If you love video games, then you realize that they can get pretty pricey at times. Check out my top 10 strategies on how to save money when buying them.
Patience is a Virtue
The longer a game has been out, the cheaper it becomes. Of course, you're not going to wait 10 years to purchase a video game for next-to-nothing. However, usually after 6 months or 1 year, the price of said game will drop by about $10 to $15.
Rent Games
If you plan on completing a certain video game within a week or two, rent it. This method usually costs half the price (or less in some cases) and you still get to go through the whole game and play it to its entirety! Renting is most effective on holidays or vacations, when you have the most amount of time to play video games.
Trade in Old Games
Although you won't get much money for them, stores such as Gamestop and EB Games allow you to trade in old games and obtain usually between $5 and $30 of in-store credit. If you're strapped for cash, this is the way to go!
Ask a Friend
If your friend has a game that you want to play, and you have a game that your friend wants to play, then trade! It's free of charge, and if they don't return your game, you don't return theirs.
Sell Old Games
Although games more than 1 or 2 years old won't get you much in terms of cash, it'll still help to pay for at least some of the cost when purchasing or renting a brand new game. A key strategy is to buy a brand new video game, beat it within a month, then re-sell it on sites like eBay. You'll get almost as much as you paid for the game in the first place, and you can use the money you got to buy another brand new video game!
The Sales Bin
Some stores like Wal-Mart no longer have a display for certain games, like those for the Nintendo GameCube. Instead, all Nintendo GameCube games are placed into a large bin with prices over 50% off. It may take time to rummage through the entire bin, but if you find the game you're looking for, it's well worth the effort!
Buy Used Games
If the price of a brand new game is simply not within your budget, look on eBay or at pawn shops for used games. Once a game has been unpackaged and played, you can usually find it on store shelves for close to 50% off. That's right. Simply playing the game once can cut its value in half - good thing for you!
Store Promotions
Some stores such as Gamestop and EB Games offer monthly promotions. For example, at one time, EB Games had a promotion where you could trade in any 3 GameCube, X-Box or Playstation 2 games and get 1 free. What a great way to get rid of old games and get a brand new one at the same time!
Game Contests
Some companies like Microsoft hold yearly tournaments for games like Halo 3. The winners of these tournaments get cold-hard cash for their efforts! If you think you're the best player for the game you have, connect online and test your skills against real opponents! It's free to enter most of these tournaments, so you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Purchase "Burned" Games/Copy and Re-Sell
Newly released software from "Game Copy Pro" (among other companies) allows you to burn the CDs and DVDs of your favorite games, including those on the Wii, X-Box 360 and Playstation 3! Now, if you were to re-sell the "copied" versions, it would be considered as illegal. However, if you keep the copied version for yourself and re-sell the original game disc, then you'll get to keep the game AND get your money back!
So here's an example. You buy a brand new game from Wal-Mart on January 1st. That same day, you burn a copy of that game to keep for yourself. The next day on January 2nd, you return the original game disc to Wal-Mart for a full refund (i.e. just say your kids didn't like the game) or re-sell it on eBay. If the game just came out, you'll get your money back in no time, especially on eBay, where the prices for the latest video game releases can soar way above the prices you would normally pay for them in the store!
