Email  M.Dean@FineGames.com   -or- Phone  (541) 756-4711  10am-9pm PST  (-8 GMT)

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Fine Games is always on the lookout for strategy board games, especially wargames, in excellent or mint condition. We purchase individual games of note but prefer to buy sizable lots, even entire collections. We pay you either cash or trade-in credit once your games are received and inspected.

 

This page gives helpful hints about what we buy, how to offer your games to us, and how to properly package & ship your games us.

What Type of Games Does Fine Game Buy

Fine Games focuses on wargames, first and foremost, and secondarily on more strategy oriented board and card games. Included within these parameters are all the accessories of the trades including magazines, gaming supplies, parts, etc. We are always on the lookout for games fitting these parameters that are in excellent or mint condition.

 

Fine Games generally does not stock or seek (1) Fantasy Role Playing Games or supplements, (2) miniatures of any type, (3) collectable cards or sets, or (4) generic mass market games (such as Twister, Barbie Does Dallas, etc.) While we may buy a few such games as part of a larger collection, we do not actively seek out any such item and will not offer much reward for these.

How to Describe & Itemize Your Games For-Sale

We urge you to review our own classification and coding scheme elsewhere on this web site. You needn't use our system, but by becoming familiar with how we describe games' condition, box type, publisher, etc., you'll learn what we regard as important in ranking and evaluating games. Whatever method you do use simply needs to be applied objectively and consistently.

 

In addition, bear these factors in mind as you itemize your games for-sale:

• Edition - Which revision or printing of the game are we dealing with?, In many instances, there were significant variations. This should be indicated on or with the rules.

• Box Type - how is the game packaged? Often there were many box types, including a non-boxed ziplock or folio format. Plus, some people remove their games from the original box.

• Smell - does the game have a musty or mildewy smell?

• Staining - does the game have any spots, spills or stains? Mildew stains or spots often--but not always--accompany mildew smell or storage in a damp place. And many games are marked by coffee or other liquid stains.

• Box Integrity - How is the box packaging holding up? Is the original box & cover sheet included? Are there major scuffs, abrasion or wear to the box?

• Defective or Missing Components - What's missing from the games' part's inventory? Note that games with seriously defective counters (those missing information) cannot be mint even if unpunched, nor can they be excellent if otherwise clean; this defect must always be explicitly revealed. Where components are noticeably mix-&-matched from different editions or copies of a game, this should be noted, too.

Game Buying Policies & Procedures

The following guidelines are offered to help you understand how such purchases & trades take place.

• A peek at the various Fine Games catalogs will quickly inform you of the type of games Fine Games focuses on: historical & strategy-oriented board games, magazines & accessories. Only rarely do I pick up sports, role playing or collectable card games.

• We seek popular games in excellent or mint condition.  Games in lesser condition will be considered but are valued disproportionately lower. We especially seek those items not currently shown in Fine Games' catalogs.

• Typically, a cash amount will be offered for games offered for sale or trade. You can take this in cash and/or new games at face value. In many cases, I can offer proportionately more trade-in credit depending on the specific items you wish to trade for.

• Games must generally  be received & inspected prior to completing any deal. This is to assure that your games are in the condition you say they are. Inspection times vary depending on the number and condition of your games, as well as other demands upon my time, and can take a day or several weeks. You agree to be patient when you agree to a trade-in transaction.

• Should the games you sell or trade in prove to be in a condition worse than that which our offer was based -- typically due to missing components, wear or other flaws not disclosed -- the value of the item will simply be reduced.
  
  Because the time and effort required to inspect your games cannot be reversed, your offer to sell your games also can generally not be reversed. Instead, the value you receive will simply be reduced to compensate for the actual condition of the games as they are received here.

• Games which arrive in disorder, especially larger games with counters floating all around inside the game box, lose value for that very fact. We strongly recommend that counters properly containerized prior to shipment.

• The more info you provide about the games you have to offer, the better. Surprises are rarely pleasant for anyone. For instance,

  • Did you buy the game new or mint yourself, or did you buy it 2nd hand already punched? Have you checked it for completeness?

  • Is there any smell to the game components due to mildew or tobacco smoke?

  • Is there any mildew spotting or staining to any components?

  • Are there any indications of moisture warping or staining?

  • Are all components included: counters, box, dice, counter trays, etc.? Are all counters originally included in the package still there?

  • How much wear has the game received? Is the box torn, scuffed, concaved? Are the rules highlighted, soiled or torn? Are there crude repairs to any components (such as with scotch, filament or masking tape)? Is the map colorized? Any food spills?

• Responsibility for shipping from you to me is negotiable on larger deals (generally, those involving entire collections of hundreds of items). Typically, though, shipping is included within the trade or purchase amount quoted to you.

• Please use my mail, email or direct dial phone # for all offers to sell or trade. Please do not  use our 800 #; that's not what it's for, and using it despite this will disproportionately reduce the credit I allow you.

How to Prepare & Ship Your Games to Fine Games

Here are our recommendations for how to prepare and ship your games to us.

• You can find our mailing address on our Contact Info web page.

• You can ship by any means you wish, but UPS is generally the most cost-effective means, especially for weights of 5# or more. Call UPS at (800) 742-5877 to arrange a one-time pickup for a small, per-package fee.

If you ship by UPS, we strongly recommend that you ship with UPS directly rather than use a third-party mailer (such as Mailboxes Etc.). The latter typically add 50% to the actual cost of UPS shipping.

• Punched counters should be containerized; loose counters are easily lost and reduce the value you receive for your games. Containerizing counters is easy: Put them in zip-lock bags or even envelopes while retaining as much logical organization as possible (e.g. one side's pieces in one bag, the other side's in another, markers in a third). In multi-game sets such as Quadra games, keep each game's pieces separated from the others.
  
  Alternatively, when counters are already neatly stored in counter trays, you can very easily seal the counter tray itself with a few, inch-long pieces of 3M Magic tape, 1 or 2 pieces per side. This can be reinforced with rubber bands if necessary. DO NOT use strapping, masking or Scotch tape. DO NOT use excessive amounts of tape. Please.
  

• Select an appropriate sized box for shipment. Boxes can be purchased at third-party mailing stores. They can also be scrounged for free at most retail grocery and hard goods stores. Just find one the right size and intact.
  

• Pack the games with weighty and hard-to-damage items on the bottom. Magazines and mag-issue games are hard to damage, for example. Then, put more fragile games on the top. Try to pack boxed games so that they stand on their sides so that games are not stacked on one another. This prevents box damage.
  

• Fill all vacant spaces in the box with wadded newspaper or, better yet, Styrofoam popcorn. This is very important to prevent damage.
  

• Lastly, make sure to seal the bottom seams of the shipping box's seams. This prevents the escape of any stray counters that otherwise get loose.