Trade Video Games : Swap Xbox 360, PS3, Wii And Save Money

Swapping old, unwanted, disliked or just plain played-out video games for new games you've been wanting to play but haven't been able to afford is such a no-brainer I'm amazed more people are not doing it.

At $60 a time for a new Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 game, video gaming is becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. Most of us can simply not afford to go rushing out to pick up the latest releases especially when there a whole bunch of games coming out at once whilst at the same time, titles we'll never play again sit gathering dust on our shelves.

Doesn't it make sense to swap those for something new? It took me a while to get into the idea of trading my games online but once I got started I realised this is by far the best way to save money on video game purchases.

There are a number of great reliable game swapping sites online which all have different features and pros and cons to using them. So far, my favorite is Goozex because that site doesn't require you to find someone to swap with directly, but instead, gives you points based upon the value of the game you swap which can then be spent on a game of similar value...or two of half the value...or ten at one tenth the value!

Goozex is not the only site of this type however as there are many other sites which incorporate different ideas and some which allow you to swap things like books, movies and other stuff as well which I will detail later.

When I first started looking at the possibility of swapping video games online I was a little sceptical. I was worried about the chances of getting scammed by some unscrupulous loser who would keep the game and never hold up their end of the bargain. I'm sure the thought has crossed your mind too...or at least it has now!

You are right to be cautious. There are some pretty weakly regulated game exchange sites out there which operate more on trust than anything else. These are the ones I bumped into a couple of years ago and was not convinced to take the plunge by the lack of assurances provided on the condition of the discs I would receive or the honesty of the other swappers.

More recently, however, I was once again reintroduced to the idea by an accidental but fortuitous discovery of a game swapping service which looked a lot more professional in its set up and which offered much more security for its swapping community. That site was Goozex (review below) and after getting hooked on that one, I found more which I will share my opinions of below.

Goozex is the first game trading site I came across and is still my favorite.

When you join, you will be asked to create a list of discs you want to receive from all the major video game machines including Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS etc. and another list of all the games in your collection you are ready to trade.

Games are given a point value based upon such things as their age, market price and the level of demand the title has. For example, a brand new release will have a point value of around 900 - 1000 points, whilst an old unpopular game will be as low as 100 points.

The system will then check to see if anyone is requesting the titles you have listed and if so, you will be sent an email telling you someone wants your game and where to send it to. Do so, and receive positive feedback (i.e. do send the game out and make sure its one that works!) and you'll get the points it as valued at added to your account which you can now spend to receive someone else's game..

Using this system, you can choose to trade in 1 new game (1000 points) for 10 older ones (100 points each) or a straight swap for another full price $60 one (at 1000 points), or swap a bunch of your older games for one new release...the options are there and it's great to have them.

Goozex charges a $1 transaction fee for each request but aside from that there are no other fees or charges on the site. You can also choose to buy trading points if you want at a rate of $5 per 100 points which might be worth it if you only need a few more points to get the title you want but is otherwise an expensive way to go about things.

I really like this site. Its simple to use and the simple points based system makes it so much easier to trade games online than some of the other sites where you have to do an "I'll swap my X for your Y" negotiation.

Joining now gets you one free game request after your first trade.

Join Goozex Here

This game swapping service is another good option especially if you are a little worried about sending out your video games to strangers. Whilst sites like Goozex cut out the middle man and therefore save you money with their $1 processing fee, Replaygamez offers a little extra peace of mind by sitting in the middle of the trade, checking the game disc quality and ensuring the trade goes smoothly in general.

Sounds great? It is, but it's also a little on the expensive side. $6.99 is the price of a trade, and whilst this does include postage, it's still $3 - $4 for the little extra peace of mind you get from having them check the disc is working. In addition, ReplayGamez only lets you send the disc and not the full case, so when it comes to reselling the disc, you've got a devalued item which will be harder to trade on.

ReplayGamez works on the basis of a person to person trade. You can only get a game from someone else's collection if they want something from yours. In addition, games are not given a market value so you have a long list of $5 games up for a one for one swap with your $60 title. With this in mind, often when you do find a match, you're not willing to go ahead with it!

You do get one free trade when you join however, so it might be worth checking out at least for that first swap.

Join Replay Gamez Here

This is a great entertainment swapping site. Here at Switch Planet you can choose to swap not just video games, but also books, CDs and DVDs with other members across the country.

The great thing is, you earn points for those swaps, which means you can swap a bunch of DVDs and get a game with them, or swap CDs and get books. Your points are stored in the system so you don't have to find a one for one swap with another member, just send person A what you have and but whatever you want from person B with the points you earn.

Switch Planet lets you set your own asking price for the items you list with a guideline of 50 cents per point. Using this guideline you'll notice some of the ask prices are a little optimistic whilst others are a lot more reasonable.

There's more of a community feel here I find. People are not afraid to contact you about items you have listed as having but not yet listed a trade price for. In addition, there is a large 'groups' section where you can find information and local traders...maybe even skip on shipping costs entirely.

In all, I like this site, although there seem to be vastly more titled listed than actually up for a swap. A dedicated game swapping site might serve you better if that's what you are looking for, but this site has some great things going on as well especially if you have more than games to swap.

Join SwitchPlanet Here

As a member of the forums at CheapAssGamer.com you can list all the video games you have and set up trades with other forum members. You'll have to be prepared to negotiate here, which has advantages and disadvantages - one great advantage being you can perform 2 for 1 swaps or 3 for 2 etc. and swap things other than games too like strategy guides etc.

Not only does this site have a video game exchange section but also loads of useful information on where you can find great deals and otherwise save money on your entertainment. Check their deals section regularly for some great savings.

Visit Cheap Ass Gamer Here

So now you get the general idea of what video game swapping websites are out there and hopefully can see how much money could be saved by participating in their exchange communities. Think about it: 1 new Xbox 360 game costs $60. Play it, swap it for another and you've saved $60. Swap that one when you're tired of it and you've saved another $60! All you've paid is postage and whatever swapping fee is involved (as little as $1 at Goozex). That's a saving of $120 and you've only just got started! So what are you waiting for?