Would You Buy a Second Hand Game for $1,000.00?

Recently, I went looking for a specific board game. It has been out of print for the last four years and has a 20-year production history. During my search, I found several collections on eBay priced at more than $1,000 USD. Since that is a high price for the game, I contacted the seller after all, and they had several “Buy It Now” listings available.

The response to my questions could be summarized as: “We do not check, and we will not check, until a paying customer complains after purchase. Then we will do what we think is appropriate.” This was presented as quality customer service. Knowing I am not the only person buying used games, I felt it was appropriate to provide some guidelines for buying and selling secondhand games.

First and most important is completeness.

You cannot play a game without all of its parts. You are going to want the following:

• A complete component inventory
  • to include the count and condition of all the parts present in the sale.
• Photos of all damaged components
  • If there are multiple-part pieces, as is the case for miniatures, are all of the pieces accounted for to allow for the item to be reassembled?
  • Are the cards worn, torn, or stained?
• Photos of the insert, trays, and box, if the game had them.
  • Are the inserts, trays, and box in good shape, damaged, bent, or crushed?
• Photos of cardstock components.
  • Cards, cardstock chits, standees, and the playing board
  • Are there rips, gouges, cuts, or sections of cardstock delamination?
  • The worst is cardstock creasing, where the fibers have frayed, and the printed section has begun to flake off. This leads to delamination and part degradation.
• Photos of miniatures, tokens, pawns, and dice.
  • Are the miniatures in good shape? Are they broken, or have they been painted? Painted parts are always valued less than unpainted parts unless the game came prepainted.
  • Are there specialized dice that the game requires? Are all of them accounted for, and are they legible? Sometimes people attempt to replace the issued dice with “acceptable alternatives.” This would be like using Pip Dice rather than Digit Dice.
  • Specialized pawns and tokens used to represent concepts are generally plastic or metal, and they are present and undamaged.
• Photos of rule books, quest books, scenario books, handouts, fliers, and other game documentation.
  • Look for rips, tape, and stains.
  • Sometimes there are print errors; this should be disclosed.

Promotional materials can be advertisements, posters, or freebie giveaways that are used to drum up interest often times sellers will want extra for these items. They should be treated as though they were normal items and judged in the same manner. Once the quality has been determined, the “collectible” aspect should be considered.

Unique or limited print items can cause the cost of a game to skyrocket and the game is generally playable without them. These types of items should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Remember 2 very specific points:

1. A seller saying “I think it’s complete” is not the same as verified complete.
2. A seller saying, “We will figure it out after you determine there is an issue.” They already have your money and are in no way accountable to make certain you are made whole.

Second, learn the differences of “previously owned”.

The terms generally used are, “New in Box (NIB)”, “Unpunched”, “Punched”, “Lightly played”, and “played”. Consider that most sellers overvalue their products. They will ask for top dollar for their sale, even if it is not in top condition.

When buying ask your seller the following questions:

• Has it been played? This will give you an idea of soiling.
• Was it stored vertically or horizontally? This will give you an idea of bent or twisted parts.
• Was it in a smoke-free environment? The stink is very difficult to get off board games and requires the parts to be cleaned, then placed in an ozone chamber, which is bad for plastic and rubber parts.
• Was it stored in a damp or moist environment? Mold and mildew never come off board games. The porous nature of board games makes them susceptible to fungal infection, which becomes embedded in the materials and can not be removed.
• Are there any warped boards, bent cards, or broken parts? All of these are situations that can be mitigated, but will affect the enjoyment of the game.
• Are the miniatures, tokens, or other parts painted or modified? This is important as my gamers dislike it when the game pieces are altered from their issued state.

When selling take the time to inform your potential buyer of any and all of the previous situations prior to the purchase. A happy, informed customer is far more of an asset than a bitter, disgruntled customer who feels as though they were taken advantage of and left to rot.

