Oh, hey there. Maybe it's time to re-launch this blog.

Amazon just launched a new Video Game Trade-In program that's clearly meant to rival Gamestop's trade-in scheme. The latter was pretty much the game in town for consumers looking to trade-in used games to a retailer.

This is great news for those who
-want more money on trade-ins
-have games, but want something else like books, media, or oatmeal
-think GameStop/EB Games is evil
-are willing to buy used if it means saving a few bucks

With regards to the latter, I'm interested to see if publishers respond formally. I think we can all agree that Amazon is a strong retailing partner that a publisher can't afford to piss off, but every consumer that buys an Amazon used game is one less unit sold for publishers. If Amazon is letting certain publishers opt-out of Kindle read-aloud, I can see a situation where a publisher nudges Amazon to sink their buying price in exchange for benefits like exclusivity.

I think it's a smart move by Amazon. During this recession, I think Amazon will find a receptive audience for "hey, cheaper game, slightly used," and their command of logistics should enable them to set prices that generate profits from Day 1.