Official Amazon Trade-In FAQ 4.0 - READ 1st POST

Status
Not open for further replies.
handsomepete

handsomepete

CAGiversary!
Feedback
20 (100%)
Welcome to the Official CAG Amazon.com Trade-In Thread

Hey trade-in pals! SENDING THINGS IN DISC / CARTRIDGE ONLY / GENERIC CASE NO MANUAL / ANYTHING BUT COMPLETE COULD RESULT IN REJECTION. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS. YOU MIGHT GET ACCEPTED, YOU MIGHT NOT. NO ONE KNOWS. THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES. IF IT IS ACCEPTED, IT WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY ONLY BE CONSIDERED "ACCEPTABLE." RISK YOUR TIME AND EFFORT AT YOUR PERIL!

[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']I'm getting an acceptance rate of about one per day; it makes me think some supervisor is standing around with a glass of absinthe next to a couple of dumptruck loads of games...while the one responsible for the glitch is made to scan each item and recite its TIV with tears in their eyes.[/QUOTE]

Amazon.com Trade-in Home Page

------- FAQ BELOW - LEAVE ME ALONE PLEASE -------
Useful links:
-- BlueLobstah
-- CheapAssGamer
THANKS TO DISILLUSION386 and GI60 FOR POSTING AND MAINTAINING THE PREVIOUS AMAZON TRADE-IN FAQ THREADS

This thread’s primary purpose is to discuss Amazon.com’s video game trade-in program. Conspiracy theories about NORAM smashing games before sending them back / stealing children / sneezing and touching public door handles / etc welcome, but try to avoid going nutso. PLEASE READ THE TRADE-IN DEAL DETAILS AND FAQ BEFORE ASKING ANY QUESTIONS.

Trade-In Procedure

1. SELECT ITEMS: Search for items to trade in. Your trade-in items must meet the product eligibility criteria.
2. SHIP GAMES FREE: Print a shipping label and packing slip, package your games, and ship them
3. GET A GIFT CARD: An Amazon.com Gift Card will be deposited into your account upon receipt of games
Click to expand...
Shipping Instructions

1. Print this entire page. (Packing slip and shipping label once you have submitted a trade)
2. Cut out the shipping label and the packing slip.
3. Make sure your items are in good working condition and include the case and cover art.
4. Securely pack the items in a box or envelope and include the packing slip in the package.
5. Attach the shipping label squarely onto the outside of the package and add your return address.
6. Take it to your nearest UPS Store and mail it by (one week from submission of trade)
7. Or you can ship to:
note to self: look up new address
Click to expand...
Trade-In Product Eligibility

