I am considered buying secondhand games from craigslist, but most of the success stories I've heard involve consoles rather than individual games. Is it worth the trouble for just games? Any advice for getting unscratched games on eBay besides checking feedback before hand?
I get mine on Amazon because it is easier to get returns or credited for scratched games. I don't like ebay for used games because the returns process is a pain in the neck. Craigslist is fine because you can meet up with the person and inspect the game before you even buy.
Good points and suggestion, I completely overlooked Amazon for used games. I've only used Ebay for sealed items so far and I plan to keep it that way unless it's a deal worth the risk of losing the money outright.
You could also try Game Stop, their used games are really cheap and you can look at them in person before you even buy them. That is, if there is a Game Stop in your area. Craigslist is probably the cheapest you'll find used video games. I actually bought my cousin a PS3 and 50 games for $100 from a guy that just got a PS4 and just wanted to clear out room for it. Everything was in great condition! But, obviously you run a risk meeting strangers. Always do it outside a local police station... they'll let you. They encourage it in my area.
Craiglist may not be the best place to buy anything if you can't help it. When buying from a site be it Ebay or elsewhere first thing you have to find is whether you'll get a refund if whatever you buy is defective. As anyone selling something on Craiglist will most obviously not refund your money it's unwise to buy anything from the site unless you pay after you get the product.
I have bought several games from ebay. You just have to do your due diligence. If you are buying older cartridge based games, google to see what fakes look like. Also, check customer reviews for the person you are buying from. This can get tricky though because many scam sellers have face reviews posted on their account. If you are reading the reviews and they all look the same or contain broken English, they are probably fake reviews. In my experience, if they are from Hong Kong, it's not worth risking dealing with that seller. Many fake sellers operate out of Hong Kong.
I'd be more willing to get an item shipped from ebay as far as video games go because I know I can just leave a negative comment if ever the seller didn't live up to what was promised and most of the time they are willing to make some sort of arrangement with dissatisfied customers anyway. For craigslist I think the only way I'd be willing is if I can meet with the person and have a place to try the product out before paying for it because there is no recourse if I get home with a faulty item. Our local version of Craigslist has many sellers of used video games and usually they do offer a way of the customer being able to check and test out the goods before paying.
I have never purchased a game from either Ebay or Craigslist. That is not to say that I wouldn't but I think I would be more inclined to go into a video game rental store, or a second hand video game shop and purchase games that way instead. Why that is, I am not entirely sure. But I would feel more comfortable doing it that way.
