Major UK retailer HMV is launching an App dedicated to trade-ins, allowing customers to buy secondhand games conveniently on their mobile phones. While promoting its App and subsequent online store, HMV also defended used games, questioning how many new titles would sell if customers couldn’t trade-in older titles.
“I am shocked no one has done an app before,” said HMV’s Martin Baxter. “I think there is a stigma attached to people revealing trade-in prices. Customers want to know what they’ll get for their games. There is still a bit of nervousness attached with trading-in games. People don’t want to get embarrassed in finding out a game is worth 50p.
“The next step is to sell pre-owned games on the website. 95% of our used transactions are attached to the sale of a new product. Without pre-owned you have to wonder: how many new games would we actually sell?”
I’ve made the argument many times that used games are a crucial cog in the game industry machine, allowing gamers to have a financial advantage in buying brand new, expensive titles. It’s a shame that some of the more powerful publishers can’t see the long-term advantaged of pre-owned because they’re too busy clawing after immediate profit.
HMV to sell used games online [MCV]
