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There's a place at my local mall called "Saturday Matinee", which is owned by FYE (I'm sure there's quite a few locations in the country) that has offered the best amount for the games I trade in. Here's the recent trade-in I did a week ago, in parenthesis is the price I paid (not including tax):

ATV Quad Power Racing GC $20.50 credit ($19.99 paid)
Speed Kings GC $17.00 credit ($19.99 paid)
Gungrave PS2 $8.00 credit ($9.99 paid)
BMX XXX GC $8.50 credit ($9.99 paid)
Colin McRae Rally 2.0 GBA $12.00 credit ($9.99 paid)
Sled Storm PS2 $8.00 ($9.99 paid)

$74.00 Total Credit ($79.94 Original Total) = About 92% return in credit from what I originally paid. This was also $52 more than what EB had offered me for every game except BMX XXX (I figured I would get nothing for it anyway).

Not bad if you plan on buying a game that's fairly new. But their new games tend to be $3 more than other places ($52.99 instead of $49.99).

With the credit I had I was able to get Racing Evolution (GC) and Tony Hawk's Underground (GC) for $33 cash (including tax). They had an offer where if you bought two games over $29.99 each, you can get $8 off the total.

From what I figure, Saturday Matinee (FYE) is the best place for trading in games, while Gamestop comes second and EB comes dead last. I haven't tried Hollywood Video's Game Crazy for trade-ins yet, but I'm sure it probably falls next to Gamestop.

Has anyone else found a better place for trading in games?

There's an FYE in my area. I hope they need Murakamo.

..and Haven.

...and Jet Set Radio Future.

Just be sure they sell games there. There's an FYE downstairs and a Saturday Matinee upstairs at the mall I usually go to (Promenade at Temecula). I would call ahead and ask to see if they sell games to make sure it's worth your time.

Ok, I'll be sure to do that...has anyone else gotten big credit for games at FYE?

Or, I guess, at sister store Saturday matinee? More concerned about FYE though, since that's the one I've got, LOL. I keed.

$17 for Rygar at FYE

And I dont think ANYONE ever paid more than $9.99 for that game. (FYE went and priced it at 44.99 used)

Hmm. Thanks. I'll have to check this one out.

I think this is a good thread, I just want to get some other people to chime in...the more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm unsure if I want to trade stuff in, that behaivior has crippled my collection before...how do you guys fee about it?

P.S. Has anyone ever done the pawn shop thing?

It sounds like you can get some good deals out of that place, but you do have to work at it (they charge too much for their items, so even though you got "$74 credit" it was worth more like $60 or so, roughly).

You placed EBGames "dead last", but I'll have to disagree with you on that, even though I only recently started doing any trade-ins at all. I have found that while, yes, EBGames trade-in values on older games is very poor (who is going to trade in any game, no matter how bad, for 25 cents credit? I mean, seriously?), their credit given for newer releases generally beats gamestop, at least the few times I have compared. But, the real deals come with EBgames trade in specials. Four games that are of little value for a new release (various) is a pretty good deal, so is $10 a piece for the same games (post-Christmas). And, if you do the ebgames.com (online) version of these deals (like the Ninja Gaiden), then a) there are fewer restrictions on what games they will take and 2) you can use the credit for something other than the game for which the trade was supposed to be (i.e. the $50 can be spent on anything).

I could do the online thing with EB, and it does sound like a better deal in store. My concern is if they flake out or lose something or your games get lost in the mail.

Also, I was supposed to get a $20 voucher for buying Super Mario Sunshine back in July. I sent in everything that was needed (even cut out the barcode, and I HATE destroying the packaging), and I've never seen or heard anything from them. I called the company three weeks after I sent in the offer, and they still told me to wait. So if they were ever to pull something like that again, I would be pissed, because they would have my games that I could have taken somewhere else.

EB used to be pretty fair with trade-in rates, but about a year or so ago they seemed to have been getting lower and lower. Gamestop usually beats them by $10 or more. That's why my attitude towards EB is not nearly as favorable as other places.

I haven't ever been to the store you speak of, so I would recommend GameCrazy for trade in credit. In my experience they almost always give as much or more than EB or GameStop. If you're a member, they also offer 10% extra trade in credit (unlike EB/GS), which is a nice extra in addition to the 10% off used games you usually get (they also do that). They perhaps don't have quite as good a selection as EB/GS for buying, but you will get more credit there.

