Amazon Launches Video Games Trade-in Store

Yesterday, Amazon launched an interesting new section of its online store: video games trade-in. This service is currently in a beta testing period and therefore only available in the USA. The trade-in process is fairly simple and works like this:

1. Select the games you want to trade in. The games must be in good condition and your trade-in shipment valued at $10 or more.
2. Print a shipping label and packing slip, package your games, and ship them. Shipping is completely free, as long as you use the pre-paid shipping label from Amazon.
3. An Amazon.com Gift Card with the quoted amount for your shipped games will be deposited into your account upon receipt of games.

A little bit of a downside is the fact that you can't trade in any PC games - at least for now. Accepted platforms are: PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PSP and Game Boy Advance. Following the announcement from Amazon, GameStop's shares dropped by 14 percent. GameStop is the current market leader in the USA in that sector.