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EB Games 'Zero Regrets' Trade Policy - Trade Any Game and Buy It Back Later at Any Time for The Same Price

920

Bought Spidey at EB today and the staff told me about a new policy they're having.

Basically you can trade in any game into EB as normal, but EB will let you buy it back at any time (weeks, months, years later) for the same price you traded it in for, or lower if it’s on sale. It's linked to your EB world account, so you need to be one for this to apply.

More info here: https://press-start.com.au/news/playstation/2018/09/10/eb-ga…

Related Stores

EB Games Australia
EB Games Australia

Comments

  • +12

    Pawn shop?

    • But does eb give you cash or store credit?

      • Depends on the state you’re in. Regardless, cash will be a bit less.

    • -3

      Pawn shop?

      Typo ???

      • +7

        Oh good lord I was scared to open this link 😂

    • pfffffftsss

  • Never traded to EB before but it sounds like a nice idea.

  • +11

    This belongs in the forums. It is not a bargain…

    • +7

      Under the right circumstances it could be a bargain.

      • +3

        or not…

        • +32

          Schrödinger's Bargain.

    • +54

      You belong in the forums, the whirlpool forums.

      • -8

        the whirlpool forums.

        Prefer Fisher & Paykel

  • +12

    I don't understand why you would trade a game and want it back later

    • Maybe if you can sell it for more elsewhere or you want to take advantage of a pre-order promo.

      • +2

        I'd be good if you can trade in a game with the bonus %25 value towards a preorder and later on buy it back for the price without the bonus.

        I would repeat that a million times and make it my new job

    • Possibly able to abuse the system through their trade in deals maybe?

    • +21

      When I was younger I traded my copy of Final Fantasy Chocobo Tales in desperation to have enough to get the new ACNL 3ds. I was so sad after that my brother bought it back for me :) warms my heart every time I think about it. Perhaps there will be other children who do the same thing haha

      • +3

        Dang mate, that warmed my heart too. :)

      • +4

        I traded a whole pile of original Game Boy/Game Boy Colour/Game Boy Advance gear at GameTraders many years ago. still regret it to this day. :(

    • +1

      Better to return within 7 days for full refund then buy off Gumtree for cheap

      • +3

        Gumtree

        Plus you get the added benefit of haggling with the sellers.

        "<10% of asking price> if u want it gone 2day bro"

        • +5

          "I'll even let you deliver it to me for free so you know I'm serious"

        • +5

          And I've got cash waiting.

        • +3

          Swap for a iphone 4s with a cracked screen, doesn't affect use. Can you drop off?

    • +4

      Now we can use EB Games as long-term storage for our game library

  • +1

    Does this policy retrospectively apply to previous trade-ins?

    • No, only games traded from today 10/09 onwards.

      • +28

        Damn, can't rebuy all my n64 games then :(

        • +1

          Just don't give them Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. Those were legendary.

  • +7

    Just 1 game?

    So is this how it'll work?
    1. New Game x is $99.
    2. You trade in a relatively new game y for… say $40.
    3. New game x will now cost $59.
    4. buy back your relatively new game y for $40

    • Yes as the value of games goes down the deal gets worse for you. But it's still a nice offer, you can trade games now and can undo the deal whenever you want.

      • +1

        As the value of games goes down over time, it might be cheaper or more worthwhile to buy a new copy of the game you traded in and wanted back. Or you wait for a digital sale.

        The exception is Nintendo games which retain their value.

        • +1

          Nintendo games also have really high trade in too. Got $56 for Mario Odyssey and $63 for Xenoblade back in May. Was better than what I could sell them for on Gumtree.

        • @ONEMariachi: Not the ones I traded in…..they were mostly less than $10….for which I paid $50 something when they were brand new, at their own store no less and were only a couple weeks old too….so their conditions is mostly pristine….

          Went to JB HiFi, and they were taken them in for around $20-ish….

    • +17

      Yes…

      You end up with the new game for $99, and you get to have your old game back !!!!

      What a bargain !!!

      • +3

        The only time I can think of this as a bargain is if an old game gets a new set of DLC announced for it or something. Think of Dragonball Xenoverse 2 which has had several DLC packs come out quite late after the game. You might of traded it in for $40 credit, then months later new DLC comes out for it which you want. If it still retails for $60, you can get it back at $40 and get to play your DLC. At which point this seems like a bargain, as it lets your change your mind for cheaper.

        I agree though, in most circumstances this is a peace of mind deal, not a bargain. The savings aren't really there. It's the flip side of offering free change of mind returns. Do we consider extended return periods to be a bargain? I dunno. This is a good initiative from EB though. But let's not joke around, they've done this to make money. I'm sure their consumer research shows the biggest barrier to trade is the regret of getting rid of games you have an attachment to. This zero regrets policy is their way to try and combat this. Especially since the value of games almost always strictly goes down.

        Plus, you can only really buy the game back if they haven't run out of stock. For EB Games this is great, as they've either made a profit off it, or they've made no net loss barring time it takes from their staff to process the trade-in. I bet they think there's net benefit in people having increased confidence to trade in, though.

