Gazelle Trade-in FAQ and Discussion Thread

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Gazelle.com

As the weeks have gone by, I have noticed discussion of Gazelle.com trade-in's within the Amazon Trade-in thread. I have decided to take it upon myself to create a thread solely for the purpose of discussing Gazelle.com and posting information pertaining to it.

This post will be updated to look.. spiffier with a full-fledged FAQ within a day or two, when I find the time.

For now, I'll list some basic information about Gazelle.com.

Credit Increases:

+5% Amazon Gift Card TIV: When trading in at Gazelle.com, if you choose Amazon Gift Card as your payment method, you will receive 5% more for your trade-in's.

Promotional Codes (entered during Checkout) ALL CODES ARE ONE-USE PER ACCOUNT, DO NOT STACK:
gazellebonuscode.jpg

*Credit to no_exit for above picture.

Flipping to Gazelle


Flipping refers to buying items at one place and trading in or selling them elsewhere at a profit (however, sometimes it is done to transfer credit from one place into credit at another or pure cash.)

FAQ

Q) What is Gazelle.com?

A) Gazelle.com is a site where one can trade in items ranging from Electronics to Video Games to Cell phones.

Q) Are there TIV's any good?

A) Some of their TIV's are -very- good, some are average and, like any other trade-in site or establishment, some trade-in values are poor.

However, from my experience and from the experience of other CAG members, I'd say the TIV's are above-average. Especially when one takes into account promotional codes or the +5% Amazon Gift Card TIV. To note, they seem to match Amazon.com's trade-in values on video games. However, they lag behind by around a day or two. So if a value plummets on Amazon, you can still lock it in at Gazelle.

Q) Is Gazelle.com a reliable place to trade-in games?

A) Many members of CAG have used Gazelle for trading in un-needed items and have had good experiences.


TIMING

Q) How long do I have to send in my items?
A) You have 30 days to get your item postmarked according to Gazelle. Don’t always wait because they won’t want to continue to offer 30 days if everyone takes that long & your post office may not want to send your stuff out.

Q) What happens if I send the item after 30 days?
A) You get the TIV as of that day.

Q) How long does it take to ship to Gazelle?
A) From West Coast up to 3-8+ days, usually about 6. From East Coast about the same, though frequently a day or two faster.

Q) How long does it take them to verify the item’s condition?
A) A few days, but can take longer.

Q) How long does it take to receive Paypal/AMZ credit email after item is approved?
A) Usually 1-4 days, but can take up to 10.

Q) I submitted a game but it did not show up on gazelle or email me...
A) It can take up to 24 hours for it to show up, but it's usually less than a minute.

SHIPPING

Q) Who pays to ship to Gazelle?
A) Gazelle pays.

Q) Do they give you a box?
A) If you want one but only for orders that have ~3-6 games (forget exact amount), they will mail you a priority mail box (but they give you parcel post label…). The box will arrive in ~3 days-1.5 weeks.

Q) Why did I get an email saying I’ll get a box when I did not request one?
A) When you delete games from a large order it will then default to giving you a box. Just un-request it.

Q) Can I cancel a shipment after I get a box?
A) Yes, but don’t abuse this or face possible sanction.

Q) Does Gazelle insure your shipment?
A) They claim they do, but no one has run into this problem yet.

Q) Shipping label does not fit on box, what do I do?
A) Set your printer to print 5x8 postcard and this will work fine & fit bubble mailers.

Q) Should I open my games before sending in if they’re new?
A) Does not matter.

Q) Why was it delivered to Cockeysville instead of Hunt Valley, MD?
A) They get them shipped to both of these addresses, which are streets away from each other.

WHAT TO INCLUDE/CONDITION

Q) Do I need to send the instruction manual?
A) No, but again don’t send everything without manuals if you want this policy to stay the same.

Q) Can I print out my own cover art or use generic?
A) Yes, possibly YMMV, again don’t abuse, and try to send cover art that has UPC label that matches the UPC for the game. To check this punch the UPC into Amazon searchbox.

Q) Will they take games without UPC Label on artwork and still give you full value?
A) Yes, YMMV though, as 2 people had this work but both sent in sealed games.

Q) Can I use a generic case?
A) YMMV, again don’t abuse.

Q) How picky are they over game condition?
A) Less picky than Amazon.

MISCELLANEOUS

Q) If I reject the new TIV they give me who pays to ship it back?
A) You do.

Q) How does Amazon credit get sent?
A) You will get a redeemable code much like an Xbox Live or PSN network DLC code. You just redeem that as a gift card on Amazon.

