Best Buy Trade-in 4.0 - see new thread (5.0)!

BudzMcGee

CAGiversary!
Feedback
3 (100%)
At nearly 300 pages it was time for a new thread. You can view the previous thread here!

THIS THREAD OP IS NO LONGER ACTIVELY UPDATED WITH NEW PROMOS.

All Promotions are available in-store only, and they DO NOT stack!

Only the 10% Bonus from Gamers Club Unlocked will stack with these offers, and it definitely does stack despite what some employees will say.

Please read FAQ below before asking questions!


General video game promotions link: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17093&type=page (Promotions are listed at the bottom of the page)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEST BUY'S VIDEO GAMES TRADE-IN PAGE & VALUE ESTIMATOR

Check which BB stores do trade-ins here.
In-store trades may be done in the Gaming Dept or at customer service depending on the store.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

F.A.Q. Best Buy has a short FAQ here.

How does the **% bonus TIV work?
The percentage is based on the final total of your entire trade in, so if the trade in is $100 and there is a 50% bonus your final gift card value will be $150.

How does the 10% Gamers Club Unlocked bonus work?
The 10% bonus for Gamers Club Unlocked members is calculated from the base trade in value. So in the above example, a $100 trade would get an extra $10 with the GCU membership bonus. So if there was a 50% trade in bonus it would be $100 base, $10 Gamers Club Unlocked bonus and $50 TIV bonus for a grand total of $160.

How do I become a Gamers Club Unlocked member and get the 10% bonus?
Any video game section employee should be able to set you up with the GCU membership. It cost $15 and comes with a year subscription of @Gamer magazine (which typically has a couple of great coupons every month). It will also get you a 10% bonus on trade ins and 10% off of used games (Make sure to point it out to the blue shirt doing your trade-in though as it is easy for them to skip, and they are still new to it). It can take 48 hours (or more) for GCU to show up on your Reward Zone membership.

I didn't get my 10% bonus or the employee said it doesn't stack, what gives?
As of September 2012 the trade in system at Best Buy was updated, and employees seem to be having a hard time making sure that they add the GCU bonus. It should be added immediately after they scan your games, and before they take your personal information. You also should always try to know your full trade in value with bonuses before going to the store so that if the price is different you can identify it immediately. The 10% bonus definitely does stack with any TIV promo (100%, 50%, it doesn't matter). All the Gamers Club Unlocked pamphlets say so, as does the website, and are a great place to point to if an employee or a manager tells you otherwise.

Do we get Reward Zone points for trade-ins??
Yes. You get one point for every pre-bonus dollar traded in. So if your TIV was $100 before bonuses, you get 100 Reward Zone points. Gamers Club Unlocked members (and possibly standard Gamers Club members) get double points for everything gaming, including trade-ins. So in the same example you would wind up with 200 Reward Zone points. To get Reward Zone points you must have them include your Reward Zone membership information (easiest to look up by phone number) with your trade-in (this is required for the Gamers Club Unlocked bonus anyway).

Can I use my Best Buy gift card to purchase Amazon Kindle Gift Cards or Visa Gift Cards?
Yes, although some employees may not be aware of this and incorrectly refuse to do so. Visa Gift Cards have a $200 limit and a $6 activation fee. Amazon Gift Cards are available in $25, $50 and $100 depending on your store selection. Some states, or even localities (county, city, etc.) may not allow the sale of Amazon Gift Cards. Yes, Kindle Gift Cards are good for anything on Amazon.

The value on the site doesn't match the store, why?
Sometimes the page may not update immediately. This is fairly rare though. The store's trade-in values are definitive though, so what they say is what you get. 99.99% of the time they will match up.

The value on the iPhone/Android app is way off, why?
The app often sucks for updating values (and some games simply don't show up), don't rely on it if you don't have to.

The game I want to trade isn't on the site, what gives?
While rare, there have been some games recently not showing up in the online estimator. You can always check in-store to see if the price is in their system and simply not online, but that is unlikely to be the case (as in, it is possible that has never been the case). When Best Buy doesn't have a game on file they can offer $1 as a generic SKU, but that's it. New releases appear to be added on Tuesday evenings. Many new releases are taking upwards of a week or more to be added to the site.

