Why can't you trade in PC games?

chamlis

I want to know because I'm looking to offload a lot of games, DVDs etc this weekend at a car boot sale (desperate times and all that :rolleyes: ). Do stores not trade in PC games because they nearly always have an activation code?

Is there any reason why I can't flog them?

Ross_Mahon

Viruses and Activation Codes

If the person that traded in the game already copied the game with the activation code, it means you cant play online. Most of the time it will tell you someone else with the same ID is already playing online.

I have heard of places in town taking in Pc games...not sure though...

The best place to sell off Pc games is online, adverts or ebay would be the best choice.

humanji

One or two shops around the place still buy them. There was also a golden age of PC games where everyone just bought a game, copied it and brought it straight back later that day and exchange it for something else. *sigh* them were the days...

chamlis

I've no interest in copyin the games. It's not something that's beyond me, I'm just not interested. Besides, I'm keeping the ones I like.

So, in my particular situation, all games are legit, with original boxes and activation codes. No reason I can't sell them then?
Except for maybe Bioshock with it's online activation rubbish, right? That's the kind of thing I'm worried about, you see.

humanji

But any game that needs an activation code can be copied and the code put up online, so it's just not worth a shops time to buy potentially unusable games, unless they're going to check them fully as they come in, which just isn't going to happen.

It's annoying, but there's little that can be done.

Kinetic^

Unique activation codes.

chamlis

Ok so any game that doesn't require online activation should be fine to sell.

I just don't want the buyer to have a useless game simply because I used the seriel already when I bought it.

Probably won't get any buyers any way :rolleyes:

MooseJam

humanji wrote: »

There was also a golden age of PC games where everyone just bought a game, copied it and brought it straight back later that day and exchange it for something else. *sigh* them were the days...

burn and return ftw

MooseJam

chamlis wrote: »

Probably won't get any buyers any way :rolleyes:

stick them up on adverts, you might get some buyers and if not sure no harm done

CCCP^

It's bad enough trading in your console games and getting ripped off, why would you want to do that with your PC games? Last week I traded in Brothers in Arms DS to Gamestop. They gave me 5.50 store credit, which was alright because I bought Pro Evo 3 for 1 euro.

Then I come in next week and see my old DS game going for 44.99 euro. MOTHER****ERS!

K.O.Kiki

CCCP^ wrote: »

It's bad enough trading in your console games and getting ripped off, why would you want to do that with your PC games? Last week I traded in Brothers in Arms DS to Gamestop. They gave me 5.50 store credit, which was alright because I bought Pro Evo 3 for 1 euro.

Then I come in next week and see my old DS game going for 44.99 euro. MOTHER****ERS!

In case you didn't figure this out yet, put your stuff on Adverts/eBay.

Holsten

Years ago they used to.

It was great, free games.

pixelburp

It's a pain in the ass for sure, though with old games (or ones that I don't play anymore), I simply throw out the case, scribble the registration code on the DVD and add it to my spindle of CDs.

tHE vAGGABOND

TBH if the games industry had their way you would not be allowed trade in Console games either..

Microsoft and Sony had a conference on it 3 or 4 years ago - which was basically one big brain dump on 'how to make money out of second hand games'

MooseJam

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Microsoft and Sony had a conference on it 3 or 4 years ago - which was basically one big brain dump on 'how to make money out of second hand games'

yea the secondhand games industry makes them sick ha ha ha it's terrible I really feel for them

Zillah

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

Viruses and Activation Codes

Because I hear viruses can leap into CDs if you use them in your computer.

Cuddlesworth

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Microsoft and Sony had a conference on it 3 or 4 years ago - which was basically one big brain dump on 'how to make money out of second hand games'

When the features of the ps3 were first announced it was said that when you bought a game the disk would be locked to the console. That really pissed off a lot of people when it was leaked.

humanji

MooseJam wrote: »

burn and return ftw

Sadly, I was talking about back when we used 3 1/2 inch disks. Man, I feel old.

MooseJam

humanji wrote: »

Sadly, I was talking about back when we used 3 1/2 inch disks. Man, I feel old.

lol, it's a long time since I felt young, thanks

Ross_Mahon

Zillah wrote: »

Because I hear viruses can leap into CDs if you use them in your computer.

No i meant people putting them on disc's when trading them in.

uglyjohn

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

No i meant people putting them on disc's when trading them in.

are you talking about floppy disks?

....cuz people cant put viruses on cd and then trade them in.

Deliverance XXV

Look at my sig. I have games for sale for the last month and cant shift them!
I mean come on! 23 games for €80 and I have received little or no interest. Unreal. I would gladly trade them in if I could, but there are no facilities for it.
Ebay is another option but I am lazy, and it would mean I would have to post them all so no.

humanji

uglyjohn wrote: »

are you talking about floppy disks?

....cuz people cant put viruses on cd and then trade them in.

I know a guy who did put viruses onto disks he returned. If you have a cd printer you can make a copied disk look like an original, with a bit of work. Sad but true.

thelordofcheese

King Nothing wrote: »

Look at my sig. I have games for sale for the last month and cant shift them!
I mean come on! 23 games for €80 and I have received little or no interest. Unreal. I would gladly trade them in if I could, but there are no facilities for it.
Ebay is another option but I am lazy, and it would mean I would have to post them all so no.

Thats probably more to do with the varying quality of the games (who want's TWO nearly identical FIFA games?) and your insistance of only selling them as a bundle than anything else.

chamlis

Sold about 7 PC games amongst other things at the car boot sale.
Made 30 to 40 quid on the games alone. Ranging from brand new to very old

It was worth it not to give to them a retailer like gamestop. (I know they don't take PC games, but if they did. Batards would only give me a tenner for 15 DVDs I had, most spottless and less than a year old)

CCCP^

Zillah wrote: »

Because I hear viruses can leap into CDs if you use them in your computer.

Yeah it's the same thing with tiolet seats so I just hover over the bowel and bomb it from above, safe as **** like.

Hody

Somebody in Gamestop told me there must be a place called Games Exchange or something near Connolly station?!

Mister Man

I believe its because you can just wipe the game and put a virus on it, also its very easy to make a no disk hack for games meaning free games...personly i dont trade back games anymore as its such as waste, gamestop gamestation etc all take the piss with there offers