Q) Can I cancel games that I submitted on their site?
A) Yes, you can cancel games individually without the values of the others affected.
*credit to J7.


TC Notes: Please post about your experiences with Gazelle or anything else you think should be added to this post, I'm always up for more information. I apologize for not keeping it as up to date as I should.

~Thanks, RedGamer.
 
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[quote name='J7.']You have 30 days for it to be inspected. It can take up to a week for them to get the shipment and then up to like another week for inspection.[/QUOTE]

I thought it was like amazon as long as you ship it before the deadline you're good.
 
What, don't you guys get incessant emails from Gazelle reminding you to send stuff in. There's no ambiguiity about it:

Hi xxxxx,

We still haven't received your stuff.

Because we base our pricing on current market data, our offers expire after 30 business days. Items that we receive later than that are subject to a revised offer if prices have gone down

Seriously, I get 4 or 5 of these a day :roll:.

So, for one thing, it is 30 business days. And secondly, I do assume it must be received by then, but not processed. So that is a little different than Amazon and that means if you are on the West Coast and going with Parcel Post (as opposed to a priority mail upgrade) you had better mail it by aorund the 20th day to be safe.
 
Has anyone ever NOT received the e-mail for credit when the gazelle page shows it's been sent out? Been over a day since gazelle has told me my second recent shipment has had it's payment sent out, and nothing in my e-mail. Ugh, I hope this is an easy CS deal. I really hate e-mailing.
 
[quote name='Vortextk']Has anyone ever NOT received the e-mail for credit when the gazelle page shows it's been sent out? Been over a day since gazelle has told me my second recent shipment has had it's payment sent out, and nothing in my e-mail. Ugh, I hope this is an easy CS deal. I really hate e-mailing.[/QUOTE]

Nope. Usually I get the paypal payment... then half an hour later get the "your payment is coming" email.
 
Ahh it was sent to my spam folder. Kind of forget to check that in gmail since it's not out in the open. Very weird since it's the same e-mail address as the other giftcard and I've received every other gazelle e-mail anyway.
 
How long was it between your inspected ok email and payment Vortextk? I know others posted there timeframe a few pages back but I'm wondering how busy they are right now.
 
[quote name='confoosious']Nope. Usually I get the paypal payment... then half an hour later get the "your payment is coming" email.[/QUOTE]

How long did it take to receive your payment through Paypal after the acceptance email came? Got my shipment acceptance email on the 5th and in the email it says 3 to 5 business days, while the status on Gazelles site says I should receive it by the 19th .
 
Gazelle is currently paying $28 for PS3 Borderlands. Just bought it for about $26 at gamestop.com (after 25% but don't have edge). With 30 days to send it in, this is a nice free rental.

Also, PS3 Mini Ninjas is fetching $20 on gazelle right now as well. It is under $20 with discounts at gamestop as well.
 
Does anyone know what happens if you send a package and it doesn't get inspected within 30 days? Does USPS not care what the date is on the shipping label if you get it past your postal employees at drop off?

[quote name='cupcakex1']How long did it take to receive your payment through Paypal after the acceptance email came? Got my shipment acceptance email on the 5th and in the email it says 3 to 5 business days, while the status on Gazelles site says I should receive it by the 19th .[/QUOTE]

I got my paypal payment 3 days after acceptance for 2 packages, and another one it's been 3 days and I'm still waiting maybe until monday for a total of 5 days if they don't send payment on weekends.
 
[quote name='J7.']Does anyone know what happens if you send a package and it doesn't get inspected within 30 days? Does USPS not care what the date is on the shipping label if you get it past your postal employees at drop off?



I got my paypal payment 3 days after acceptance for 2 packages, and another one it's been 3 days and I'm still waiting maybe until monday for a total of 5 days if they don't send payment on weekends.[/QUOTE]

I usually just drop it off at package drop of the post office, they don't check the package.
 
[quote name='hqn101']I usually just drop it off at package drop of the post office, they don't check the package.[/QUOTE]

I don't think they will at mine either, but what I'm wondering is if they will they care at the postal plants if the label is like 20 days old.
 
Does anyone know what happens if you send a package and it doesn't get inspected within 30 days? I ask again because I am planning on shipping it asap but I'm unsure. I'm guessing either they don't accept it & throw it out or return it at your cost or they give you the current value instead I guess.
 
I tried searching this thread but couldn't find an answer - do you need an actual box or does a padded mailer work? If you need a box where do you get one for cheap without spending $3 at walmart/usps?
 
