Trade ins - Take 2

[Daria]

When you're trading in retro games to a specialty game store, what's a realistic percentage of value to expect in return? Especially if you're trading for merchandise or credit as opposed to cash.

For example, I have a CIB Dragon Warrior 3. I know retail the store can turn around and sell it for like $175ish, so what should I be getting?

And is there more wiggle room the more games you bring in?

[Niku-Sama]

I feel like this is a trap bbbuuuuutttt

that case in particular $110 to $125

[Daria]

Ok... so there's no secret mathmatical equation for this sort of thing. Lets try another approach. This is the lot of games I'm considering. Am I aiming too high? Low balling myself? On the mark?

NES Games:
Adventure of Link (grey cart, excellent condition) value: $7 asking: $4
Bards Tale (cart only, excellent condition) value: $15 asking: $11
Dragon Warrior III (complete, map has been tapped, manual rough, box good, cart has an excellent label, clean plastic - but discrete heat bubbling) value: $150 - $200 asking: $130
Dragon Warrior IV (cart only, excellent condition) value: $70 asking: $50
Final Fantasy (cart only, very good condition) value: $15 asking: $11
Legacy of the Wizard (cart only, label is starting to peel in the lower left corner) value: $3 asking: $1
Legend of Zelda (gold cart, good condition, minor scratches visible on the gold paint) value: $12 asking: $8
Metroid (cart only, very good condition) value: $10 asking: $6
Shadowgate (cart only, very good condition) value: $6 asking: $3
Star Tropics (cart only, very good condition) value: $4 asking: $2
Super Mario Brothers 3 (cart only, excellent condition) value: $10 asking: $6
Super Mario Brothers 3 (cart only, good condition) value: $10 asking: $6
Ultima: Exodus (cart, box, manual) – good condition value: $12 asking: $8
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (cart only, good condition) value: $7 asking: $4

worth
total retail value: $356
Asking: $250

Nintendo 64 Games:
Harvest Moon 64 (cart only, excellent condition) value: $35 asking: $25
Pokemon Stadium (cart only, front label signed by previous owner in white space provided) value: $10 asking: $6
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (cart only, torn back label, grey cart) value: $25 asking: $17

worth
total retail value: $70
Asking: $48

PlayStation Games:
Dragon Warrior VII (games discs, water warped manual, case) value: $40 asking $25
Final Fantasy VII (game discs, case, black label) value: $15 asking $10
Legend of Dragoon (game discs, case, black label) Value: $15 asking $10

worth
total retail value: $70
Asking: $45




Sega Genesis Games:
Mutant League Hockey (cart, manual, box) value: $70 asking: $50
Splatter House 3 (cart, box) value: $50 asking: $30
Sonic the Hedgehog (cart, box) value: $3 asking: $1.50
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (cart, box) value: $3 asking: $1.50
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (cart, box) value: $3 asking: $1.50
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (cart, box, manual) value: $3 asking: $1.50
Ecco the Dolphin (cart, manual, box) value: $5 asking: $3
Super Street Fighter II (cart, manual, box) value: value: $8 asking: $5
Batman Forever (cart, manual, box) you can have it…

worth
total retail value: $147
Asking: $94

Gameboy Advance Games:
Final Fantasy V (factory sealed) value: $40 asking: $20
Tales of Phantasia (factory sealed) value: $40 asking: $20

PSP Games:
Brave Story (factory Sealed) value: $15 asking: $10

Total retail: $738
Total asking: $487

[xelement5x]

I'd be up front and honest about it with them. Say something like, I have a general idea what the values of these are retail, I'd like to know what you give me in credit for them. Any decent place will tell you up front how they price to save both of your time, last thing they want to do is price it all out and then have you say "nope, too little" as it wastes both your time.

Also, many places won't take new/sealed stuff and will only give you used/opened values.

[Daria]

They sell sealed games, so I assume they take them as well.

Edit: The store apparently specializes in baseball cards and retro games. So it's not your average gamestop-esque retail store. Also they state on the website to email them a list of games plus an asking price. So I'm just trying to gauge what a fair asking price is before I embarrass myself.

Honestly, I don't want cash. My plan is to pick out Panzer Dragoon Saga and a turbo grafx system and slide a stack of games across the counter as an offer.

[eskobar]

The amount you are asking for your games is spot on, you shouldn't have a problem getting that amount in a video game store.

[Gameguy]

It depends on the store. A good store would offer 1/3 to 1/2 of the selling prices of the games you're trading in, depending on how much demand the games have. Some valuable or popular games could get 2/3 the value, if it's something always asked for(like Pokemon games for example).

Some stores don't do that, I've been to stores that offer garage sale pricing to people just looking to get rid of their old gaming stuff(non-collectors), only offering decent values to people who know better. Offering $5 trade in for NES Action 52 as an example, to someone who didn't know much about it and had several NES games with it. I've been to other stores that offer the full value of games as if you'd sell them on ebay, only everything else in the store is priced triple the value so it's not a bargain.

I've been to one store that priced NES Rad Racer 2 at $50 loose, I brought in my copy and got $10 cash for it. The game is only worth $5 so I consider that a great deal. It all depends on which store it is and who's running it, or which employee is working there when you're there(I've had different employees at the same store give me different trade in values for the same games), and how well they like you. You might be able to straight trade for a game you want without issue, just ask them about it.

[camarotuner]

High valued easy to move titles 60-75% of what I can realistically get for it on a bad day.

Standard retail fodder to fill the shelves 35-50% of what I can get for it eventually even if it sits a while.

Crap I either have too much of or just won't sell 5-25% of what I can get for it, maybe, one day, or just give up and donate for the tax write off.

For what you have and what you want for them, I say too high if we were talking cash. Most of that stuff falls into the middle category. THAT being said, if you had your pile of games and wanted PDS and a TG-16 console for them, done deal wouldn't even hesitate. The TG-16 doesn't mean anything around here so I basically give up a game I can get 225 ish for in my area to have a pile that I'll eventually get triple that for or more. No brainer.

[Daria]

So just an update, the seller was very receptive to my asking price. I'm getting a Panzer Dragoon Saga CIB and he's checking his stock for a few misc items, but he'll make up the difference in value with cash. The Turbo Grafx was no longer available. So just waiting to hear back at this point.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your input. It was extremely helpful. I HATE haggling, I'd probably be a lot more successful collector if I didn't get so nervous about negotiations, but I'll learn.

[Niku-Sama]

yea I hate it too, I not too need to hit up some place and off load some things for some quick cash, local shop sells NES systems for $100 and I figure if I take them 4 cleaned working systems with ac adapters tv hook ups and 1 controller each I should get $35 a pop for them.

I need to come up with $100 more to buy a boat

[camarotuner]

I love the haggling. But I started young (about age 8/9 with hockey cards) and have been doing it ever since. Nothing is so important to me that I can't walk away. Realistically if you're patient there is precious little you can't just get another day. Assuming we're not talking 1 of a kind items.