How to Buy Used Board Games Without Getting Burned

Most of the board games on a healthy shelf have been played a few dozen times. A game that has been played a few dozen times by someone else looks almost exactly the same as a game you have played a few dozen times yourself. That is the whole case for learning to buy used board games: you get the same plays for less money, and the only skill you need is knowing what to check before the cash changes hands.

This is the pillar article for our Smart Buying series, which covers used games, expansions, crowdfunding, trading, convention shopping, and shelf caps. Everything in the series rests on the same idea that runs through The One Copy Rule: a play group needs one copy of a game, not one copy per person. Buying used is how you get that one copy for the price of a couple of lunches.

Why buy used board games at all?

Board games hold up. Cardboard, wood, and cards do not wear out the way electronics do, and a game that was played twenty times in someone else’s dining room will play exactly the same in yours. Meanwhile, the hobby has a surplus problem: lots of people buy games they never get around to playing, which means the secondhand market is full of boxes that are complete, lightly used, or never opened at all.

There is also the cost side. Cost per play is price divided by plays, players, and hours. You cannot do much about the plays, players, or hours. You can do a great deal about the price, and the used market is where the price moves most. Say a $40 game sells used for $20. Played twenty times with four people, that is a quarter per player per play before you count hours.

Where to buy used board games

The used market is scattered, which is why most people never look. Here is where the games actually are.

Local game stores with a used shelf

Many hobby stores keep a shelf or a bin of used and consignment games. The upside is that someone at the store has usually checked the box, and you can open it before you pay. Prices run a little higher than private sales because the store takes a cut, but the convenience and the ability to inspect are worth something.

Thrift stores and charity shops

Thrift stores are the lottery of used buying. Most of what you find is mass-market family games, but hobby titles show up more often than you would expect, usually donated by someone clearing a closet. Prices are very low. The catch is that nobody has checked the box, so you have to do the completeness check in the aisle.

Garage sales and estate sales

Same lottery, lower odds, lower prices. Estate sales in particular can turn up intact collections. Bring cash, be polite, and assume nothing about completeness.

Online marketplaces

General marketplaces and hobby-specific trade sites carry the deepest selection. You can find almost any title, but you cannot inspect the box, so the seller’s description and photos carry the whole load. The questions later in this article matter most here. Factor in shipping before you compare against a new price; a heavy box can add a meaningful amount.

Local trade groups

Most cities have a board game trade or swap group, often on a social platform or a community forum. These are the best source of all, because you are usually buying from a hobbyist who cares about condition, you can meet in person, and you can often trade instead of pay. If you are building a shared shelf with friends, your own play group is the first trade group to check.

Math trades

A math trade is an organized event, common at conventions and in online communities, where everyone lists games they want to move and games they would accept in return. Software finds chains of trades so that each person gives one game and gets one back. No money changes hands, and you can offload something you no longer play in exchange for something you will. They take a little learning and some patience, but they are the most efficient way to churn a collection.

The used board game completeness checklist

A used game is only a bargain if it is complete. Here is the check, in the order you should do it.

1. Find the component list. Nearly every rulebook has a component list on the first page or two. If the rulebook is missing, that is your first warning sign, though most publishers post rulebooks online and you can pull it up on your phone.
2. Count the components. Cards, tiles, tokens, meeples, dice, boards. Count the ones that matter most: a single missing card can break a deck-driven game, while a missing wooden cube in a game with two hundred cubes is a minor annoyance. Many publishers will send replacement pieces, but do not assume they will.
3. Check for sleeves. Sleeved cards are usually a good sign, since it means the previous owner cared. Look for sleeves that are yellowed, cracked, or split, and check that the cards inside are not warped. Worn sleeves are cheap to replace; warped cards are not.
4. Inspect the box. Corner splits, crushed lids, and shelf wear are cosmetic and should lower the price, not kill the deal. A box so damaged it no longer closes is a storage problem you will live with forever.
5. Look for water damage. Rippled cardboard, stained boards, tiles that have swelled, cards with wavy edges. Water damage does not get better, and it often hides mold. Walk away.
6. Smell the box. Open it and breathe in. Cigarette smoke, mildew, and pet odors soak into cardboard and never leave. If the seller is online, ask directly whether the game comes from a smoke-free home.
7. Look for writing or marks. Score pads are expected to be used. Marks on cards or boards are not.

If you are at a thrift store or garage sale and cannot do the full check, do the fast version: rulebook present, cards present, box smells fine, no visible water damage. Then price the risk accordingly.

How much should used board games cost?

There is no official price guide, and prices vary by title, condition, and how badly the seller wants the shelf space. Still, a few rules of thumb hold up well enough to negotiate with. Treat all of the numbers below as illustrations.

So a game that sells new for about $40, like a copy of Catan, is a fair used buy somewhere around $20 to $25 if it is complete and clean. A big hobby box that retails at $80 or more should be meaningfully cheaper used, because the people who want it at full price already own it.

A few other rules of thumb:

• Compare against the real new price, not the printed one. Many games are routinely discounted new. The “retail” in the table is what you could actually buy it for today.
• Shipping counts. A $25 game plus $12 shipping is a $37 game.
• Bundles are where the deals are. Sellers clearing a shelf often price a lot of games at well under what the individual titles would fetch. If three of the five games fit your group, the other two are trade bait.
• Out of print changes everything. When a game is no longer made, the used price can climb above the original retail. Decide whether you want to play it or own it before you pay a collector’s price.

Questions to ask a seller before you buy

In person, you can see most of what you need. Online, you have to ask. These questions take two minutes and prevent most bad purchases.