Trade-in items must match the exact version displayed in the Amazon Trade-In Store, not be damaged, include original packaging (e.g. the manual, cover art, and case), and be postmarked no later than 7 days after submission. You will receive an e-mail confirmation and an Amazon.com Gift Card will be deposited into your account within 2 business days of item receipt and verification by the merchant. Items not accepted by the merchant will be returned to you approximately 14 days after receipt.
Click to expand...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL FAQ (Updated 06/07/2011)
Can I post a question on this thread?
  • Only if you can't find the answer from below. :lol: And please let me know if it needs to be added to FAQ.
Can I edit this FAQ? (updated 6/7/11)
  • You bet! Up top there is a section for notable TIVs - feel free to add anything in there (and if you can remember, clean up after yourself in a few days when the TIV has undoubtedly dropped). You can edit the FAQ too, please just make sure it's useful and well formatted! Thanks!
Since when did Amazon start doing trades?
  • The program began in 2009 and is handled by a third party merchant, NorAm International.
What kind of shipping does Amazon provide us?
  • Free UPS ground ---- USPS is no longer available for free. There is now also an option to provide your own shipping.
Do I have to provide my own box or envelope?
  • Yes.
Do all my games in the same trade-in submission have to be shipped in the same box? (updated 3/9/11)
  • Not necessarily - people have sent in multiple boxes for the same trade-in submission successfully. It's even possible to send half at one time and the other half at the end of the valid shipping period. However, it's probably best to always ship everything at once.
Can I put separate trades in to a single box? (updated 6/7/11)
  • Sure, and they'll likely be accepted just fine. However, it isn't recommended since you would only have proof that you sent one of the trades (whichever mailing label you used). So it can be pretty risky.
Can I send in sealed games?
  • Yes. They won't reject games that still have the original shrink wrap.
Can I add Delivery Confirmation and Insurance to my shipment?
  • UPS Ground already provides you with tracking information, and I imagine you could get some sort of insurance added at a UPS store or location if you were so inclined.
I don't trust UPS ground. Can I pay for postage myself? What's the address?
  • Yes. You're more than welcome to do so. The address is:
    NorAm International
    22 Hampshire Dr
    Hudson, NH 03051
    (This is also an option when submitting your trades)
When do I have to send my games once I have submitted my trade order?
  • You have 1 week (7 days) to send your games. There have been reports of submitting trades up to 15 - 20 days late, but that is definitely ymmv. Send on time for the best chance at success!
Crap, I have one day to go before my shipment deadline, but the website states that my deadline has already passed. How do I print out a shipping label and packing slip?
  • Load up any existing order (if you don't have any, check your browser's history or just submit a new one to use the link), and substitute the transaction ID for the trade-in order you need at the end of the URL.
How long does the whole trade-in process usually take?
  • From the time you send in your games, it may take up to 14 business days for the package to arrive. Most people usually receive their credit (Amazon GiftCard) in 3 to 5 business days, however.
How long does the "processing" status usually take? (Updated 6/8/11)
  • Usually a day or with little delay at all, but the longest reported days so far is 4.
My games were received on Friday (based on Delivery Confirmation), will I have to wait until Monday to receive credit?
  • People have received credit on a Saturday.
I do not have the manual, cover art, or original case for a game I want to trade in. Will they accept it? (updated 6/9/11)
  • While the details specifically state that original packaging is necessary, people have reported in the past that their trades were accepted despite missing some of these. This is extremely YMMV, however since some were also rejected by missing manual or cover art. On the other hand, older gen games; such as SNES, N64, and GB cartridges, normally get accepted without the original box and manual, but still YMMV.

