono Trigger for SNES that I managed to find in a pawn shop for $5. I've seen the game for ten times that on Ebay. I wonder how much a pong machine or other really old hardware would fetch.
You can let your young children play the games. Granted that children are pretty sophisticated nowdays, but at young ages a simple NES controller and game will be easiest for them. I'm guessing a four or five year old can handle Mario better than Marion Sunshine.
There's probably more reasons for hanging on to a console after you're done with it. I traded in my GBA when I got a DS. It made it a little cheaper, but in hindsight I wish I would've kept my GBA. If you really must sell a console, sell it directly to someone else. You could sell that PS2 for $10 more than the game store would give you and your friend could get it cheaper than what the store would charge him. Better deal. Donating it to a hospital is also a good idea. As I recall the guys at Penny Arcade have been doing something similar to this and it's been working well.
So I should throw away $70 because somebody else might make $25 on the transaction. Its called capitalism, folks, and it works.
Insert witty comment *here*. I'm fresh out of wit...
I personally have never gotten rid of any console I've had, from the Atari to the Virtual Boy (bleh) to my PS2. I tend to have tons of fun replaying the old games.
However, my friends aren't as packrat-ish as I am. Instead of using ebay or funcoland/gamestop, they use Craigslist. It eliminates the middleman and let's you put your stuff out there at a better price.
funcoland offers $70 for that ps2? ask for $80 on craigslist. you'll probably get it.
What about if you want to sell one of your old consoles but its modded?
Because im sure that stores wont buy modded consoles for legal reasons or something like that.
But of course you can just lie if they ask you...
Stores only check (if the eventual buyer's lucky) that the console works for its primary purpose: playing original games from the "correct" region. Gamestop does not keep an infringing copy of a PS2 game to make sure it doesn't work with the console you traded in. And why should they, really? Unless they're concerned with game sales down the line, that is. And they're not likely to ask. Again, to what end?
Is anybody going to complain they bought a console that copied games accidentally work with? Most people would either never realize it, or would actually be glad that the product they bought can do more than they thought.
There is a rule of thumb to which I strictly adhere: Nothing is obsolete until it no longer suits your purpose
When it comes to the question of trading in consoles, there is no blanket answer. Some people will say, "Yeah, I'll sell it for $90". Others will say, "Well, I'd rather give it to a friend or relative who would not be able to otherwise afford it, thus saving them $90 while giving me a feel-good moment." Which one is a better deal? More importantly, who am I to give an answer for your particular situation?
The problem with questions such as this is that worth is completely relative. Someone might see absolutely no value whatsoever in a product whereas someone else might put a huge value on it. Case-in-point, on eBay I sold a used optical drive with shrink-wrapped media of 1.2 GB each that I was given - trash interception, as it were. I expected it to go for maybe $50. That was my expected value based on my perception of this unit compared to the price of new DVD drives and blank media, which holds 3x as much as the opticals that I was selling. The drive sold for more than six times my percieved value after a bidding war ensued at the last moment. Obviously, someone else's value was completely different from mine.
In contrast, I've sold items that I thought were of a much higer value than the final price, but the highest bidder (and therefore everyone who bid less) thought otherwise.
So, the whole question of "Is it worth it?" is specious and subjective at best. The only person who can determine if a console (or any item) is worth trading in is the person in the mirror.
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I call b.s. on these figures, that seems ridiculously low. Can anyone who works in retail verify them?
Again, I think the figures are off-- I don't think there are many stores that will pay $70 for a used PS2 or X-Box, maybe a few years ago but not now.
Either way, a markup of roughly 1/4 is a litle high, but hardly a ripoff. That "easy 25%" is keeping them in business.
eBay is no picnic. You have to pay to list, take pictures of the console, and wait roughly a week for the bids to roll in. Then, assuming the buyer didn't jack you around, you have to box and ship the item (or charge the buyer more to have it done for you.) Not to mention, if you don't have a decent history (like 20+ transactions) your auction will be passed over for the dozens of others also selling consoles that day.
So unless you're already an ebay seller, I'd take the easy $70 right now over a potential $95 two weeks (and a few hassles) later. Then again, I'm not a starving college student any more, maybe that $25 is worth it to some people.
Giving to charity is of course a great thing; in addition to hospitals there are hundreds of causes-- from church youth groups to foster homes to after shool programs for underprivileged kids-- that would love your old system. But isn't this is supposedly an article about getting the most bang for your buck? Way to throw the guilt card in there..