The game staff at GEN have all been long-time fans of Goozex.com, but there’s still plenty of gamers out there who have never even heard of the site. We sat down with Goozex founder Jonathan Dugan to get the definitive answer on what the site is all about, why it’s a must-go destination for gamers of any kind, and what we can expect as members in the future.
GEN: So, what exactly is a Goozex?
JONATHAN DUGAN: On Goozex you preserve the fair market value of your games by trading them directly to other members, and skipping the used game store middle-man. Now, a Goozex is a cute little monster that loves to game and trade! It was interesting when we were looking into logos as a company. We then thought to ourselves, why not some cute monster that relates graphically to gamers. We wanted something fun and we verbally explained what we wanted to our artists, they soon whipped up their first drafts and boom, exactly what we were looking for.
GEN: Can you describe how the service works for those few unlucky souls yet to discover it.
DUGAN: Trading on Goozex is really quite simple. Users who sign up are prompted to build a queue list of games they have and would like to make available for trade. Once completed, you then build a queue list of games you wish to receive once you’re able to build up a balance of points. You can relate it to something such as Netflix, Gamefly and Blockbuster online with building queues.
All you need in addition is points (you earn from shipping games to other users) and a Goozex Trade Token, the $1 fee that you pay to Goozex to process a trade through the Goozex network. For every game that you receive from another user, you spend 1 trade token. Trade tokens are valued at $1 a piece, so essentially, you are getting a game for a buck plus the cost of shipping! Goozex is the cheapest and easiest way to legally trade video games. There are no monthly membership fees, setup fees, hidden costs. Nothing. And remember you are trading the video games, not renting; therefore, the games you receive in the mail become your property, as the games you send to other members become other member’s property.
Trading on Goozex is easy: Once you list your requests and offers, you don’t have to do anything else! Just wait for Goozex to find the perfect match for your transactions!
GEN: How did you come up with the idea?
DUGAN: The concept behind Goozex originated from an experience that I had with Gamestop in the summer of 2005. As a college student at the time, strapped for cash and looking to get some new games, I traded in 17 xbox titles at Gamestop and earned $34 dollars worth of credit. Looking at the available games at the time, I ended up having to still spend $20+ outta my pocket to get one new game. When I returned home with the game and after a few hours of gameplay, I was a bit disappointed with the results.
I thought to myself, there has gotta be a better way to game on the cheap for cash strapped students and families. I ended up going back to Gamestop and saw half the titles I had traded in back on the shelves for $12-$30 a piece. These were massive markups at the expense of the American consumer I thought. From that point on, I began thinking up a new method to allow games to create their own little used game stores directly from there homes.
GEN: Aside from trading games, what sort of community features are available to Goozex members?
DUGAN: Besides trading, Goozex offers a nice set of features for users to enjoy themselves while being on Goozex. Users can take part in our vibrant forum which members consistently run numerous online meetups, contests, gaming events and the all encompassing Goozex Olympics (A monthly festival of games with teams of 15-20 members per team) competing for Goozex Gold! Goozex also runs company contests that allow members the chance to earn points, win prizes and enjoy themselves in doing so. Additionally, you can use Goozex to find others that may be playing your game through the playing now feature that users activate when they receive a game and choose to play it. It is a great way to meet people to play online with if you have trouble looking for people with the same taste in games.
GEN: Are there any exciting additions in store for Goozex in the near future?
DUGAN: The short answer is yes. We are always looking to add new features to the system that equates to real savings value for members. We’ve calculated that members save on average $16.50 per game trade on Goozex. That can quickly add up to a few hundred, even thousands of dollars in savings. Movies is something that we are looking to add sometime in July or early August and we hope to see the same reaction as with games for that media.
Trading music CDs, on the other hand, just can’t give you the same savings benefit and so members may find it less compelling to trade that versus games. Additions such as digital products, like iPhone apps, are a completely different animal and we are always looking to see how Goozex will fit in the growing digital age. In the end, we’re looking for products that make economic sense for members to trade and to also fit with what gamers are more in tuned with. So you won’t be seeing Goozex trade Martha Stewart cooking ware anytime soon.
GEN: Thanks for your time!
For an even more detailed interview with Goozex CMO, Mark Nebesky, check out Brittany’s interview at Spawnkill, or head to the site yourself and take advantage of one of the best services available to gamers NOW!
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Goozex helped me get a copy of the impossibly hard to find Silent Hill 3, so they’re forever awesome in my book … err, game. Console? Shelf? Nevermind. Good site.
July 5th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’ve been a member of Goozex for a while now. I’ve traded dozens of games through Goozex. It’s the best system there is for trading games online. I can’t recommend it enough.