Video game resale tips?

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N1c0_ds

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I sold all the games I didn't want on eBay and I'm looking for more games to sell to raise my feedback and make some money. Where can I find a good source of cheap games for resale? I'd love to start a game reselling business à la "40 year old virgin" but I'm way too young (and poor) for that.

Where can I find cheap games in lots for resale? If you could point me to a great guide (i don't know which one to trust), I'd be happy to throw in a few bucks and share the advice.
 
There used to be people on eBay who would sell "wholesale" lots of games. Get a ton of crap games and then sell them at a profit. Since its usually crap games, you probably will have trouble.

If you want to do something like this and live in the right area, garage sales and flea markets are your friends. You spend tons of time on the weekend scouring those things then resell what you get. Its a lot of work, but probably one of the better ways to get started.

Personally, I wouldn't touch getting in to this market. With so many online retailers out there and the idiots on eBay, it may not be worth the hassle.

TBW
 
[quote name='TheBlueWizard']Personally, I wouldn't touch getting in to this market. With so many online retailers out there and the idiots on eBay, it may not be worth the hassle.

TBW[/quote]

It's just a time killer waiting to turn 16 (in september) and get a job with non-random hours.

I got lucky on eBay and didn't get any idiot. I made over a hundred dollars with my old DS games (and some more with the DS itself). I guess I could be a total a-hole and use the Free Stuff thread but heh.

I wonder if a game rental store pays. You buy game from ebay and rent them AND you resell the games they give you on eBay in your free time.

[/teenager dreaming]
 
you just need a system, being in Canada is a pretty huge advantage. I pretty much have what sounds to be your dream job right now. I'm only a little older than you.

You definately need to be willing to put in the effort though to succeed.
 
[quote name='magiic']you just need a system, being in Canada is a pretty huge advantage. I pretty much have what sounds to be your dream job right now. I'm only a little older than you.

You definately need to be willing to put in the effort though to succeed.[/quote]

You can also sell to Canadians - they pay an arm and a leg for some stuff.
 
Yard sales are VERY hit or miss. Like last week I only went to two yard sales. On my second one I picked up a Dreamcast with 3 controllers and 13 games for $20. I then traded Jet Grind Radio (came with it) for Ico and Ratchet and Clank, Ico alone goes for something like $30. So after I sell the Dreamcast stuff and Ico, I'll have turned $20 into around $90.

And then this week I went to THIRTY yard sales (it was one of those city-wides with a bunch in one area) and only found a Rubik's Cube and System Shock for 75 cents total.

So it can be very frustrating but rewarding, it just depends on if you think it's worth it or not.

Also look out for things like Hollywood Videos or other used game stores. I found two Pikmin 1s (disc only) at my Hollywood Video, and one of my Pikmins went for $43 on eBay, and the other for $26. So I profited $59.
 
[quote name='magiic']you just need a system, being in Canada is a pretty huge advantage. I pretty much have what sounds to be your dream job right now. I'm only a little older than you.

You definately need to be willing to put in the effort though to succeed.[/quote]

I dont think its that big of an advantage. I hardly ever buy from non-U.S. sellers.

If there was a great place to buy games extraordinarily cheap for resael, everyone would be doing it and than the prices would go up. There really arent any great places a 16-year old with no money can get games that will be cheap enough to resell.

E-mail [email protected] for info on games. They sell newly released games on the day they are released for like $53-54, but they require a Business license, which im unsure whether you can get in Canada at your age.
 
You don't need to sell to the USA. People up here pay stupid amounts for games. I was sixteen but I had a lot of money to get the ball rolling.
 
