Best Buy Trade-in 3.0: So long! New thread started.

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BudzMcGee

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A new year, a new thread. You can view the previous thread here!

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.
Please read FAQ below before asking questions!

Current Promos:
- 100% Bonus Trade-In Credit W/any trade in:
Get a 100% bonus when you trade-in any game (Offer valid 8/19 - 10/6 - Unconfirmed end date, 9/8 is the latest confirmed date)

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)

Previous Promotions:
Promos that have expired:
- 50% Bonus Trade-In Credit W/any trade in:
Get a 50% bonus when you trade-in any game (Offer valid 7/07 - 8/18)

- 50% Bonus Trade-In Credit W/any trade in of "hot titles":
Get a 50% bonus when you trade-in any game (Offer valid 4/22- 06/02)

- Minimum 50% Bonus Trade-In Credit W/ Select Pre-orders:
Get a 50% bonus when you pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Max Payne 3, Borderlands 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Halo 4, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, BioShock Infinite, Madden NFL 13, NCAA Football 13, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Diablo III . (Offer valid 05/06 - 5/12)

- 40% bonus with pre-order of .
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you pre-order any of these games: Max Payne 3, Borderlands 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Halo 4, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, BioShock Infinite, Madden NFL 13, NCAA Football 13, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier or Diablo III (Offer valid 04/08/12 -04/14/12).
- 40% bonus with purchase of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, Major League Baseball 2K12, FIFA Street, Mario Party 9 or Kinect Star Wars.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you purchase select title (Offer valid 04/08/12 -04/14/12).
- Minimum 40% bonus with pre-order from select list.
Get a "minimum" 40% trade in bonus when you pre-order any title from a select list of games listed below *note, I have absolutely no idea what this means* (Offer valid 04/01/12 -04/07/12):
Max Payne 3
Borderlands 3
Far Cry 3
Assassin's Creed 3
Halo 4
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
BioShock Infinite
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Madden NFL 13
NCAA Football 13
- 50% bonus with any trade-in.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you trade in any title (Offer valid 03/25/12 -03/31/12).

- Guaranteed $30 or more trade in credit for select games with purchase of game $39.99 or higher.
Purchase a video game priced $39.99 or more and get at least $30 credit when you trade-in one of the titles listed below (Offer valid 03/18/12 -03/24/12):

Twisted Metal - PS3
Final Fantasy XIII–2 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception — PS3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — PS3 or Xbox 360
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 — Nintendo Wii, PS3 or Xbox 360
UFC Undisputed 3 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Soul Calibur V — PS3 or Xbox 360
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning — PS3 or Xbox 360
The Darkness II — PS3 or Xbox 360
Forza Motorsport 4 — Xbox 360
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword — Nintendo Wii
FIFA Soccer 12 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Battlefield 3 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Zumba Fitness: Rush — Xbox 360
Grand Slam Tennis 2 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Syndicate — PS3 or Xbox 360
FIFA Street — PS3 or Xbox 360
Mass Effect 3 — PS3 or Xbox 360
MLB 12: The Show — PS3
MLB 2K12 — PS3 or Xbox 360
Silent Hill: Downpour — PS3 or Xbox 360
SSX — PS3 or Xbox 360
Street Figher X Tekken — PS3 or Xbox 360
Binary Domain — Xbox 360
Mario Party 9 — Nintendo Wii
Asura's Wrath — PS3 or Xbox 360

Link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Games-P...er/pcmcat268500050004.c?id=pcmcat268500050004



- 40% bonus with pre-order of select titles.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you pre-order any title from the list below (Offer valid 03/18/12 -03/24/12):
Max Payne 3
Borderlands 3
Far Cry 3
Assassin's Creed 3
Halo 4
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
BioShock Infinite
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Madden NFL 13
NCAA Football 13

Link: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Games-P...er/pcmcat268500050008.c?id=pcmcat268500050008