        This encourages people to trade more, and they make a lot out of trade-ins.

        • +1

          Even then, by the time the DLC comes out, most of the games are cheaper on ebay etc than buying it back off ebay. Example is No Mans Sky. With the huge Next update, you can buy the game off eBay for $10-$15 delivered. Why anyone would trade in with EB let alone buy it for more than it costs elsewhere later blows my mind. I typically just sell on Gumtree for a lot more than I would get from EB, then if I really need it back later, just buy it off Gumtree/ebay/etc etc for a few bucks later.

        • @OnlinePred: Yeah, it's very game dependent. I think ozBargain probably also isn't the target market for this kind of deal. Lots of low income households who like video games but have very little money to spend. For them this is probably a winner policy too. These are also often consumers who don't think too hard about this sort of stuff, and kind of considers trade-ins free money.

        • @Lockdude: Yea true, probably more of an "oops I wish I didn't trade that game in"

    • +5

      …aren't you back to square one…?

      • +4

        Trade in Battletoads, receive $40 in trade-in credit
        The new Half-life 3 sells for $100 but you just knocked $40 off that price, so: $100 - $40 = $60
        You buy Half-life 3 for $60
        You buy back Battletoads for $40
        You are now -$100 in total

        Option b:
        Walk into the shop and buy Half-life 3 off the shelf for $100 and not do the charade of the trade-in of Battletoads
        You are now -$100 in total

        Is this right? I mean, this EB thing sounds good in theory but I don't quite get it.

        • this EB thing sounds good in theory

          Your example hasn't showed this…

        • Half Life 3 in both examples still cost you $100. You’re also down whatever Battletoads initially cost if you want to compare total expenses.

          It’s just a cancellation of a trade in essentially. You don’t end up ahead unless you bring in and combine a different promotion. For example maybe HL3 has some sort of trade in deal where its its more lucrative to buy back the game and then trade in again as part of that promo. One of those “bonus 50% trade credit” towards this title. Then you might work out to be in a better position.

        • +3

          Half Life 3… why do you have to torture us? :(

        • +4

          @jv:

          Serious question - do you only come onto the forums to hang shit on others?

        • @organamisms: Pretty much seems 100% accurate. Serial Troll without going so far as to get banned. Must really be lacking for entertainment/meaningful human interaction IRL.

    • +2

      Guys, please get your maths right.

      You trade in a relatively new game y for… say $40.

      That game isn't free. In order to get $40 trade in value, the game is generally worth $80. So, don't conveniently skip the cost of that.

  • +2

    I can see this being good for rare/collectible games like octopath travler

    Play and pass them

    Sell them to eb

    See that the price has jumped

    Buy it back and sell on ebay

    • +7

      If it’s rare or collectable then there’s no guarantee EB will have stock though if you want to buy it back.

      Can’t imagine too many new releases will fall into that category either. Something like Octopath was just a miscalculation of demand but is available now.

  • Assumed no points gained for buying back?

    • Probably not but what if you trade it back in again?!

  • -8

    Who would want to buy the same game you traded back years later at the original trade in price?

    That game would have further depreciated meaning you could purchase it even cheaper.

    It also defeats the purpose of trading it in the first place.

    • +2

      I’m guessing no one. But I could see some people having trade-in regret in a short time span, in which case this is a pretty good offer. Not sure if it’s a deal though. Really don’t think the neg is warranted.

    • +1

      This would be ideal for Xbox owners since they make old titles backward compatible more than they release new games.

      • shots fired.

    • +2

      Because they sell it at a profit? You'd need it to depreciate more than the margin they resell at, and this is EB we're talking

    • I think you are right.

      First if you are going to trade in a game it means that you don't want it anymore.

      If for some strange reason you did want it again, surely the value of the game will have dropped.

      Do people trade in games and then regret it? Usually it means you've beaten the game or whatever.

  • -1

    Seems like something I'd never use …

  • +2

    I can see a loophole…

    1. Trade the game in —> Get EB World Carrots.
    2. Buy the game back —> Get EB World Carrots.
    3. Repeat 1 and 2 as quickly as possible.

    Potentially level up quicker?

    • But what if you don't like carrots?

      Also I doubt EB Games would let you abuse their system for too long

      • +1

        I was joking. Just being an ###hole.

    • Sometimes they have things like double trade points when put to a new game, then later buy your game back at standard points?

      • +1

        That doesn't work unfortunately. Pre-order games cost a lot. You ended up spending more.
        The carrots are pretty useless.

        • I agree that Carrots are definitely useless. The whole rewards program is pretty pathetic.

        • Preorder games get price matched as cheapest anywhere (they match Target, Big W)

        • +2

          @scanuck: or, just buy it at target, big w or get jb to price match without going through eb.

        • +1

          @nomoneynoproblems:

          Also an option

          Some people prefer EB - maybe a midnight release, an exclusive bonus, the buyback, this trade deal….

        • @paulransom81: 10 day returns, and 20% trade in value for level 4 is pretty good

        • @ONEMariachi: The fact that they then onsell games returned as "new" makes them a place I will never give my business to.

