By Shadow Links
Everyone has obviously bought games before, perhaps we even have a favorite place to do it or we shop around for deals. Whether it be new games, old games, or replacement parts so you can continue play, you can find it all. In the case of Cubist and Nerdberry you can even get some thrills from getting lucky and finding things So in no particular order, here are the places we buy our games from:
1. Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/
One of the largest online marketplaces would of course make the list. With opportunities for both new and used games from the largest selection of sellers makes it a great place to buy. Condition of the games is roughly given if not detailed by sellers. Amazon prime 2 day free shipping and release date delivery is great if you just have to have it now. New games often have exclusive content or 10 dollars off your next purchase.
2. 99gamers
A rather unique concept that started on Reddit and made its way into an actual trading site. While you can get coins to buy games, it is far easier to sell your games for currency to purchase with. Condition is more detailed on this site. The selection of games varies day to day between old and new games and typically has very reasonable pricing and free shipping.
3. Large Retail Stores (Walmart/Kmart/Best Buy/Sams)
Yeah, even these places can be decent. Normally a few cents are docked off of new games, even more at Sams Club. Exclusive content for new games occasionally is seen and the $20 game racks typically carry games a year after release. Price matching and coupons sometimes can work magic if the manager doesn’t notice.
4. Thrift Stores (Goodwill, Edward McKays – http://www.edmckay.com/)
While it typically depends on the location, thrift stores will sometimes have and old system someone dropped off for dirt cheap in various conditions. Not always the best organization for finding things and since most products go for flat values they can be over-priced or under-priced but you do get the item right away. Goodwill even has a website now. Check these around college areas especially.
From The Cubist – Edward McKays – I get tons of stuff from this store. They have 4 locations in North Carolina; Raleigh, Greensboro, Fayetteville, and Wilmington. Primarily they’re a used bookstore, but they also have a great selection of music, movies, and games. Being one of the best places around for people to sell their old stuff to, they get a lot of great items. The downside is the good stuff gets snatched up fast, so to really maximize shopping here, one needs to visit 2 or 3 times a week optimally. On the other hand, they test all their stuff and offer a 7 day return policy for defective merchandise. This makes it the perfect place for buying systems, accessories, and even games on CD/DVD media.5. Craigslist – http://www.craigslist.org/
Perhaps one of the best things about Craigslist is meeting the people. Depending on your area, this could be somewhat limited, but diamonds in the rough can be found and prices can be haggled. Generally easy to use, sometimes same day transactions, and usually inexpensive. Although sometimes sellers aren’t the most responsive and driving to places costs gas.
6. Ebay – http://www.ebay.com/
That popular auction site is here too. Can’t say too much about it, but there is always a great selection being sold for various price ranges and is probably the best place for replacement parts.
7. GameStop – http://www.gamestop.com/
Love it or hate it, Gamestop is one of the most popular stores for games. While you may be able to get more for your sell and pay less for your buy, this is still a great place for current games. New games often have exclusive content, there is the Powerup rewards program for extras, and the staff is normally knowledgeable.
8. Flea Markets
The early bird gets the worm. I bought a game from a guy on Craigslist once and he informed me of a strong following of gamers in the area who basically compete with each other to be the first person at any and every flea market each weekend to get the good games, OFTEN buying them off a vendor before they’ve even finished setting up their table/booth. -Nerdberry
From The Cubist – Flea Markets are great places to get games, especially older ones. CD/DVD media can be tricky due to scratches, but many of the old cartridges hold up forever. Buying systems from Flea Markets can be hit or miss however, because most places don’t have a return policy. For the Raleigh area especially, the flea market at the Fairgrounds has 2 great booths, and the other flea market off Capital Boulevard past the Beltline (southbound) has a fantastic booth.
9. Yard Sales
From NerdBerry – Yard sales are a good place to find games for cheap and to easily haggle the price down. Sometimes you’ll find a mom & dad selling their son’s old gaming stuff after he moved out and went to college. Parents don’t know crap about pricing out games, so you can basically steal from them! I got an N64 plus 7 games (Paper Mario, Super Mario 64, Goldeneye, Mario Party 2, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Bros, and friggin’ Rugrats) with 2 Nintendo brand controllers for only $40! Anything can happen!
10. GameFly – http://www.gamefly.com/
From The Watchman – I actually really like buying games off of Gamefly. I’ve been a subscriber there for a couple of years and they give you some nice perks as part of the membership. I get 10% off of all used games, and every quarter they give you a $5 coupon towards anything you want. They also have frequent sales; Games like Halo 4 seem to hit the under $20 mark much faster than they do at Gamestop. You can also put games that haven’t been released yet at the top of your queue and try to time the system. I did that with the release of Street Fighter x Tekken. I sent the game that I had checked out a day before the SFxT release date. Since you have the option of keeping any title checked out, that meant that I was able to keep SFxT at a used game price, plus use my discounts. I think I ended up getting that for around $40!