- 40% bonus with order of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Offer valid 03/11/12 -03/17/12

- 40% bonus with order of Assassin's Creed 3.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order Assassin's Creed 3. Offer valid 03/11/12 -03/17/12

- *RUMORED* 40% bonus with order of any pre-order.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you pre-order any game (rumor of a non-listed promo, may or may not be true). Offer valid 03/11/12 -03/17/12

- 40% bonus with order of Street Fighter X Tekken.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order Street Fighter X Tekken. Offer valid 03/03/12 -03/10/12

- 40% bonus with order of Mass Effect 3.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order Mass Effect 3. Offer valid 03/03/12 -03/10/12

- 40% bonus with order of MLB: The Show 12.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order MLB: The Show 12. Offer valid 03/03/12 -03/10/12

- 40% bonus with order of MLB 2K12.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you order MLB 2K12. Offer valid 03/03/12 -03/10/12
- 50% bonus with pre-order of Mass Effect 3.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you pre-order Mass Effect 3. Offer valid 02/26/12 -03/03/12

- 50% bonus with pre-order of MLB: The Show 12.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you pre-order MLB: The Show 12. Offer valid 02/26/12 -02/25/12

- 50% bonus with pre-order of MLB 2K12.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you pre-order MLB 2K12. Offer valid 02/26/12 -02/25/12

- Trade 3, get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 30% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 01/01/12 -03/03/12

- 30% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 30% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 01/01/12 -03/03/12

- 40% bonus with purchase of Vita Software or Hardware.
Get a 40% trade in bonus when you purchase Playstation Vita Software or Hardware. Offer valid 02/19/12 -02/25/12

- 40% bonus with pre-order/purchase of UFC Undisputed 3.
Get a 40% trade in bonus with pre-order/purchase of UFC Undisputed 3. Offer valid 02/12/12 -02/18/12

- 40% bonus with pre-order/purchase of Twisted Metal.
Get a 40% trade in bonus with pre-order/purchase of Twisted Metal. Offer valid 02/12/12 -02/18/12

- 50% bonus with pre-order of Diablo III or UFC 3.
Get a 50% trade in bonus with pre-order either Diablo III or UFC 3. Offer valid 02/05/12 -02/12/12? ***NOTE*** This promo is NOT showing up on the BestBuyTradeIn.com page currently, but it confirmed to work by at least one CAG. It is listed as "this weeks" deal, hence the probable end date.
- 40% bonus with pre-order/purchase of Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Get a 40% trade in bonus with pre-order/purchase of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Offer valid 01/29/12 -02/04/12

- 40% bonus with pre-order/purchase of Soul Calibur V.
Get a 40% trade in bonus with pre-orde/purchase of Soul Calibur V. Offer valid 01/29/12 -02/04/12

- 50% bonus with pre-order of Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Get a 50% trade in bonus with pre-order of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Offer valid 01/15/12 -01/28/12

- 50% bonus with pre-order of Soul Calibur V.
Get a 50% trade in bonus with pre-order of Soul Calibur V. Offer valid 01/22/12 -01/28/12
- 50% Bonus when you trade in ANY game.
Get a 50% trade in bonus when you trade in ANY game. Offer valid 01/01/12 - 01/07/12

- 50% Bonus with specific Pre-order from list.
Get a 50% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game from the following list: Halo 4, Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto 5, MLB 12 The Show, Soul Calibur V, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Twisted Metal, Max Payne 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Diablo 3. Offer valid 12/25/11 - 12/31/11

- Trade 2, get 25% More.
Trade in 2 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/31/11

- 30% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 30% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/31/11
- 40% Bonus with purchase of any game $39.99 or above.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you purchase any game $39.99 or above. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/10/11

- 50% Bonus with purchase of any game $39.99 or above.
Get a 50% extra trade-in credit when you purchase any game $39.99 or above. Offer valid 11/27/11 - 12/03/11

- Trade 3, get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 10/30/11 - 11/26/11

