UPDATE: Unfortunately Gamestaq closed up shop back in 2013. We’re leaving the original post up for archival purposes, but the site and company no longer exists.
It’s a novel idea isn’t it? A place where gamers can go to buy or sell used video games at fair market prices without being raped or otherwise screwed over at every opportunity. A site called GameStaq has made that gamer’s fairy tale an actuality. GameStaq is one one my new favorite video game sites on the web. Their motto is “More play, less pay”. Unlike many video game sites, they actually deliver on that promise. In fact all their games are under $40.00. There will be no paying five dollars less than new for popular games like ::some:: used video game stores like to pull. The site really does offer used video games at great prices! The way they do it is pretty cool too.
GameStaq offers gamers a venue to both buy and sell their video games. The unique design of the site sets a value for each and every video game using a fair market price database. There’s no surprises, no auctions, no retail store price gouging and no BS! Every seller knows exactly what they’ll get for their game before they list it and every buyer knows what the final price will be when they click the “buy” button. It’s pure and simple. The way things should be!
GameStaq is a little unique in that it is basically a middle man mediator between the buyer and seller. They offer a forum and a trusted marketplace for honest buyers and sellers to conduct business. Think of it as a video game ebay without all of the bull-I$h,price gouging and drama! A seller lists his game and when a buyer clicks the “buy” button the seller is informed his or her video game has a new home with another video game fan. Once the video game sale is confirmed the seller gets a prepaid shipping label and the buyer gets a USPS tracking number to track their video game purchase from the seller’s hands to their gaming console.
The best part is GameStaq guarantees each game to be complete and playable. You get the original artwork, a case, instructions and a playable game. No more being ripped off by shady sellers who toss a scratched up game disc in an envelope and call it good. According to the Gamestaq seller’s policy, each used video game listed must include the original box and manual with no stickers, missing pages etc. Any game disc must also be fully playable and free from major scratches. In the event you encounter a game that isn’t playable you can return it for a replacement or a full refund. There’s no worrying about being ripped off or getting stuck with an unusable drink coaster with these guys.
Now that you know the site is reputable and trustworthy let’s touch on the fees and cost of doing business. GameStaq has to pay the bills like any business does. Therefore they do charge reasonable fees for the service they provide. The good news is there are no upfront fees to list a game for sale. You’ll only pay a seller’s fee when the fee is subtracted from your transaction when your game is sold and shipped!
The fee scales are based on the value of the game, but most are between $1-$2.
Here is a breakdown of the current fees at the time of this writing:
Game Value Fee
$25-39.99 $2
$10-24.99 $1.50
$0-$9.99 $.50
Of course there is also a shipping fee, but that’s simply paid buy the buyer.
As a seller you will be able to print a prepaid shipping label for free. As a buyer, there will be standard shipping cost of $2.99. Easy!
Basically, the site kicks gaming @$$! They’ve managed to create a site that creates a venue for used video game buyers to conduct business with no bull$hit involved. It’s a winning scenario for everyone involved. The buyer pays a great price, the seller isn’t raped like they would be when selling or trading their game in at other video game stores, and GameStaq pulls in reasonable fees for the services they provide too. As Mr. Charlie Sheen would say, “winning”.
I have all kinds of nice things to say about GameStaq but I suppose I should end this review before I drag things out any further. With that in mind let me wrap this review up with what I like and don’t like about the site.
What’s HOT:
- An honest and reputable site for gamers to buy and sell used video games without being ripped off.
- Awesome prices!
- Crazy low seller fees.
- Fair shipping prices paid by the seller
- Games available for all the popular modern gaming consoles
- Clean website that is very easy to use.
- Easy and effective search function allows you to find your gaming goodness with the quickness. Search by price, availability,genre,console etc
meh.
(The stuff we didn’t like so much)
- Some of the most popular games in high demand are frequently sold out and hard to get. When you offer kick @$$ video games at kick @$$ prices that will happen!
- No retro games. I’m an NES fan and a bit of a retro gaming dork. Seeing some older Atari, NES, N64 games would be cool. That niche is covered well on other sites, so I guess it’s not much of a complaint. As long as they stick to doing the modern games without greed it’s all good!
- Browsing the site I don’t see any Nintendo DSi or 3DS games, but it’s possible I’m an idiot and missed them. It’s also possible these may be coming in the future as those systems age a little more and the amount of used games on the market increases.
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