• New in Box (NIB) or New in Shrink Wrap (NIS): These are factory-sealed products; be certain you know the type of factory seal for your chosen game. Shrink wrap machines and peel labels are easily replaced.
• Opened but unpunched: In this case, the game box has been opened, but the Chits and Tokens are still on their card-stock or plastic sprues. Sometimes these sprues are shrink-wrapped separately from the rest of the game. As with the NIS classification, make certain you know if the sprue is supposed to be wrapped.
• Punched: This is when the Chits and Tokens have been removed from sprue sheets. Here is where the item list comes in handy. Knowing you are supposed to have 35 of a particular Chit will help you determine if all of the parts are, in fact, in the game.
• Played Once, Lightly Played, or Like New: This is an attempt by the seller to increase the value of the game by suggesting that a single play through or a light playing experience makes the game less used than it often is. The game is used, either it is damaged used or it is playable used. If it's not new, it’s used.
• Sorted: This means the seller has attempted to separate the parts. If it is sorted, then there should be no issue with the seller giving you an inventory of the parts. Components are generally organized in little plastic baggies.
• Sleeved: Cards in protective sleeves are to be treated with caution. Opaque sleeves can hide damage to the cards.

Third, know the market for your game.

Just because it is Out of Print (OOP), doesn’t mean that it demands a high price. Many sellers overvalue their items because they equate OOP with “Rare and Valuable”. Just because a game is no longer available at retail stores does not automatically make it collectible. Always check multiple locations for a good idea of the market price of a game.

When buying be clear about your requirements and what you are willing to pay, be willing to walk away from a bad deal or a seller that refuses to answer your questions directly.

When Selling: price your product fairly, and describe the product accurately. A statement of “see the photos” and then not supplying detailed photos is a dead giveaway of a bad deal.

Whether buying or selling, always check your pricing:

• Check actual sold listings on eBay, not just the current listed prices; lots of items sit for months in stores waiting to be sold because they are overpriced.
• Check the marketplace history on Board Game Geek.
• Check your social network listings.
• Check Reddit.
• Check Craigslist, it's an oldie but a goody for stuff locally.

Consider shipping costs from the supplier to your address. This can make or break a sale. Anything shipping into the United States has a ridiculous import fee tied to it, as with shipping to Australia or the European Union, if you are not in those places.

Fourth, is to intimately know your product.

Many modern games have lots of expansions and sellers, either by chance or by intent, erroneously classify expansions. This is easy to do when the game title is first, and the expansion name is second. Be certain you know the expansions issued for your chosen game.

When Buying Expansions you should be clear about the title of the expansion, what year it was published (this helps with edition issues), and what edition the expansion is intended for. Some games, like HeroQuest and Descent: Journeys in the Dark, have multiple editions, and not all of the expansions are intended for all editions.

When Selling Expansions you should be clear about the title of the expansion, what year it was published and the intended edition of the expansion.

Kickstarter and promotional expansions can be difficult to verify without photos and records of what exactly is included in the Kickstarter or promotional pack. Always be wary when buying open Kickstarter kits. When selling Kickstarter kits, always include the information from the Kickstarter that applies to what is being sold.

Fifth, the fake products.

With the advent of the 3D printer, game part printing companies, and game card printing companies, fakes, counterfeits, bootlegs, and other non-official products make it to the secondary market. HeroQuest, Magic the Gathering, and HeroScape are all subject to this situation. When you have a product that you believe is a fake, do not sell it to someone else. Notify the individual from whom you purchased it and let them know why it is a forgery.

A few giveaways to help determine forgeries.

1. Blurry, hazy, or grainy printing on the cards and or materials. Yes, recently Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons have both suffered these issues from the manufacturer; still, it is best to be aware of it.
2. Cardstock is different than the rest of the game. It is very noticeable when cards are not the same as previous releases, this is also why sleeved cards are always suspect.
3. Incorrect colors and low-quality printing. These are generally because of scans used to reproduce cards or rule books.
4. “Resealed” new in box items, a shrink sealer is not expensive, and I know of several large retailers that reseal products regularly. These types of reseals will have a thick center plastic seam that is not consistent with a new product. It may be a sign of a used item repacked as new, or a return item repacked to resell as new.
5. Proxy items are always unofficial items and should be clearly marked as not official.