    It should be noted that with the new condition requirements (see later in the FAQ), you may be able to send an item in missing some or all of the required items (manual / cover art / case) and still have it accepted in "Acceptable" condition.
I do not have the manual, accessories, original box, original included game, etc for a console or accessory I want to trade in. Will they accept it? (updated 3/9/11)
  • The current wisdom is "probably not" - it's pretty YMMV but NorAm seems stricter than they should be on this. Your chances seem to be better for them accepting a console or accessory without the box / manual / etc if it's older generation or rare. You're more than welcome to give it a shot though if you're feeling lucky - just pack it well and include as much as you can!
My game is really beat up, what are the chances they’ll accept it?
  • This is YMMV. Some people have reported in the past that they sent in games in bad shape that were still accepted. Your best bet is still to trade in games in mint condition. Minor scratches are expected as these are used games.
My game came with DLC codes and I used them. Will my game be accepted? (Updated 12/28/11)
  • It is expected that included DLC codes have already been redeemed, so you should be fine. It is a kindness however if you have no use for it to not redeem it and let the next lucky soul who buys it from awd or wherever have a crack at it. Up to you!
My cover art (PLATINUM HITS) differs from the pic on amazon, will my trade be accepted?
  • It all depends on the UPC so just turn your game around, type in the UPC into the amazon search box. If the game comes up, then it's accepted regardless of cover art. Click on that result to submit your trade.
I have a game from a limited edition bundle, will they accept it?
  • If the game’s cover art has a UPC barcode, they will most likely accept it. If your game's cover states "Not for Resale" and does not have a UPC barcode, the game will most likely get rejected. Some people have had their games accepted in the past, but this is very YMMV.
The UPC barcode is not intact on my game's cover art, will that be accepted? (updated 3/9/11)
  • This is YMMV, but probably not. The UPC is all powerful within the walls of NorAm.
I sent in my games, all of which were in pristine condition with the original packaging, but they said that one game is damaged and is now being returned.
  • Always pack your games well. Put a lot of newspaper around your games in the box to secure them and to prevent any damages from haphazard box cutting. People in the past have requested their entire trade-in order if it’s obvious the damage wasn’t their fault, and Amazon ended up accepting the rejected game. This is YMMV as well.
Can I trade in multiple copies of the same game?
  • Yes. Once you click “Trade in” for a particular game, you may change the quantities. Once you submit, you can no longer change quantities on that trade-in batch.
How many multiple copies of the same game can I trade-in (updated 1/11/11)?
  • Maximum of 2 copies within 3 a month period.
I locked in X copies of a game but I now only have Y available to send. Can I just send in Y without being penalized? (updated 3/9/11)
  • Yes, you can always just send in a portion of your trade-in order and they'll just credit you for whatever they receive. However, the quantities you submitted for will stay locked in that instance (I think) so if you, for example, submitted for 2 copies and only sent 1, you may not be able to trade any more copies of that game for 3 months (see previous question).
Will the Trade-in of the Day TIV stay for 24 hours?
  • It's been reported that there is a limit (maximum # of copies) that will get the promoted TIV so lock yours.
So if I find a good flip, I can just send 2 copies of that game and not worry about Amazon accusing me of stolen merchandise?
  • Technically yes, but do keep in mind that other CAGs might want to participate in the current deal, and trading in a large number of the same game will definitely lower the TIV of said game. Let’s be nice to other people. This is probably moot for most folks now with the per account / address trade-in limit.
Wow, these TIVs suck (updated 3/9/11)!
  • Really? Hrm. While that may be true, they're often better than other comparable places. Your options of what to do with your used games are greater now than they've ever been, so feel free to shop your trades around or just sell them off on glyde/gamestaq/ebay/whatever. Also, not a question.
What the fuck? The TIV of a game I just bought for this deal tanked! What do I do?
  • The TIVs on Amazon fluctuate depending on the number of trades that are submitted, and we really can’t do anything about it. The best course of action for trading in games is to lock in your trade if you already have the games or are absolutely sure that you can obtain them. You can always cancel the trade submission if you end up not finding the games.
    LOCK = SUBMIT YOUR TRADE, Don't just put it in the cart.
Can I edit a submitted trade?
  • Nope - once upon a time you could modify trade in quantities of submitted trades, but that ability has been removed.
Can I use my credit on items that are not video game-related?
  • Yes. This is the other perk for trading in games at Amazon since you're not limited to just video games.
Can I use my credit on items sold by third-party merchants on Amazon?
  • According to the fine print of the Amazon gift card use, some merchants are excluded. Your best bet is to try it on the checkout page of your order.
Strategy guides? I can trade in game/strategy guides? Whaaaaa?
  • Go to the Textbook Buyback section (http://www.amazon.com/Textbooks-Trad...ode=2205237011[/URL]). You can either search on the title of a strategy guide you have to see if they'll accept it, or search for guides. The two best search strings to start with are 'prima guides' and 'bradygames'. Might try 'doublejump' if you want to trade in some of those. (Thanks eugaet)
I locked in some hilariously overvalued trade for some weird rare game/accessory/etc that I can pick up for cheap cheap cheap. They didn't accept it. What should I do? (updated 3/9/11)
  • The truth is that NORAM can reject things for any reason they see fit. While some people have managed to get silly things like a $200 credit for some cheerleading game (or for a PS2 - just ask io!), it's sooooooo YMMV that often it's not worth the effort. EXPECT REJECTION ON THINGS THAT ARE CLEARLY MISVALUED. That said, as long as you're willing to risk it, go for it!
What's all this item condition nonsense? And how can I get screwed over by it? (updated 6/9/11)
  • We're still kinda sussing out the details surrounding the new item condition portion of Amazon Trade-Ins, but it looks like there's a couple things to consider:
    • Good Condition eligibility (games):
    • - The video game, original manufacturer packaging and all original elements are included, but shows wear from normal use
      - Game still plays perfectly
      - Disc may have light scratches and other elements may have minor damage
      - Item may have been personalized (marked or identified)
      Click to expand...

      [*]Acceptable eligibility (games):
      - Game still plays perfectly
      - Item may have been personalized (marked or identified)
      - Item may be missing or have irreparable damage to one or all of the following: case, manual, artwork, bundled accessories, UPC
      Click to expand...

      [*]Note that a game will almost certainly not be accepted if it meets any of these conditions:
      - Game does not play perfectly
      - Disc is cracked
      - Marked Not for Resale (or is otherwise marked not for sale)
      Click to expand...
    Consoles/accessories have some slightly different criteria, but the idea is the same.
Did it seriously just ask me if I wanted my game / other item returned if they refuse to give me credit for it? (updated 6/9/11)
  • Yes, that just happened.