• Is the game complete? Have you counted against the rulebook’s component list?
• Are any components missing, damaged, or replaced with pieces from another copy?
• Are the cards sleeved, and if so, are the sleeves in good shape?
• Does the game come from a smoke-free, pet-free home?
• Has it ever been exposed to water or stored in a basement or garage?
• Which printing or edition is it? Can you show the back of the box or the copyright page?
• Can you send a photo of the open box with the components laid out?
• How will you pack it for shipping?

A seller who answers all of these quickly and clearly is the seller you want. One who gets vague about completeness is telling you something. The edition question matters more than it seems: some games change significantly between printings, so make sure the edition you are buying is the one your group wants to play.

What is safe to buy used and what is risky

Not every game is a good secondhand candidate. Here is how to sort them.

Safe bets

• Games with few, sturdy components. Hive, Patchwork, Jaipur, Azul. Hard to lose pieces, easy to count, hard to damage.
• Classic gateway games. Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Pandemic. Printed in huge numbers, cheap used, and replacement parts are usually easy to get.
• Games with no hidden state in the components. If every piece is public and nothing is consumed, use does not change the game.
• Games in shrink. Someone bought it, never played it, and now wants it gone. You get a new game at a used price. The Shelf of Shame is your friend here.

Buy with care

• Card-heavy games. Dominion, 7 Wonders, The Crew. A missing card matters, and a marked card is a problem in any game with hidden hands. Count carefully and ask about sleeves.
• Games with lots of small tokens. Terraforming Mars, Spirit Island. Count the token types, not every token, and accept that one or two small cubes may be gone.
• Games with worn sleeves. Yellowed or cracked sleeves hint that the cards were played a lot. Check the cards underneath before you buy.

Risky or usually not worth it

• Legacy games. Gloomhaven, Pandemic Legacy, and anything with “legacy” on the box. These games are designed to be permanently changed as you play: stickers go on the board, cards get torn up, boxes get opened. A used legacy game is at best partly played and at worst finished. Unless the seller can prove it is unplayed and sealed, skip it.
• Games with consumables. Anything with a sealed envelope, a one-time puzzle, a scratch-off, or a story that is spoiled on first play. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is wonderful, but once a case is solved, it is solved. Check which cases have been played.
• Deluxe and crowdfunded editions with many add-ons. These are hard to verify for completeness because the component list spans several boxes and stretch goals. If you cannot see a full inventory, treat it as incomplete.
• Anything with water damage or smoke smell. No price fixes it.

How used buying fits the shared shelf

The best thing about used buying is not the savings on any one game. It is what it does to how your group builds its library.

Under The One Copy Rule, a play group owns one copy of each game across all their homes. That one copy gets played by everyone, so its cost is already divided by the whole table. Buying that copy used divides it further. A $20 used copy of a game four friends play together is a shelf addition that costs each of them $5 in effect, and nobody had to buy a duplicate.

Used buying also makes Claim a Lane cheaper to run. If you are the group’s co-op person, you can fill your lane from trade groups and math trades without waiting for sales. If you are the party-game person, thrift stores are packed with your genre.

Most important, used buying is reversible. When a game stops earning plays, you sell it back into the same market for about what you paid, and the money moves to the next game. A collection built this way stays fluid instead of calcifying into a Shelf of Shame. If your group also keeps a shelf cap, used buying is what makes one-in-one-out painless.

One last habit worth adopting: before anyone in your group buys a used copy, check whether another member already owns it. Run the second-copy test. Does the second copy create plays that would not otherwise happen? For most games the answer is no, and the $20 is better spent on a game the shelf does not have yet.

FAQ

Is it safe to buy used board games online?

Yes, as long as you ask the right questions. Request a photo of the open box, confirm the seller has counted components against the rulebook, and ask about smoke, pets, and water exposure. Buy from sellers with a track record, factor in shipping, and avoid legacy games or anything with consumable components unless the seller can prove it is unplayed.

How much should I pay for a used board game?

A complete, clean, played copy usually sells for about 40 to 60 percent of what the game costs new today. Shrink-wrapped copies run higher, damaged or incomplete copies lower, and out-of-print games can cost more than the original retail. Always add shipping before you compare, and remember that a bundle of several games is often the best deal.

How do I check if a used board game is complete?

Open the rulebook to the component list, usually on the first page, and count. Focus on cards, tiles, and anything unique; a single missing card matters more than one missing cube. Check for sleeves, warped cards, water ripples, and smoke smell. If the rulebook is missing, most publishers post it online so you can count from your phone.

Which board games should you never buy used?

Legacy games, because they are permanently altered as they are played. Games with consumable components such as sealed envelopes or one-time puzzles, unless you can confirm they are unplayed. And anything with water damage or a smoke smell, since neither can be fixed. Most other games, including card-heavy ones, are fine if you count carefully.

Where is the best place to find used board games?

Local trade groups and your own play group are the best sources, because you can inspect the game and often trade instead of pay. Local game stores with a used shelf are the most convenient. Thrift stores and garage sales are cheapest but unpredictable. Online marketplaces have the widest selection but require the most questions.

More from Smart Buying

• The One Copy Rule: Why Your Play Group Only Needs One Catan
• Trading and Selling Board Games You Don’t Play
• Board Game Expansions: When They’re Worth It and When They’re Not
• Cost Per Play, Explained: The Only Board Game Math You Need
• One In, One Out: Living With a Board Game Shelf Cap

The rest of the Smart Buying series covers expansions, crowdfunding, trading, conventions, and shelf caps. Subscribe to The Ludarium newsletter and we will send each one to your inbox as it goes live. The game is the reason. The people are the point.