How to buy second-hand video games without getting scammed

• Wallapop (a Spanish second-hand marketplace app) and Vinted. You are buying from private sellers. Your protection depends on paying and shipping through the platform: if the seller asks you to pay by bank transfer, Bizum (a Spanish instant payment app) or any other route “to save on fees”, you lose that protection.
• eBay. It has a buyer guarantee scheme if the item does not arrive or does not match the description, as long as you pay through eBay. Check the seller's location: items shipped from outside the European Union to a buyer inside it may be subject to customs charges.
• CeX and other shops. As a business selling to consumers, you have the statutory rights you would have with any shop. You can see the item in the physical store before buying.

Whatever the case, keep the whole conversation and all receipts within the platform.

• A price that's too good for a game known to be expensive.
• Photos taken from the internet or stock images, or a single photo from a distance. If in doubt, do a reverse image search.
• Refuses to send more photos or sends photos of a different copy.
• Pressure: “someone else is interested”, “today only”.
• Paying outside the platform, or a payment link arriving by WhatsApp, text message or email. It is a very widespread scam: the page imitates the platform and is used to steal your card details. Always pay from within the app itself.
• A vague description on an expensive game: “complete”, “perfect condition” with no further detail, or no mention of the region.
• A game that never came out in that region: if it is listed as PAL and never had a European release, it is a repro. We explain this in how to tell if a game is genuine.

Ask for well-lit, sharp photos taken specifically for you (including a piece of paper with your username or the date stops them sending you photos from another listing):

1. Front and back of the box, straight on.
2. The spine and edges, where knocks and fading show up.
3. The inside of the open box, with everything it includes.
4. The cartridge or disc: a close-up of the cartridge label and its back; for discs, the data side under raking light.
5. For discs, the inner ring with its etched codes.
6. The manual, outside and one of the inside pages.
7. For sealed games, the ends of the box, where the shrink-wrap is sealed.
8. If it is expensive, the game running on screen.

• Always pay through the platform's own system, even if it costs a little more.
• Ask for tracked postage and packaging that actually protects it: the game in a cardboard box with padding, not in an envelope.
• If you meet in person, do it in a public place, check the game before paying and, if possible, test it.

1. Film yourself opening the parcel in one continuous take, starting while it is still sealed.
2. Compare what arrives with the photos and the description.
3. Test the game within the first few days.
4. If something does not match, open a claim on the platform within its deadline, before confirming receipt.

And when everything is fine, add it to your collection with what you paid: it is the only way to know later whether it gained or lost value. The how much is my collection worth guide explains how to track it.