Walmart is getting into the pre-owned game business

Look out GameStop, Walmart is officially getting into the used game trade-in and sales business beginning next week. The company today announced a new Walmart Gamecenter Video Game Trade-In program for Walmart retail locations.

The new program is designed to enable customers to flip their used games for instant credit towards Walmart and Sam’s Club in-store or online purchases.  Later in the year, Walmart will begin selling these certified pre-owned games in store and on walmart.com.

Read on for the announcement with more details.

Walmart is giving the more than 110 million gamers across the U.S. a new way to unlock value in their current purchases and save even more when it comes to one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment.

Starting Wednesday, March 26, customers will be able to trade in their video games and apply the value immediately towards the purchase of anything sold at Walmart and Sam?s Club, both in stores and online. The traded-in games will then be sent to be refurbished and made available for purchase in like-new condition at a great low price.

?Gaming continues to be an important business for us and we?re actively taking aim at the $2 billion pre-owned video game opportunity,? said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S. ?When we disrupt markets and compete, our customer wins. They?ll save money on video games and have the flexibility to spend it however they want.?

How it Works

Walmart?s video game trade-in program is easy.

• Customers bring their working video games, in the original packaging, to the electronics department.
• Associates scan the UPC code on the case and evaluate the game for obvious damage such as deep scratches or cracks.
• The customer is then provided with a trade-in value for each game to accept.
• The total value accepted by the customer is awarded immediately and can be applied at checkout in a Walmart store or Sam?s Club, or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com

Available at more than 3,100 Walmart stores nationwide, the new trade-in service will accept thousands of games for popular consoles like the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360. Trade-in value will vary.

Certified Pre-Owned Video Games in Stores Later this Year

Later this year, Walmart customers will also be able to purchase pre-owned video games in stores and on Walmart.com. The video games will be labeled ?Certified Pre-Owned? which means the product is fully refurbished and in like-new condition.

?While new releases will remain the focus of our gaming business, we?re glad to give our customers the option to buy pre-owned games,? added Mac Naughton.

Walmart?s Trade-In Continues to Grow In-Store and Online

Walmart?s in-store video game trade-in program builds on its existing trade-in offerings. In-store, customers can trade in tablets and smartphones and apply the trade-in value towards the purchase of a new device. Online at www.walmart.com/gadgetstogiftcards, customers can receive credit for a larger range of products such as MP3 players, cameras and laptops, in addition to smartphones, tablets and video games.

More information about the new video game trade-in service can be found on the new Walmart blog at http://blog.walmart.comor at http://news.walmart.com/videogames.