Think big, think positive, never show any sign of weakness. Always go for the throat. Buy low, sell high. Fear? That's the other guy's problem. Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the absolute carnage you are about to witness. Super Bowl, World Series - they don't know what pressure is. In this building, it's either kill or be killed. You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute you're up half a million in soybeans and the next, boom, your kids don't go to college and they've repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Think big, think positive, never show any sign of weakness. Always go for the throat. Buy low, sell high. Fear? That's the other guy's problem. Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the absolute carnage you are about to witness. Super Bowl, World Series - they don't know what pressure is. In this building, it's either kill or be killed. You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute you're up half a million in soybeans and the next, boom, your kids don't go to college and they've repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?[/quote]

Would you happen to be that '80s guy from Futurama by any chance?

I indeed know this, so I'm not starting anything big right now if I wanna get my car this year, go to college and move without trouble. I also have parents, overprotective from time to time, who won't let me do crazy stuff.

My ideal plan for the next years would be to start a game rental and sale store. I live in a nice place for that kind of business, which I would love.
 
[quote name='N1c0_ds']Would you happen to be that '80s guy from Futurama by any chance?

I indeed know this, so I'm not starting anything big right now if I wanna get my car this year, go to college and move without trouble. I also have parents, overprotective from time to time, who won't let me do crazy stuff.[/quote]

define "crazy stuff"
 
[quote name='magiic']define "crazy stuff"[/quote]

Go bed past 10pm, get a BB gun, keep my Xbox in my room.

But at the same time they let me buy and sell on eBay and sell my applications (I used to program for PalmOS and Windows Mobile). I got a worker's permit in the US (for the apps) but can't come home past 9pm.



That makes everyone :rolleyes: among my friends.
 
I have no problem making extra money off of reselling, amazing how buyers will put a premium on new sealed games as well.

My game reselling pretty much pays for my collection and helped my pay off my credit cards that ballooned while my wife was in college and I had to support all the bills.

Any extra now will go towards principal on my $32000plus red line 08 Saturn Sky
 
You have to establish a system for yourself and do some number crunching and figure out some sort of overhead (base) cost to implement. Unless you're wal-mart, you're not going to make money selling things for pennies over the dollar. Also make sure you're patient enough to stick with the price you establish for your goods because it's easy to cave in and make less money quicker.

As far as venues for acquiring goods you have to keep your eyes open. The truth is that there's always good deals that you could make a killing on, but you have to have the persistence to do the legwork to find them. Sites like craigslist, kijiji (I believe that's the Canadian equivalent of Craigslist... someone feel free to correct me if necessary), flea markets, garage sales, video stores, liquidation sales, ect. You're also going to need some sort of startup money (few hundred or so) to get the ball rolling.

I'm indifferent/hypocritical of game flipping since gaming is a personal hobby, but at the same time it's an easy way to make a buck and pass on deals if you're not too greedy.
 
[quote name='QiG']You have to establish a system for yourself and do some number crunching and figure out some sort of overhead (base) cost to implement. Unless you're wal-mart, you're not going to make money selling things for pennies over the dollar. Also make sure you're patient enough to stick with the price you establish for your goods because it's easy to cave in and make less money quicker.

As far as venues for acquiring goods you have to keep your eyes open. The truth is that there's always good deals that you could make a killing on, but you have to have the persistence to do the legwork to find them. Sites like craigslist, kijiji (I believe that's the Canadian equivalent of Craigslist... someone feel free to correct me if necessary), flea markets, garage sales, video stores, liquidation sales, ect. You're also going to need some sort of startup money (few hundred or so) to get the ball rolling.

I'm indifferent/hypocritical of game flipping since gaming is a personal hobby, but at the same time it's an easy way to make a buck and pass on deals if you're not too greedy.[/quote]
You are correct about kijiji. I believe it is also in America, but not as popular.
Good luck with the selling!
 
Living in NYC doesn't help at all. Although I got Marvel VS Capcom for free, Pikmin 2 for $40, a PS1+30++ games for free, and more, it is hard as hell to resell without relying on ebay. For example, i trade a lot of my games with my friends.

