Have a bunch of games to spare? Not sure what to do with them? Why not trade them in for points at Goozex, one of the finest video game trading communities out there right now? We scored an interview with Mark Nebesky of Goozex in order to shed a little bit of light on the website for you guys. Ready to discover what’s going on over there? Read on!

Molotov: Goozex is a reliable and easy way to lighten your load of finished games and also to receive new titles to enjoy. It’s enjoying such success that the question must be on everyone’s minds – what exactly IS a Goozex? Is it the name of the lovable dinosaur mascot? Is it a portmanteau? Enlighten us!

Mark: I actually had to look up the definition of “portmanteau,” and I wanted to thank you for teaching me a new word.  It’s a little of both.  The monster has no name yet, but is lovingly referred to by the GTeam as The Goozex Monster.  Goozex has always stood for saying “Goods Exchanged.”  When we started the website we knew we wanted to be the best game trading site ever and from there branch out into new areas like getting new games via our Goozex Exchange and possibly other products.  But our core is and will be video game trading. 

Molotov: Since users have gotten along well with only trading games, have you been considering adding various other media to the service? DVDs, iPhone apps, music, or anything similar? Do you feel it’d be a viable business model to expand into different territory?

Mark: The short answer is yes.  Not all products work well in a trading concept because there has to be, at the end of the day, 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.  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.  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.

Molotov: You obviously must be aware of the significant trade-in values you are providing compared to competition such as GameStop and similar retail chains. Is this a hot topic of discussion when it comes to feedback from your users?

Goozex: Of course our users get it and love Goozex for it.  We are always getting emails and feedback about how Goozex has changed their game getting behavior.  It is the main value proposition we deliver and is why we are the best in game trading.  In terms of being a hot topic, the reality is you lose value with your game trades at the traditional brick-and-mortar stores, whereas on Goozex you retain full value of games. 

Molotov: What’s an estimated amount of trades users have participated in since the site’s grand opening, and which platform receives the most consistent trading action?

Goozex: Since we’ve started, we estimate saving members over $4.3 million by trading games on Goozex.  For kicks we tried to figure how tall the stack of games traded in 2008 would be and we figure it would be more than twice as tall as the world’s tallest building, the planned Al Burj in Dubai.  2009 is shaping up to blow that volume of trades up. 

Goozex started before the PS3 and Wii came out and early on it was all about trading on PS2 games.  Then we introduced PC trading in late 2006 and that really took off because where else can you trade your PC games?  Today it has shifted to trading Xbox 360 and the next gens.  Nintendo DS is also a strong trading platform. 

Molotov: Because of the fair and substantial value you provide for participants at the site, have you received any criticism from those in the industry – namely individuals staunchly opposed to used video game sales?

Mark: Yes and no.  There are developers and publishers out there that are diehards against a secondary market for video games.  And I can understand why, because the craft of making games is very complex and not easy work, and that’s not to mention the artistry that goes into games.  Others seem to like Goozex, because we’re not screwing gamers with game trades.  I can honestly say we have members that are developers or management in publishers and they trade a lot.  

That said, we recognize we live in an ecosystem in which we all need to get along.  We try to support publishers with our Goozex Exchange program whereby members can convert Goozex points into new game purchases.  On every game page is a buy it on Amazon button.  Our business will not work if new game sales are not made, because who will trade those games to start?  And in the end, there are a lot of great games that come out each year, but the average gamer’s wallet is tight and can only afford so many purchases without breaking the bank.  Goozex is a great place for people to try out and play the games they missed purchasing because they went with GTA IV instead of Mass Effect or Street Fighter IV instead of Halo Wars.

Molotov: Your service allows gamers to trade in games directly, or to purchase points with real money in order to receive the games of their choice. Do you find that more game-to-game trades occur, or are more trades completed via the user’s purchase of Goozex points?

Mark: Generally we see members on both ends of the spectrum.  If you’re trading out a lot of games you really don’t ever have to purchase points from Goozex.  Where we see people buying points is to give a little boost to their account so they have enough for games or to just get started on the site.   

Molotov: Are there any plans in the distant future to implement the trade of cartridge-based games and various other titles for retro platforms, or is that something unattainable at this point in time? 

Mark: This is one of the most popular requests we get and the answer is that it is always on the table.  But, the reality is the cost of setting up the site and getting a database integration on older titles is a lot of work, and ultimately old school trading may only appeal to a small niche hardcore gaming segment.  I’m not going to rule it out, but it’s not currently in our development pipeline.

Molotov: Currently there is no perks system for frequent traders. Is this something you have in the works – incentives for members to stay at the site in order to earn extra points or other bonuses?

Mark: Yes, we love our members and really are looking for ways to reward the most active.  We do that already with boosts for our monthly top traders.  There are specific challenges that need to be addressed when making any new development along these lines that include fairness to all members, ability to make it automated, and how to prevent abuse of the system.  The method we like to work with is making your feedback score mean more than a number, and that’s why future site features will give access to those with certain feedback scores over those with zero. 

Molotov: While you have proven yourselves time and time again with the Goozex guarantee, fast service, and positive feedback from members, what can you say makes you truly stand out from other similar game trading services?

Mark: Goozex is a hassle-free service.  There is no bartering, negotiations, haggling, bidding, and other things that bottleneck the trading process on Goozex.  We are designed to add games to your queues and then let us do the magic.  Moreover, we are not just a trading site, but a community of gamers.  We look to connect gamers in different ways and promote those community leaders that organize gaming events.  We’ve built in features to share your personal profile with friends on Goozex and beyond.  So in a nutshell, we’re a hassle-free game trading community.

Molotov: As the new streaming video games model starts to come into play, do you plan on implementing any video game streaming services in the future by way of exchanging points?

Mark: There are a lot of interesting and exciting things happening in the game industry.  We’re definitely looking around and seeing what’s what and where we can fit in and add value to our members.  We’ll definitely run with anything that makes sense for Goozex to build into the system.  And the industry is growing so fast that by the time this gets posted we’ll be in talks with a new company to add a new service that makes sense for gamers.

Thanks to Mark for answering all of our questions! You can check out another interview over at GEN, soon to be posted.

Tags: Goozex, Interview

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Interview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.