How to Sell Your Board Games | Board Game HQ

Selling your board game collection can be a strenuous process. Especially if you have never sold anything online before. I’m here to help and show you the best ways to sell your board games and get the most money from them.

There are dozens of ways to sell your board game collection. You can sell them online through sites like eBay, Amazon, or even BoardGameGeek. You may be able to sell them directly to your local board game stores too! These are my favorite ways to sell board games and I will show you exactly how I do it.

Why would you want to sell your board games?

There may come a time where you have finally filled up your shelves, closets, and basement with dozens of board games. And think to yourself, maybe I could sell one or two. You never know, maybe one of the board games that you kickstarted back in the day is now worth three times as much.

There are dozens upon dozen of board games being released each year, it can be hard to keep up. Selling some of your old board games that no longer get played for some new games that will bring you many more fun memories sounds reasonable. So why not make some room on your shelf for that new Stonemaier game and put some cash in your pocket.

Selling Your Board Games Online

There are quite a few online sites where you can sell your board games. But there is a difference between selling your board games directly to another person and to an online store.

The benefit of selling your board games to an online retailer is that you will likely get your payout quicker. There is also a convenience factor since you don’t have to take the time and take photos and make a listing for each of your board games.

Unfortunately, you are unlikely to get as much money from selling to an online retailer as you would selling it yourself. If you are selling a lot of games and want a quick and easy process then selling your games to a retailer is your best bet.

These sites typically don’t accept games with water damage or missing components so keep that in mind when requesting a quote. There are plenty of online retailers that offer a trade-in service, but these are my favorite.

Noble Knight Games

NKG has been around since 1997 and offers a huge selection of games. Their trade-in service is extremely easy. All you have to do is send them a list of your board games that you want to trade in and include a brief note on their condition including any missing components. They will review the list and send you an estimate on how much in-store credit or cash that they can offer you for your games. They even pay for the shipping!

Board Game Co

Board Game Co works the same way Noble Knight Games does. All you have to do is send them a list of your games, noting their conditions and they will send you an offer within a few days. They offer discounted rates on shipping and they are currently working on a monthly subscription plan that will give you even better trade-in rates.

If you are looking to get as much money as you possibly can, then this is the option for you. Retailers have to make money too, so when you sell to an online store they aren’t going to give you what your board game is actually worth. Selling directly to other gamers will cut out the middleman and maximize your earnings. There are plenty of sites you can sell your board games on, but these are my favorite.

eBay

This is my go-to option for selling my board games online. eBay has been around forever and offers a whole lot of customization features for listings. You can either put a fixed price on your games or sell them in an auction and sell to the highest bidder.

Personally, I like to use the fixed price option since auction listing comes with extra fees and there is no guarantee that your game will sell. Here are a few tips for selling your board games on eBay:

Do Research: eBay has a lot of handy filters that you can use to scope out the competition. You can use these options to filter the results to see things like used games only or new games only. You can even show only games that have actually sold. This will give you a good idea of how much your game is actually worth.Offer Free Shipping: Who doesn’t love free shipping? People see this and they are more likely to click on your listing and buy your game. But won’t I lose money if I offer free shipping? Not if you build it into the list price. If you aren’t shipping overseas then it’s safe to say shipping will cost around $15.Reserved Price: If you are using the auction format then you are able to place a reserved price on your board game. This does come with an extra fee, but it allows you to set a minimum bid price so your game doesn’t sell for $0.99.Board Game Geek

Board Game Geek has been around since 2000 and I bet that you have visited this site at least once before when looking for board games. Board Game Geek has a marketplace where you can list your board games and sell them to others in the BGG community. You can either hold an auction where others will bid on your game or list it at a fixed price. Here are a few tips for selling your board games on the BGG marketplace.

Be Descriptive: Make note of the condition, any missing accessories, or even how many times the game was played. There are dozens of games on the marketplace that don’t have any description in the listing.Take Good Photos: Be sure to take clear photos of the board games you are listing. People are far more likely to click on your listing if you have photos that clearly show what is included. Amazon

Amazon lets you list your products on their site just like eBay does. Amazon does not have an auction option or as many customization features though. They do let you write a short description under your listing, but that is about it.

Look at Other Sellers: If you are trying to sell a board game that is not as well known then you may be in the position to set the price for that game. If no one else is currently selling that game then the price you set will be the only option a buyer has.Use CamelCamelCamel: This website allows you to see the price history of almost any product on Amazon. Use this to get an idea of how much you should sell your game for.Facebook Groups

Facebook has evolved a lot since it’s inception back in 2004. It’s no longer just a social media platform, but a viable way to sell your old board games. There are dozens of Facebook groups that allow you to sell and trade your board games to its members. Do a quick search for board game groups and see which one you would like to join. There is a lot of cross-posting between groups so you may find a lot of the same stuff in different groups.

Tips for Shipping Board GamesUSPS Flat Rate Boxes: The United States Postal Service offers free flat rate boxes for you to ship your stuff in. They offer a wide variety of sizes and they even have flat rate shipping boxes for board games.Use Paypal for Shipping Labels: Printing your shipping labels from Paypal can save you some money as they get discounted rates. Fees

Selling your board games on any of these websites will have fees attached. I made a handy chart here that goes over some of the standard fees that you will see when using the above sites.

AmazoneBayBGGFees15% + $0.99 Selling Fee10% + 3% Paypal Fee3%

Selling Your Used Board Games to Local Stores

Did you know that you can take the board games that you don’t even play anymore and turn them into cash at local retail stores? I’m not talking about Target or Walmart, but there are stores that offer trade-in credit or cold hard cash for your old board games.

These are my favorite places to take my old board games and get some cash out of them. I am on the East coast so there may be other stores that have a trade-in service near you.

2nd & Charles is located across 16 states primarily on the east coast and is owned by Books a Million. This place is like a geeky pawn shop. They sell a wide variety of used things like vinyl records, toys, and comics. So if you have any other things that you want to trade in besides board games this is the place for you.

Half Prices Books is located across 18 states primarily located on the east coast. Don’t let the name fool you. They got a whole bunch of geeky stuff inside including board games. They sell video games, CDs, DVDs, and of course books. If you don’t have a 2nd & Charles nearby then this is another excellent choice.

I would call your friendly local game store as they might offer a trade-in service. Most of the ones near me do not offer a trade-in service, so you might have to call around a bit to find one.

I hope you found this article helpful and have found a way for you to sell your board games. Thank you and happy gaming!