There's a massive market for second-hand video games, and when you've polished off the last Resident Evil, got bored with Zelda after getting lost in the vast expanse of Hyrule, or simply want to swap last year's Call of Duty for the latest installment, GameStop can be a great way to save some dollars on your next purchase.
In the aftermath of the gaming retailer being slammed for a 'disgusting' Switch 2 launch event, GameStop earned praise for promising to keep Xbox Game Pass prices low amid the recent hikes. You might also remember GameStop as the company behind a bizarre 2021 stock explosion where interest drummed up on Reddit led to prices soaring from $17.25 to over $500 per share.
We don't need to remind you how lucrative the used gaming market can be, with 1996's Super Mario 64 going for a record-breaking $1.56 million at auction, the OG Resident Evil fetching $1,8000, and even a much newer Xbox 360 version of Minecraft selling for over $4,000.
What is GameStop's Trade Anything Day?
For those who don't want to part with their precious gaming collection, GameStop's 'Trade Anything Day' allows you to swap a whole host of other items for store credit. We know GTA 6 isn't out for another year (if it isn't delayed again), but getting a discount by trading some of the junk lying around your house sounds like a good deal.
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We've got to feel sorry for GameStop staff who already have to deal with handling your crusty controllers and mite-filled GPUs, but with December 6 seen as a quiet day for trade-ins, the company has made the wild PR pitch where you can bring almost anything in to trade.
The rules are relatively simple, with the fine print explaining how items have to fit into one of GameStop's 20x20x20 boxes, and employees can reject any item based on their own discretion.
Even though it sounds like we're at the mercy of the staff, we don't pity those who'll have to wade through a sea of weird and wacky items on December 6.
Over on the GameStop subreddit, one person suggested there's technically no mention of human remains, adding: "You can trade your grandma’s ashes into GameStop for $5!"
Someone claiming to be a GameStop worker chimed in saying: "They're going to allow the dregs of humanity to come in and make our lives a living f**king hell for $5 in store credit? Absolutely not ... if I'm working that day, I ain't entertaining anyone who comes in with that sh*t. Fire me. Don't care."
Another customer concluded: "I like how taxidermy is considered an acceptable trade... but a Quest 2 isn't?"
What's banned from GameStop's 'Trade Anything Day'
There's an exhaustive list of things that are 'banned' from the Trade Anything Day, with the likes of illegal drugs, weapons, and alcohol being obvious. Importantly, the rules remind us that dead or live animals won't be accepted, although taxidermy will.
According to GameStop, the full list of exclusions includes:
- Hazardous waste or material, chemicals, liquids
- Lithium-ion batteries or items containing lithium-ion batteries
- Weapons and ammo
- Dead or live animals (taxidermy is accepted)
- Alcohol
- Tobacco, drugs, or pharmaceuticals (legal or not)
- Computers (including desktops, laptops, notebooks, and tablets)
- VR headsets with a built-in processor
- Computer peripherals, including monitors, keyboards, mice, external hard drives, fax machines, scanners, and printers, weighing less than 100 pounds
- Digital music players, VCRs, DVD players, and projectors
- Small-scale servers
- Televisions
- Gift cards and other currencies
- Jewelry
- Sexually explicit items
- Items resembling body parts
Still, if you don't know what to do with that taxidermy squirrel sitting on your mantle, check if it can be shoved into a 20x20x20 box and head on down to GameStop on December 6.