Some great deals I made are:
SNES w/ 2 controllers+14 games- $15
Pikmin 2- $40
Forza 2 for The Orange Box(both 360 games...:))
CoD3 for Tetris Evolution SEALED+Oblivion Game Guide

You just got to be smart. I am only 14 and I got the hang of it already(except for not having enough money today to pick up Zelda Promo Disc for GC for an extra $40 w/ a free copy of Eternal Darkness or RE2 or 3).
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Living in NYC doesn't help at all. Although I got Marvel VS Capcom for free, Pikmin 2 for $40, a PS1+30++ games for free, and more, it is hard as hell to resell without relying on ebay. For example, i trade a lot of my games with my friends.

Some great deals I made are:
SNES w/ 2 controllers+14 games- $15
Pikmin 2- $40
Forza 2 for The Orange Box(both 360 games...:))
CoD3 for Tetris Evolution SEALED+Oblivion Game Guide

You just got to be smart. I am only 14 and I got the hang of it already(except for not having enough money today to pick up Zelda Promo Disc for GC for an extra $40 w/ a free copy of Eternal Darkness or RE2 or 3).[/quote]

Same here, I get incredible deals for games, but I still don't win back the few bucks I spend...
 
I heard Ebay sucks for sellers. How much does Ebay and Paypal end up charging you for putting up your item? I know it is like a certain amount for Ebay to put up your item per day or something?

I never used Ebay b/c I heard some bad things about that site/don't want to pay them too much. I've also heard some horror stories about paypal.

What are some opinions on Ebay/Paypal? What are some other options besides using that combo and craigslist?
 
I'm also looking to start selling on ebay.
The fees don't look THAT horrible, as long as the item sells, but relisting over and over could build up.
I'm not too fond on ebay taking 8.75% of the selling price though.
Does anyone have any tips?
 
To anybody who actually enjoys video games as a hobby who may be considering selling video games on ebay...Don't.

IMO, selling games on ebay sucks all of the joy out of life. It starts out simple, you pick up a few nice scores at a local store and think "Hey this ebay thing is pretty cool, maybe I should try to expand it". So you get a credit card, or use your student loans to finance the purchase of more games. It keeps going well, so you put more of your time and energy into it, you're driving from town to town looking for cheap games to resell. You continue to do well, but you can see a change in yourself. Finding cheap games become a priority, instead of drving from town to town to find games, you're now driving from state to state. You start to neglect other more important things like your studies and friends and family. Before you know it, instead of looking at games as entertainment, you see them only as dollar signs. Your friends are all gone, moved on to bigger and better things. You have become completely consumed with selling on ebay but you're not stupid, you recognize that there is a problem here. You've been selling games for over 5 years, it's all you know, you want to stop but you've acquired a certain lifestyle that simply can't be maintained without selling on ebay. All the knowledge from your college years is gone and you're back to being just another unskilled HS grad fighting over some $10/hr job with the rest of the schmucks. You can't find a job, your wife is staying with her parents, and you're completely miserable with yourself and don't know what to do. You think about it for a while and see that there is only one way out of this, so you get in your car and drive to the nearest pawn shop to see if there are any good deals.
 
[quote name='briansraregames']To anybody who actually enjoys video games as a hobby who may be considering selling video games on ebay...Don't.

IMO, selling games on ebay sucks all of the joy out of life. It starts out simple, you pick up a few nice scores at a local store and think "Hey this ebay thing is pretty cool, maybe I should try to expand it". So you get a credit card, or use your student loans to finance the purchase of more games. It keeps going well, so you put more of your time and energy into it, you're driving from town to town looking for cheap games to resell. You continue to do well, but you can see a change in yourself. Finding cheap games become a priority, instead of drving from town to town to find games, you're now driving from state to state. You start to neglect other more important things like your studies and friends and family. Before you know it, instead of looking at games as entertainment, you see them only as dollar signs. Your friends are all gone, moved on to bigger and better things. You have become completely consumed with selling on ebay but you're not stupid, you recognize that there is a problem here. You've been selling games for over 5 years, it's all you know, you want to stop but you've acquired a certain lifestyle that simply can't be maintained without selling on ebay. All the knowledge from your college years is gone and you're back to being just another unskilled HS grad fighting over some $10/hr job with the rest of the schmucks. You can't find a job, your wife is staying with her parents, and you're completely miserable with yourself and don't know what to do. You think about it for a while and see that there is only one way out of this, so you get in your car and drive to the nearest pawn shop to see if there are any good deals.[/quote]

It's nice to see that people never exaggerate on this forum.
 