How come the GOTY/complete version doesn't show up in the estimator?
Best Buy doesn't differentiate between the vanilla and GOTY/complete versions of a game 99% of the time. This is largely a cover-all policy due to the fact that many GOTY editions include the game's DLC and bonus content as one-time use codes; meaning that the game has no extra value on the 2nd hand market and honestly, Best Buy probably doesn't trust their employees to make sure all the extra content is included. So no extra TIV for your GOTY games. The plus side is that GOTY and vanilla versions sell at the same price, so if the DLC is located on disc and you find a GOTY version in-store it will be the same price as the vanilla one.

When do trade-in values update?
No one knows for sure, but updates can and do happen at any time. Sometimes an update will happen at an atypical time, such as when GameStop has an advertised sale for a game well below Best Buy's trade in price.

What will be the TIV of Game X tomorrow/next week / next month/ etc
Nobody knows.

If I locked in a trade online, and the value drops, will I still get the locked in value when I mail it in?
Yes. You will get the locked in TIV as long as the item is received within 14 days of you locking it in (and the item is in the condition you described it as).

Can you lock in the price online then trade it in-store?
No.

Is there a limit to how many games I can trade in?
Officially, Best Buy only accepts 3 copies of a game, per system (i.e. you could trade in 3 copies of a game for Xbox, 3 copies for PS3 and 3 for Wii). This is for sure the online policy, but it varies in stores. Some people have reported being banned for trading in more than 3 copies of games, others have done so frequently without issue. Obviously it is YMMV, but do so at your own risk.

Lately some people have been told the policy is 1 game per system (i.e. you could trade in 1 copy of a game for Xbox, 1 for PS3 and 1 for Wii), and have been actively turned down when trading in more than one copy. Whether this is actually something they are banning for or if it is just what employees are being told to follow to limit multiples is unknown. Trade multiples at your own risk.

Can I trade game disc only, or do I need the case and manuals, too?
Best Buy accepts disc only games (for the same value as complete games). The trade in will take longer though as the employee will have to look up the games individually. Yes, this also applies to DS, 3DS, PSP, etc. If you have the manual and artwork you should trade it in though anyway to improve the quality of the selection for people who may want to buy the game in the future (you can't know if the game will be complete when you buy online for example).

Can I trade in games that say "Not for Resale" on the back?
Yes, since the only thing that matters is the disc. Some employees will fight this though, and in that case, just trade the game in as disc-only. Employees have gotten much better about knowing this policy though, and busier stores are more likely to have employees that have done more trade ins and know the rules.

Does Best Buy accept game hardware?
Currently Best Buy only accepts various versions of the Nintendo DS in store, but some stores apparently accept consoles as well. Call ahead before bringing it in. That said, the TIV for most hardware is lower than competitors.

Does the **% bonuses apply to game hardware?
No, games only.

When I do a in-store trade, I am asked: to be fingerprinted, to have my photo taken, how much I weigh, etc. What's the deal?
Pawn shop laws regulating trade-ins and resale of used goods varies from state to state or even city to city. It is not Best Buy's rule, and varies from store to store depending on where you live. At a minimum you'll need a government issued ID (passport, drivers license, military ID, etc.).

I went to a store to do a trade-in and they asked for a Best Buy receipt. WTF?
Some stores are required to have receipts to accept trade-ins, again this is due to local Pawn shop laws and could vary from city to city. You can always check if the store(s) near you require a receipt on Best Buy's trade-in site.

Can I trade sealed games?
Yes. You must present your receipt for the sealed games you are trading in. It is ok if the purchase was made from another store. You do run the risk of drawing extra attention to yourself as trading in sealed products is often a sign of theft. Do not be surprised if this is questioned by an employee, or you are asked to leave, open the items and return. You might even be flat out denied by the employee or manager despite the official rule. It is their right to do so.

How does the get **% with pre-order bonus work?
After trading in your games, the employee SHOULD then sell you the pre-order for $5.

