If you’re a board game collector, or even just a really big fan, you’re eventually bound to end up with some games that you’re ready to part ways with. This could be duplicates you’ve been gifted over the years, games you’ve tried and not cared for, or just games you’ve played so many times that they’re no longer fun and enjoyable to you. If you’re thinking of just throwing those games in the trash, though, think again! There’s a huge market for used board games on the internet, and with just a little work, you could turn your pile of unplayed games into cold hard cash (which you will, of course, use to buy more games).
The best places to sell your used games include local game stores and board game cafes, online board game enthusiast groups, and BoardgameCo.com. You can also use eBay, Craigslist or other common tactics such as hosting a garage sale.
We’ll walk you through the perks and drawbacks of each of these places, as well as what you’ll need to do to get your games ready to sell, and how to make the most money!
Where to Sell Your Board Games
You have a few main options when it comes to choosing a place to sell your used games – each one has different pros and cons, so you’ll have to weigh the options and make your own choice on which one is best for you.
Local Game Stores and Board Game Cafes
If you can, we highly recommend using your local game shop to flip your used board games. Local game shops are important to keeping our beloved hobby alive – they provide a great entry point for new players, offer space for groups to meet and play together, host events, and so much more. Anything we can do as tabletop game enthusiasts to support our local shops is well worth considering – and if you get to make a little cash (or store credit) along the way, so much the better!
If your favorite shop sells used games, ask them about their trade-in process and what kinds of games they’re looking for. They might buy the games from you directly and offer you cash or credit on the spot, or they may have a consignment system where you get paid a percentage after your game sells.
Another great option, if you have one near you, is to sell your used games to a board game cafe! They’re pretty much always looking for new games, and won’t mind taking duplicates or games in so-so condition – in fact, they can often take specific pieces from games in otherwise rough condition to help replenish or replace parts in their other copies of the game.
For example, if you have a game where the board is pretty roughed up, but the plastic pieces and dice are all in good condition, they’ll happily take that off your hands and use the pieces to replace the ones that will inevitably go missing in the cafe. They might be willing to pay you cash or store credit – how much will, of course, be dependent on the popularity and condition of the game. Either way, it’s another excellent option for supporting your local gaming community!
Online Board Game Enthusiast and Buy / Sell Groups
If you don’t have a local brick-and-mortar game store, another great option is to take your board game selling online. Both Facebook and Reddit offer several great hubs for folks looking to talk gaming together, but you can probably find hobby groups on whichever social media app you’re most active on already.
You could also try selling your board games on non-gaming-specific buy / sell groups – most neighborhoods or cities have them on Facebook or Nextdoor, and if not, there’s always Craigslist!
If you take this approach, be aware that you’ll likely make a little less money than if you’re selling to hobby-specific groups, and you might have a more difficult time offloading niche or indie games with titles that non-gamers won’t recognize.
With this approach, pictures are your best friend! Take lots of well-lit, in focus photos of the game, including all the pieces and the board, so people can see what good shape it’s in. This can also help sell the game to folks who might not have heard of it before – seeing a beautifully illustrated board or a unique game feature might catch their interest! After all, haven’t you always wanted to crack the plastic wrap on a brand new game and take a sneak peek at what’s inside before you buy it?
If you’re looking for the most straightforward way to sell your games online, it makes sense to go directly to a website built to do just that.
BoardgameCo.com is a board game specific secondhand shop, where users can sell their used games. They’ll prompt you for lots of useful information about the condition of the game (any torn corners, bowing of the box, wear and tear damage, etc), and they handle all the logistics.
The downsides are that they’re only looking for specific games, so your game might not be on their list, and that you’ll probably get less for your game than you might with one of the previously described methods.
BoardgameCo states that you can expect to get between 25-50% of market value for your game. It’s understandable if you’re looking for something with a slightly higher ROI, but be aware that you’ll have to put in more work doing the actual listing and selling (which BoardgameCo does for you)!
How to Get Your Games Ready to Sell
If you want to make the most money selling your used games, you’ll need to put a little bit of work into getting them ready to flip!
The first thing you have to do is open up the box and do a quick inventory to make sure you still have all the bits and pieces – not many folks are interested in games that are missing components. Then, it’s time to confirm that everything is still in good shape – no warping of the board, food stains, dirt, torn or creased cards, etc.
If you do have some minor damage, it can often be fixed. Dirt or stains can often be lifted with a good wipe down or scrubbing (depending on the material, of course). Board warping can be corrected by leaving it under a stack of heavy books or very gently going over the board with an iron on very low heat.
Basically, do everything you can to get your game into as close to like-new condition as you can, and you’ll be able to set a higher price point. If a game is well and truly beat up, you might have to be willing to compromise on price point. The most important part, though, is to be honest about the condition of the game – imagine how upset you would be to receive a game in poor condition if you didn’t know what you were getting into when you made the purchase! Nobody likes a bad surprise.
Ready to start cleaning out the board game cabinet?
We might not have the cheapest hobby, with new games running anywhere from $20-100 a piece! But if you want to recoup some of that cost (and, of course, put it directly back into more board games), then flipping your used games is a great option. It’s not doing you any good gathering dust on the shelf, so you might as well rehome it with a player who can get some real enjoyment out of it! Who knows – maybe your used game will be the game that gets them hooked on tabletop gaming for life!