[quote name='briansraregames']To anybody who actually enjoys video games as a hobby who may be considering selling video games on ebay...Don't.

IMO, selling games on ebay sucks all of the joy out of life. It starts out simple, you pick up a few nice scores at a local store and think "Hey this ebay thing is pretty cool, maybe I should try to expand it". So you get a credit card, or use your student loans to finance the purchase of more games. It keeps going well, so you put more of your time and energy into it, you're driving from town to town looking for cheap games to resell. You continue to do well, but you can see a change in yourself. Finding cheap games become a priority, instead of drving from town to town to find games, you're now driving from state to state. You start to neglect other more important things like your studies and friends and family. Before you know it, instead of looking at games as entertainment, you see them only as dollar signs. Your friends are all gone, moved on to bigger and better things. You have become completely consumed with selling on ebay but you're not stupid, you recognize that there is a problem here. You've been selling games for over 5 years, it's all you know, you want to stop but you've acquired a certain lifestyle that simply can't be maintained without selling on ebay. All the knowledge from your college years is gone and you're back to being just another unskilled HS grad fighting over some $10/hr job with the rest of the schmucks. You can't find a job, your wife is staying with her parents, and you're completely miserable with yourself and don't know what to do. You think about it for a while and see that there is only one way out of this, so you get in your car and drive to the nearest pawn shop to see if there are any good deals.[/quote]

That was awesome .. lol.
 
[quote name='Samus']It's nice to see that people never exaggerate on this forum.[/quote]

I'm not exaggerating, this is my story, take from it what you will.
 
[quote name='briansraregames']I'm not exaggerating, this is my story, take from it what you will.[/quote]


Were you speaking from personal experience?
 
[quote name='Samus']It's nice to see that people never exaggerate on this forum.[/QUOTE]

It's also nice to see people keep an open mind...:roll:

For what it's worth, what Brian described is almost exactly happened to me soon after I found CAG.

I found myself driving all over town and trying to find the best deals to flip on Ebay. I spent more and more of my free time hunting for deals than I did playing games. I was always broke and frequently borrowed money (this was when I was 16/17, so no credit card) from my brother.

While it's nice the first few times, picking up a few $5-10 games and selling them for 2x as much, it gets old fast. I mean, it was like EASY money but as soon as I made it, I spent it buying more cheap games to resell.

After a few months of doing it, I realized that I hardly spent time with my friends anymore and I was lagging behind in other areas. I also realized how much of an ass I was being buying up every copy of a cheap game to make a profit while others who actually wanted to play them were getting screwed. I understand this is capitalism at it's finest but I still felt like a dick after realizing it.

I know a lot of you will say, "you just couldn't control yourself," and I agree that's most of the reason. Flipping games requires a lot of time... and there's a lot of people (more now than ever) who don't have lives and have nothing better to do. If you think you can manage it, just ask yourself how much free time you actually have to dedicate to this and (I know this sounds cheesy) if you're rather spend that free time making a few bucks or making the most of it with friends and family.

I'm glad I quit after my short stint. I still pick up some extra copies of games if some CAG/family/friends want them and I can find while at a store but that's pretty much it. No more flipping for me.
 
I know a lot of you will say, "you just couldn't control yourself," and I agree that's most of the reason. Flipping games requires a lot of time... and there's a lot of people (more now than ever) who don't have lives and have nothing better to do. If you think you can manage it, just ask yourself how much free time you actually have to dedicate to this and (I know this sounds cheesy) if you're rather spend that free time making a few bucks or making the most of it with friends and family.
Click to expand...