How much is a pre-order at Best Buy?
Pre-ordering at Best Buy cost $5, in fact, you aren't supposed to pay any more than that (and most employees won't let you if you ask). Yes, you can use the gift card you just received from your trade-in to purchase the pre-order.

Can I cancel a pre-order and keep the bonus?
Yes, the trade-in and the pre-order are completely separate transactions. Nothing will prevent you from returning to the Best Buy canceling the pre-order and receiving a refund. Some users have claimed that they were flagged for doing this multiple times though and were denied, so be aware of how many pre-orders you are cancelling. Also keep in mind the obvious facts that this is not how the program is intended to work and over abuse will negatively affect the program long-term. Lastly, returns are tracked on a personal level by a third party. (Read: try not to cancel a bunch of pre-orders)

Do I have to cancel the pre-order at the same store where it was made?
No, this can be handled by any BBY. Don't be surprised if you get a customer service employee who says otherwise though.

Can I pre-order once and get the pre-order bonus on my next trade-in as well?
YMMV. Officially, the answer is no, but there is nothing that actually requires the employee to sell the pre-order in order to apply the bonus so if your blue shirt is in a friendly mood they may be willing. Doesn't hurt to get to know the employees at your store. That said, expect that you will have to pre-order another game and be surprised if you don't.

Can I combine a 3 games for **% and a pre-order for **% bonus?
No. Bonuses do not stack, and you must pick one or the other. The only bonus that stacks with other promotions is the 10% you receive if you are a Gamers Club Unlocked member.

Remember, all trades are technically at the discretion of Best Buy and they can refuse to accept a game for whatever reason they want (outside of you being black, woman, Jewish, etc.).

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Added some new stuff to the FAQ and re-ordered it just a little bit.

Did another passport based trade in on Saturday without issue. I can not confirm if the bans have been upgraded to addressed based though as I was asked what address I wanted to use (I have a couple in the system) since my passport doesn't list one and I intentionally picked one different than my current mailing address.

Best part of the story is that the guy remembered me from having gone in maybe 2 months ago and doing a test trade to see if I was banned. I told him flat out that I had found a "loophole" to do trades again and he thought it was awesome and was excited to see if it worked.
 
Traded in my fat xbox for $110 at GS then picked up two copies of BL2 (Xbox) and Fifa 13 (PS3) had a buy 2 get 1 free.
Flipped it for $120.50 at BB. Not to great but it was something considering the values are only 50%. Even if they were 100% I still would have gotten the same.

Thanks OP for new thread.
 
i bet you ppl are still going to be asking those same questions answered in the op's post . lol
 
[quote name='YBX87']i bet you ppl are still going to be asking those same questions answered in the op's post . lol[/QUOTE]
Nah. Everybody always reads the OP of a thread EVERY time on here and at least skims the last 20-100 posts for their answers before asking redundant questions.;)
 
To be fair, there was some stuff that I thought was in the OP but wasn't (such as explaining the specific details of how the bonuses work - simple stuff but it does cause a fair amount of trouble for people). I also put a lot of that stuff about the bonus with pre-order stuff towards the bottom because they haven't done one of those in a while.
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']To be fair, there was some stuff that I thought was in the OP but wasn't (such as explaining the specific details of how the bonuses work - simple stuff but it does cause a fair amount of trouble for people). I also put a lot of that stuff about the bonus with pre-order stuff towards the bottom because they haven't done one of those in a while.[/QUOTE]
But what's to be confused by really? If it's a 50% bonus, divide the base trade in value by two and then add that to the base value. If it's the 100% bonus, then multiply the base value by 2 and that's what you'll get before adding in the 10% for Gamer's Club Unlocked.

I honestly just think it's people being f'n lazy, like with that 100% console trade in bonus thread on the deals forum. There's a post there linking to the GS value thread. Then all they'd have to do is find their console from the list under the spoilers in the respective post and multiply that by 2 to get what they'll get after bonus.

