Gaming Free on Consoles and Computers (Well, Almost!)
 	by  Ronald Wartow

The Cost of Gaming
The cost of console and computer gaming seems stuck in the $40 to $60 range, with most quality titles selling for $50. RPG’s, my favorite, almost always are expensive. Discounts on the most popular games are limited to rare specials at such giant retailers as Best Buy. I imagine every gamer would like to save some money, given that many of us buy upwards of 20 games a year, pushing towards or above $1000 to practice our hobby. 
Enter eBay.com
The first, and still the best of, the Internet’s auction sites, eBay provides a gamer with the opportunity to purchase games at discounts, then sell those games at close to your purchase price. EBay works because of its fabulous feedback system. When a transaction is completed, the buyer and seller give each other positive, negative, or neutral feedback. This feedback is generally available to potential buyers or sellers. When you see a seller has feedback comments like “Great seller. Shipped immediately”, you can bid with confidence. Also, the higher the feedback score the greater the chance the transaction will be smooth. 
Many of eBay’s 5 million plus active auctions involve the buying and selling of games, thousands of them at any one time from its 30 million registered users. From the hot, new Kingdom Hearts to The Two Towers to Splinter Cell to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to Morrowind, gamers around the world are practicing “free gaming”. Seem too good to be true? It works, as my over 250 successful eBay transactions demonstrate. Finally, my experience and my acquaintances have found the eBay experience to be generally, safe, secure, and without risk.
The Essentials
Using eBay, or other auction sites, works to game freely only if the following premises are true:
•	The game to be bought, then sold, is one of quality (Examples: Kingdom Hearts, The Two Towers, Final Fantasy X, Neverwinter Nights).
•	The timing of the game’s auction sale is when it is still popular. For just about every quality game, this could be well over a year. (Take Final Fantasy X, for example, which is still wildly popular and brings first-rate prices on an auction sale, over a year after its release).
•	The system works whether your purchase the game at retail price or through auction. (This is because quality games, for the life of their long popularity, sell at very little discount, if any, even through auctions.)
•	The buyer, then seller, has no desire to retain or collect the purchased game. (An obvious point, but...).
•	The buyer, then seller, has a valid credit card, or a representative, parent, for example, with one.
A Trip Down My Memory Lane
In the last 6 months my RPG gaming purchases has been practically free, even less expensive than if I had only rented the game. Here’s my partial report:
•	Final Fantasy X: Purchased for $40 retail. Sold at auction for $36.
•	Morrowind: Purchased for $50 retail. Sold at auction for $41
•	Grand Theft Auto III: Purchased at auction for $25. Sold at auction for $26
•	Wild Arms 3: Purchased for $40 retail. Sold at auction for $34
•	Kingdom Hearts: Purchased for $50 retail. Sold at auction for $43
And, the examples go on and on, being equally true for the other 10 games I purchased over this time period. For the 5 quality, hot games above, my total cost was $205, and my total return on sale was $180, a cost of $25 to keep and play. Renting at Blockbuster would have been more expensive, and I would have been constrained on the time I could keep the games for play.
The Inescapable Conclusion
Sure, I didn’t exactly get the above 5 games for free. But, paying only $25 for 5 fabulous gaming experiences, some of which lasted 3 weeks or more, seems almost free. That’s the cost of a dinner and a movie for one night for one person. So, have I convinced you to check this system out? If so, read on for some nifty tips and techniques to use when you buy or sell games at auction online. (These hints are not intended to be all-inclusive or comprehensive, but some quick and dirty ways to make auctioneering a breeze.
Tips for Sellers
•	Make sure the item title is catchy. For example: “Mint Neverwinter Nights Hot PC RPG”. Be sure to include the system (PC, PS2, etc.), as many buyers search for available games by system. Also, if a game is known by more than one name, try to use it in the title, though space is limited. For example, Grand Theft Auto III is also known as gta3. Use both in the title. Peruse the auction listings, using the Search function, of the item you want to sell, and see how others titled their auction. Do not use useless adjectives like “Super” “Awesome” or “Wow”. These turn potential bidders off.
•	Always include an accurate description, relatively short (too long and my eyes glaze over), and the condition of the item for sale in the auction notice. For games, be clear whether the item for sale contains the full retail package, including the box. Accurately describe the game’s condition. Use terms like “mint” or “excellent” or “played twice”, so the buyer can make an intelligent decision. (Notice I don’t mention the term “sealed” since that means you didn’t play the game, which defeats the whole purpose of this exercise!) If you do not do the above accurately, you could have some big problems down the line. 
	Here’s a sample of my recent auction title and item description for my 	successful sale of The Two Towers:

	“Title: Lord/Rings THE TWO TOWERS New PS2 Action Game 

	  Item Description:

		Lord of the Rings The Two Towers, the top-rated, bestselling, terrific action 	adventure for the PS2. 			Complete package with box, game disk, and manual, all in excellent condition. Retail Price: $49.99. 
		
		Battle as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and a Secret Character through the locations of the first two films (and 		books), including the monumental Battle of Helms Deep. Upgrade your characters' moves and weapons. 		Combat with all the films' horrors: Orcs, Uruk-Hai, Ringwraiths, Goblins, and tons more. 

		Scenes from the new movie beginning in a couple of weeks are in the game, plus the soundtrack from The 		Fellowship of the Ring, and much more. 
		
		Shipping is $3.85 for USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days). Payment by PAYPAL only to the above email address 		within 3 days of auction close. 
		
		Good luck! This is a great one.” 

•	Use eBay’s free option to use photos or scans of the item to be sold. Perhaps spread out the game’s contents, so the potential buyer can verify the item‘s contents.

•	Answer all potential buyer inquiries promptly. Check your email each morning during the auction period. The more bidders, the higher your sale price.

•	For payment, I only accept Paypal, a 20 million-member service, now owned by eBay. Buyers use a credit card or bank account to instantly pay for auctions. My experience with waiting for personal checks to clear, money orders, and the like has been disheartening at times. With Paypal, you can be paid immediately online, no hassle!

•	I usually begin the bidding at $1.00, and have never been burned by a low price for a good item because of this. Another technique is to start the bidding at the lowest price you will accept for an item, but that usually turns potential bidders off. I always use the Buy-It-Now option, which lets you stipulate a price you want for the item. Anyone, before a bid is made on your item, can buy it at that price. I’ve had many almost immediate sales using this option. (Though this probably does not need to be expressed, do not use the retail price for Buy-It-Now. I usually put down a price that, with shipping, saves the buyer about $5-10 under the retail price, depending on the item.)

•	Auctions can be held open for up to 10 days. Most people do 7 days, but I always use 3 days, the shortest auction period available on eBay. Using my own practice as a buyer, I generally ignore checking auctions for a desired item until a few days before auction closes. As with my minimum bidding policy, above, I’ve never been burned because of a shortened auction period.

•	Elect the option to make shipment insurance and delivery confirmation optional at the buyer’s request. This puts many buyers at ease, because the extra cost they pay for these items (about $1.10 for insurance for a typical game and 50 cents for delivery confirmation) is well worth their peace of mind.

Tips for Buyers
•	·Read the game’s description in the auction notice. Look for a statement of condition, and whether the whole game package is included. If the description does not mention a part of the retail package (like the box), then the box is probably not included. Ask the seller to clear up any uncertainties you haven.·
•	Usually, the buyer is responsible for postage. Most auction notices contain an estimated shipping charge. Most games can be sent US Postal Service Priority Mail for under $4. If you see an $8 shipping charge, which may include so-called “handling“, forget this item. I have never paid for handling. Unfortunately, a few unscrupulous sellers try to make money on overcharging for postage.. 
·	Read the seller‘s feedback rating and comments to make sure you’re not dealing with a problem seller.
•	If you win an auction, according to eBay rules, you must purchase the item. Failure to do so can get fairly nasty, involving eBay suspension, horrible feedback, and a bad rep. Only bid if you want the item and can pay for it!

In conclusion, wander over to eBay. Do a search for some game you can’t wait to buy or sell. See what others are doing. Sign up, and start gaming for free! (Well, almost.)

Copyright Ronald Wartow 2002. All Rights Reserved.

Permission to post or display this article on any website, or elsewhere, must be obtained from the author at rwartow@yahoo.com.