Where to Sell Video Games in Canada: Your Options Explained

Maybe you’re cleaning out a basement. Maybe you’ve decided to downsize your collection. Or maybe you’ve discovered a box of Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox or Sega games that hasn’t been touched in years.

Whatever the reason, eventually many collectors ask the same question: where should I sell my video games?

There are more options than ever for Canadians looking to sell games, consoles and collectibles. The best choice depends on what you’re selling and what matters most to you.

Do you want the simplest possible sale? Are you willing to spend time creating individual listings? Do you want someone else to handle the selling process?

Let’s break down some of the most common options.

First: figure out what you have

Before deciding where to sell your collection, it’s worth taking some time to understand what’s actually in it.

Try to identify:

• Game titles
• Consoles
• Controllers
• Accessories
• Boxes and manuals
• Special editions
• Trading cards
• Collectibles
• Overall condition

Don’t assume something isn’t valuable because it looks old or unimportant. Original boxes, manuals, controllers and accessories can sometimes be collectible on their own.

Option 1: sell your games yourself on eBay

eBay gives sellers access to a very large audience of people actively searching for games and collectibles. That makes it particularly useful for:

• Retro video games
• Harder-to-find titles
• Complete-in-box games
• Limited editions
• Collectible consoles
• Trading cards
• Graded cards
• Higher-value collectibles

One major advantage is that you can research recently sold listings to get an idea of what similar items have actually sold for. You can then create your own listings and sell directly to buyers.

The advantages

Selling yourself gives you control over:

• Pricing
• Photos
• Listing descriptions
• Offers
• Shipping methods
• How quickly you want to sell

For desirable items, selling individually may also produce more total revenue than selling everything together.

The downsides

Selling on eBay also requires work. You may need to:

• Research each item
• Photograph everything
• Write listings
• Answer buyer questions
• Package orders
• Purchase shipping supplies
• Ship individual sales
• Handle returns
• Manage customer service
• Learn marketplace policies

For a small collection, that may not be a problem. For hundreds of games, cards or collectibles, it can become a much larger project.

Option 2: Facebook Marketplace and local classifieds

Local marketplaces can be useful if your priority is making a quick local sale. They’re particularly common for:

• Consoles
• Large bundles
• Common games
• Gaming accessories
• Lower-value items

The biggest advantage is that you may be able to arrange a local transaction without shipping.

However, local marketplaces can also require a fair amount of communication. You may deal with:

• Repeated questions
• Offers well below your asking price
• Buyers who stop responding
• Missed meetups
• People asking you to separate bundles

For common gaming items, it can still be a practical option. For rare collectibles, you may prefer a marketplace with a larger collector audience.

Option 3: sell to a local video game store

If convenience is important, selling your collection directly to a game store may be one of the easiest options.

Instead of selling every item individually, a store can evaluate the collection and make an offer. The store then takes on the responsibility of:

• Testing
• Researching
• Listing
• Selling
• Storing
• Handling customers

Because the store needs room to resell the items at a profit, a direct purchase offer will normally be lower than the full retail value of the collection.

That’s the trade-off. You receive a simpler sale while the buyer takes on the work and risk associated with reselling everything.

Option 4: sell your collection directly to Save Point Shop

Save Point Shop purchases video games, consoles, trading cards and collectibles directly from customers. This option is intended for people who don’t want to turn selling their collection into another job.

You can submit your collection for consideration and, if it’s a fit for us, we can discuss purchasing it directly. Collections may include:

• Nintendo games
• PlayStation games
• Xbox games
• Sega games
• Retro consoles
• Modern consoles
• Controllers
• Accessories
• Pokémon cards
• Other trading cards
• Graded cards
• Funko Pops
• Gaming collectibles
• Mixed collections

Selling directly can make sense when your priority is convenience. Instead of researching and selling dozens or hundreds of individual items yourself, you can deal with the collection as a whole.

Visit our Sell Your Collection page to submit your video games or collectibles for consideration.

Option 5: use an eBay consignment service

There is another option between selling everything directly and doing all the work yourself. Consignment.

With consignment, you still own the items while they are being sold, but another seller handles the process. For collectors with desirable items, this can offer a different balance between convenience and potential return.

Save Point Shop offers an eBay consignment service for qualifying video games, trading cards and collectibles. Instead of creating your own eBay operation, we can handle much of the process for you.

Depending on the items involved, that may include:

• Evaluating the collection
• Researching items
• Photographing products
• Preparing listings
• Listing through our eBay store
• Communicating with buyers
• Packaging orders
• Shipping
• Managing the selling process

You receive the agreed portion of the proceeds when your consigned items sell.

Direct sale vs consignment: what’s the difference?

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.

Selling directly

When you sell your collection directly, the buyer purchases the items from you. Once the transaction is completed, you no longer own them.

The buyer takes on the responsibility and risk of reselling them. This is generally the simpler option.

Consignment

With consignment, the items are sold on your behalf. Rather than receiving a direct purchase offer upfront, your return is based on the items actually being sold.

The consignment seller charges an agreed commission for handling the process. This approach can take longer because the items need to sell before the proceeds are generated.

For the right collection, however, it can be attractive to someone who wants access to an established selling platform without handling everything personally.

Which option usually pays the most?

There isn’t one answer for every collection.

If you’re willing to put in the time and do everything yourself, individually selling desirable items may allow you to capture more of the final selling price.