They often will send you one of the flat rate boxes, but don't be fooled because they are not paying flat rate shipping and your order will be returned to you by the USPS if you do not go to the USPS and have them upgrade to priority mail.

If I really have to get a single box like that you can usually find them at Target for under $2. I haven't checked it out, but you could look at a dollar store too. I have sent in bubble mailers with no problem either.
 
[quote name='J7.']Does anyone know what happens if you send a package and it doesn't get inspected within 30 days? I ask again because I am planning on shipping it asap but I'm unsure. I'm guessing either they don't accept it & throw it out or return it at your cost or they give you the current value instead I guess.[/QUOTE]
Based on their site info I believe the offer would not be valid and they could give you a new offer or return your contents to you. I have not experienced this personally, so maybe someone else has.
 
[quote name='converse']They often will send you one of the flat rate boxes, but don't be fooled because they are not paying flat rate shipping and your order will be returned to you by the USPS if you do not go to the USPS and have them upgrade to priority mail.

If I really have to get a single box like that you can usually find them at Target for under $2. I haven't checked it out, but you could look at a dollar store too. I have sent in bubble mailers with no problem either.[/QUOTE]

Who needs a box, just use old brown paper bags as wrapping paper. Works every time for me.
 
Got some good news for all. First, they accepted a not for resale game without UPC at full value with no problems. 2nd, items just have to be postmarked within 30 days. Gazelle told me this so don't take it as 100% confirmation as they could've been mistaken. If you take longer than 30 days you'll get the current value.
 
Hah, well if they stick to the postmarked thing that means they may not have them till 40-45 days if you mail via Parcel Post from the West Coast on the very last day ;).

Anyway. I had a couple packages all delivered on Monday from a wide range of mailing dates - it was odd. Some I sent last Mon/Tues via priority and they took forever, and another I mailed on Friday and got there really quickly. They've been slowly checking them all in and now they are all done except the big one - I'm anxiously awaiting that one ;).
 
oh nice im glad to hear they accept the not for resale games, i have been holding off on sending in mw2 for xbox 360 for just that reason. And luckily the trade in value on that is up to 30 now i think it was 28 last time i checked
 
[quote name='J7.']I don't think they will at mine either, but what I'm wondering is if they will they care at the postal plants if the label is like 20 days old.[/QUOTE]

I had trouble at my post office last time sending a package with a label that was 3 days old. The woman at the desk said that they were not supposed to send packages with past dates on them. I argued for a bit and she finally gave in, but said she would not send another one for me. So I guess it really depends on your post office worker, but keep it in mind.
 
I had a shipment accepted on May 1st, in which it stated that in 3 to 5 days I'd receive the amazon gift card via email, but I've not yet received it. Or at least it doesn't appear so. I've search both my inbox and junk mail for "Gazelle" and I haven't found it. Who does the giftcard get sent from? Gazelle? Amazon? I'm wondering what search term to use as I'm guessing it must be in there some where and I'm not finding it.

EDIT: contacted them via chat and they "resent" the gift card, so all is well. I didn't find anything like the resent email in my inbox nor spam, so I guess it was a hiccup in their system.
 
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Had my "lagging" package (rec'd on Monday) checked in today, finally, and also got 2 Amazon GCs for two others from Monday. Nice!
 
[quote name='io']Hah, well if they stick to the postmarked thing that means they may not have them till 40-45 days if you mail via Parcel Post from the West Coast on the very last day ;).

Anyway. I had a couple packages all delivered on Monday from a wide range of mailing dates - it was odd. Some I sent last Mon/Tues via priority and they took forever, and another I mailed on Friday and got there really quickly. They've been slowly checking them all in and now they are all done except the big one - I'm anxiously awaiting that one ;).[/QUOTE]
Yes, just don't wait till the last few days a lot because if everyone starts doing this they won't want to continue 30 days postmarked. My more recent packages have been mailed to them much faster than my older ones too.

[quote name='bredbu']oh nice im glad to hear they accept the not for resale games, i have been holding off on sending in mw2 for xbox 360 for just that reason. And luckily the trade in value on that is up to 30 now i think it was 28 last time i checked[/QUOTE]

Two of us have had them accept not for resale at full value but we sent sealed games. Not sure if it matters but take people's individual results with a grain of salt.

[quote name='Bigjames']I had trouble at my post office last time sending a package with a label that was 3 days old. The woman at the desk said that they were not supposed to send packages with past dates on them. I argued for a bit and she finally gave in, but said she would not send another one for me. So I guess it really depends on your post office worker, but keep it in mind.[/QUOTE]

Try to get them to accept it without checking the label. Say that it is prepaid. What did you tell her that finally got her to accept it?
 
