Do you shop pre-loved?

With the rise of new contenders in the online marketplace space such as Vinted, WhatNot and Depop, it's hard to ignore the advertising pointing us all to shop pre-loved. eBay and Vinted adverts are everywhere - in between your favourite Youtube board game playthroughs, on Facebook, and on the side of that passing bus.

Perhaps you buy pre-loved clothes, toys or video games...but how about board games, Warhammer and RPGs?

The price of a luxury hobby like tabletop gaming is noticeably increasing, with a standard size board game like Ticket to Ride having an RRP of £45 these days, compared to being able to buy it new for £25-30 just a few years ago. For a pre-owned retailer like Tabletop Rescue, it certainly feels like more people are looking at pre-owned options to fuel their insatiable need for new gaming goodness!

The good news is that larger the gaming hobby gets, the more pre-owned items are in circulation and finding a pre-owned bargain is getting easier each year. If, like me, you enjoy a charity shop or car boot sale bargain hunt, then the frequency of finding ‘good’ gaming items seems to be increasing. With hobby games on sale at mainstream retailers, more people are receiving gifts of games that are not a great fit for them and looking to sell them on. Plus, those of us who have been in the hobby for many years, and those who “comfort-shopped” during Covid, are somewhat keen to make some shelf space, and so pre-owned games are constantly being offered for sale on Facebook Groups, at conventions and on eBay and other marketplaces.

Shopping pre-owned has many benefits. You should save some money, you'll be helping the environment and you have a chance to discover some older and out of print gems that you might not find on the shelves of your friendly local game store.

However, it's not without risk. Unlike other hobby categories, particularly video games, where pre-owned has been a large segment of the market for decades, pre-owned board games come with their own challenges. If you’ve bought a copy of Discworld Ankh Morpork on Vinted that arrived in an partially sealed bin bag - you’re not alone! Not everyone packages their games in the same careful way that most hobby gamers would expect! Plus, make sure that you count the pieces when those bargains arrive. Doing a part count before adding your new game to the shelf is a lesson learned the hard way for those of us who buy pre-owned online.

Buying from reputable sellers, who check that games are complete, and making sure you're protected by buying on marketplaces with buyer protection, or using Paypal Goods & Services, is your best way to achieve peace of mind.

The reality is that most gamers take care of their games. It's hard to ignore that many games on your shelf only hit the table once, or maybe they're still unpunched! Many pre-owned board games and RPG books really are as good as new. And not just that - someone has done the labour of punching the components, bagging them and maybe even stickering the pieces, so you can get the game straight to the table. And for less than the brand new price? What a bargain!