What are your thoughts on store credit? I always say eBay has the best store credit. Sometimes it’s easier to trade in local, rather than use eBay, even if the percentage for trade isn’t that good. 


anyway. Has this ever happened to you? I go to the local brick and mortar for a Pikachu n65 (yup n65) with the controller and a black jumper lid. $119.00 I’m thinking ok I got some cheap trade in, if I can get it down to $60-$80 I’ll pick it up. 

I tell the the guy I’m interested in the n64 and I got some trade in. Short story he tells me that item is cash only.

i said so you’ll give me store credit on my stuff but I can’t put it towards the Pikachu n64? He tells me that’s right.

I didn’t even open the box of trade I had. Mmx with a rough box lol. Some ps1/ps2 stuff. Lion king and pilot wings. I was thinking it might pull $30 credit. Hoping for $40.
 

Who does cash only for a used system? I can see maybe cash/debit only on new systems as you don't make a whole lot but for a used N64?

I've never heard of that, either.

With that type of practice it sounds like a store where if you do have store credit, you'd have to worry about them not honoring it... or just shutting down. I've never heard of a store not counting store credit towards certain items, let alone a used system. Unless it's a gold mine for good items, that would deter me from going there for sure.

They may have paid up for it, and they don't want to basically trade a desirable item that can pull in quick cash for a box of common games that might take a year to get rid of.

I've never had a store tell me store credit can't be used towards certain things, that is really lame.

I'd almost bet it was a store employees and they were letting him sell it there. Ive seen that once or twice. Good for the employee but kind of shady for overall business if not upfront about it.

Consignment probably

Yup, sounds like consignment.

That's way to shady. A store a few years back locally ran all types of adds for paying highest store credit around. Long story short he got in tons of items, pulled the really desirable items and tossed them on eBay and Amazon. Then left some good items and the rest of the store full of useless crap really no one wanted. He also made store credit only available after 14 days or something crazy. Few months later guy packs up and moves the store south out of stare basically robbing all the people left with store credit shmiy out of luck. Store closed in less then a week so anyone with store credit had little to no notice. Store credit is way to risky in small business even big business. Look at Toysrus they did basically the same thing where they limited what store credit could be used on. They hold a going out of business sale where the store had everything on sale. The items not on sale where hella expensive and some excluded from the store credit. They have you by your balls with store credit.

I thought of this later. Still it’s bogus. Probably won’t go in there anymore. Unless I need a common for the contest. 
 

What is a fair percentage on solid games for store credit?

I've got an awesome game store in my old town that would give about 50% cash or 60-70% credit. Their prices are really fair as well and they've got tons of cool stuff on display. (Old NES/SNES/N64/Sony signs, life sized statues of Hulk, Spiderman, Power Armor from Fallout, and more). Sadly the store just doesn't get a lot of business... It is by far my favorite game store but they just don't get much in. Maybe just a bad area or people don't know they exist. I always stop by when I'm in town. 

Sorry that was a little off topic lol. Most game stores around me give 30%-50% credit, which to me is definitely not worth it. There's a more authentic store a couple hours away (Thrillhouse) and they tend to have better rates. Maybe 50% credit? I've only been there once but I'd love to go back. 

I love game stores. I go by my local ones at least once a week. Any time I go out of town I see what game stores I'll pass and stop by. I know they gotta make a profit to keep their doors open but these days it's really hard to justify selling stuff to stores when you can get so much more with little effort between eBay, forums, Facebook. LetGo, OfferUp, etc. 

There is a game store in Lousiville KY(forget the name) that wouldnt let store credit be used on certain items. It was pretty frustrating when I realized it.

I'll bet it is consignment, as I saw a sale ad for what appears to be this exact same system (especially since you mentioned the black jumper lid) in a Facebook group.

 

Okay. I went to my local the other day and a new guy gave me about 75% so I took it. Then I came in again and they said their policy is 50% and I didn't take it. The way I see it is if I get 50% store credit and I get to trade it for something that cost the store 50% store credit the store is getting to borrow my money and then get my game for 75% off. On top of that they charge above eBay for most solid titles.

I have a Collectors Case at my store Trade-N-Games of my best and most wanted items. It has a sign above it that says "No Trades out of this case" I have tons of trades each day of the most total crap that people were not able to sell on marketplace or Ebay and it often can add up quick even giving just quarters adds up $100 then they want the 4 PS1 final fantasy 7 @25 each just to sell them on Ebay. Now if they bring in items that are going in the case they can trade towards the case. Other than the 100 or so games in the case the store has 10,000+ other games to pick from

This is exactly right. A lot of collectors will try and circumvent the system and bring it 100 scratched up games or common hot garbage and try and get all the popular stuff and yes, they constantly bring in the stuff you can't ebay. So my solution is to just offer barely anything for the stuff that comes in. If they don't like it, so be it, but it adds up, so yes, some stores only do cash on higher end stuff vs trade in because of the circumvention. 

Also, the op said it, he was trying to trade in crap to get something of highest value that attracts people. Store owners don't usually like that kind of trade. 
 

trade n games . that is a better way (with the sign) to handle this type of situation but imo and I don’t mean any disrespect but it’s still bogus. I understand you don’t want someone trading in  2600 games you can’t move and they walk out with Musha. 

I think the way way to handle it is how dream says. Give me nothing for store credit if you don’t want that to happen. I’d rather you tell me to kick rocks then tell me I can’t use my store credit on certain items. 

you cant have your cake and eat it too. Your not going to let me use store credit for high dollar items but at the same time your not going to give me no where near what my zombie nation is worth in store credit. 
 

I totally understand this. I’m not denying I was trying to trade up. But like you said just give me pennies or nothing. There is another store that will just tell me straight up they don’t want it. It’s a much better option imo. 

 

If the store doesn't want you to trade up crappy trades to good stuff, they shouldn't offer any credit for crappy trade ins. Either a beat up traded in copy of 1Xtreme is worth $0.25 in your store, or it isn't worth anything in your store. I'd never trade something into a store if they could surprise me and say my already-fake money to spend only in their store is even more worthless than I thought.

It surprises me that this would even be legal, since I would have thought that "store credit" fell into the same type of rules as "gift cards".

 

I agree. 

“Hey, here is 50% of what your crappy games are worth in store credit but you can’t use it to buy good stuff”

wtf? 

If I can’t use store credit on any item in the store, store credit shouldn’t be an option. 
 

This particular store has been threatened (not by me) with informing the better business bureau before lol

 

Exactly.   If people are trading in crap that you store guys are getting stuck with, then you either need to not take said crap in the first place (like scratched up discs) or offer something like a nickel in credit to where you're selling it in a quarter bin in your store (sports games, 2600 commons, etc).   If somebody brings in enough of that bullshit to get them $100 in store credit, then you're still making $400 on the deal anyway.