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So, I really hope this has helped.

P.S.  A final tip .....

 – beware of salespeople trying to up-sell you things with your consoles that you don’t need!

These are things like accessories, games or whatever they can to get you to spend more money. Research is the key word here, so you know what you want before you go to the stores. If you are in Rochford now, my advice would go into the major games chains in Southend high street to do your research if you’re not too handy with the Internet. Try not to get tricked into spending your money straight away, because you don’t have to!

If you have any unwanted cds, dvds, Blu-rays, games or any hardware – its best to go into CEX in Southend (opposite the big Natwest) and swapping them in will take more money off of a pre-owned console (that’s what I did). If you can though, it’s better to go to Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock or even Bluewater mall in Kent – just over the bridge for one stop shopping. Looking in the stores themselves before buying online is also an advantage because you can ask the staff handy questions that will help your decision instead of getting all confused online.

What I would do is take a pen and paper, go into each store (they have Game, Gamestation, Argos, HMV, CEX – which is a pre-owned only store, and a couple of others that you could find at the bottom of the parade) and ask these questions:

1. How much are your new (name of console)? How much are your pre-owned (name of console)?
2. Does anything come with them in the bundles?
3. What is the guarantee for the new models?
4. What is your guarantee for the pre-owned models?
5. How do you test your pre-owned consoles?
6. How much is your insurance (if they offer any)?

If you are offered console insurance – this is a VERY good idea to accept. Trust me – my console in the past went kaput, as did several of my friend’s machines over the years. They are high performance consoles, not necessarily built to last. If you can buy them pre-owned, you will most likely get a special store guarantee for six months to a year.

Pre-owned models

Asking a staff member how their pre-owned models are tested is key. I know for a fact that some stores just accept consoles and then re-sell them when they can because they can’t/won’t test the machine – or just can’t be bothered. With most specialised game stores e.g. Game, Gamestation, HMV and the Blockbuster in Basildon – they send their pre-owned models off to their manufacturers to get tested and then sent back. Beware if the staff member says anything along the lines of:

1.       Testing consoles? What are you talking about?

2.       Um, yeah. We just switch it on?

3.       Yes we test them (pauses, goes quiet – because they have no idea what else to say)

Any answer above should result in you walking out of the store if you are in the market for a cheaper pre-owned console. Having worked for a game store before, I know there are certain testing procedures – so try to make sure they offer you a hefty guarantee and insurance if they cannot answer the question properly.

A new console should be perfectly fine. The manufacturer will cover it for a while and the receipt should take care of the rest if a fault occurs that isn’t your doing. Simple.

However, the last question that you should ask when buying a pre-owned console is what year it was released new. They should be able to find out for you (and if they give you a reason why they can’t – tell them the ‘part number’ should reveal some information. Trust me), but the reason for this is – the older it is, the more likely it will develop a fault and ruin Christmas.

e.g. the original Playstation 3 60gb models were manufactured from 2006 to mid-2008. This is almost six years ago. Think about it. If you buy a pre-owned Playstation – the best thing to do would be to buy a thin one as they are more likely to be recent editions. If the others are more suitable or the wanted versions, try not to worry too much but have this thought in the back of your mind.

It is the same with Xbox’s. Try to go for a black console, as they are the elites or the slimmer more recent Xbox 360 S.

In the end though, whether you buy new or old – I guarantee that the result will be the same. Happy gamers!


I know this is a lot to take in, but trust me  – it will all help in the long run. Knowing what you’re up against is the first step in choosing what is right for you and will help you stop making purchases that you will regret.
 
Good luck again and have fun future gamers!