Before Jim made a long walk through the snow to trade in his original Xbox accessories at GameStop, he made sure to place a phone call to make sure the store would accept his items. After getting the green light, then double-checking to make sure the woman at GameStop understood what he was asking about, he was turned down once he got to the store. [More]
trade ins
Used SUVs & Trucks Costing More Than New Ones
By 11.10.10
In a counter-intuitive turn of events, the way the market is now, a used SUV can end up costing more than a new one. [More]
Walmart Giving Used Games Another Go
By 5.11.10
After trying and failing at the GameStop-dominated used games biz, Walmart is taking a mulligan and making another run and used game trade-ins and sales, partnering with Game Trade in the effort to gives you pennies on the dollar for that not-so-old copy of Mass Effect 2. [More]
Tips For Buying A Used Car This Year
By 5.4.10
The sorry state of the economy the past couple of years has actually led to higher prices for used cars, writes Kiplinger. That’s because more people started buying used cars, which tightened the supply while also reducing the number of fresh trade-ins. It may be a couple of years before prices drop again, but Kiplinger has some suggestions for saving money if you plan on buying a used car this year. [More]
Walmart And Best Buy Bail From Video Game Trade-in Market
By 2.2.10
Best Buy and Walmart have backed off on their challenges to GameStop’s used game racket, both shelving their short-lived tests of trade-in kiosks, Industry Gamers reports: [More]
Cash For Clunkers Customers Entitled To More Cash
By 1.3.10
Some customers who purchased cars during the 2009 CARS rebate program, popularly known as Cash for Clunkers, were entitled to a portion of the scrap value of their old cars, in addition to the government rebate of $3,500 or $4,500. What? And the dealerships didn’t tell them? Gasp! [More]
A Dagger For Blu-Ray: GameStop Deems Discs Un-Tradeworthy
By 6.30.09
Blu-ray sales may be on the uptick, with sales up 72 percent so far over what they were last year at this point, but apparently the format isn’t so hot at GameStop, which is apparently phasing out accepting the high-definition movie discs in return for cash or store credit.
Trade In Your Clunker, Get $4,500. Maybe.
By 6.28.09
The government is offering a $4,500 credit to anyone willing to trade in their old clunker for a new fuel efficient car, but there’s a catch. Well, several catches…
DealTree Sends Phone Trade In Money To Imaginary PayPal Account
By 6.25.09
What’s going on with DealTree? They handle Nokia’s “Trade-up” program, which reimburses you cash for your old phones. It says clearly on the “how it works” page as well as in their terms and conditions that they’ll mail a paper check to you after confirming your phone’s value. In Paul’s case, they say dumped his money into a PayPal account—and Paul says there’s nothing in his account and PayPal has no record of a transaction.
In The Market For A New Vehicle? Here Are The Details Of The New CARS Credit Program
By 6.24.09
Next month, the government will start handing out credits of $3,500 or $4,500 to owners who trade in low-mpg cars for higher efficiency models under the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), popularly called the “Cash for Clunkers” program. Here are the basic things you need to know to determine whether it’s worth it to you—and how to protect yourself from scammers.
Florida Used Game Shops Required To Take Traders' Thumbprints
By 6.1.09
If you’re trying to sell or trade used games in Florida, expect to be treated like a registered sex offender or a diamond fence. The state legislature passed a law in October that classified video game trade-ins as pawn shop items, requiring businesses to take thumb prints and in-depth personal information from customers. Thew NewTimes Broward-Palm Beach reports a county sheriff is cracking down on game shops to make sure they follow the law.
RadioShack Electronics Trade-In Program Not The Fastest Way To Get Cash
By 5.14.09
A Dallas Morning News blogger decided to test out RadioShack’s new trade-in program, where you mail them your unwanted cellphone, for example, and they mail you a gift card, which you can then turn around and use to buy 7,000 house brand AAA batteries. As you might expect, RadioShack didn’t offer him as much money for his Blackberry Storm as he saw them going for on eBay, but the real problem came from the missed deadlines and delays in getting his gift card: what they said would take one week ended up taking 5 1/2 weeks, and might have taken longer had he not emailed them.
Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience
By 5.12.09
Sometimes we think Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America.
By 5.1.09
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T-Mobile is running a “flip your pearl” promotion right now, where you can trade in your old Blackberry for at least $75 (or another phone for $50) when you buy and activate a new Blackberry from them. Your trade-in phone will have to meet certain conditions for the offer to apply. [FlipYourPearl via IntoMobile]
Flipswap Cell Phone Buyback Doesn't Work As Advertised
By 9.16.08
A Consumerist reader tried to trade in some old cellphones via Flipswap, and it did not go well. Actually, it pretty much didn’t go at all—he may as well have dropped them off at a Goodwill.
Ditching Your Gas-Guzzling SUV Could Be More Expensive Than You Think
By 8.3.08
SUVs are worth so little that it could take 15 years for a more fuel efficient vehicle to pay for itself in gas savings. Before rushing to trade-in your gas-guzzler, do the math and make sure it isn’t economical to hold onto your unfashionable behemoth. Here are three questions to consider…
Beware The "MPG Illusion" When Comparing Fuel Efficiency
By 6.20.08
Sure, switching from a gas guzzler to a highly efficient (and probably much smaller) car is best for the environment, but it’s not a realistic solution for large families or people who can’t afford it. But don’t let the fact that you can’t buy a 40 mpg car turn you off of a trade up in efficiency anyway. A couple of economists have pointed out that “using ‘miles per gallon’ as a measure of fuel efficiency leads people to undervalue the benefits of replacing the most inefficient automobiles.” Their point: if you’re driving a gas guzzler, even a small improvement in fuel efficiency can generate significant savings.