Always protect yourself financially.

This is for both buyer and the seller. As a buyer, eBay has some buyer protections in place, as dose Paypal Goods and Services, and your credit card. As a seller, your protections come from a clear and concise description with good communication. The term buyer beware, is an old adage for a reason. For large purchases, use an escrow company or a payment plan system that will allow for termination if the situation goes awry.

Some things that are red flags to recognize from either the buyer or the seller.

1. Requiring a down payment using a non-buyer-protected service.
2. Requiring a cash payment
3. requiring the use of a wire transfer
4. requiring the use of a cryptocurrency

Trust is earned and can be demonstrated.

A trustworthy buyer asks all the questions and expresses all concerns. They pay on time and have a history of doing so. They do not balk at paying for tracking on their purchases. Striving to be a trustworthy buyer is a worthy goal. That way, if or when you end up in a situation, you are more likely to be judged as honest.

A trustworthy seller answers the detailed questions, provides clear and quality images of the items for sale, honestly describes the flaws of the product, ships with a tracking number and allows returns if there are issues.

Seller red flag behaviors to consider for a buyer.

The seller refuses to give an inventory, refuse photos, claims “lots of interest” trying to garner the Fear of Missing Out. They use stock only photos and avoid or refuse to answer component questions. They expect the customer to inventory the purchase and then file a complaint rather than supply records of the contents of the game.

Buyer red flag behaviors to consider for a seller.

The buyer refuses to use tracked shipping, they refuse to provide verified address, they decline to ask any questions (this is a dead giveaway that the sale is going to head south). They want the cheapest shipping possible. They request to pay in cash, via a non-certified cash system, or through a questionable third-party process. They wait a week after the receipt of the product to notify you of issues regarding the purchase.

For both the seller and the buyer it is a good practice to review the history of the other party to get an idea of the individual with whom you are doing business. Look at the negatives as well as the positives. Look at the age of the account; this is a gauge of the stability of the other party.

Shipping a game is a risky proposition.

Second hand games should be packed inside with filler to keep the box from crumpling during shipping. They should be wrapped in a layer of bubble wrap, and the corners should be protected to prevent the box from being damaged during transit. Components and cards should be securely packed to prevent damage during shipping. It is the responsibility of the customer to express this requirement and be willing to pay for the shipping and handling charges. It is the responsibility of the seller to make certain the game is delivered in as good a condition as it can be within the limits allowed by the buyer. If a buyer wants to cheap out on the shipping, then the damages they receive will need to be clearly communicated to them prior to shipping.

FOMO / Collector Hype

As touched on earlier, there is a modern phenomenon that is pushed by game manufacturers through the use of artificial and perceived scarcity. This is the Fear of Missing out (FOMO) and Collector Hype, both are fed into the board game community consistently through limited releases like Kickstarter or Gamefound, or through bad distribution practices like Hasbro. This effect can have an undue effect on the behavior of buyers and sellers. The thing to remember is that in the secondary market, all used things come around again and again. Patience is a key attribute when trying to complete a collection or find just the right game. The scarcity is inevitably false.

Practical Checklist Before Sending Money

Here is a 10 point practical checklist to use before purchasing any game on the secondary market:

Ask the seller for:

• Game title and expansions, if any.
• A complete contents inventory.
• Photos of all the contents, not in bags or piles.
• Rule book and documentation photos.
• Box photos of all six sides and the inserts.
• Confirmation of missing or broken pieces.
• Details for the edition, printing, and date.
• Shipping method to include packaging and tracking.
• Protected payment method.
• A return guarantee if there are issues.

If anything feels evasive, rushed, or too good to be true, it probably is. Often, it is better to walk away. In the secondary market for games, another copy will almost always appear.

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