I've been a very dedicated Gamestop customer for about eight years now, and my gaming life couldn't have turned out better. However, I'm starting to see a lot more criticism towards the company in the past year or two. Many say that the games are overpriced and the compensation for exchanging games is too low. However, I've never seen an issue like this in my shopping experience. Hell, the day after Battlefield 4 was released, my local Gamestop had a used copy for $40! What a steal. Every other experience I've had with Gamestop has been equally rewarding. What about you? How has your experience with Gamestop been in the past few months, and what alternatives do you suggest to someone looking to game on a budget?
Sometimes I will look around to get a cheap game for my child or something. If I want a game I usually play over my computer on steam because I like there deals better. I have never had a bad experience with them. The people who work there are nice as well and helped me pick out a game before. I do think that sometimes there exchange per game seems a little unfair. I have also been guilty of playing the game over the week after I buy it and then taking it back for a full refund. I like how you can do that, but if you keep the game any longer you might just get two dollars for it.
I definitely think that GameStop is not the right choice to purchase or sell games for someone who is trying to save some money. I had a horrible experience with my first game-selling experience during the trade-in for GameStop credit, giving me an extremely minimal amount of money for some great used games. The next time I sold games, I sold on ebay, and even though it's a little bit more work, you get much more money. Also, in terms of purchasing games, I would check ebay or even craigslist. If you're a PC gamer, definitely wait for Steam sales.
The only advantage to Gamestop I see is they have more selection in used games than the other brick and mortar stores but if I don't mind waiting then I'll look for used games on Amazon. Selling games there is just awful. I brought in a whole box of old games once and they only gave me a few dollars in store credit.
I don't really go there any more. I traded games in a lot when I was younger but now the trade in values are too low and it's not worth it. I make more money selling them elsewhere or just holding onto it. If I trade in for a little bit of credit I usually end up spending more money than I had planned...so I just scrapped it altogether. I do agree that you can find good deals every once in a while though.
Gamestop is fine for buying new and used games. They have competitive prices there, but you're better off selling your games to just about any other store or person. The best price you can get for selling games comes from advertising on eBay or Craigslist and selling them there. Doing it in person allows you to get cash in the fastest manner possible, and you'll often wind up with the highest rates possible. By selling to a company, you're guaranteed to get a below market price for your games, no matter what retailer you utilize.