    Unless you're purposefully sending them things you deem to be trash, please remember to choose the option that has them return your item to you during the checkout phase.
Who is AFS? (updated 6/9/11)
  • Not sure yet, but that's the name on the trade-in shipping labels now instead of NORAM. May just be NORAM with a different name. This will be updated as we learn more.
Post away!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='needler420']
...and still ship 25 days after the 7 day period.[/QUOTE]

It is well established that you have 25 days to get it to them (not ship). So, yeah, generally you can ship at least a few days after the 7 day deadline, depending on where you live. For me it is 8-9 days shipping via UPS so I tend not to push it. People who live in Ohio or Kentucky can probably wait 20 days. Though I think we have heard of them expiring while they were still processing. So it is a good idea to make it 20 days in case there is a 4-5 day processing time. But even with all that, a few days after the 7-day deadline is OK.

I know someone tried to tell you this earlier and you didn't believe them, but we've been doing this for a long time and that is the way it has always worked.
 
[quote name='io']It is well established that you have 25 days to get it to them (not ship). So, yeah, generally you can ship at least a few days after the 7 day deadline, depending on where you live. For me it is 8-9 days shipping via UPS so I tend not to push it. People who live in Ohio or Kentucky can probably wait 20 days ;).

I know someone tried to tell you this earlier and you didn't believe them, but we've been doing this for a long time and that is the way it has always worked.[/QUOTE]
Yeah but that just means you're getting lucky. No where on amazon does it say you have 25 days. It says you have 7 days to please post.

Everyones rejection isn't going to happen at the same time. Some people will get rejected for being a week late. And others will pass for being 2 weeks late.


Again that 25 day period to ship was literally pulled from the air. I think a few people shipped a few weeks late and they accepted and you guys honor that like the constitution.

There is no official time that amazon states they have to recieve it by.

That's as far I read. If there is an offical time then shut me up. The most I can find is the please post by 7 days. Which means send by not an offical recieve date.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='io']Ok, "a few people" - whatever you say.[/QUOTE]


Ill give you the benefit of the doubt and say a lot of people.

The 25 day is still pulled from the air though. As I said amazon has no offical time period that they have to recieve a trade in by.

25 days was literally I think made up. Not one mention on amazon does it ever say anything about 25 days with trade ins.
 
Anybody got burned by recent trades due to this?

My brother-in-law gave me a stack of PSX and PS2 games that he wanted to get rid of, and I ended up giving a bunch away over at the Penny-Arcade forums.

After around a month and people stopped requesting copies, I traded in what I could before dropping the rest off at the local thrift store.

One of those games I traded in was Road Rash.

I got 80 cents.

It now has a trade-in value of $30.

Kill me. Lol.
 
Really sad right now that I'm thinking about trading in Smash Bros and Mario Kart Double Dash with bonus disc. Other than Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, those are the last two games I have. I never play my gamecube anymore. I never owned many games for it and most of them were Mario games.

But $30 credit each for games I never play and haven't played in such a long time is hard to pass up.

I might even just keep an eye out to see if the other Mario sports titles spike in value because Mario Kart Double Dash with bonus disc was sitting pretty low at the start of all this.

Also found the manuals for the GBA games I'm sending in. Even if they don't get me better value it will be less clutter around my place.

Also I'm thinking if I do get this stuff traded in and get credit that I'm going to have a nice black friday.
 
[quote name='Toss']io - I will give you the benefit of the doubt also ;)[/QUOTE]


The benefit of what doubt? Do you enjoy instigating disruptive posts or something?

I actually stated a valid point with the mod. You're playing suck up.
 
[quote name='N3UROP0D']Forgive me if this has been asked, Resident Evil 2 for PS1 - there are two TIV's shown and I know better than to go by the cover art they use.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...es-tradein&field-keywords=resident+evil+2+ps1

Will they accept either version for the $30 TIV? And what if I send it disc-only?[/QUOTE]

Their RE2 listing doesn't even make sense, as far as I know the upc doesn't match either black label version in my possession (the dual shock and "win a part in the movie" versions)
 
So does anyone here think Amazon will skip town once they've received a couple trillion dollars worth of games? Maybe they'll pass them off to Gamestop, who will be acting as the underworld fence, eh?
 
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']So does anyone here think Amazon will skip town once they've received a couple trillion dollars worth of games? Maybe they'll pass them off to Gamestop, who will be acting as the underworld fence, eh?[/QUOTE]


My theory on this is amazon is trying to monoplize the value with certain games. Some make you say wtf but at the same time every popular 1st party Nintendo game is on there with a high TIV. They still know what they're doing. I believe with in a year or two the value of these games will exceed the TIV or at the very least be fair market value. Its not that far from the prices now.

