US customers can post their used games to PostalGamer earning credit for their online marketplace. They cover postage and pay ‘30% more’ for used titles.
PostalGamer is founded by Mike Kennedy, who also started game auction website GameGavel in 2007. Pre-paid envelopes will spirit away used games to PostalGamer who turn those titles into online credit to purchase new games online which are delivered free.
They’ll pay 30 percent more than the ”corner retail store” they pledge, and they’ll slip 10 percent of the proceeds to the videogames’ publisher.
”While used games have historically been a ‘negative’ to publishers, our model turns them into a ‘positive’,” read the PostalGamer website.
”We want to see physical game media continue to thrive, but the current state of used game retail is seriously doing its part to re-route publishers into new digital dimensions to curtail and abolish used game sales as we know it.”
They believe their company could inject publishers with as much as $500 million over the next 4 to 5 years in operation. They’ll also share their sales data with publishers to let studios get a clear picture of a ”game’s popularity after it leaves the retail shelves.”
”Each supporting publisher will have one seat on our Industry Advisory Board and have a hands on roll on helping us to maintain and improve our service for publishers.”
”Over the past few months we have been in discussion with a handful of publishers, but eventually want to talk with and gain support from all publishers.”
Can consumers and publishers really win together in the used-games market?