- 40% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer valid 10/5/11 - 11/26/11

- 40% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Saints Row 3. Offer valid 11/13/11 - 11/19/11

- 40% Bonus with Assassin's Creed Revelations Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Assassin's Creed Revelations. Offer valid 11/13/11 - 11/19/11

- 50% Bonus with Modern Warfare 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/Purchase Modern Warfare 3. Offer valid 10/10/11 - 11/12/11 (Assuming this means a bonus for purchasing the game after it is released this Tuesday)

- 50% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Saints Row 3. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 50% Bonus with Assassin's Creed Revelations Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Assassin's Creed Revelations. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 40% Bonus with The Elder Scrolls V: Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11

- 50% Bonus with Max Payne 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Max Payne 3. Offer valid 11/6/11 - 11/12/11 - This promo seems a little odd and there is a chance it is an error on the site since the game is so far from release.

- 50% Bonus with Saints Row 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Saints Row 3. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 10/29/11

- 50% Bonus with Skyrim Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 11/05/11

- 40% Bonus with Uncharted 3 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Uncharted 3. Offer valid 10/30/11 - 11/05/11

- 40% Bonus with Battlefield 3 Purchase.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you purchase Battlefield 3. Offer valid 10/23/11 - 10/29/11

- Trade 2, get 25% More.
Trade in 2 games or more and get 25% extra trade-in credit. Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/29/11

- 50% Bonus with Battlefield 3 Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Battlefield 3. Offer valid 10/9/11 - 10/22/11

- 40% Bonus with purchase of Batman: Arkham City.
Get 40% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Batman: Arkham City. Offer valid 10/16/11 - 10/22/11

- 50% Bonus with Batman: Arkham City Pre-order.
Get 50% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order Batman: Arkham City. Offer valid 10/9/11 - 10/15/11

- 30% Bonus with Rage or NBA 2K12 Pre-order/Purchase.
Get a 30% extra trade-in Credit when you pre-order/purchase Rage or NBA 2K12. Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/08/11

- Trade 4 get an extra $20 Trade-in Credit.
Get $20 trade-in Credit when you trade 4 or more games (Current gen games only (no PS2) and $5 minimum for each game). Offer valid 10/2/11 - 10/08/11**** This promo was cancelled early due to technical issues. There have been issues with this promo not working on some stores' systems or simply not even being available, the issue seems to be related to disc-only games (or any game that is typed rather than scanned) so plan accordingly. The $20 extra is once per trade-in, meaning 4 games or 123 games it will only be $20 extra per transaction. So if you want to trade in 8 games, do it in two separate transactions. ****

- 50% Bonus with Rage or NBA 2K12 Pre-order.
Offer was valid from 9/25 to 10/01/2011.

- 40% Bonus with Gears of War 3 Purchase.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order/purchase Gears of War 3. Offer expired 10/01/2011

- Trade 3, Get 30% More.
Trade in 3 games or more and get 30% extra trade-in credit. Offer expired 10/01/2011

- 40% Bonus with any Pre-order.
Get a 40% extra trade-in credit when you pre-order any game. Offer expired 10/01/2011


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

Check which BB stores do trade-ins here.
In-store trades are now done at the Trade-In Counter at the Gaming Dept.

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

How does the get **% with pre-order bonus 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. IL does not sell 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 sucks for updating values (and some games simply don't show up), don't rely on it.

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. 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. 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. 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 randomly, 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.

Does Best Buy accept game hardware?
Currently Best Buy only accepts various versions of the Nintendo DS in store, and 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 (United States) state issued ID or passport.

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.

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.).
 
