How to Resell Physical Video Games

Identify the edition: platform, region and version

Start with the platform, then the region printed on the box, then the language and edition (standard, special or a re-release). PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J copies of the same title are different listings to most buyers, and mixing them up in a title or description is the fastest way to draw a confused message instead of an offer.

Nintendo's UK support page states plainly that Switch game cards "are not region locked", with one stated exception: consoles and game cards distributed in the Chinese region. Downloadable content is the catch — it only works with a game from the same region, shown either on the packaging or on the console under Options > Software Information > Support Information. That page covers the original Switch, not Switch 2, and PlayStation and Xbox handle regions their own way, so check the box and the platform's own support page before you promise a buyer cross-region compatibility.

Complete in box, case only or cartridge only

"Complete in box" means the case, disc or cartridge, manual and any inserts (map, registration card, DLC voucher) are all present; "case only" means the case and disc with nothing else; "cartridge only" or "disc only" means exactly that. Photograph every part you're including — an open case with the manual laid out next to it tells a buyer more in one photo than a paragraph of text.

Vinted's UK help page on items that are significantly not as described counts an undisclosed missing part in that category, which covers a missing manual or insert just as much as a missing controller. If a part is gone, say so in the title or the first line of the description, not buried at the end — a buyer who finds out after paying is a dispute, and one who knows upfront is a sale at a fair, lower price.

Single games, lots or with the console

A common, cheap title rarely earns the extra listing time a single sale needs, so bundling several into one themed lot (by genre, series or platform) often beats the sum of many slow single sales. A complete, sought-after copy is the opposite case: listing it alone with full photos lets a buyer searching for that exact title find it.

Vinted's catalogue rules require a bundle to be labelled as a bundle with one total price, and every item inside it has to come out of your other listings — you can't run the same game as a single listing and inside a lot at the same time. Electronics bundles are also capped at two battery-powered devices, which matters if you're bundling a handheld console in with games. Pricing bundles and lots covers how to price a themed lot once you've decided to build one.

A pile that's part video games and part board games is really two separate lots, not one — the buyer pool barely overlaps, so keep them apart rather than bundling across categories for convenience.

reva's Buy module, which is live, can alert you when a lot or a single title is priced below comparable items that left the market on OLX, Vinted and Allegro Lokalnie, and it stops before payment so you confirm the purchase yourself.

Download codes, DLC and online passes

A used download code cannot be redeemed twice, so selling a copy with a used code as if the code still works is the single fastest way to turn a sale into a return. State clearly that the code is used or missing, and price the copy the same way you would a disc with a missing manual — as an incomplete copy, not a complete one.

Platform rules add another layer. Vinted's Polish catalogue rules prohibit digital games sold as activation codes, vouchers or keys outright, so that category doesn't belong on Vinted at all, used or not. Allegro's own rules on prohibited and conditional goods take a different position: game keys can be listed, but selling access to an account is banned outright — and Allegro's page doesn't say whether that same rule applies identically on Allegro Lokalnie, so don't assume it does.

Testing discs and cartridges

Tilt a disc under a light and look across the playing surface for scratches deep enough to catch a fingernail — light surface marks from normal handling are common and usually don't affect play, but a scratch you can feel is a real risk worth disclosing. For cartridges, check the contact edge for corrosion or a greenish residue, and clean it gently with a dry, lint-free cloth rather than anything abrasive; we don't recommend disc-resurfacing kits or claims that resurfacing restores a disc to new condition.

• Disc: check the playing surface under angled light for scratches you can feel with a fingernail
• Cartridge: check the contact edge for corrosion, clean gently with a dry cloth only
• Test-boot the game in a console if you have access to one before you list it
• Note any freezing, read errors or save-corruption you find during the test

A game that boots and plays through a test session is worth stating plainly in the listing — "tested, boots and plays" is a concrete claim a buyer can trust more than "good condition".

Retro vs current games

Retro and current titles are priced by almost opposite logic. On a retro game, condition and completeness do most of the work — a complete-in-box copy with a clean manual generally draws more collector interest than a loose cartridge of the same title. On a current title, price mostly falls as more copies enter circulation after release, so a common current game rarely rewards the same wait-and-hold approach that works for a scarce retro one.