I told her that it was given to me through a company. She told me that I needed to tell them that they shouldn't be doing that.
 
My first Gazelle deal's payment posted this morning and everything went swimmingly. I'm definitely a believer; can't believe I waited so long to start using it.
 
[quote name='handsomepete']My first Gazelle deal's payment posted this morning and everything went swimmingly. I'm definitely a believer; can't believe I waited so long to start using it.[/QUOTE]

Gazelle and Dealtree (EBay/Paypal one) have both been recently added to my portfolio. I've found that my CAG'ing grows in steps like this as well - it's a matter of expanding your comfort zone.

With the Paypal deal (got a debit card), I don't think I'll ever have to pay cash for a game again. :D
 
Well, with games and movies, Gazelle is awesome beyond belief. Quick, easy to deal with, transparent about what happens and where items are. Highly recommended.

However, I sent them a 360 that they are telling me a blatant falsehood about. They say it won't read discs when I've played games on it up until the time I shipped it to them. The shipping packing was fine, so I'll chalk this up to, "No company's perfect." At least they're still better than Dealtree (Best Buy). Those guys are outright extorting when they refuse or downgrade a product and require you to pay to get the shipment back. Gazelle is paying to ship it back at least.

I suspect the real reason they don't want to give the value they originally agreed to is because 2005 launch units (without HDMI) are not worth very much and they overvalued it. I don't blame them if that's the case since they're shipping it back for free. Can't wait to see if somewhere during testing they've broke my 360...

The lesson I'm learning from this one is online traders are great for movies and games, but not electronics. Just too easy for them to claim problems exist and you have no way to confirm except to have them ship it back.

I'll keep using them to get amazon credit for old games and movies though. They're awesome at that. Just no wiggle room for them there, I guess.
 
[quote name='HisDivineShadow']

I'll keep using them to get amazon credit for old games and movies though. They're awesome at that. Just no wiggle room for them there, I guess.[/QUOTE]

Hah, you'd think but then you must not have a lot of experience trading directly to Amazon (via their third party game trader, NorAm). They manage to come up with all sorts of excuses on games: from the "Not for resale" or even a perfectly legit alternate UPC thing, to claiming "Damaged Item" on perfectly complete and working games (just got 2 of these back), to being perfectionist about missing manuals and even maps, 3D glasses, and additional items like that.

In any case, Gazelle is much better about all that than Amazon/NorAm.
 
[quote name='io']Hah, you'd think but then you must not have a lot of experience trading directly to Amazon (via their third party game trader, NorAm). They manage to come up with all sorts of excuses on games: from the "Not for resale" or even a perfectly legit alternate UPC thing, to claiming "Damaged Item" on perfectly complete and working games (just got 2 of these back), to being perfectionist about missing manuals and even maps, 3D glasses, and additional items like that.

In any case, Gazelle is much better about all that than Amazon/NorAm.[/QUOTE]


Haha, now "missing manuals and even maps, 3d glasses" would really piss me off. I'd not do business with them again if they did that kind of BS to me. I've found most of the games/movies prices better at Gazelle than Amazon, so you're right that I only very rarely send anything to Amazon.
 
Does anyone know what size to print cover art to fit in PS3 case?
Has anyone tried sending in black and white cover art?
Will black cases be accepted as original for Wii games?
 
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Wow, I didn't even notice this in an email I got a few days ago. I had submitted a game as having no cover art (taking a $2 hit) but at the last minute before mailing I printed one for it:

We've tested your ..., ..., and ... and everything checked out.

But it gets even better:

When our team checked out your ..., they found it was better than we had expected, which means we're going to pay you more. We have increased the value of this item by $2.00.

Gazelle is awesome!
 
[quote name='J7.']What quality was your print out like?[/QUOTE]

Not all that great - it didn't even fit the case very well (it was too small).
 
got a free shipping box today from Gazelle, so i'm assuming if its valued over $30, they send you a free box
getting about $32.50 for FF13 :D
 
[quote name='theking20']got a free shipping box today from Gazelle, so i'm assuming if its valued over $30, they send you a free box
getting about $32.50 for FF13 :D[/QUOTE]

It has to be over a certain amount but also less than a certain number of games. I think 5 or 6 is the cutoff. Anything more than that and they don't send a box. I like to get their boxes, though, because they send a size of priority mail box that is perfect for 4-6 games (you can use the large video mailers for 1-3 games). I tried ordering the type of box they send from the USPS and it is not available (whereas those large video mailers are there and like all priority boxes free to order). I just dropped another one of the Gazelle boxes off at the PO today. With 5 games it came out to just under 2 lbs so the 5 lb parcel post rate covered priority on < 2 lbs and they just did their usual thing of covering over the "Parcel Post" part with black sharpie and sending it off for me ;).
 
