Amazon Trade-In vs. Best Buy Trade-In

If you're like me, you refuse to trade your games into Gamestop.  I always feel cheap - like a hooker - walking out of the store with an extra $15 of trade-in credit when I feel the game was worth at least twice that much.  Then, I'm forced to go back to Gamestop in order to use the credit only to find my trade-in being sold for $54.99.  A business has to make money, I understand that, but as a consumer I have the right to bring my business elsewhere.

A few months ago I found myself with a pile of games that I didn't play and wasn't sure what to do with them.  Should I have a garage sale?  No, garage sales are never worth the effort.  Should I ship them off to my friends?  Nah, I don't really like those guys any way.  So, I went searching for alternatives and found two high profile options - Amazon and Best Buy.

Ease of Use:

It was difficult to find the trade-in section on both the Best Buy and Amazon websites.  On Amazon, you first have to choose "Video Games" from the drop down, select "Go", and then on the far right you'll see a small icon for used games.  Best Buy was equally as challenging.  I couldn't even find the trade-in section, so I instead had to go to www.bestbuy.com/tradein.

          ADVANTAGE: Tie

Shipping:

Once I logged into both websites and submitted my trade, I was given an option to print a prepaid shipping label.  I'm required to use my own box and packaging material, but it was nice that I didn't also have to pay for shipping.

          ADVANTAGE:  Tie

Value For Games:

I searched both sites for new and old games, which included the following:

1. Madden 11
2. Madden 10
3. NBA 2k9
4. Fable 2
5. Mass Effect 1
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Left for Dead
8. Left 4 Dead 2
9. Splinter Cell: Conviction
10. Halo Reach
11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
12. Call of Duty: World at War
13. Nintendo DS Titanium
14. New Super Mario Brothers
15. Brain Age

In all but one case, Amazon was the better deal.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

Trade-In Payment Method:

This is more personal preference than anything, but I would prefer to have a tangible Best Buy gift card than an Amazon credit.

          ADVANTAGE:  Best Buy

Speediness of Payment:

Here's where the gap begins to widen.  Within one week of shipment to Amazon, I received an email notifying me that the games had been received and my account was credited.  It was as easy as that, but I wish I could say the same for Best Buy.  Without going into too much detail, it ended up taking 29 days between the time I shipped the games to the time a gift card was received.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

Customer Service:  

On my second order to Amazon, I was told that they never received the Nintendo DS Titanium.  After a quick phone call to Amazon, the customer service representative immediately credited my account $20, which was $3 more than the value quoted.  

Once again, Best Buy failed when it mattered most.  After two weeks of hearing nothing from Best Buy, I decided to call their customer service center.  After waiting on hold for about 5 minutes, the rep told me that I would receive the gift card by the end of the week.  Needless to say, I didn't receive the card and had to call again.  This time, I was told by a different rep that the card now wouldn't arrive for another week.  Two weeks later, I finally received the card.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

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And the winner is...Amazon!  All in all, Amazon provided a much better experience as well as more value per game.   

-BC-