Tested Gameloot, Gamenation, Dacby- for anyone considering buying a used console/games.
A few months ago I wanted to buy a few older consoles, that are hard to get, from online second hand websites. Since quality is everything with older hardware, I was looking at reviews and reddit threads, but these days it is easy to fake those and in the pc gaming space a lot of the recommendations I've gotten for parts have been sellers themselves - so I decided to test them myself.
I had 2 ps5 cds lying around of games I was never going to play again. Not revealing the titles because I like anonymity and might do these tests again. Now, Disk A, let us call it that, had very minor scratches that are inevitable with use while Disk B was quite heavily used, as in not only were there a minor to major level of scratches, but the edge of the cd was also worn out.
However, both CDs were fully functional- I made sure to test them before sending them in.
Now, let us get to the results.
Gameloot- Rejected both Disk A and Disk B and shipped it back to me at their cost.
Remarks- I was pretty surprised that Disk A was rejected, as not only was it fully functional but the scratches were very minor and no gamer would realistically have a problem with them if they are buying the disk to play the game. The disk that they shipped back to me was the ones I sent- I made sure to check. The packaging they used to send the game back in was perfect, including thermocol and cardboard.
Gamenation- I sent the same disks back to Gamenation. They proved my hunch right about the condition of Disk A by accepting it and paying me the exact amount they had promised. Disk B was rejected and sent back to me.
Remarks- As far as gamenation's packaging went, they sent a form-fitting cardboard box that made sure that the cd did not shake or get damaged.
Dacby- since I only had Disk B left, I sent it to Dacby and they accepted it.
Remarks- I was honestly surprised that Disk B was accepted. While it is fully functional, a collector might take issue with the condition of the disk. Of course, in all cases I was only getting a fraction of what I originally paid for the game, so it would be a good buy for a resell company and if the game works, which it 100% does, I don't think the average gamer would be too bothered with it.
Overall tl;dr- Gameloot's QC surprised me. If you want to sell stuff to them, I imagine it might not be smooth sailing if you are trying to sell stuff to them, as their quality check is very thorough and they are willing to return items that don't meet their requirements even if it means wasted time and resources.
I would be most comfortable buying pre-owned gaming items from Gameloot as if they are willing to send relatively low value items like CDs back for not meeting their QC, one can only imagine that their checks for consoles are more stringent.
-> Gamenation is a close second for me. Disk A had very minor scratches and was kept in a very good condition, so accepting it is a practical decision a resell company likely has to make - if they keep waiting for pristine items, they will likely have a hard time maintaining inventory. I would be comfortable buying a used console from Gamenation as well.
-> Dacby. They are newer to the business and are likely focusing on building inventory right now, so it makes sense why their standards would be a little laxer for purchases. If they accepted disk B they would have accepted disk A as well, which means that they are the only buyer that is willing to buy both games ( and their prices are also marginally higher for purchasing than gameloot and Gamenation).
As for the buying side of things, as of now I would rather purchase from Gameloot, my first choice and Gamenation as my second.
Final consideration- I don't think I would actually be comfortable sending a high value item like a laptop, gpu or ps5 to any of these three companies. They require the product to be shipped to them and while they are trustworthy for handling the product, the shipping is done by third parties like Delhivery and Shiprocket and any damage/loss in transit is not covered by these companies and I have had shiprocket and delhivery both lose my parcels in the past.
For used consoles I would rather sell to cashify, since they send a person to your doorstep, same thing for used laptops (if their quote isn't terrible) and as for gpu I would opt for an f2f deal.
I believe Dacby has started doorstep pickup for few cities, so if your city is covered that is also a viable avenue for selling used high value items.