I have a quick question. How do the Walmart VISA cards work? Can you only use them at Walmart? Do they work like a credit card or a debit card?
 
[quote name='jkircos']I have a quick question. How do the Walmart VISA cards work? Can you only use them at Walmart? Do they work like a credit card or a debit card?[/QUOTE]

Only at Wallys... I received one last week and already spent it online/instore.
Keep track of your balance as a cashier cannot just scan it for balance and they must input a $ amount for it to go through ...
 
[quote name='jkircos']I have a quick question. How do the Walmart VISA cards work? Can you only use them at Walmart? Do they work like a credit card or a debit card?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='donut']Only at Wallys... I received one last week and already spent it online/instore.
Keep track of your balance as a cashier cannot just scan it for balance and they must input a $ amount for it to go through ...[/QUOTE]

ERRONEOUS! ERRONEOUS!

It's a visa card, you can use it anywhere.

I usually use it in full so there are no problems keeping track of balance.
 
Thanks guys. I sent in some stuff that I'll elaborate on when I see the outcome. io regarding the boxes they send you... I'm confused - they are priority mail boxes?

For those of us who can't get them upgraded, how would we use those with their parcel post shipping?

Do the boxes have a shipping label on them or can we use them for a different order. Like I request a box now with one order and use it on a later order since it takes so long for the box to arrive.
 
Wow are you guys kidding? This site has horrible trade in values
Rock Band: Beatles $9
Dante's Inferno $17
Dark Void $11
Tekken 6 $13 "Best Buy was paying 30 for this"
AC2 $13
I just don't see the CAG prices here
 
[quote name='the8055']Wow are you guys kidding? This site has horrible trade in values
Rock Band: Beatles $9
Dante's Inferno $17
Dark Void $11
Tekken 6 $13 "Best Buy was paying 30 for this"
AC2 $13
I just don't see the CAG prices here[/QUOTE]

like every other trade in service, its situational. for example i traded in dante's inferno to gazelle after beating it for $45.15 (after having only bought it for $33) back in February.
 
[quote name='the8055']Wow are you guys kidding? This site has horrible trade in values
Rock Band: Beatles $9
Dante's Inferno $17
Dark Void $11
Tekken 6 $13 "Best Buy was paying 30 for this"
AC2 $13
I just don't see the CAG prices here[/QUOTE]

It also really depends..I had like 350 in gamestop credit after their 50% bonus trade and I used it all on used games and traded them in to gazelle. Came out with like 400 paypal for that. Considering I had only paid like 250 for the games that I traded to get the 350 I feel like I made out pretty well in all of that swapping around
 
[quote name='the8055']Wow are you guys kidding? This site has horrible trade in values
Rock Band: Beatles $9
Dante's Inferno $17
Dark Void $11
Tekken 6 $13 "Best Buy was paying 30 for this"
AC2 $13
I just don't see the CAG prices here[/QUOTE]

Yeah, you shouldn't use Gazelle.
 
[quote name='J7.']Thanks guys. I sent in some stuff that I'll elaborate on when I see the outcome. io regarding the boxes they send you... I'm confused - they are priority mail boxes?

For those of us who can't get them upgraded, how would we use those with their parcel post shipping?

Do the boxes have a shipping label on them or can we use them for a different order. Like I request a box now with one order and use it on a later order since it takes so long for the box to arrive.[/QUOTE]

They are priority mail boxes. They come with a label that you peel and stick. You could certainly use the box for a different order and slap the label on a different box for that order if you want.

[quote name='mrright4you4now']Thats my only complaint they say it takes a couple days to get you a box but it takes like a week and a half it seems like to me.[/QUOTE]

What? I get my boxes from them in a few days. I just got 2 today (the 21st) from orders I submitted on the 17th.
 
Maybe its just my post office. Their horrible at delivering stuff so given options I always take ups if its not to much more. I submitted a trade two weeks ago and used one of the prior boxes I had to mail it and just received that box like wed or thursday. The first time I ever used them I went on to their chat and asked them to send me another box because it had been a full week and I still hadn't gotten it. Seeing as how they give you 30 days though it made no difference to me and I still love them.
 
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