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[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Glad I could help. :razz:

I actually think I may just stop gaming after this gen really, since I'm thinking more like a flipper and less like a gamer. I'm constantly watching values to trying to rush through games to finish them before the values drop. But you can't really enjoy a game like that if you're trying to just do a speed run in many cases.:whistle2:#

For example: I would've loved to have come close to 100%ing Sleeping Dogs and exploring the city a bunch more. But I also noticed that the value would barely have me breaking even on it, so I wanted to get rid of it before I lost anything on it.[/QUOTE]

you could always pick it up again, when it is hits $10 during another one of bestbuys blowout sale, LOl
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Glad I could help. :razz:

I actually think I may just stop gaming after this gen really, since I'm thinking more like a flipper and less like a gamer. I'm constantly watching values to trying to rush through games to finish them before the values drop. But you can't really enjoy a game like that if you're trying to just do a speed run in many cases.:whistle2:#

For example: I would've loved to have come close to 100%ing Sleeping Dogs and exploring the city a bunch more. But I also noticed that the value would barely have me breaking even on it, so I wanted to get rid of it before I lost anything on it.[/QUOTE]Not to sound blunt, but you could always, you know...start thinking less like a flipper and more like a gamer? :booty:

Because CAG has made me mega-super-ultra-supremo cheap when it comes to buying games now, I try to make playing games the priority while keeping flipping in the back of my mind--easy to do with a 50+ backlog. I don't buy games that I intend to play to completion with the further intention of trading it in when I'm done (sometimes it happens to work out, like with trading in Sleeping Dogs to BBY for $33.60 after I 100%'d it and had paid $30 for it, but I didn't plan on doing that). If I flip, I usually do it with games I already own, can wait to own, or don't want; thanks to that, I have ~$450 in BBY credit, ~$95 in GS credit (~$110 after I trade in the 4 HDMI cables I still have, though not all at once :razz:), and ~$700 in Amazon credit (not yet but hopefully within the next two weeks) to spend on games I truly just want to play. Of course, that in no way means that I'll ever pay MSRP for something. :razz: As a side note, I don't consider the BBY GCU preorder-for-$20-RZ-certificate offer as paying full-price since I have 60 days to PM and it's virtually guaranteed that any game will drop in price within that period. If a game drops to $40 within that period, then if you factor in the $20 certificate, it's like I paid $20 for a release-day game. :hot:

Sorry for the mini-rant, but I don't think you should give up entirely on gaming just because you appear to have wanted to maximize your value. ;)
 
[quote name='Deader2818']Yeah, could just pick a few games you really want to play and enjoy them rather then trying to beat it asap to flip it.[/QUOTE]

For the most part I have decided that a few games I am most likely not going to worry about TIV because I plan on keeping them (Borderlands 2, Dishonored, AC:III, Halo 4, BLOPS 2, and Far Cry 3). Otherwise, I try to finish stuff as fast as possible to maximize the cost savings.
 
[quote name='YBX87']you could always pick it up again, when it is hits $10 during another one of bestbuys blowout sale, LOl[/QUOTE]
True.;) But I already saw the ending to the game and what was left was mostly stuff I wouldn't bother with for the most part anyway(hacking the rest of the cameras, taking down the gangs near those cameras, finding the rest of the collectibles and the racing).
[quote name='Vigilante']Not to sound blunt, but you could always, you know...start thinking less like a flipper and more like a gamer? :booty:

Because CAG has made me mega-super-ultra-supremo cheap when it comes to buying games now, I try to make playing games the priority while keeping flipping in the back of my mind--easy to do with a 50+ backlog. I don't buy games that I intend to play to completion with the further intention of trading it in when I'm done (sometimes it happens to work out, like with trading in Sleeping Dogs to BBY for $33.60 after I 100%'d it and had paid $30 for it, but I didn't plan on doing that). If I flip, I usually do it with games I already own, can wait to own, or don't want; thanks to that, I have ~$450 in BBY credit, ~$95 in GS credit (~$110 after I trade in the 4 HDMI cables I still have, though not all at once :razz:), and ~$700 in Amazon credit (not yet but hopefully within the next two weeks) to spend on games I truly just want to play. Of course, that in no way means that I'll ever pay MSRP for something. :razz: As a side note, I don't consider the BBY GCU preorder-for-$20-RZ-certificate offer as paying full-price since I have 60 days to PM and it's virtually guaranteed that any game will drop in price within that period. If a game drops to $40 within that period, then if you factor in the $20 certificate, it's like I paid $20 for a release-day game. :hot:

Sorry for the mini-rant, but I don't think you should give up entirely on gaming just because you appear to have wanted to maximize your value. ;)[/QUOTE]
Not think like a flipper? That's unpossible(for me anyway).

