PriceCharting FAQ and Help

Below are some frequently asked questions with their answers and help topics for PriceCharting and the PriceCharting Marketplace.

• Price Data
• Tools
• Collections
• Account Management
• Marketplace: Policies
• Marketplace: Selling
• Marketplace: Buying
• Reputation & Feedback

Price Data

How does PriceCharting calculate its prices?

We track video games sold on eBay and our Marketplace.
Using our proprietary algorithm, we combine these sold listings into one value for each video game and condition.

Read more details on the methodology.

What do the PriceCharting conditions mean?

We use four different conditions for each game:

• Loose: The game cart/disc by itself, no other items included
• Complete (CIB): Complete in Box. The cart/disc is included with the original box and original instruction manual.
• Brand New: The game, box, and manual are included and they are in their original factory sealed plastic.
• Graded: A brand new item that has been graded by a condition rating agency like VGA.
• Box Only: The original box by itself, no game included
• Manual Only: The original instruction manual by itself, no game included

How does PriceCharting maintain the accuracy of the sales data?

We have multiple tools deployed to remove video game sales that should not be included in the sales records. Reproductions, imports, video game lots, etc will not be included in our sales data or factored into our price calculations.

• Automated Language Model: We have a sophisticated language model to automatically check every listing and remove ones that are junk and assign listings to a particular condition.
• Automated Outlier Detection: Listings that sold for an abnormally high or low price are automatically flagged for review by admin to determine if they are legitimate sales.
• User Review: Users can "report" historic sales and those will be elevated to admin for daily review.

Does PriceCharting use Gamestop as a price source?

No. Gamestop's price is never included in our price calculations.

We do keep track of Gamestop's prices and display them on the site, but they are for comparison only.

We also provide Gamestop prices to independent video game stores as part of our price guide download service so they can keep track of their biggest competition.

Does PriceCharting have a app?

Yes, PriceCharting does have an app. It is a web app that you can download to any device.

We've decided not to make a native app. Natives apps require costly development for Android and iOS; require download through an app store, and slow down updates because app stores must approve them first.

By making our website into a web app, all the latest features are available to all users at the same time no matter how they choose to access the site - website or app. And we can focus development time and money on new features for everyone.

What currency are the prices?

All prices are US Dollars (USD) by default. You can change the currency in the upper right corner of every page.

Tools

How Can I Add Missing Items?

If you're a contributor, you can add items yourself with the Add Items Tool.

If you don't have these permissions yet you can contact us and request admin to add the item. Please provide full details about the item so we know what to add.

Can I Scan UPC Codes on PriceCharting?

Yes, you can scan UPC codes on PriceCharting to quickly find the value of video game.

Mobile Device
Click UPC button near search box.
Point your mobile camera at UPC
We send you to video game page matching UPC

Desktop
Buy a UPC Scanner
Scan barcode
We send you to video game page matching UPC

Can I Download Game Data from PriceCharting?

Yes, you can download current prices and other video game data using our price guide download tool.

You can customize the exact data that you want and choose if it is a one-time download or subscribe for continuous updates.

You can access the video game data via API too.

Is there a way to calculate the value of video game lots?

Yes. We have several tools to help value video game lots.

Lot Calculator - Quickly enter individual video games and calculate the total value. Fastest method if you visually see video games.
List Value Automator - Paste a list of video games and we automatically calculate the total value. Fastest method if you have a list of video games.
eBay Lot Bot - See a list of eBay video game lots and their value or enter eBay listing ID and find the value. Fastest method if the video games are listed on eBay.

Collections

Can I keep track of my video game collection on PriceCharting?

Yes. You can use our video game collection tracker to keep track of all the video game you own and the total value of your collection.

The collection tool is integrated across the site so you can see what you own when browsing, searching, or looking at item details.

What do the stars & circle mean on some items in my collection?

These are grading recommendations. The more stars the more profitable the card is to get graded.

Read more about the Grading Recommendations tool.

How do I add multiple copies to my collection?

This is possible with a couple different methods.