The best example I can give of this is with The legend of zelda link to the past as its one I debated trading in only to see it would cost even more then the TIV to purchase it back.

Same thing happened with a few others. As rarely as I play them I still do. In fact I recently just got back into retro gaming pretty heavy. Ill probably go through phases of it.

I always say these sought after retro games will only exceed in value over time while most current gen games will depreciate. You'll get a crap ton of amazon credit and purchase PS3 and xbox games that will be $2 by the next gen consoles.

I traded in goldeneye 007, doom64 and mario land for $21 each but both doom and goldeneye were doubles so its a win win for me.

Its not like some of you make it out to be where its a glitch or some imbecile is setting the TIV prices ( least on some of them) For the most part I have faith in they know what they're doing.
 
[quote name='needler420']The benefit of what doubt? Do you enjoy instigating disruptive posts or something?

I actually stated a valid point with the mod. You're playing suck up.[/QUOTE]

Naw, it was a joke. I enjoy reading your informative and comedic posts. Your grammar is impeccable. Your market cornering idea has some credibility though, except that these crazy tivs are being offered for so many games with no demand. I just don't see people ever buying original xbox games for more than $30, especially when there are tons sitting there on amazon's 3rd party market for less than $7 after shipping. The fact that DOOM 3's $30 tiv dropped to $1 makes me think it is a glitch instead of some stoner imbecile setting the TIV prices. But believe what you will.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I go to sleep for one measly night and everyone gets all wonky. Yeesh.

RE:Survivor is back up for whoever missed it earlier. Also one or two new ones snuck up to $30.
 
[quote name='needler420']The benefit of what doubt? Do you enjoy instigating disruptive posts or something?

I actually stated a valid point with the mod. You're playing suck up.[/QUOTE]


He's not instigating. Io tried to tell you that there's a hard-limit 25 day period for trades. You're right that it's not listed anywhere on Amazon (only the 7 day mailing period is mentioned), but it exists. You don't have to take io's word for it (or mine, or any of us cracking jokes because we've been doing this fairly extensively and fairly regularly for a pretty long time).

Open a trade on Amazon. Doesn't matter what game. Doesn't matter if you print the label. Doesn't matter if you send it in. The system will automatically cancel out that trade on the 25th day no matter what stage in the process the trade is at. Everything else up to that 25 day period is gravy. You'll be fine. This is an experiment you can conduct/verify yourself. No getting lucky or pulling anything out of thin air required.

And the Amazon TIVs aren't based on "monopolizing the value" but rather on an algorithm they use that factors in their selling price of an item and how many trades they're getting of that item (among other things I'm sure). That's why the games with weird/high spikes in value (and this has happened a lot of times before this current "old gen" game spike) also usually have abnormally high listing prices and the values tank when too many trades are locked-in.

I think you might be giving Amazon and their trade-in corporation partners a little too much credit and assigning a little too much human perspective/thought/foresight into a system controlled largely by a computer algorithm. These same spikes happen to Wii shovelware (some Unicorn and Magic Carnival games netted like $60 a piece back in the day, along with some $40 NDS Fireman game) and these were games that were/are readily available at GS and other places for dirt cheap. They weren't rare, they weren't valuable. And they never sold for anywhere close to the amount of trade-in credit we got for them at the time.

It's a glitch, but more a reoccurring glitch in the system rather than a temporary glitch currently assigned to just these "old gen" games. Best to take advantage of them when/if you can.
 
Seems intentonal week of wiiu iphone 5 ipod touch 5 preorders to much coincidence.

[quote name='esalw822']He's not instigating. Io tried to tell you that there's a hard-limit 25 day period for trades. You're right that it's not listed anywhere on Amazon (only the 7 day mailing period is mentioned), but it exists. You don't have to take io's word for it (or mine, or any of us cracking jokes because we've been doing this fairly extensively and fairly regularly for a pretty long time).

Open a trade on Amazon. Doesn't matter what game. Doesn't matter if you print the label. Doesn't matter if you send it in. The system will automatically cancel out that trade on the 25th day no matter what stage in the process the trade is at. Everything else up to that 25 day period is gravy. You'll be fine. This is an experiment you can conduct/verify yourself. No getting lucky or pulling anything out of thin air required.

