Green Man Gaming - A Trading Introduction

I thought that I’d kick off the New Year with a little post about Green Man Gaming’s trade-in system; offer you some insight into how it works and hopefully some handy tips on how to maximize your return on investment.

Why buy from Green Man Gaming?
Well, aside from offering you cracking prices on a huge catalogue of digital PC games, Green Man Gaming is the only gaming site that allows you to trade in your purchases* for credit that can be used against future purchases.

How does the trade-in thing work?
Have a look at a product on the Green Man Gaming website and you’ll see a few different prices listed including RRP and our current selling price. Using World of Goo as an example, you’ll also see a current trade in value of 3.00 (at time of taking the screen grab below).



If you were to purchase World of Goo today, you would pay 5.95. You could play the game, complete it and trade it in for a different game; you’d then receive 3.00 off your next game. Or, you could simply trade it in for credit, which will remain on your account indefinitely.

Now, here’s the thing to remember; prices go up as well as down on both the price you pay and the amount you’ll get when trading in a game. So, although you would get 3.00 trade in credit today, you may not get that tomorrow or next week.

Why does the purchase price change?
When looking at the purchase price of a game, Green Man Gaming always displays the lowest price available to you. However, the price you pay may change after you purchased it. Why is that? If the price has increased, then GMG (Green Man Gaming) sold their last pre-owned copy. If the purchase price has dropped, then it is most likely that someone has traded in a copy of that game and GMG now have pre-owned stock and are able to offer the game at a lower price.

The purchase price can change when a product goes in or out of a promotion.

Why does the trade-in price change?
In simple terms, it’s all about supply and demand.

If GMG have lots of pre-owned stock of a particular title, the trade-in price will be lower. On the flipside, if GMG have no pre-owned stock at all, the trade-in price will be higher.

Also, when a product is in a promotion, the trade in price will be lower. When the product is no longer in promotion, the trade in price will return to a higher price unless GMG have a quantity of pre-owned stock.

How do I play the trading game?
Here are my five top tips for maximizing your investment.

1. Buy low, sell high (simple really)

2. Look at your account daily to see any changes

3. Keep an eye on the Bargain Bucket and don’t miss out on a bargain; even if it isn’t game you’d normally play (you never know, you may find a gem)

5. Don’t miss out on Green Man Gaming’s 60minute, 24 hour and weekly price cut promotions – the trade in price usually goes up after a promotion ends.

Thanks for supporting Green Man Gaming in 2010; here’s to a great 2011.

Happy Gaming and Trading!

If you’ve any questions about buying/trading on Green Man Gaming, pop them below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

*Excludes Steam activated products and certain other products