Swappa has just launched a Video Games section to its peer-to-peer selling site. Swappa started out acting as a type of escrow service for people wishing to sell their smartphone. Since then it has grown and evolved into a user-to-user marketplace for laptops, tablets, home tech, and now video games.
Buying and selling used video games and consoles has always been problematic at best. Other than stumbling into someone who just so happens to be in the market for what you have to sell, eBay and GameStop are about your only options for getting money for your used games and gear.
On the one hand, eBay is not too bad for selling, although fraudsters can make buying used games a hassle at times. GameStop, on the other hand, is a joke all the way around. Need to sell that barely used copy of Monster Hunter: World that you just bought yesterday? You'll be lucky to get $18 for it. As soon as you leave the store they slap a $55 price tag on it. It's a total rip-off. In fact, Swappa spoofed the game store in a funny video introducing its reselling service.
With Swappa gamers have a way to sell their used consoles, discs, and peripherals directly to other gamers. Cutting out the man in the middle who wants his 60-percent chunk of each sale means more money in your pocket.
"Gamers have accepted low trade-in values for years because there weren't any good options," Swappa founder and CEO Ben Edwards told the Chicago Evening Post. "We know gamers get the best value when they deal directly with each other, without the middleman markup or ridiculous fees, and that's what Swappa's all about."
Swappa promises to facilitate buying and selling of used video games and equipment without listing fees. The company also does its best to vet products, so you don't get ripped off. On the rare occasions that there is a problem with a sale, the website has procedures in place similar to eBay's buyer protection. So you don't have to worry about getting ripped off.
Personally, I like the idea. I have shelves full of games that are just collecting dust primarily because I find GameStop's buying and selling practices insulting. It is nice to see another alternative.