GameStop to experiment with retro game and console trade-ins [Eurogamer.net]

[retroguy]

One potential consumer positive-if they do this, the broader availability of old games could very feasibly drive prices down a bit by reducing consumer competition on online outlets like ebay. I think it's worth watching before getting too worked up the more I think about it.

Actually, it looks like ebay prices are already starting to come down. In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that a lot of stuff, even the cheap stuff, isn't selling. Alongside that, I've noticed new listings for stuff at lower prices than they used to be awhile ago and it still isn't selling. That tells me that any arguments about "supply and demand" are invalid because the demand doesn't seem to be there anymore. Admittedly, this could just be a temporary dip, but I'm hoping it's a permanent one.

[celerystalker]

It'd kind of difficult to tell if a current dip is anything, as March-June are typically low volume retail season, whereas October-December are peak. If summer hits and it stays down, that'd be sweet.

[bb_hood]

Actually, it looks like ebay prices are already starting to come down. In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that a lot of stuff, even the cheap stuff, isn't selling. Alongside that, I've noticed new listings for stuff at lower prices than they used to be awhile ago and it still isn't selling. That tells me that any arguments about "supply and demand" are invalid because the demand doesn't seem to be there anymore. Admittedly, this could just be a temporary dip, but I'm hoping it's a permanent one.

Prices in general will go up and down with the season. Flea market season pretty much has begun and more people are spending time outside. Wait a few months and prices will go back up.

since they're so damned huge, they can then lowball all the scalpers online and screw with the bottom line of what sells for and still make a killing on it. And I have no problem with that either. (If they did it.)

Yeah, keep dreaming. If you think GS will undercut ebay prices you are living in la-la land. There is no secret treasure trove of Chrono Trigger & Earthbound games that GS will be dishing out at 20$ each.

The reality of GS is that they just suck. They plaster stickers over everything used, and their prices are just not good. Dont want to turn this into a GS bashing thread, but if you are a collector who values the condition/completeness of the items you buy, then you are probably just better off not dealing with GS at all. Get ready for loose copies of Mario 3 at 50$ each and 'beat-to-shit but working vintage consoles' at 100$ each. If anything it would raise prices.

GS cant even handle Amiibo preorders. What makes anyone think they can handle vintage game trade-in is beyond me.

[Tanooki]

I never said they'd be $20. I'm thinking of people as they have been keep trying to inch stuff up, and then GS being the big lazy gorilla in the room just sets say EB normally sells for $150-170 and GS sets $150 and leaves it there for awhile, it'll make it a little harder for some ebay scalper to keep trying to inch the price up when you have a ready supply of limited used copies from GS $10-20 less. That's what I was thinking, not that you'll find games back down to the prices they were years ago. We need that well deserved correction for that to happen. They handled vintage game turn in and turn over during the previous decade and did fine with it, sure the quality of the games were hit and miss just like at any random location, but they handled it fine before. I'm not a fan of them, but if they don't go torching paper stuff I don't see a problem with it.

[Sailorneorune]

Local GS manager said the old stuff is mostly going to the largest stores in major cities (read: nowhere near most of us), and to international markets. It MIGHT be available online. I think we should expect the "good stuff" to be out of reach monetarily, geographically, or both.