The only places besides BB with the @Gamer coupons that I was getting ultra mega cheapo games were Kmart and Sears. Sears appears to be clearing out their entire gaming section and Kmart is at the end of a clearance cycle with nothing making it to the prices I would actually pay(or shit that was halfway decent disappearing before then) and be comfortable at keeping stuff for longer than a week.

Not to mention if I'm paying with anything but credit it has to be a 300-400% flip back to a store for me to have considered the venture worth it anymore.;)
[quote name='Deader2818']Yeah, could just pick a few games you really want to play and enjoy them rather then trying to beat it asap to flip it.[/QUOTE]
There's one game in the next year that I would actually consider doing that with. That being GTA V, since I'm likely going to be playing the online for that regularly. But otherwise, most sequels of shooters and any other games I have a passing interest in will get a quick playthrough and be traded in before the disc is even cold after the credits get done running.
 
What you do is flip stuff you don't want to play or extra copies of games you want to play. This way you make enough extra credit to offset the "losses" of the games you actually want to play and keep for a while. My mindset is you shouldn't be looking to make a profit off trading games, but more keep your gaming budget close to even. It's a win win.
 
Well, even a year ago I thought trading games was absurd, and that places like Gamestop absolutely gave you crap TiVs for brand new games.

What finally gave me the impulse to start trading in was because I had a @Gamer sub (from March) and when they had the first 100% Trade In, I knew I had to unload games that I wouldn't ever play again or that absolutely sucked.

I don't buy 2-3 copies just to "flip", plus the hassle of going back and forth to rack up credit isn't worth my time, but that's just me. I try to do what the above poster wrote by trying to keep my budget as even and close as possible to what I'm going to sell it back to.

I got hit in the nuts several times with Max Payne 3, but granted, at least I picked up the Special Edition.

BB has begun upping their game lately though, you used to be able to buy games on sale from BB and still trade them back in a few days later and either get back what you paid or still rack up an extra profit from it.
 
[quote name='panda911']What you do is flip stuff you don't want to play or extra copies of games you want to play. This way you make enough extra credit to offset the "losses" of the games you actually want to play and keep for a while. My mindset is you shouldn't be looking to make a profit off trading games, but more keep your gaming budget close to even. It's a win win.[/QUOTE]
That's what I used to do with the clearance games I'd find, which in most cases would be so insanely cheap compared to their TIV's that I couldn't lose. But without that stream of easy credit to offset the ones I may lose on I feel I'm just better off keeping the ones I would otherwise lose on and let em rot on my shelf than take the loss.

My mindset used to be about finding the cheap deals, but once you start thinking like me it's kinda hard to go back to seeing a game as something to enjoy rather than a profit/loss ratio.

Besides which, there haven't really been any games I've really wanted to keep beyond beating them to say I had beat them lately.
 
I was told by a Best Buy employee today that the 100% promotion ends in December, at the end of their fiscal year. Something about them not putting it in the ads after this week but it still being online is what I heard, but I'm not really sure.
 