I agree completely, Vinny.
 
Buying games and only making $5-$10 is of course a waste of time, and factor in gas and you might even take a loss.

That's why you only bother flipping if you know you'll make $35+. It lets you get some funding for games because new releases are so expensive these days.

I've come across finds that have made me hundreds. It's certainly worth it as long as you don't lose control.
 
[quote name='Samus']Then I think there's a problem with you, not eBay.[/quote]

You sound like one of those people who say "It'll never happen to me. I'm smarter than that."
 
[quote name='briansraregames']You sound like one of those people who say "It'll never happen to me. I'm smarter than that."[/quote]

I'd say that's pretty accurate. I don't think I'll ever neglect my family/life for a few dollars.

And I certainly don't think I should stop reselling. It's my only means of making money, and it's pretty interesting going to yard sales.
 
[quote name='Samus']I'd say that's pretty accurate. I don't think I'll ever neglect my family/life for a few dollars.

And I certainly don't think I should stop reselling. It's my only means of making money, and it's pretty interesting going to yard sales.[/quote]

You sound exactly like me when I started doing ebay. The thrill of the hunt, making decent cash for minimal effort, that's all fine. My message is to please just be careful. I realize that I don't know you, but seriously it can happen to anyone. Don't let it get to the point where "I don't think I should stop reselling. It's my only means of making money." turn into "I don't think I can afford to stop reselling, it's my only means of making money"
 
alot of negative things already and its only 2 pages? lol. on a little more positive side, its what briansraregames said you have to pretty much drive from town to town trying to remember which stores have which. its not easy to find independent stores that sells sealed games for $2 to $4. youll get more of your games from kmarts or circuit city but since you live in canada im not sure how thats going to work.
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']how many hours a week would you say you put into selling games brian?[/quote]

Right now it's somewhere in the 20-30 range. I dedicate 1 day a week for shopping (12-15 hour day) and then another 10 hrs or so doing the physical work (pack and ship, listing, taking pictures, etc) plus, when there's a hot deal out there, I try to jump on it whenever I have time. I have a full time job now doing ebay sales for a pawn shop in the the area. But, when i was selling games full time, it was probably around 50-60.
 
Holy crap! Thanks for the story brian! I don't plan making a living out of it (especially with games becoming dull), but I'm sure it'll make many people think.

I might also use a part of my free time to complete my +12 other 360 games. So far I only completed CoD4. :D
 
Well, I'm 14 and have made a few bucks reselling video games.

I have become a bit obsessed after coming to CAG, but don't let it get in the way of seeing friends and family.
 
The flipping business is not for me....Just get yourself a nice job and buy a bunch of games to play and share with friends! (or fellow CAG members)

I remember awhile back when the TRU had DDS and nocturne on clearance for like 12$ a copy (they were going for 50$+ on ebay)..The guy in front of me had gotten the last 12 or so copies...I asked him if he would give me one so I CAN PLAY IT and he told me to look on ebay.

It just made me feel sick. He was obviously not a gamer, just looking for a quick buck.
 
you just have to be on the lookout.. i'm sure i could make a lot more money if i tried really hard.. but i primarily pick up games to play.. then maybe occasionally i'll pick up a game to throw up on goozex (if i know i can make 4x the money back usually) but i mean it is very hard to actually make money at doing this.. unless you have a car. do it as a full time job, of just hitting up places that have clearance items, or garage/yard sales or craig's list or pawn shops.. but really you'll be putting in a lot of effort for not much reward.. you are better off mowing lawns or something this summer to get money then selling V-games..
 
Thanks guys for your insight.

CAG definitely has me a little addicted with trying to find deals now everywhere lol.
 