Instead they just ask for the value of X or Y rather than look it up themselves.:roll:
 
Ah, the fresh smell of a new thread.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Nah. Everybody always reads the OP of a thread EVERY time on here and at least skims the last 20-100 posts for their answers before asking redundant questions.;)[/QUOTE]

People always skip these posts no matter what, so it might be time to take on a different approach... Maybe they need Samuel muthaf'in Jackson to chime in.

mofoyh4au3.gif
 
[quote name='eXiON']Ah, the fresh smell of a new thread.



People always skip these posts no matter what, so it might be time to take on a different approach... Maybe they need Samuel muthaf'in Jackson to chime in.

mofoyh4au3.gif
[/QUOTE]

I wish on threads such as this it were possible to make it so that any time someone went to reply the OP would be clearly shown above the message box or something.
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']I wish on threads such as this it were possible to make it so that any time someone went to reply the OP would be clearly shown above the message box or something.[/QUOTE]
Great idea. Kind of like the forums that show a FAQ or ask "did you search first?" before letting you post.
 
Yeah. There definitely needs to be something like that on here. Maybe it'll be on CAG 2.0, whenever this site gets switched to the new software that is.

Having the ability to disable right clicking would also cut down on the cut/paste people who are cross registered on CAG and SD/FW too and stop copying of deals or at least slow down their ability to just rip deals from here for those sites.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Yeah. There definitely needs to be something like that on here. Maybe it'll be on CAG 2.0, whenever this site gets switched to the new software that is.

Having the ability to disable right clicking would also cut down on the cut/paste people who are cross registered on CAG and SD/FW too and stop copying of deals or at least slow down their ability to just rip deals from here for those sites.[/QUOTE]
Like I stated in the GS TIV thread after the special PUR 50% trade-in link (https://www.poweruprewards.com/PUR/Index/TradeValuesOct12?var=LpsbSM+VdYcjLTuhOYUwyA==) was posted as originating from SD, lately it seems like a lot more deals are popping up on SD first. Most likely folks actually registered here, but want reps over there first.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Yeah. There definitely needs to be something like that on here. Maybe it'll be on CAG 2.0, whenever this site gets switched to the new software that is.

Having the ability to disable right clicking would also cut down on the cut/paste people who are cross registered on CAG and SD/FW too and stop copying of deals or at least slow down their ability to just rip deals from here for those sites.[/QUOTE]
the only wait to prevent deals being copied to sd/fw, is to set a requirement for only allowing members with certain amount of posts / status to be able to view certain thread. which i doubt would happen or be fair
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I've never understood the whole 'reps' thing. Unless it actually got me something like entries into a contest, what's the point?[/QUOTE]
Nothing really. Bragging rights? A combination of post count and reps get you up to higher levels. IIRC, there are some perks at the highest levels, but I don't remember what they are.
 
sightly off topic but does anyone know how to search for Amazon Kindle Cards online? I know bestbuy doesn't sell them online, but I think I recall ways to check inventory for items even if they don't have a product page on the website. Some of the stores around me have them, others don't and I don't recall which do/don't
The sku for a $25 Kindle card is 1228384 if that helps.
 
As I've mentioned in at least a couple of threads now, the way to look up deleted or unlisted SKU's on Best Buy's website has been eliminated for some reason. When I've tried making a stock locator page using a deleted/unlisted SKU, I get a 'sorry page can't be found' page that pops up anymore.
 
Well if the 100% isn't back next week my guess is early/mid november since they've been doing alternating months of 50% & 100% with the 100% ending on the december date everyones been throwing around
 
[quote name='sninh']Well if the 100% isn't back next week my guess is early/mid november since they've been doing alternating months of 50% & 100% with the 100% ending on the december date everyones been throwing around[/QUOTE]

I can easily see a post-Black Friday 100% bump again. Drive people in to the store for the Holiday season while building used stock to sell for the Holiday season.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']As I've mentioned in at least a couple of threads now, the way to look up deleted or unlisted SKU's on Best Buy's website has been eliminated for some reason. When I've tried making a stock locator page using a deleted/unlisted SKU, I get a 'sorry page can't be found' page that pops up anymore.[/QUOTE]

yeah, i noticed that too.
 
