(UPDATE: New Drama with Glyde. Bottom Line, don't use them yet until I figure out how they deal with missing packages. http://ppgeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/glydecom-you-piss-me-off.html)
I don't quite remember how I got to know this site, but I think it was through some other game traders. Glyde's whole premise differs pretty significantly than that of goozex, which I had previously reviewed (check my archives!).
It's a pretty simple concept for buying and selling:
Selling is simple:
1. List your games/dvds/books online
2. Glyde will send you the package you need to send the product out to the user
3. Wait a couple days
4. Profit with money!!! No points, nothing in the way of cold, hard cash!
Buying is just as easy...
1. Select a game/dvd/book that is listed that you want to buy
2. Glyde will send your request to the seller who will send you the product
3. Wait a couple days
4. You get it!
You will get your money in an account on the site, which you can withdraw and have them directly deposit into your account, or you can use it to buy other products on the site. No points system, and they guarantee all transactions.
I've done three transactions so far with them (possibly a 4th one coming up) and my experience so far was this:
1. The selling process is VERY easy.
But there is one caveat: You can change the price the system wants you to list it at, but there is a high/low limit.
WTF? Really? I mean, I appreciate Glyde telling me it's "above the market price", but it is my item and I should deservedly list it at the price I want to list it at. Generally, this price range is fairly reasonable (I think around 10% upper and below the market price wherever they may find that price at ), but for older or more obscure items, I feel like I should be able to list it at the price I want to since they are so hard to find.They send you a prepaid mailer and you simply put the game or item in it, then mail it out. It'll arrive to the buyer and in a few days, you get credit for the item you sold. Easy.
Downsides?
1. They take a painful cut. Oh man, for selling a copy of Modern Warfare 2 for example:
They charge 1.25 for the mailer, I can understand since they pay for the mailer AND for postage and tracking. But here's the kicker: They also charge shipping and handling when you BUY something.Let's take Modern Warfare 2 for example.
As a seller:
-You list the game at $34.50
-Glyde takes a cut of $4.70
-You get $29.80
As a buyer for that very game:
-The game is listed at $34.50
-Glyde charges you an extra $3.47 for shipping and handling.
That means Glyde gets 8 bucks (over 20%) of every transaction total. Shipping and handling I understand, but damn.
In any case, I use it because it's VERY easy to do transactions, there are a fairly large number of people using it, and I can use that money to get other stuff on the site, reducing the painful feeling of reaching for my wallet. Also, I find myself now getting games off of Goozex.com and selling them on Glyde. Helps me mitigate those points which are now steadily creeping up to around $500 worth of credit...
In any case, I recommend Glyde.com, but I'm still a little miffed about the pricing and the amount they charge. These guys really rely on internet traffic for them to survive, and I would think Amazon would be smart to adopt their system for buying and selling used items. Taking advantage of Amazon traffic could be huge for these guys. But still, I like them now the way they are :-)
I have a pretty thorough review of Boltbus coming up, I just need to get some time to clean it up a bit. Also, I'm still gaming pretty damn hard. In the meantime, stay smart and stay cheap.
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5 comments:
Saw your comment on Consumerist, and like you are trying to game on the cheap.
While Glyde may be good for selling games, their prices for buying games don't really that much better than GameStop, especially when you consider that buying used games with an Edge card gets you 10% off, which covers sales tax for me in California. Throw in GameStop's email coupons (which stack with the Edge card) and you can get some pretty good deals indeed.
The only real reason I can see to buy through Glyde instead of GameStop is that your money is going to a fellow gamer, instead of a multi-billion dollar company. Then I have to wait 3-4 days for the game to arrive.
Hey there, saw your comment on Consumerist as well, and kudos for this great post.
I do have some games and other sorts of media that I've always wanted to move, and Glyde seems to have great prices on used games. Probably going to sign up today, just wanted to extend a thanks.
Also, I'll be keeping up on your blog. It actually seems pretty decent.
Just wanted to mention that I bought a game from Glyde, Borderlands for the 360, and am patiently awaiting its arrival!
Thanks for the review.
Your assessment of the Glydes profit (20%) is incorrect. The $3.50 in Shipping and handling you pay as a buyer reimburses glyde for the prepaid shipping label that they sent to the seller to ship the item from the seller to the buyer. It does not go to glyde as profit.
Good venue, and certainly a means for someone hawking stuff online. Yet even this should be backed by a strong sale strategy, independent of these pre-made outlets. These outlets are support, and not the be-all and end-all for a sale.
Masako @ Champion Online Marketing
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