Click the 'orange' 'in collection' button on any item, search, or browsing page. Then click 'add another' link.
Click on 'details' on any item in your collection. Then click 'add another' link.

How do I import an existing collection?

Visit account settings.
Click the "import collection" link.
Follow the directions on the page to import a collection

How do I export my collection?

Visit account settings.
Click the "export collection" link.
Follow the steps on the page to finish exporting.

Can I sell my entire collection at once?

Yes. Visit the sell your collection page and follow the steps to list your collection for sale.

How do I delete my collection?

Visit account settings.
Click "delete collection" link.
Confirm you want to delete your collection.

Account Management

How do I change my username?

Visit account settings.
Click the "change username" link.
Enter your desired username.

How can I modify or cancel a subscription?

Visit your subscriptions page.

Click "Modify" or "Cancel" next to your active subscription.

Follow the prompts to complete the process.

How do I see my past purchases?

Direct link: Purchase History.

Navigation:
Click My Account in upper right corner of screen.
Click "Buying" tab.

How do I see my items for sale?

Direct link: My Listings.

Navigation:
Click My Account in upper right corner of screen.
Click "Selling" tab.
Click "Active Items" link on left.

How do I see my sold items?

Direct link: My Sales.

Navigation:
Click My Account in upper right corner of screen. Click "Selling" tab.
Click "Sold Items" link on the left.

Marketplace: Policies

Is there a guarantee for buyers?

Yes. We guarantee you will get the item you order or your money back.

Read all the marketplace guarantee details.

How much is shipping?

Shipping is free for all items. All shipping costs are included in the price of the item.

What can be bought and sold on the marketplace?

Can: Any video game, video game console, and the most popular game accessories like first party controllers, memory cards, Skylanders, amiibo, etc.

Cannot: At this time you can't buy or sell video game lots, game memorabilia, or gaming items with no listing on our site. You can't sell reproductions, fakes, or import games.

If you think we're missing an item that should be included please let us know.

What countries are supported?

USA and Canada. For now, the marketplace only supports buyers and sellers in the USA and Canada.

We plan to add support for other countries in the future. We don't have an exact time frame for international support though.

What is the return policy?

All sellers on the marketplace agree to offer a 14 day money back guarantee. The 14 days starts from date the item was shipped by the seller.

Buyers are responsible for paying any return shipping costs.

Marketplace: Selling

What are marketplace fees?

Creating an account is free.
Creating a listing is free.
Selling an item is free.
You only pay a PayPal payment processing fee.

See how much you would save compared to eBay or Amazon with our side-to-side fee comparison.

How much will I receive for shipping?

$0. All domestic orders receive free shipping. You should factor shipping costs into your listing prices.

You will receive extra money for orders shipping internationally. See the full list of extra amounts based upon the type of item.

Can I sell my entire collection at once?

Yes. Visit the sell your collection page and follow the steps to list your collection for sale.

How will I know when my item sells?

You will receive an email when one of your items sells.

The email will include all the shipping and payment information needed to mail the game to the buyer.

What are the shipping and communication expectations for sellers?

Shipping: Sellers should ship items within three calendar days.

Communication: Sellers should click 'mark as shipped' on each sale to notify buyer when it is sold. Sellers should respond to all emails within one business day.

How do I get paid?

Buyers pay via credit card, debit card or PayPal. You receive the funds in your Paypal account.

All payments are processed using PayPal and they do charge payment fees.

What are seller requirements?

You need a Paypal "business" account (you don't need to be a business though).

You must live in the USA and Canada.

Do listings expire?

Yes, listings can expire. Listings will expire 30 days after they are posted if your seller reputation falls below 95% or you haven't logged into your account for more than a month.

If you maintain 100% reputation, login frequently to check listings, or edit your listings they will not expire.

We do this so good sellers can keep their listings up as long as they like, but bad sellers or those who abandon their listings will have them removed.

What is a "descending price auction" and how does it work?

The price of your item will automatically decrease until it sells.