There's no Best Buy clearance thread, so I'll ask this here. I got Red Faction Guerrilla a while back for $7 new. Good deal or should I return it?
 
If best buy forgets to put you in as gamers club unlocked during your trade-in, does that mean the trade in won't show up in your reward zone account? Because I would have gotten like 200 points from this trade in I did a couple weeks ago and just check myrz.com and don't see my trade-in. They also didn't give me a receipt so am I screwed out of points if that is the case?
 
I think I'm going to see if my local BB will PM not only the $90 tiv for the 60gb PS3, but also the 100% bonus at GS, since I tried sneaking into my closest GS today to trade it in myself and was told I'll be charged with trespassing if I try coming back.:shock:

Either that or I gotta convince the one local CAG to do the trade to GS for me.:)

But missing out on a $180 trade on this system will annoy the shit out of me if I can't find some way to make it work.:cry:
 
Ouch. Good luck.

Just did a test trade and yep, I'm re-banned as well :( Was nice to not have to drag the wife up there for a couple of weeks. Now I just have to hope that they didn't ban her account for being at the same address, like someone mentioned a couple pages back. I'd rather not have to try dragging her total non gamer, 60-something father up there lol. Sigh.
 
[quote name='JohnWayne']If best buy forgets to put you in as gamers club unlocked during your trade-in, does that mean the trade in won't show up in your reward zone account? Because I would have gotten like 200 points from this trade in I did a couple weeks ago and just check myrz.com and don't see my trade-in. They also didn't give me a receipt so am I screwed out of points if that is the case?[/QUOTE]

You have to contact them to add the points. I am not sure if you can do it without some type of reference number form the trade in though.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']You have to contact them to add the points. I am not sure if you can do it without some type of reference number form the trade in though.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I just contacted reward zone but they said that they need the trade in receipt that the store was supposed to give me. Can best buy re-print receipts from trade-ins in the past?
 
[quote name='JohnWayne']Yeah I just contacted reward zone but they said that they need the trade in receipt that the store was supposed to give me. Can best buy re-print receipts from trade-ins in the past?[/QUOTE]

hmmm. I don't know. Maybe they could reprint it. I am not sure how their new system works.
 
All this talk of banning - doesn't sound like there's any definitive criteria why/how it happens, is there?

Too many copies of the same game? Too many games in general? What the heck qualifies as too much?

I just unloaded a bunch of stuff at BB - there was one duplicate across a month, with about 25 games traded in that time frame. (Good way to reduce the backlog? Be realistic - at least for a moment.)

Nothing to do but wait until I have something worthy of trading in.
 
[quote name='JohnWayne']Yeah I just contacted reward zone but they said that they need the trade in receipt that the store was supposed to give me. Can best buy re-print receipts from trade-ins in the past?[/QUOTE]
[quote name='slowdive21']hmmm. I don't know. Maybe they could reprint it. I am not sure how their new system works.[/QUOTE]
You have to have the date and approximate time, as well as know what you traded in in order for them to reprint trade receipts. Even then, it may take a while to find the trade.

I know because I had to have them reprint the Rayman Origins and Sleeping Dogs trade I did at the beginning of September due to the system change where it doesn't automatically print the receipts now.
[quote name='Kylearan']All this talk of banning - doesn't sound like there's any definitive criteria why/how it happens, is there?

Too many copies of the same game? Too many games in general? What the heck qualifies as too much?

I just unloaded a bunch of stuff at BB - there was one duplicate across a month, with about 25 games traded in that time frame. (Good way to reduce the backlog? Be realistic - at least for a moment.)

Nothing to do but wait until I have something worthy of trading in.[/QUOTE]
I've heard from a few reps that the limit is 50 games per year. So if you're going through your backlog and trying to eliminate as many as possible it's a good idea to keep track of what you've already traded.
 
[quote name='JohnWayne']If best buy forgets to put you in as gamers club unlocked during your trade-in, does that mean the trade in won't show up in your reward zone account? Because I would have gotten like 200 points from this trade in I did a couple weeks ago and just check myrz.com and don't see my trade-in. They also didn't give me a receipt so am I screwed out of points if that is the case?[/QUOTE]
Go to the BB forums and specifically the Gamer's Club Unlocked section and post a thread regarding this, as I too was missing points from the aforementioned 2 game(Sleeping Dogs, Rayman Origins) trade.