All this time that Ive been shopping there I never knew that they traded games with Great credit return. I just never bothered asking cause theres no signs posted that say trade. Every one else just rips you off Good lookin

Gamecrazy does give the best trade in at a B&M in my area (EBgames and Gamestop are the only others) but their prices are slightly higher. Got $13 for GBA's Tang Tang (horrible, horrible game) while everywhere else would give me $4 or so. They give credit based on what they have in stock so sometimes you get lucky. And the MVP card is worth it.

Originally Posted by BlueStorm781 Just be sure they sell games there. There's an FYE downstairs and a Saturday Matinee upstairs at the mall I usually go to (Promenade at Temecula). I would call ahead and ask to see if they sell games to make sure it's worth your time.

I just read you 2nd sentence and I was like that sounds just like the mall I go to...then I read your parenthesis, and turns out that was the same mall I was thinking about. I know the Saturday Matinee at that mall has video games, but I never asked about trade ins. Have you been there lately?

Ive got good values at trade in at FYE, they dont have the best selection, but Ive noticed the limited amount of used games they do have tend to be cheaper. GH games go for 15& instead of 17-18 like at gamestop.

8.50 for serious Sam, Aggressive Inline, Tony Hawk 3.

If they have something you want, trade with them, just be sure to check there selection first.

Originally Posted by DarkCovers I just read you 2nd sentence and I was like that sounds just like the mall I go to...then I read your parenthesis, and turns out that was the same mall I was thinking about. I know the Saturday Matinee at that mall has video games, but I never asked about trade ins. Have you been there lately?

Sorry I never got back to you on this. If you do happen to read this again, it was pretty recent the last time I went to Saturday Matinee, in fact it was about two weeks ago. They should have a sign around the front of their store saying that they buy DVD's and games.

Hey when you trade your stuff in do you have to buy something the same visit?

BlueStorm781

Sounds cool.... I don't know of any near me though. I am in California, however, just wondering... are you in northern CA or Southern?

i once went to eb and bought 3 copys of hunter th reckoning for 6.99, and went the next morning and traded all 3 for a new zelda windwaker with bouns disk. i think i payed 6.00 out of pocket.

Originally Posted by guessed It sounds like you can get some good deals out of that place, but you do have to work at it (they charge too much for their items, so even though you got "$74 credit" it was worth more like $60 or so, roughly). You placed EBGames "dead last", but I'll have to disagree with you on that, even though I only recently started doing any trade-ins at all. I have found that while, yes, EBGames trade-in values on older games is very poor (who is going to trade in any game, no matter how bad, for 25 cents credit? I mean, seriously?), their credit given for newer releases generally beats gamestop, at least the few times I have compared. But, the real deals come with EBgames trade in specials. Four games that are of little value for a new release (various) is a pretty good deal, so is $10 a piece for the same games (post-Christmas). And, if you do the ebgames.com (online) version of these deals (like the Ninja Gaiden), then a) there are fewer restrictions on what games they will take and 2) you can use the credit for something other than the game for which the trade was supposed to be (i.e. the $50 can be spent on anything).

I have to disagree... just mainly because EB and Gamestop has those dumb POX list on old games.. well c'mon now theres a reason y i trade in my old games to get new games, and half the time they don't take it cause its old. Example: Gamestop had the trade in 4 used game and get an extra $10 bucks on top of that.. well i tried to do that at my local gamestop but then they turned around and said each game had to be worth over 10 bucks *wtf* and i thought it was pretty lame, *this was during FFX-2 release* and i just ended up selling the 4 for 10 bucks total i think. and another time was during the trade in 4 games and get NFL Street for free at EB World. Well i called up to make sure if i could trade in ANY 4 games, because after the gamestop i didn't want to deal with it again, and the guy said yah and 4 as long as their not sports. So i just picked up 4 cheap games at Circuit city and went to EB World, and then it turns out 3 of the 4 were on the POX list and they couldn't apply it. Breathe of Fire V, Freaky Flyers, and Robotech was on the POX list and those arn't that old. So my point is EB and Gamestop are on my list of horrible trade ins. They set it up so no matter what they won't be losing money.