Squidpunch.com

So a number of days ago a member over at 3fs asked if anyone had used this game trading website ‘SaySwap’. This was the first I have heard of it, as well as other members of our forums but strangely enough I orignally wanted to build a service like this, but a bit different.

I figured I would give the site a try, you don’t have to pay anything to create an account, so why not. The site rules are a bit complicated if you ask me but it works something like this:

• You select games that you want, they have a point value and you must have this many points to request this game from another user - additionally you need a trade token which will run you about $5.
• Trade tokens can only be purchased from the site, there is no other way to recieve them, except if you get a token from a referral - so if anyone wants to sign up let me invite you for some free tokens =)
• the points that you need to trade a game can be obtained by either bying them $1 for 1 point, or by sending a game to another member that wants that game. They also give you 30 points for simply creating your account.
• Games are valued at 30, 20, and 10 points, this is loosely based on the current MSRP of that game, so considering they give you 30 points to start you should be able to recieve a game trade from a willing member for only the ~$5.00 fee.
• Apparently the site pays for the shipping for all members of the United States - which is a definate plus.

So now that we have the basics down, onto the actual site. I went through there xbox 360 games and loaded all of the games I currently own and first only selected Halo 2, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as games that I wanted.

First of all I wasn’t very pleased to see that there are alot of games missing on the site, you could say thats because members are not listing those games as possible trades, but in reality the only way you can add a game to your list of owned games (or those that you wish to trade) is if they show up in the game directory. So for example, I cannot list that I own, want to trade, or want to recieve Lost Planet.

Next I noticed that the Xbox arcade games are listed, which again doesnt make much sense, but does create clutter. Sure you can list that you own that arcade game, but there is no way to trade an arcade game off, so why list it on a trading site?

Ignoring those small issues, and the fact that the site performs rather slow at times I went ahead and bought a trading token - assuming that I would need one if a trade ever went through.

The site says it automatically matches you up with other members that have the game you want, but they also give you the ability to select a direct trade with a member. So I found a couple members that had the two games I wanted and selected that I wanted them to send these games to me. I noticed that on everyones profile people are posting messages back and forth - so you could actually trade game for game - I assume it works the same way Member 1 sends a game, and gets 30 points for doing so, then uses those 30 points to recieve a game - both members need to buy a token, but honestly I dont know.

After a day or two possibly I did not get any response back on my trade requests, the terms of the trade would be that the person having the game would gain the points value of that game for sending to me - I did not want to give up one of my own games a this time. In any event those members did not respond or accept my trade, and the automated system was not capable of finding someone to send me the games I want either (it seems). So I went through the entire game list and selected any game that remotely interested in me, the though being that any game I recieve would only cost me the $5 trade token that I all ready spent and I cant get any xbox360 game for that price.

Later that day, out of nowhere I got an email notifying me that someone has Import Tuner Challenge, and that they would be shipping it to me. So my 30 points are gone, and my trade token is gone - I am simply waiting to see if I really do recieve the game, but where else can you get an xbox 360 game for $5. Of course the only reason it only cost me $5 was that they gave me the 30 free points, otherwise the cost would have been a game I could trade in of equal value and $5, which if you think about it I probably couldnt trade in a game and give an extra $5 to get a used game at a retail store. I am sure its possible but definately not all games, considering EB Games would give me about $1 for Kameo, but on Sayswap.com they will give me 30 points, the same number of points that I would need to recieve a newer game like Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Of course the catch is, its probably very unlikely that someone would trade me Kameo for Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and it seems many of the members trade game for game, instead of game for points, but that could be just my first impression.

All in all I think its an intersting service, and allows for you to trade off your old games for the value needed to get a different used game - which is not the case most of the time when trading games into the retail stores - but the process just seems to be way more difficult then I would like it to be, and there are small problems with it that I am not pleased with (such as many games not being available to even list them, but then allowing arcade games that cant be traded at all to be listed). I think the idea is great, which is why I originally thought of an idea like this but never actually went through with it, mostly because I was afraid of the headaches it could cause - for example a trade gone bad, or items lost in the mail during a trade, and what role the site would have to play attempting to resolve the troubles between the two members.

I have not decided if I will continue to use the site or not, at this point the only way I can recieve another trade is to get points by sending out some games - which I don’t have any games I am willing to part with at the moment. I also dont like that I have to buy a token for the trade - but understand that otherwise what benefit would the site have in providing this type of service, especially when the site is pretty much Ad free.

check out my profile there if you wish Here. My buddy Ymiris is trying to get me back into building our own trading type site, if something comes of it - I am sure I will blog about it then, until then - at least this Sayswap exists, and hopefully they will continue to expand and make it better (and less difficult and confusing)

Category: 360friendspot.com, 3FS, Game Trading, sayswap by Squidpunch