One of the mods there had to manually post the points to my account.

The only thing you should need is the number from the gift card they gave you for the trade transaction.
 
[quote name='perfectsil']whoa, Borderlands 2 tiv jumps to $27, 50% bonus with that is actually better than 100% bonus when it was at $20[/QUOTE]
Wasn't the tiv for it $20 during the 100%? If so, that's only about a $1.20 difference.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Wasn't the tiv for it $20 during the 100%? If so, that's only about a $1.20 difference.[/QUOTE]

i actually traded boderlands 2 for $20 base tiv last week, lol iatcg, did bestbuy actually hire you, after your interview? if they do hire you, maybe you can investigate internally of how the ban works, lol
 
I would likely be very tempted to do just that(see if I can find out how people get banned from there). But I haven't heard anything back yet. I swear I had 3 interviews the last time I went through the process, so I'm still needing the final one with the general manager before I'll know I think.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Wasn't the tiv for it $20 during the 100%? If so, that's only about a $1.20 difference.[/QUOTE]

Yeh and that extra $1.20 on the high end isn't worth all the drops on most of the other new releases. I'd rather have $42 on all new releases than $43.20 on a few and $38.40 on most.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I would likely be very tempted to do just that(see if I can find out how people get banned from there). But I haven't heard anything back yet. I swear I had 3 interviews the last time I went through the process, so I'm still needing the final one with the general manager before I'll know I think.[/QUOTE]
It would be funny if one of those GS employees came into the BB you are working at. Start plotting some revenge tactics.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I've heard from a few reps that the limit is 50 games per year. So if you're going through your backlog and trying to eliminate as many as possible it's a good idea to keep track of what you've already traded.[/QUOTE]

Ah, that's good - I'm well below 50 and don't make a habit of trading in a lot of stuff to BB. Doubt I even hit 30 for the year. But with Goozex struggling for life, Amazon charging CA taxes now, Glyde taking so darned long to sell some stuff, and eBay taking so much $ per sale, that may change.

Most of the stuff I traded under the 100% has held the same TIV, so good thing I got rid of things on Saturday.
 
[quote name='klimb22']It would be funny if one of those GS employees came into the BB you are working at. Start plotting some revenge tactics.[/QUOTE]
Who says I'm not already with Halloween coming up. Trick or treat, GS. Trick or treat, bitches.
dr_evil.jpg
 
So this isn't related to this but I just got an email saying I had a $5 RZ cert. issued to me but the thing is that I never issued anything and 250 points from my RZ account are gone. Has this ever happened to someone? I'm getting reallllyyy sketched out as the reward zone customer service reps are closed right now
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Go to the BB forums and specifically the Gamer's Club Unlocked section and post a thread regarding this, as I too was missing points from the aforementioned 2 game(Sleeping Dogs, Rayman Origins) trade.

One of the mods there had to manually post the points to my account.

The only thing you should need is the number from the gift card they gave you for the trade transaction.[/QUOTE]

I will try this but I've tried to post a thread a week ago regarding my NBA 2K13 that was preordered as a PS3 version instead of a 360 version so the cashier had to switch them out on release and I ended up getting the PS3 PO Bonus code in my email and the mods still haven't responded back to me
 
[quote name='JohnWayne']I will try this but I've tried to post a thread a week ago regarding my NBA 2K13 that was preordered as a PS3 version instead of a 360 version so the cashier had to switch them out on release and I ended up getting the PS3 PO Bonus code in my email and the mods still haven't responded back to me[/QUOTE]
It takes them 3-5 business days at a minimum to respond to threads on there that may need their attention. Business days meaning Monday through Friday ONLY.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']It takes them 3-5 business days at a minimum to respond to threads on there that may need their attention. Business days meaning Monday through Friday ONLY.[/QUOTE]

Ahh that would explain it, thanks for the info. Going to hurry up and post then
 
bread's done
Back
Top