And the Amazon TIVs aren't based on "monopolizing the value" but rather on an algorithm they use that factors in their selling price of an item and how many trades they're getting of that item (among other things I'm sure). That's why the games with weird/high spikes in value (and this has happened a lot of times before this current "old gen" game spike) also usually have abnormally high listing prices and the values tank when too many trades are locked-in.

I think you might be giving Amazon and their trade-in corporation partners a little too much credit and assigning a little too much human perspective/thought/foresight into a system controlled largely by a computer algorithm. These same spikes happen to Wii shovelware (some Unicorn and Magic Carnival games netted like $60 a piece back in the day, along with some $40 NDS Fireman game) and these were games that were/are readily available at GS and other places for dirt cheap. They weren't rare, they weren't valuable. And they never sold for anywhere close to the amount of trade-in credit we got for them at the time.

It's a glitch, but more a reoccurring glitch in the system rather than a temporary glitch currently assigned to just these "old gen" games. Best to take advantage of them when/if you can.[/QUOTE]
 
I sent in black label dual shock ed they sent my $30 my wavebird w/receiver no box rejected second bundle of gba gbc snes games accepted waiting on eight bundles I sent out.

[quote name='Jackovasaurus']It's weird. They have RE:2(PS1) for a couple bucks, then they have the greatest hits version for $30. I picked the GH, but I'm trading in the original. We'll see what happens![/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='needler420']Yeah but that just means you're getting lucky. No where on amazon does it say you have 25 days. It says you have 7 days to please post.

Everyones rejection isn't going to happen at the same time. Some people will get rejected for being a week late. And others will pass for being 2 weeks late.


Again that 25 day period to ship was literally pulled from the air. I think a few people shipped a few weeks late and they accepted and you guys honor that like the constitution.

There is no official time that amazon states they have to recieve it by.

That's as far I read. If there is an offical time then shut me up. The most I can find is the please post by 7 days. Which means send by not an offical recieve date.[/QUOTE]

Jesus. STFU already. People with much more experience trading into amazon are trying to tell the truth and you refuse to believe.

Ship everything within 7 days. We don't care. Just stfu about it. :roll:
 
is it just me or are pretty much no ps2 game values messed up? i've checked numerous times and they never seem to fluctuate like xbox/gamecube and older systems.
 
[quote name='NiiNJA']is it just me or are pretty much no ps2 game values messed up? i've checked numerous times and they never seem to fluctuate like xbox/gamecube and older systems.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I only sent in N64, NES, SNES, PS1, and Gamecube games. They are becoming popular again, PS2 was just too mass produced and isn't old enough to be "retro" yet.
 
alright cool, not even going to bother checking my ps2 games anymore.

and lol i just tried to combine two orders i had already locked in so i could save a box for shipping and watched the value of my 2 copies of the original crash plummet from 30 to 2.50 while i tried to do so. hope they go back up!

and i should note, when searching crash on amazon it comes up as 30 still (which is why i made the switch, i had checked all of the locked in games) but then once you click to trade it, it only registers at 2.50
 
[quote name='esalw822']
It's a glitch, but more a reoccurring glitch in the system rather than a temporary glitch currently assigned to just these "old gen" games. Best to take advantage of them when/if you can.[/QUOTE]

It has been going on too long for this.

As you point out, previous spikes were short lived, which means the system has checks to prevent it from going out of control/flagging stuff for human review. This has been going on for over a week and it is also only happening on older systems, not PS2 and newer systems. You are also assuming that the system is only for amazon's own selling efforts and not doesn't involve 3rd parties using amazon. I think Gamestop is behind this. All the games jumping up in values are from systems that GS doesn't carry anymore (gamecube stuff is/all but phased out at GS nowadays). Nothing crazy is going on with current gen games.

They've said they want to start a vintage game division
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3279278/gamestop-vintage-store

And while it might seem crazy for GS to use a competitor's trade in service, keep this in mind. Vintage games are unproven and, at best, will be a minor sideline business for GS, so it is unlikely they would choose to muck up their systems for the main business to handle vintage game trade ins.

If you were to start a vintage game retailer, how would you get the merch to start off?
1) You could hiring a staff to deal with 1000s of ebay auctions over some not short period of time .
2) You could hire a bunch of people and spend a lot of money building infrastructure for some sort of amazon like mail in trade in business for a yet to be proven new business.
3) or you could just use amazon's trade in system to get enough inventory to get the ball rolling enough to get the business off the ground. Once they have enough inventory/the business seems like it might work, they'll probably set up their own trade in by mail service.

