Buying Games Secondhand

 Today's post was a difficult one to write. Not only did I lose about half the post when I accidentally refreshed the page, I also just had trouble writing this one. I couldn't really think of anything to write, but I knew that I had to get something up, hence the quality of today being a bit lower than my other posts (IMO). It's a bit shorter than my other posts too, just because I don't have much to write about on this subject (as of yet), so read, comment and then move on with your lives knowing better quality is coming on Friday! 

Why Buy Used, When You Could Buy New?

I have a really weird relationship with board games. On the one hand, I love getting new games and taking the shrink off them. Punching out new boards is a really cathartic experience and it's fun being able to take the cards and shuffle them (gently) for the first time. There's a smell to them that is unmatched by anything else and looking through the components of a new game (when they're not sealed away) is one of my favorite things to do.

I'm a really tactile person and being able to take out pieces to feel them in my hands is one of my favorite things to do. For instance, when I purchased my copy of Wyrmspan, I immediately unwrapped it and started feeling all the components, including admiring and touching the shiny metal cardboard coins. The cards were beautifully printed on linen paper and had a nice heft to them and the cardboard chits and boards were all beautifully illustrated.

Wyrmspan was the last new game I purchased.

Buying a game new in shrink (NIS) allows me to get a game where know the components are going to be within the box (for the most part). I don't have to worry about the quality of the components since I know that they're going to be new in the box. Obviously some publishers use higher quality components than others, but generally, the standard is fairly good for most games. Most (unless bought from Kickstarter) will have the basic wooden or cardboard components, maybe with miniatures or other goodies, but I'll know that nothing (should) be missing from the box.

Additionally, buying new allows me to get a copy of the game that may have come out recently that isn't being resold by someone else. I purchased my copy of Apiary new as at the time of obtaining it (February of 2024), the game was out of stock most places and was new enough that most people weren't selling their copy. I was able to get a copy of it for about $20 off MSRP, but that was only because there's an amazing local game shop that sells every game in stock for 20-30% off MSRP. With it being a smaller shop too, I also know that I can usually find a copy of a game I'm looking for since it stocks quite a bit of them.

Used is the New "New"

On the other hand, used board games have really earned my "Seal of Approval" recently. (insert horrible pun below)

This sits on my desk at work

I've found that purchasing games used tends to net me a significantly lower price for a game than buying it new does. I was able to get my hands on copies of Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure and Clank! In! Space!: A Deck-Building Adventure for $25 each, which represents a whopping 59.4% off the MSRP of the games. What was even better is that the games were basically untouched and in the case of Clank! In! Space!, the cards were sleeved (which were then taken off and replaced with better sleeves). Buying both games new would have cost $60 MSRP (I probably could have bought both for $50 each) which would have been far more expensive than the $50 I paid for them.

Boxes of used games often are dinged up and slightly damaged from wear and tear, but I've been fairly lucky with most of the games that I've bought used as they seem to be well taken care of by the individuals that sold them. I've not had any cards missing from any games that I have gotten in the last year, although there was one maki card missing from the copy of Sushi Go! I picked up second hand a few years ago. Overall, aside from some slight warping in one or two of the boards (Horrified was actually the one that was in the worst shape when I picked it up unfortunately), I've been fairly grateful that everything has been in relatively good condition.

Additionally, I've often found that I'm able to get the Kickstarter or "Special Edition" versions of games second hand for a far cheaper price than what they were being sold for originally. Both a copy of Agents of SMERSH: Epic Edition and Dinosaur World that I got last year were significantly cheaper than what they were sold for during the campaigns and I count myself fortunate that I've been able to get games that have since been hard to find or have had lesser versions (in my opinion) come out for a retail version.

It's also nice for me to be able to give a used game new life in my collection as I play (mostly) what I have in my collection. There are so many games that I've found for sale at used game shops or even on Marketplace that I've been able to purchase second-hand and enjoy them myself. Plus, buying a game used also allows me to give up the game a bit more easier when I'm done with it as I have less of the "sunk cost" fallacy to deal with when giving up the game.

We played the base Kickstarter version of Thunder Road: Vendetta and I love the wash on the cars.

On the downside, I often have to hunt and search for the games that I want to purchase and they may not necessarily be available for me to get used at the price I'm willing to pay for them. For instance, I've been on the lookout to get my hands on a copy of the 7th Continent Kickstarter version with the The 7th Continent: What Goes Up, Must Come Down expansion included. I did find someone selling a copy for $20 that was listed a week ago, but by the time I reached out to the seller it was gone. At this time, there's both a NIS and used version selling for $75 and $70 respectively, but as a parent, I don't have a lot of available cash and that's too much for me right now.

Closing Thoughts

Buying games is definitely one of my favorite things to do as it allows me to find games that I've never experienced and bring them into my collection. I'm very ADHD so the "new and shiny" trope is definitely describing me and my tendencies. When I start to focus on a new game, I tend to drop everything else and hyper focus on the game and what it could offer. Every other game in my collection is thrown off to the side and I want the game more than anything.

It's definitely a failing of mine, especially since I'm just over halfway through my 10x10 challenge for 2024 and still have about 38 plays or so left of the games to complete. With how much I've been playing other games with Sarah, my challenge plays have slightly stagnated and I'm attempting to get them back on track. I'm considering making a purchase of another game a reward for when I finish my challenge since I have several kickstarter games that are being shipped right now and expected mid-summer. Still, I'll continue to look at used games and enjoying finding some things that are for sale that I can give new life to.

On a quick note regarding my "Month in Review" post, since I am putting these posts together about two weeks in advance, I'll be delaying my April in Review post for a week (or maybe even two) to allow me to get all my games played before I post them here on this blog for further discussion.

Give me your thoughts:What are your experiences in buying new/used games? Any preference on either/or? What's the best price you've ever paid for a game used or new? What makes the determination for you getting a new game?

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*Originally posted on BoardGameGeek on 1/5/2024*