        • @Aussie World Warrior: Are you sure they do that? I'm pretty sure returned games become pre-owned games.

          • @ONEMariachi: some times new games are cheaper than pre owned. But new game mostly not available at the store, will they sell marked as pre owned game for cheaper new game price????

        • @ONEMariachi: 100% sure.

        • @paulransom81: Yeah, the carrots are pointless unless you're the type that constantly trades in and buys at EB. Even then they didn't seem especially meaningful in any way.

  • +4

    No ragrets

  • +2

    Sounds pointless. Maybe I just don't see a use case of this.

    • +1

      The use case is EB games gets to sell crappy games back to their owners at inflated depreciated prices it is genius.. customer makes a loss EB games makes a profit.. lose win.

    • Use for us not really much there. I see this as more of a way for them to get ppl to trade in their games. The incentive is "no regrets" so people will happily stroll by and drop off their games. Then as AlienC notes, they'll hit you again later when you come back to buy back your games. But take it back another step, the more people that trade in the lower trade prices they'll offer as there'll be an oversupply in the market. Smart strategy. Lose win yet again.

  • Not that I would use it but here's what Press Start says:

    Basically, you can trade in any game as you normally would, but EB Games will then allow you to buy that game back at ANY time (weeks, months, years later) for the same amount that you traded it in for (or less if it’s on sale).

    So if you REALLY want to buy the game back like a year later, you would be paying the trade-in price or the price they're selling it used at the time, whichever is lower.

  • +1

    What happens if years from now they don't have stock of the game that you traded in ?

    • +11

      Then you have regrets

    • Then you do what the rest of us do.. buy a new copy if available, or buy it digitally.

      Or a few years later we might be on a new console gen and you can buy the remaster.

    • +1

      Don't trade it in then? If it's a rare game you enjoyed keep it?

  • +13

    This probably won't be super useful all that often, but it would be absolutely great for some things.

    I traded Amazing Spider-Man 2 the other week. It got me 30 something before the bonuses, that game sells for 68 preowned somehow. Say a year or so from now, I decide "shit, I kinda want that mediocre game again, Insomniac's glorious entry is boring me now", getting a copy for 30 when they're selling them to everyone else at 70 is a pretty good deal in that instance.

    All in all, I think this is a great policy. How often it ends up actually helping anything, who knows, but I think it's quite a consumer friendly policy, and EB being consumer friendly is always a good thing. Cheers for the intel.

    • Yes, well they get you back into their store for starters, where you are more than likely tempted to buy more.

  • i m confused

  • +3

    Shouldn't this be in the forum? Where's the bargain?

    • -2

      Shouldn't this be in the forum?

      Yes !

  • +1

    This looks like a great way to use as a sort of "credit card" I guess, whenever you're short on cash, trade in all your ps4 games for the few hundred dollars, use to pay rent. Once you make enough money, buy those games back, essentially no interest? I guess theres game deprecation though, got to see if its better or worse then CPI lolol.

    • +1

      trade in all your ps4 games for the few hundred dollars

      lol

      You haven't traded in at EB Games before, have you?

      • Even I had to upvote that one…

    • Seems more like trade in your pristine copy of X game for $2 to $5, then hope you can get one back that's not entirely sandpapered if you decide you want it back in the future. It's not a terrible policy, just a bit of a pointless one.
      I give away games when I no longer have any use for them rather than trade them to EB for the pittance they offer.
      (No, that's not an offer to anyone here, I give them to family members/friends for them/their kids, not internet randos.)

  • +2

    Basically, it covers these:

    1. You happened to be have plenty of time for a while (i.e. on holidays) and you can churn through games quickly in days. Get a bunch of pre-owned games, play them quickly and quickly sell them back - i.e. kinda like renting or "virtual GamePass" (on PS4).
    2. You found out JB Hi Fi is giving you a better deal for the trade in (after you just traded in the game to EB).
    3. For some reason, your mates or family members really want to play a game you sold recently and the cheapest option is to buy it back at the same price.
    4. Short on cash previously and now you have cash (and want the game back).
    5. There is some minor issue with your copy (i.e. cover art slightly damaged) and you really love that game. And, you found another copy which is in better condition.
    6. You sold the game due to a special promotion (V-Bucks). Now, you actually want the game back (as you would have obtained the benefits and could end up better off).
  • +13

    Trade in a game in perfect condition. Then when you go to buy it back you get a game with no manual, damaged cover insert or one of EB games generic cases. I can barely buy a new game from EB online that arrives in New condition.

    • +3

      Yeah, same. Bought 2 games new from EB so far. One appeared sealed, but the case was cracked. Another one was the last copy the store had (already opened, cover art damaged), but it was $10… Not a fan of EB games.

      • Yep. Happens to often. Then I'm chasing up EB for a replacement for something that was supposed to be brand new.

      • -1

        already opened, cover art damaged), but it was $10… Not a fan of EB games.

        I'm not a fan of people who walk into the store and do things like this.

        It isn't EB Games fault.

        • +3

          Yes it is.

          EB Games often trades in second hand items while claiming they're new. It dovetails with their other practice of giving people discounts that are less than the second hand price for their items.

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