[quote name='LakeShow16']I was told by a Best Buy employee today that the 100% promotion ends in December, at the end of their fiscal year. Something about them not putting it in the ads after this week but it still being online is what I heard, but I'm not really sure.[/QUOTE]

unless it has changed in the last two years, best buy's fiscal year ends in early February.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Glad I could help. :razz:

I actually think I may just stop gaming after this gen really, since I'm thinking more like a flipper and less like a gamer. I'm constantly watching values to trying to rush through games to finish them before the values drop. But you can't really enjoy a game like that if you're trying to just do a speed run in many cases.:whistle2:#

For example: I would've loved to have come close to 100%ing Sleeping Dogs and exploring the city a bunch more. But I also noticed that the value would barely have me breaking even on it, so I wanted to get rid of it before I lost anything on it.[/QUOTE]
That's why I don't buy MSRP. There isn't anything that I'm in such a hurry to play that I wouldn't wait for a sale on. Sleeping Dogs for example could easily be $20 next month due to the coupon and a possible sale price. That, plus the fact that I have no current generation consoles, and I would buy everything only when it's really low. Also, I don't pay for anything anymore at Best Buy or Gamestop. The way I flip, the credit pays for everything.
 
That's the way I am too. If not for finding a dual pack of Arkham City and Arkham Asylum GOTY at WalMart last BF that was left over from release and getting that for $20, then getting Driver SF matched there to Gamestops' $10 price then I would've spent $0 out of pocket last Black Friday. Albeit all of my $400 or so worth of purchases at BB cost me $20 OOP total with all of the credit I had and that included using my GCU B2G1 coupon on $40 BF sale games.
 
[quote name='KtMack23']If I'm not banned after this week guys.... 130 disk only PS2 games[/QUOTE]~$0.52 (110% bonus) * 130 = $67.60.

If you think it's worth the risk, go ahead. :) I wouldn't trade them all in at once, though, and anyway, it's not like BBY has said they'll stop taking in :ps2: games anytime soon, so it would probably be smarter to space them apart, maybe 3-5 games at a time (and at different BBYs if you can swing it). I'm contemplating doing that, but I dunno...:whistle2:k
 
[quote name='Vigilante']~$0.52 (110% bonus) * 130 = $67.60.

If you think it's worth the risk, go ahead. :) I wouldn't trade them all in at once, though, and anyway, it's not like BBY has said they'll stop taking in :ps2: games anytime soon, so it would probably be smarter to space them apart, maybe 3-5 games at a time (and at different BBYs if you can swing it). I'm contemplating doing that, but I dunno...:whistle2:k[/QUOTE]

3-5 games at a time at different Best Buys...? Even 5 games at a time is 26 separate trips for 130 games in order to make $2 or so each time. I think unless you live at Best Buy and have nothing to do every day that is insane.

While the profit margin is great on the PS2 games the time investment doesn't seem worthwhile to me.
 
[quote name='sabanoo']3-5 games at a time at different Best Buys...? Even 5 games at a time is 26 separate trips for 130 games in order to make $2 or so each time. I think unless you live at Best Buy and have nothing to do every day that is insane.

While the profit margin is great on the PS2 games the time investment doesn't seem worthwhile to me.[/QUOTE]Yeah, you're probably right--too much time for too little profit. :whistle2:#
 
FYI, with the @Gamer coupon Mass Effect 3 is now $10 new but the base trade-in is still $7...would they get pissed if you bought the game and went right back to Gaming to trade it in for $15.40?
 
Interesting. I still have ME2 sitting here sealed from the @Gamer coupon deal a few months ago. Maybe I'll have to buy part 3 and play both in quick succession and then trade them both back in.
 
[quote name='KanYozakura']FYI, with the @Gamer coupon Mass Effect 3 is now $10 new but the base trade-in is still $7...would they get pissed if you bought the game and went right back to Gaming to trade it in for $15.40?[/QUOTE]

I don't think they like that, and it might even be impossible without waiting at least a couple hours, but I don't know cuz I don't do stuff like that.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Interesting. I still have ME2 sitting here sealed from the @Gamer coupon deal a few months ago. Maybe I'll have to buy part 3 and play both in quick succession and then trade them both back in.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for at least playing the games before trading them back in.
 
