Gamestop, Pawnshop

Nobody likes Gamestop. We all have our reasons, but at one point or another we all end up hating Gamestop. It could be the constant sales pitch from the moment you walk into the store until the moment your transaction ends. It could be the fact that 25% of floor and wall space in the store is not filled with games, but advertising and empty boxes for games that aren't out yet. It could be the dishonest or incompetent employees and managers out to get higher MSTs, Subs, and Reservs that don't know half as much as most of their shoppers. But we deal with it because we're lazy. And that is why Gamestop, the biggest video game pawn shop in the country, has achieved such a high level of success. I've begun to ween myself off of Gamestop, and I recommend you do the same.

Let's start with brick and mortar retail store alternatives. The majority of us don't have independent video game stores, but new franchise chains like Play and Trade and Gorilla Games are beginning to pop up. Brian R has actually looked into franchising a Play and Trade and received an e-mail detailing plans for expansion. What they have planned for the Chicagoland area is huge and gives the strong impression that they intend to be major competitors to Gamestop. Play and Trades are hit and miss though. Owners have full control over inventory, pricing, and trade-in value so your shopping experience can be different from store to store. One store may carry games as far back as Atari 2600 as well as imports, while another store may just have a similar inventory to the Gamestop down the street.

Of course there are major chains like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. that are always options. As the electronics manager at a Target, as well as a former Gamestop employee, I can definitely say that if you are looking for a new release, you'll have an easier time getting it at Target. Gamestop always tries the hard pitch about reserving games to ensure you get a copy, but on average, Target will get 3 or 4 times as many copies of a game and bigger titles are replenished faster. You'd be surprised at some of the more obscure titles that arrive at the stores as well. RPGs and fighters get pushed out of the system fast and are often marked clearance before their first price drop so make sure you check the clearance endcaps.

This still leaves you with few other options than Gamestop to sell games through. There are a few Best Buy locations that used to give huge amounts of store credit for used games, but over the years, their trade-in values have evened out with Gamestop's. If you have a Disc Replay nearby, they tend to give you as much cash as Gamestop gives store credit for games. Other than that, when you do trade-in at Gamestop, be sure to check their promotions to make sure you get the most you can get. Oftentimes employees will not give you promotions because they either don't know about them, or don't know how to use them properly.

I tend to do a lot of my game shopping online. Besides having an unbeatable, endless selection, the best prices and trade-in values will be found online. I've been a member at Cheap Ass Gamer for the past 6 years and it's definitely the place to go for a comprehensive list of all the best video game deals online and in-store. eBay is usually the first stop for most games over a year or two old. Amazon and Gamefly are two excellent online retailers as well. Amazon gives bonuses for reserving games, so Gamestop isn't the only way to get your preorder bonuses. You don't have to be a Gamefly member to take advantage of their great sales either.

As for selling games, Amazon.com seems to give the most credit/cash. Prince of Persia for PS3 was worth $5 store credit at Gamestop, while Amazon gives $10 cash (via various convenient payment options). Selling games to Amazon and other online retailers is extremely easy. You type the game/dvd/cd you want to sell, they give you a value, you add it to your cart, they send you a shipping label, and then they send you the money upon receiving the package. And then of course, if you actually want to make the most money you can, you could stop being lazy and start using eBay.

Unfortunately, as many analysts and game journalists have predicted, video game retailers may eventually become obsolete as developers continue to push online distribution as a cheaper, easier alternative to retail. Eventually all of our games will come directly from the Playstation Store, the Xbox Live Marketplace, Steam, etc. and just go directly onto the massive hard drives future consoles will have. We'll also have hoverboards and be able to teleport and all of our guns will be lasers...you know, eventually. In the mean time, Gamestop remains the most popular video game retailer. I just figured I'd let you know there are a ton of other options.

-Brian T.