While there have been some odd ball pricing (MTV music Generator for the PS1), most of the high values are on games/series with known demand (Mario games, JRPGs, star wars) based on either nostalgia or actual rarity (cubivore).

As to how this can work economically, I suspect that GS will do VGA lite grading system to appeal to collectors...so for all those disk only Silent Hill 1 they getting for $21 of amazon credit, GS will grade it and repackage them and sell it for $40 and for the black label complete Silent Hill they get for $30, they'll put in a sealed graded package and sell for $80.

Now this is all a guess on my part, but for these trade values to be this high on a relatively selective batch of games for this long is unlikely to be from some unplanned effort.
 
Interesting post...your idea was laid out well and makes sense.

Edit: was trying to contrast and encourage intelligent posts responding to my inquiry for "any ideas" vs some of the gibberish being posted in this thread recently
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='K_G']
They've said they want to start a vintage game division
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3279278/gamestop-vintage-store
[/QUOTE]

As long as they only trade retro games on their website, I don't think that would be too bad. If they start accepting trade-ins in-store however, I think the second-hand market will dry up quick of retro games. At least in my area, most people don't use the internet for trading/selling games, so they sell in a yard sale or give to Goodwill.
 
The longevity of this makes me wonder, but I still think it is a glitch. From what I've seen, it is only games with a new copy at a high price that are getting the high values (or games that are just plain worth a lot. e.g. Valkyrie Profile).

Anyway, I thought I'd post some results I've gotten, and answer a question I posted earlier in the thread: Yes, you do get an email when the trade goes through. I've now had two packages go through processing...

Donald Duck- Goin' Quackers! 1 Unacceptable $0.00 Returned (this was a former rental, I'm not surprised)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect 1 Good - Pending (didn't have in collection so didn't send in)
Wario World 1 Acceptable (Condition Revised) $16.45 Gift Card Deposited (didn't have manual)
Diddy Kong Racing 1 Good - Pending
GoldenEye 007 1 Good - Pending
Castlevania 64 1 Good - Pending
Total 6 $16.45
Click to expand...

later I received another email on same package:
Donald Duck- Goin' Quackers! 1 Unacceptable $0.00 Returned
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect 1 Good - Pending
Wario World 1 Acceptable (Condition Revised) $16.45 Gift Card Deposited
Diddy Kong Racing 1 Acceptable (Condition Revised) $21.00 Gift Card Deposited
GoldenEye 007 1 Acceptable (Condition Revised) $21.00 Gift Card Deposited
Castlevania 64 1 Acceptable (Condition Revised) $21.00 Gift Card Deposited
Total 6 $79.45
Click to expand...
These N64 games were cart-only, and I didn't mean to select 'good', but it reset to that when I added another game and I didn't catch it before submitting.

Oddworld Abe's Oddysee 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Spyro the Dragon 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Road Rash 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Riven: The Sequel To Myst 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Elmo's Number Journey 1 Good - Pending
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 1 Good - Pending
Red Dead Revolver 1 Good $30.00 Gift Card Deposited
Total 8 $180.00
Click to expand...

Not sure what is up with the two pending, but I may not have sent in Crash 2 since I pulled all this from my collection and wasn't certain what all I had before locking in. I'll have to check the pics I snapped before boxing up. Either way, I'm pretty dang thrilled! (and have several more still processing!!)
 
Am I just missing it, or do they not take Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS? I know Best Buy doesn't take it, already tried...and looks like GS is only offering $11 for it.
 
Finding boxes and manuals for games you are trading in is very fun and very nice. Hoping they will take my acceptable stuff and bump it up to good because it's coming complete.
 
ughh.. starting to see alot of the value drop :(

most of the xbox stuff no longer at $30

the tiv tracker site seems to not be up to date even though it says last updated a few hours ago
 
yup was too late with some of my xbox games. looks like everything is tanking. went through some psx/n64 and they are all low.
 
[quote name='handsomepete']Yep, things started cashing in for me today too. I am pleased by this thing they're doing.

p.s. Buffy's back up[/QUOTE]

My girlfriend and I both had things cash in on our accounts today...no shocker that all the values have tanked.

Looks like the dream has died.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yeah, the most expensive TIV I see now is a Gamecube windwaker at $12, I think it has ended.