[quote name='Persona7']The flipping business is not for me....Just get yourself a nice job and buy a bunch of games to play and share with friends! (or fellow CAG members)

I remember awhile back when the TRU had DDS and nocturne on clearance for like 12$ a copy (they were going for 50$+ on ebay)..The guy in front of me had gotten the last 12 or so copies...I asked him if he would give me one so I CAN PLAY IT and he told me to look on ebay.

It just made me feel sick. He was obviously not a gamer, just looking for a quick buck.[/quote]

My anger issues might've kicked in.. he would've gotten an elbow to the back of his head while his face met the counter. fuck hoarders.
 
[quote name='georox']My anger issues might've kicked in.. he would've gotten an elbow to the back of his head while his face met the counter. fuck hoarders.[/quote] I would've just grabbed it out of his hand. If I ever hoard, I try to leave at least a couple copies, and if anyone asks I would give them one.
 
[quote name='Persona7']The flipping business is not for me....Just get yourself a nice job and buy a bunch of games to play and share with friends! (or fellow CAG members)

I remember awhile back when the TRU had DDS and nocturne on clearance for like 12$ a copy (they were going for 50$+ on ebay)..The guy in front of me had gotten the last 12 or so copies...I asked him if he would give me one so I CAN PLAY IT and he told me to look on ebay.

It just made me feel sick. He was obviously not a gamer, just looking for a quick buck.[/quote]

Well now you see, I would have done something illegal in that situation. But I digress.

As for Brian, I feel for you man. Everyone should take a long, hard, sobering look at his experience...because it will definitely be the rule and not the exception.

Samus, I hear you too, it's great to come across sweet scores, but even though they're out there as the Yard Sale topic and my own experiences attest to, it's NOT easy money, it's a LOT of hard work, time and effort.

It's always great to see Moeity and EvilMax, Snotknocker, etc.'s scores from their full weekends spent yard saling, but we forget that those scores come from driving around for hours on end on Saturday and Sunday, scouring craigslist, CAG, and the web, running around town trying to score the deals for as cheaply as possible.

It's not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination...it's not a fast and easy way to make money with minimal amount of effort. People seem to forget or never realize that.
 
[quote name='karkyco']
It's always great to see Moeity and EvilMax, Snotknocker, etc.'s scores from their full weekends spent yard saling, but we forget that those scores come from driving around for hours on end on Saturday and Sunday, scouring craigslist, CAG, and the web, running around town trying to score the deals for as cheaply as possible.

It's not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination...it's not a fast and easy way to make money with minimal amount of effort. People seem to forget or never realize that.[/quote]
a hobby that turns into an addiction. people would never admit that sometimes. i didnt when i drove around store to store looking for stuff. but you realize it little by little.
 
Amen.

when i started on CAG and saw how to find deals, expecially on kmart and sears threads, i was drooling, i was not thinking much into hoarding, but it was all about buy and sell buy and sell, and i ended up buying more then i could be selling, i would flip on ebay, at gamestop, at game crazy only to see store credit. cuz if i took the cash i was losing out on my profit. even then the credit was not much of a profit, but it was something to get me what i really wanted.

driving around to kmarts and targets all over town, just to fine a 3-5 dollar game, and to flip it for 7 after ebay and paypal fees. not at all worth it, i guess business is not in my blood. but the time it takes up and the addiction is insane. yard sales and thriftstores were my weekend thing, after work at night going to stores was my thing, going to locations out in bufu or communities where the not so middle class people live that can not afford games was my thing, because thats where i would find stuff in stock. but how far should i go?

time, gas, money, sanity.

totally not worth it, i rather find a desk job paying me 13 an hour where i can chat and watch movies and surf the net for deals for my own benefit. starts out as a hobby but it can become a life altering experience. the whole "im smarter then that, it will never happen to me" is bullspit. it happened to me, and many others.

take your allowance and put it in a bank, or buy some bonds. don't get stuck in this cycle its not worth it unless your ready to give up your life. or if you have one really damn good wholesaler.

All this is my opinion. I in no way am telling you how to live your life, or anyone for that matter.

Parental Discretion is Advised.
 
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