Echodork

The trade-in value on GTA:SA is $35 right now. Fable is $33. Tony Hawk Underground 2 is $25-30 depending on system. Even Halo is $15, because there's a demand for used copies. For freshly-released games, the trade-in value is usually about 50% of the new price. Depending on how many copies of the game sell and get traded each week, the trade-in price might stay constant (like Fable, where we never have more than one or two used in stock) or drop like a rock (like Madden 2005, where we have at least 10 at all times). If we take in 40 copies of a game one month and only sell 13, you can expect the trade value to go down, and fast.

See, the entire busines revolves around supply and demand. There are just some games that Gamestop gets more copies traded in than they could ever sell. For games with more supply than demand, you get very little credit. That includes old sports games, games with recently released sequels, "bargain bin" games that release for $20, unknown titles, and relatively popular titles with no replay value. The back room of my store looks like a damn Max Payne graveyard. Unless there's a huge Max Payne resurgance and copies start to sell like crazy, you can continue to expect bottom dollar for your own copy if you choose to trade it in.

How many times have you gone into a Gamestop saying to yourself "My God, I absolutely HAVE to find a copy of NBA Live 2002?" Well, nobody else does either, and that's why the trade-in credit for it is a buck when you paid $50 two years ago.

Some of the people in this thread have the right idea, though. If you're truly unhappy dealing with a business who's seeking to make a profit off of you, or you feel unfairly ripped off or jipped by used game stores, then donate your used games to family members or charity organizations. Browse yourself over to Penny Arcade's Child's Play website and sign up to donate. It's definitely a worthy cause, and might very well be worth more to you than the 50 cents you'll get for your scratched copy of WWE Smackdown.