Many of the games on this blog may seem new to some of you. Now although the cost of a game may seem high there are several ways to make game purchases more affordable. Here are five great ways to find deals on games.
1. Thrift Stores / Garage Sales
Search garage sales and goodwill stores. Many of these places offer a variety of good games, and they will generally be far below what the game is actually worth.
However, you have to be prepared for some scratches and possible missing pieces. Luckily, because these places are so cheap, you’ll be able to get multiple copies of game for less than the price of a new one, so if you are missing pieces, you should be able to find them in the next copy.
2. Trades
Some websites will offer board game exchanges. The best example is BoardGameGeek, which allows users to create lists of games they are willing to trade, and then find people to trade with based on which games they have available. You get the game you want; they get the game they want. Everybody wins!
3. Borrowing Games
This is a great option if you have some fellow board game loving friends. A lot of times, you can’t be sure whether you’ll like a game until you actually buy it. This way, you get to try out a game beforehand.
4. Search Online
On-line stores offer a great way to comparison shop. Sometimes you can find slightly used or new games for great deals. Many online retailers offer loyalty programs where you’ll get better discounts the more often you shop there. Also, if you wait until there are several games you want to buy at once, you can usually get free shipping!
5. Local Game Stores
Check out your local card or game stores. While some of these specialize in just card games like Pokemon and Magic; others have a little of everything and are a great resource for new and exciting board games. Also, this is often where you can trade in old games and cards that you don’t want anymore. And if you trade for store credit instead of cash, sometimes you’ll get an even better deal.
Know somewhere else with great board game deals?
Hopefully this list will help those looking for inexpensive games. If you have any other comments or suggestions from your personal experience, please let us know!
Like what you see? Let everyone know using the "Share/Save" button!
One of the game stores in our area actually rents games. Boardgame Revolution lets you rent a game for 10 days at 10% of the cost of the game. And then when you return it, you can apply what you paid for the rental to the cost of a game purchase (either the game you rented or any game in the store). It’s a fantastic way to try out games first before spending a lot.
I don’t know if there are other stores that do the same, but we love it.
Man, I wish we had a store like that around here! What a great way to be able to try a game first before buying it. I’ll have to bring that up with some of the local store owners.
I am from the UK where we have our own version of a Garage Sales called Car Boot Sales where everybody meets up in their car and sells any unwanted stuff from the trunk (car boot in the UK).
Well, while wandering around for about 20 minutes I came across a pristine copy of Dragon Strike still in the cellophane. I had to have it, and £5 later I have a new game to drool over.
Car boots are the best!
Read about it here.
We actually have one here that rents games too! It works out really well! These things can add up!
Great info here on saving some money on board games. This makes sense when you’re not sure whether you’re going to love that new game!