[quote name='KanYozakura']FYI, with the @Gamer coupon Mass Effect 3 is now $10 new but the base trade-in is still $7...would they get pissed if you bought the game and went right back to Gaming to trade it in for $15.40?[/QUOTE]Nitpicking, but it would actually be $14.70 (the bonus 10% is derived from the base value, not the post-100% bonus value). :cool:
 
[quote name='Vigilante']Nitpicking, but it would actually be $14.70 (the bonus 10% is derived from the base value, not the post-100% bonus value). :cool:[/QUOTE]

and you have to think about tax...I mean it would be a solid rental (with a 2-3 dollar profit) if you could lock in the value but you can't. :(
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']I don't think they like that, and it might even be impossible without waiting at least a couple hours, but I don't know cuz I don't do stuff like that.



Thank you for at least playing the games before trading them back in.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for drinking your alcohol underground and in back alleys.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']

For example: I would've loved to have come close to 100%ing Sleeping Dogs and exploring the city a bunch more. But I also noticed that the value would barely have me breaking even on it, so I wanted to get rid of it before I lost anything on it.[/QUOTE]
I tried to 100% Sleeping Dogs. Got really close but my game is glitched to the point where I cant get the platinum. Rather than wait on them to fix the problem with a patch (and most likely they wont), I just went and traded it in yesterday while it was still $16 and ended up with $33.60. Not bad for having purchased it for about that via TRU's sale a few weeks ago. It would have sucked if I held onto it and it dropped
 
[quote name='sixspeednissan']Did anyone else have trouble getting the extra 10% to stack? I stopped by today and they wouldn't stack the extra. It was $1 so I said oh well.[/QUOTE]

I've never even asked, it was always just automatic. I haven't been in a week though so maybe something's changed very recently?
 
I didn't get a 10% bonus last time I traded in a few games last week. I noticed when I was about to sign the piece of paper, and asked the guy. He called for a supervisor, and she offered to take that amount off of whatever I bought.
 
[quote name='Mugatu']I've never even asked, it was always just automatic. I haven't been in a week though so maybe something's changed very recently?[/QUOTE]

I was thinking about it. I'll bet he clicked on my old address info that doesn't have unlocked on it. For some reason Best Buy keeps every address you ever lived at, and has to click on the right one.
 
Just did a trade-in and found out I'm still on the ban list. I was banned at January this year. So it's probably take a year to lift the ban?
 
[quote name='foreinter']Just did a trade-in and found out I'm still on the ban list. I was banned at January this year. So it's probably take a year to lift the ban?[/QUOTE]
I believe February was the start of their new fiscal year, so you should have been unbanned at that point. I didn't try another trade until May or June after finding out about being banned last year. Since then I've only been doing my own personal copy of games and not trading in dupes since this district set the 1 per title per person per platform per year limit a while ago.

That's why I was perturbed when they did away with the customer copy of the trade receipts automatically printing at the end of the transactions.

Speaking of which, I had them print up duplicate receipts for me from my 9/11/2012 trade(Sleeping Dogs & Rayman Origins for PS3) today. Unfortunately they were only able to print up seperate pages listing trades for each game and not a complete listing with promo amounts and what not.

But to me as long as it has the transaction # and store name and number that's all that matters since it's linked to my RZ account.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']Thank you for at least playing the games before trading them back in.[/QUOTE]
I almost always tried playing through the games I was trading in. The huge lots of PS3 games I traded in at different times when their program first started were all clearance titles I had picked up for $2-5 each and intended on playing. But as I kept growing the backlog I kept neglecting to actually play the games as I was buying them, so the stack just kept growing and growing.