But you should also consider the work involved. Imagine having 100 games. Selling them yourself could mean creating 100 listings, taking hundreds of photos, answering questions and packing dozens of separate orders.

Your time has value too.

A direct sale trades some potential return for convenience. Consignment sits somewhere in between by allowing someone else to handle the sales process while your payout is tied to the items being sold.

Should you sell everything as one bundle?

Bundles can be convenient, but they aren’t always the best way to sell every collection.

For example, imagine a collection containing:

• 40 common games
• 10 moderately collectible games
• 3 valuable games
• 2 consoles
• Several controllers

Selling everything as one bundle might attract buyers looking for a discount on the entire lot. Separating the more valuable items may sometimes produce better results.

That’s one reason identifying what you have before selling is important.

Should you sell valuable games separately?

Potentially. If you have a particularly desirable title, special edition or complete-in-box game, it may deserve individual attention.

The same applies to:

• Limited-edition consoles
• Sealed games
• Rare accessories
• High-value trading cards
• Graded cards

These items may appeal to a specialized collector who is specifically searching for them.

What about low-value games?

Almost every large collection includes inexpensive games. That’s normal. Not everything needs to be sold individually.

Lower-value items can sometimes make more sense when:

• Sold in bundles
• Grouped by console
• Combined with hardware
• Included as part of a larger collection sale

The time involved in individually selling inexpensive games can sometimes exceed the benefit.

Should you clean your games before selling?

Basic cleaning can improve presentation, but be careful. You don’t want to accidentally damage an item while trying to improve it.

Generally, avoid aggressive cleaning methods unless you understand how they affect the material. This is especially important with:

• Cartridge labels
• Cardboard boxes
• Manuals
• Disc artwork
• Trading cards

Don’t throw away boxes or manuals

One of the easiest mistakes to make when sorting an old collection is throwing away what looks like packaging.

Original video game boxes and manuals can be collectible. This is especially true for cartridge-based systems where the original packaging was cardboard.

Keep:

• Boxes
• Manuals
• Maps
• Inserts
• Registration cards
• Posters
• Promotional material

Even if you’re not sure whether something matters, keep it with the game until you’ve researched it.

How should you prepare a collection for sale?

You don’t need to create a professional inventory spreadsheet before contacting a buyer or consignment service. However, basic organization helps.

Start by grouping items by type. For example:

Nintendo 64

• Console
• Controllers
• Games
• Accessories

PlayStation

• Console
• Games
• Memory cards

Trading cards

• Pokémon
• Graded cards
• Sealed products

Taking clear photos of the overall collection can also help provide an initial idea of what’s included.

What information should you provide?

When submitting a collection to Save Point Shop, useful information can include:

• Approximate number of items
• Which systems are represented
• Whether consoles work
• Whether games have boxes and manuals
• Photos of the collection
• Your general location
• Any particularly valuable or unusual items

You don’t necessarily need to know the value of everything before contacting us. That’s part of the reason the service exists.

Selling video games in Ontario

If you’re located in Ontario, selling locally can sometimes make larger collections easier to deal with.

Save Point Shop is based in Norfolk County, Ontario, and we work with customers looking to sell video games and collectibles both locally and from elsewhere in Canada.

For larger collections, location and the size of the collection may affect what options make the most sense. If you’re unsure, submit the details through our Sell Your Collection page and we can determine whether the collection is a fit.

Selling video games from elsewhere in Canada

Being outside Ontario doesn’t necessarily mean you’re limited to local buyers. Online marketplaces have made it possible to reach collectors across Canada and beyond.

Depending on what you’re selling, shipping a collection or individual items may be practical. For larger collections, shipping costs and logistics should be considered before deciding how to sell.

Selling a childhood collection can be difficult

Not every collection is purely about money. Sometimes you’re selling games you’ve owned since childhood. That can make the decision harder.

There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few favourites. Some collectors sell most of their collection while holding onto:

• A childhood console
• Favourite games
• A particularly memorable title
• A small display collection

You don’t necessarily need to sell everything at once.

Which selling option is right for you?

Think about what matters most.

If you want complete control and don’t mind doing the work, selling yourself may make sense.

If you want a fast and straightforward transaction, consider selling directly.

If you’d like the items sold individually but don’t want to manage the entire process, consignment may be worth considering.

There isn’t one correct choice. The right option depends on the collection and what you want out of the sale.

Sell or consign your collection with Save Point Shop

Save Point Shop is a Canadian collector-run business specializing in video games, trading cards and collectibles.

Our primary marketplace is our eBay store (opens in a new tab), where we sell inventory to collectors while maintaining an established seller presence.

If you have a collection you’re ready to move on from, you have two ways to work with us.

Sell to Save Point Shop

Submit your collection for consideration and, if it’s something we’re interested in purchasing, we can discuss a direct sale.

Visit our Sell Your Collection page to get started.

Consign with Save Point Shop

If you’d rather have your qualifying items sold through our established eBay store, our consignment service may be a better fit. We handle the selling process and receive an agreed commission when your items sell.

Visit our consignment section to learn how Save Point Shop eBay consignment works. For the full picture, see eBay consignment for video games and collectibles.

Whether you’re clearing out a few games or dealing with an entire collection, understanding your options can help you choose the approach that works best for you. And if you’re buying as well as selling, our guide to where to buy retro video games in Canada covers what to check before you commit.

By collectors, for collectors & gamers.