You choose the start price and the minimum price. The listed price is slowly lowered towards the minimum until someone buys it.

Read more details and benefits descending price auctions.

Does PriceCharting offer tools for large sellers?

We offer several tools to make selling easier for large sellers. You can make new listings and manage existing ones:

Manually
Inventory Upload via CSV
Marketplace API

Why was my offer "evicted"?

Inaccurate offers will be evicted from the site. They are deceptive to buyers and cause a bad experience.

Mario Kart 64 listed as Super Mario 64 is inaccurate.
Reproductions are inaccurate. Do not sell them.
An item with writing on it, listed as "No blemishes" is inaccurate.
A photo showing disc only, but listed "with Box + Manual" is inaccurate.

How does PriceCharting make money if listings are free?

We have some ads on the site and sell premium features to retailers & collectors.

Our costs to run the site are very low so we pass these onto the community. We have no plans to charge fees to sell.

How do I ship orders to internationally?

Shipping to internationally is very straight forward. There is one short form required You can fill out the forms & pay online. Read some tips and see a customs form example.

Can I pause my listings while on vacation?

Yes. You can go on vacation. All your listings will be unavailable for purchase until you return.

Marketplace: Buying

What payment methods are accepted?

You can buy games with a valid debit card, credit card or PayPal balance. We don't accept any other payment methods at this time.

How do I ask the seller a question before making a purchase?

Click the "ask seller a question" link on any offer page. You need to be logged in in order to use this feature.

How do conditions work?

Sellers list items as "New", "No Blemishes", or they list the specific problems. We don't use subjective terms like "Good" or "Acceptable".

You might see a listing with a condition of "Writing, Stickers, Scratched Cover". Or maybe "Stickers". The conditions are objective facts. And you can filter your results to include any condition rating.

Listings without a condition should be considered "normal wear". It won't be perfect, but it doesn't have any of the explicit problem conditions.

How are boxes & manuals handled?

Sellers choose what is included with the game when they make the listing. They check boxes for "game", "box", "manual", and "other".

You can filter your searches to include only items with particular items included. And every listing clearly states what you will receive.

Do international buyers pay extra for shipping?

Shipping internationally costs extra. Buyers pay these additional costs. Shipping games cost $3-10 extra depending on the item and countries. Consoles are $30-40 extra.

This additional fee is already included in the price you see on the marketplace.

Any customs and duties are the responsibility of the buyer. Please do not ask sellers to mark "gift" on customs forms.

Reputation & Feedback

Do users have feedback or ratings?

All users have a 'reputation' score based upon their activity. For each transaction the buyer and seller gets a chance to rate each other.

Users with a high reputation score are more trustworthy.

You can see the reputation score next to a user's name.

Read full reputation details.

How do you increase your reputation?

Be a good buyer and seller.

Buying stuff on the marketplace and being pleasant to deal with is the easiest way to increase your score.

Selling stuff with accurate descriptions, fast shipping, and good communication earns you reputation too.

You also get reputation points your first two account anniversaries if your account is in good standing.

How do you lose reputation?

By being a jerk.

Buying stuff and being unreasonable, returning lots of items, and leaving unwarranted feedback for other users are very easy ways to lose reputation.

Selling stuff with inaccurate descriptions, bad photos, slow shipping, no shipping, and/or bad communication are easy ways to lose reputation.

How do I leave feedback for another user?

Click My Account in upper right corner of screen.
Click "Selling" or "Buying" tab depending on if you bought or sold the item.
Click "Leave Feedback" link for the item.
Click "Leave Feedback" link on the item page.

Why does it cost reputation to leave negative feedback?

Negative feedback is serious. It can rightly or wrongly ruin a user's reputation and ability to transact on the marketplace.

By making negative feedback cost something, it ensures people leave accurate feedback.

The vast majority of transactions will receive "Great" ratings and users will quickly gain reputation. Leaving an occasional negative rating, when warranted, will have negligible impact on a good user.

Users who consistently leave or receive negative ratings are a problem on the marketplace. They will have low reputation scores.