Help Center

Welcome to The Game Traders — a peer-to-peer marketplace for video games, consoles, PC hardware, trading cards, table games, and accessories. Here's how to get up and running.

Creating Your Account

Sign up with your email address and create a password. Once registered, you can browse listings, post want ads, and message other users right away.

Setting Up Your Profile

Head to your dashboard to add a profile photo, bio, and shipping address. A complete profile builds trust with other traders and makes transactions smoother.

Stripe Onboarding (For Sellers)

To sell items, you'll need to connect a Stripe account. This is how you receive payments. From your dashboard, click "Set Up Payments" and follow the Stripe onboarding flow. You'll need to provide basic identity and banking information — this is handled securely by Stripe.

Finding and purchasing items on The Game Traders is straightforward. Here's the typical buying flow:

1. Browse or search — Use the search bar, category filters, or browse the latest listings to find what you're looking for.
2. Make an offer — Found something you want? Make an offer at the listed price or suggest a different amount. The seller will be notified immediately.
3. Offer accepted — Once the seller accepts your offer, you'll receive an email notification with a link to complete payment. You have 24 hours to complete your purchase.
4. Complete payment — Pay securely through Stripe checkout. Your payment is held until the transaction is complete. If payment is not completed within 24 hours, the order will be automatically cancelled and the listing will become available again.
5. Receive your item — The seller ships the item and provides tracking. Once it arrives, confirm delivery on your dashboard.

Listing items for sale is free and takes just a few minutes. For a complete walkthrough, check out our Seller Guide.

Creating a Listing

Go to Sell an Item and fill out the details: title, description, category, condition, price, and shipping cost. Upload clear photos — listings with good images sell significantly faster.

Managing Your Listings

All your active listings appear on your dashboard. From there you can edit details, update pricing, or deactivate listings you no longer want to sell.

When You Get an Offer

You'll receive an email and in-app notification when someone makes an offer. You can accept, reject, or counter the offer from your dashboard.

Can't find what you're looking for? Post a want ad and let sellers come to you.

How Want Ads Work

1. Post your want ad — Describe the item you're looking for, your preferred condition, and the price you're willing to pay.
2. Sellers find you — Sellers who have the item can browse want ads and make offers directly to you.
3. Review offers — You'll receive notifications when sellers make offers on your want ad. Accept the best one to proceed to payment.
4. Complete the purchase — Once you accept an offer, complete payment and the seller ships the item to you.

Want ads are a great way to find rare or hard-to-find items. The more specific your description, the better the offers you'll receive.

The Game Traders uses an offer-based system for all transactions. There are no "buy now" buttons — every sale starts with an offer.

Making an Offer

When you find a listing you want, click "Make Offer" and enter your price. You can offer the full asking price or a different amount. The seller receives an email and notification with your offer.

Responding to Offers

When you receive an offer (as a seller on a listing, or as a buyer on a want ad), you have three options:

• Accept — The deal moves forward. The buyer is notified and has 24 hours to complete payment. The listing is marked as reserved during this time.
• Counter — Propose a different price. The other party can accept, reject, or counter again.
• Reject — Decline the offer. The other party is notified.

Counter Offers

Counter offers work just like regular offers — the other party can accept, reject, or counter back. There's no limit on the number of counters, so you can negotiate until you reach a price that works for both parties.

All payments are processed securely through Stripe. For a detailed breakdown, see our Fees & Pricing page.

How Payments Work

When a buyer completes checkout, their payment is processed through Stripe Connect. The platform fee (10% of the order total) is deducted automatically, and the remainder is transferred to the seller's connected Stripe account.

Fee Summary

Getting Paid

Seller payouts are handled by Stripe and typically arrive within 2-7 business days depending on your bank and country. You can check your payout status in your Stripe dashboard.

Sellers are responsible for shipping items to buyers. For detailed packing and carrier tips, see our Shipping Guide.

The Shipping Flow

1. Payment received — Once the buyer pays, you'll receive a notification to ship the item.
2. Ship the item — Pack the item securely and ship it using your preferred carrier.
3. Add tracking — On your dashboard, mark the order as shipped and enter the tracking number and URL.
4. Buyer confirms delivery — When the buyer receives the item, they confirm delivery on their dashboard. This completes the order and releases your payment.

Shipping Costs

When creating a listing, you set the shipping cost. The buyer pays this on top of the item price at checkout. Set your shipping cost based on the item's weight, size, and your preferred carrier's rates.

Orders can be cancelled at certain stages of the transaction. The rules depend on how far along the order is.

When Can You Cancel?

What Happens When You Cancel

• If payment was made, a full refund is issued automatically through Stripe.
• The listing is re-activated so the seller can sell it to someone else.
• For want ad orders, the want ad is re-opened to accept new offers.
• The other party is notified by email and in-app notification.

Your safety and security are important to us. Here are some tips and tools to help you stay safe on The Game Traders.

Profile & Account

• Keep your email address up to date — this is how we send order notifications and security alerts.
• Use a strong, unique password for your account.
• Your shipping address is only shared with buyers/sellers when an order is placed.

Reporting Issues

If you encounter a suspicious listing, inappropriate behavior, or a user who isn't acting in good faith, use the report button on their profile or listing. Our team reviews all reports.

Safety Tips

• Always use the platform's payment system — never send money outside of The Game Traders.
• Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.
• Check a seller's reviews and profile before making a purchase.
• Use tracked shipping for all transactions.
• Keep all communication within the platform's messaging system.