Now that its over. Here is what I got:
2nd batch
gba Power rangers wild force 15.20:hot:
n64 Pokemon snap 13.75
gba Harry Potter Chamber Sec 5.15
snes Donkey Kong 2 21.00
gbc Mario Bros Deluxe 21.00

1st batch
all gamecube
nhl hitz 2002 6.70:hot:
king arthur 4.00
Lego star wars 1.70
NFS Hot pursuit 5.75
nba street 2 6.00
Tony Hawk Underground 1.95
CoD Big Red 6.10
Sonic Mega Collection 5.90
King Kong 4.00
DK jungle beat 5.30
nba live 2005 2.55
fifa street 2 5.90
LOTR return of king 2.40

Total around 130. Plan on rebuying DKC 2... and no idea what to do with the rest lol. Maybe upgrade from my measly 20gb xbox hard drive. I pretty much consider this free money, most of what I traded in is regarded as trash games that id have trouble selling at a decent price.
Had a CIB black gamecube, was hoping the TIV would be matched to the platinum GC which was at $80. But unfortunately no time as this ended =(

Question: Is there any way Amazon would argue these TIV's and give me less than what was promised to me now that everything has plummeted? I know they could just deny the trade ins though for any reason. Just don't want them to give me the new values on TIV and keep the games.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
before it gets asked too many times, if you locked it in that's the only value they can give you. either you'll get it, or they'll reject for whatever random reason so they don't have to pay out.
 
I am going to be a nervous as fuck all week. I was really hoping these values would hold out another week just to get my huge load of games accepted.

But, the TIVs have been seesawing a lot-- even this morning. I watched MGS on PS1 go from 2.10 back to 30.00 in the span of about an hour. Maybe this isn't dead yet.
EDIT: now it's down to 1.05 lol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
just to add my .02....I've been having massive troubles with Amazon's trade-ins lately. Of my last 4 trades, 2 were stuck and never cashed out. One was in perpetual "processing" and the other showed expired but CS admitted it was "received" but not processed or verified.

I had to call CS to get "promotional credits" for both of those games applied to my account. They did it happily but it still sucks that it hasn't been as smooth as in the past where I mail in games and not worry about it being lost or messed with.
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']I am going to be a nervous as fuck all week. I was really hoping these values would hold out another week just to get my huge load of games accepted.[/QUOTE]

Ha, me too, I've sent in $500 of stuff and I'll be obsessively refreshing that page for the next several days.
 
[quote name='KryllFood']just to add my .02....I've been having massive troubles with Amazon's trade-ins lately. Of my last 4 trades, 2 were stuck and never cashed out. One was in perpetual "processing" and the other showed expired but CS admitted it was "received" but not processed or verified.

I had to call CS to get "promotional credits" for both of those games applied to my account. They did it happily but it still sucks that it hasn't been as smooth as in the past where I mail in games and not worry about it being lost or messed with.[/QUOTE]

I hope this happens to me so i can get promo credits at least. :D
 
Hmm - my only regret is not "refreshing" a few trades last night to reset the mailing time. Oh well, I can still get them out in time anyway.

Meanwhile, they are taking their time with the one package they have received so far. To those who have gotten paid, how long have your "processing" times been?
 
[quote name='io']Hmm - my only regret is not "refreshing" a few trades last night to reset the mailing time. Oh well, I can still get them out in time anyway.

Meanwhile, they are taking their time with the one package they have received so far. To those who have gotten paid, how long have your "processing" times been?[/QUOTE]

2-4 days, a little better than recent averages
 
[quote name='N3UROP0D']Ha, me too, I've sent in $500 of stuff and I'll be obsessively refreshing that page for the next several days.[/QUOTE]
I plucked a lot of games out of my own collection, so it'd be hard to know what I spent exactly, but I estimate actual cash was around 300... but I stand to have roughly 1300-1500 in credit.

From the sounds of it, you may have an assload coming to you. It's been a good long while since I've been feverishly nervous about Amazon trades. I feel your pain, brother
 
Well how bad is my luck? I somehow missed this until last night, and I was actually gathering up and checking TIVs and when I refreshed my trade list, the total went from about $250 to about $20...
 
[quote name='sp00ge']Well how bad is my luck? I somehow missed this until last night, and I was actually gathering up and checking TIVs and when I refreshed my trade list, the total went from about $250 to about $20...[/QUOTE]I'll give you $40 for the lot of it, sp00ge. Double your money. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top