I realize this will sound blasphemous to many-a-frugal game collector, and I seem to be one of the few here who obsesses over condition of modern games. One of my biggest regrets in collecting, was buying so many modern games used. The savings was simply not worth having other people's hand-me-down games, personally. The countless minor, and major condition flaws of these things drive me absolutely insane as I've become more and more picky. Most of the time, these things got thrashed by the GP before being traded in. They're dirty, icky, creased, bent, snagged, torn and scratched in almost every way imaginable and that absolutely does not reflect the way that I treat my own belongings. Nor can I proud to own something like that.
Buying used only saved me $10 - $15 per game, on average from a new copy. Now I'm left looking to eventually replace as many used copies of games as I realistically can with new and sealed ones, with the intent to actually open them when the time comes. In some cases, that may not be realistic given that some sealed games can run very expensive over time. But overall, it's my goal to upgrade much of my modern game collection. Back in the early days of my collecting, I accepted some pretty poor things (by my standards) and it now drives me nuts, why I gave any money for them given what shape they were. At the time, it was all about wow I can get this game so cheap!, but now I regret that I did. Quality over quantity for sure.
So far all of my Nintendo Switch games have been brand new purchases, and as far as I'm concerned, my days of ever buying another modern game used are over. Often enough, the new copy does not run a whole lot more as price reductions occur on older and clearance titles. For me, the freshness, and satisfaction in being the original owner of a game is more than worth the extra money it takes to buy new. I realize that not everyone can justify the extra cost, but if you are in it mainly to pick up titles that are true to what you enjoy rather than picking games up in bulk, or only to try them out before trading back in, then I've got to recommend the new copy.
Of course, I would never apply this logic to classic games. I'll accept those for what they are. However with modern, there's no good excuse not to buy new when it's plentiful.