Eventually I just decided to eliminate most of the backlog and tried my damnedest to not build another stack of games like that. But I've gone through 2-3 collections like that that most gamers would envy owning and keeping forever. We're talking 40-50 games at a clip and that's not even considering the stack of 40+ that I traded into GS when the original PS3 slim first came out.:whistle2:#

But lately aside from the @Gamer coupon games it's harder and harder to build a collection again. So I just play a few select games and then trade them quickly, as I've made the mistake of waiting forever to get rid of games before(Saint's Row 3 only getting $25 last month, my whol PS2/Xbox collection last gen:bomb:).
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I've made the mistake of waiting forever to get rid of games before(Saint's Row 3 only getting $25 last month, my whol PS2/Xbox collection last gen:bomb:).[/QUOTE]

Live and learn on the last gen stuff, but SR3 has been $25 at BBY for a while. I got that much when I traded it in on 6/3, so you didn't miss out on anything. Suppress that flipper mindset. You can do it.
 
Traded in Ncaa Football 13 and Pes 2011. I told the girl to make sure my extra 10% was added on to it since they didn't do it last time. She completes the order and low and behold she forgot to add it. :roll: a manager had to come and issue me a $2.30 gift card.
 
I hope the 100% doesn't end...I might grab two Baller Beats from Target for $18 and flip them for $36 w/ the 100% at BB.

Would they need the whole thing? Can I just trade the game in?
 
[quote name='bob330i']Yes, just trading the disk is ok.[/QUOTE]

Nice. I heard the basketball is an actual basketball, with no sensor or anything, so I can just use that as a regular ball. I don't even have a Kinect lol.
 
[quote name='Zolor23']I hope the 100% doesn't end...I might grab two Baller Beats from Target for $18 and flip them for $36 w/ the 100% at BB.

Would they need the whole thing? Can I just trade the game in?[/QUOTE]Wait, what? Did I miss something? Is this a flipping opportunity I smell that I wasn't aware of?! :hot:
 
[quote name='Vigilante']Wait, what? Did I miss something? Is this a flipping opportunity I smell that I wasn't aware of?! :hot:[/QUOTE]

People are finding the NBA Baller Beats for $17.98 at Target. Base TIV for BB (Baller Beats) at BB (Best Buy lol) is $18. Double your money!
 
[quote name='panda911']Live and learn on the last gen stuff, but SR3 has been $25 at BBY for a while. I got that much when I traded it in on 6/3, so you didn't miss out on anything. Suppress that flipper mindset. You can do it.[/QUOTE]
Considering I paid $40 for SR3 after a $20 promo credit last fall and just now traded it in, I got to play it for almost a year for $15. That's a nice long rental. That's why even though I was annoyed at first I got over it, especially since the other trades I've done since have more than made up for the loss. ;)
 
[quote name='Zolor23']People are finding the NBA Baller Beats for $17.98 at Target. Base TIV for BB (Baller Beats) at BB (Best Buy lol) is $18. Double your money![/QUOTE]Aw, and I was just at Target. :cry:
 
[quote name='Vigilante']Wait, what? Did I miss something? Is this a flipping opportunity I smell that I wasn't aware of?! :hot:[/QUOTE]
it is one of those target ymmv clearance deals
 
I saw those NBA Baller sets today at BB. Could you imagine living upstairs from someone trying to play that at 2am if you have to actually dribble the ball or how many tv's are going to get smashed by people losing control of the ball.:whistle2:#
 
[quote name='YBX87']it is one of those target ymmv clearance deals[/QUOTE]Oh, so it'd be in the clearance section? I looked there when I went and didn't see Baller Beats anywhere, so I guess that's OK. :)
 
[quote name='Vigilante']Oh, so it'd be in the clearance section? I looked there when I went and didn't see Baller Beats anywhere, so I guess that's OK. :)[/QUOTE]
sorry i was not more clear, it is sort of like the price mistake of the resident evil: operation raccon city special edition xbox 360 deal, a while back. it is not necessary in the clearance section.
 
[quote name='sixspeednissan']Did anyone else have trouble getting the extra 10% to stack? I stopped by today and they wouldn't stack the extra. It was $1 so I said oh well.[/QUOTE]

That happened to me on Sunday. They couldn't access my Gamers Club Unlocked account when they entered my phone number. The employee should me the screen and there was an error message.
 
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