GameStop is easily the biggest specialty video game retailer, and despite some of its recent struggles, it is still considered a popular choice for gamers to shop at.
This is particularly due to it being a nice combination of convenience, mainstream, and having games for sale that a store like Walmart or Best Buy would not have.
GameStop sells used games from a wide variety of game libraries, going all the way back to the original NES. But for PlayStation 4 owners, they may be wondering how much GameStop will give them for a PS4 controller?
This is a tricky question, as the value of a PS4 controller may vary depending on a number of factors. The condition of the PS4 controller, the availability, the demand, etc. are all important to consider. For a basic PS4 controller, you can currently sell it for $12 cash or $15 credit.
But is there any way to get more value for a PS4 controller than that? And how does the resale value of the PS4 controller compare to other controllers?
How Much Will GameStop Give You for a PS4 Controller?
For this question, we are going to assume it is a black PS4 controller, which is the most common model of PS4 controller available. Assuming you bring in an operational PS4 controller with no major cosmetic damage, you can expect to get $12 cash for the controller.
Make sure that the PS4 controller is charged so they can test it easily. However, GameStop incentivizes sellers to trade their products in for store credit by giving more value this way. Instead of $12, you can get $15, which can only be spent at a GameStop location or on its website.
The value of the store credit and cash for your PS4 controller may vary depending on whether you are a PowerUp Rewards Pro member. If you are, instead of $12 cash or $15 store credit, you will receive $13.20 or $16.50 respectively.
This is not a huge increase, but an increase nonetheless. A PowerUp Rewards Pro membership will run you $15 per year, so if you shop or sell a lot at GameStop, it would ultimately benefit you to have a membership. That means that the small increase in value may add up to being more than the cost of the membership itself.
Another factor that may come into play when selling your PS4 controller to GameStop is that GameStop sometimes does special trade-in promotional offers.
One thing that they often do is incentivize their customers to trade consoles, games, and accessories from one console – in this case, the PS4 – for a newer console, like the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, or Xbox Series S|X. Keep an eye out for such deals when they occur.
Figuring out how much GameStop will give you for a PS4 controller that’s a different color is tricky, however, because their website does not list the trade-in values of these controllers. You may have to bring your controller in and ask a rep.
It is possible that they will simply give you the same value they assigned the regular PS4 controller, which may or may not be a good idea.
Some controller variants are rarer or more expensive than others, such as limited edition controllers. Because of this, you would be better off selling the controller on eBay so as to not lose too much value on the sale.
If your PS4 controller is not working as well as it should, you may be able to sell it to GameStop, but for a reduced value. This is a “your mileage may vary” situation, so bring it into GameStop and ask them what they will give you for it.
How does the GameStop value compare to Best Buy?
While GameStop is the first place people usually go to trade in their games, they are not the only one. For example, Best Buy customers can also sell games, consoles, and accessories to this store. However, how does it compare?
If you go to Best Buy’s website and enter the black PS4 controller model (the DualShock 4), Best Buy offers five dollars of in-store credit. This is considerably worse than GameStop’s, not even being half the cash value GameStop offers. Thus, if you do not want to sell the PS4 controller yourself, GameStop is a much better option than Best Buy.
How much do you get for selling to GameStop instead of selling on eBay or Amazon?
Selling your products to GameStop is infamous for the relatively low value they give for the items, especially in some cases where they make huge profits when they sell them themselves.
Plenty of people can attest to GameStop buying an item for less than a dollar, only to sell the item for a profit many times higher than that. But how much more money can you make by selling it on eBay or Amazon yourself?
For this comparison, we will be using the same basic black PS4 controller to determine the cost difference. Where you will get $12-$15 as a regular user at GameStop, you can find used PS4 controllers on eBay that have sold for $22-$33 (shipping accounted for).
This represents a 200% profit increase. PS4 controllers on Amazon, meanwhile, sell for as cheap as $40, though how successful sales at this price point may be difficult to determine. There are shipping costs to consider, but the PS4 controller is light enough that it is not going to cost too much.
One of the reasons why selling to GameStop provides such a small value comparatively is due to the fact that it is less laborious for you.
Sure, you can argue that GameStop is making too great a profit from their used games (sometimes a used game will only be five dollars cheaper than new), but they have to pay less than what they sell it for in order to incentivize them to want to buy it from you in the first place. Think of it as a fee for them to hold your game or accessory until it is sold.
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