The game title matches. Does the region, edition and medium?

Same title, different product

Search for a popular game and you will see a wide spread of sold prices for what looks like the same thing. Some of that spread is condition. Much of it is identity: the platform, the region, the edition, whether the manual and inserts are present, and whether the case even holds the disc or cartridge it is supposed to.

Video-game buyers are detail-oriented. Many of them collect, and many of them check the inside of the case before they check anything else. If the disc in your case belongs to a different region or a different game, the most accurate sales photograph in the world will not save the sale.

Step 1: Open the case and match every component

Treat the case, the medium and the paper as three separate items that happen to travel together:

• Platform: read it from the medium itself, not just the case spine.
• Title and edition printed on the disc or cartridge label, compared with the case art.
• Region information, printed on the case and often the medium. Different regions can have different compatibility with hardware.
• Manual, inserts, maps and posters that originally came with that edition.
• Codes for downloadable content or bonuses, which are a separate question (Step 2).

A special-edition case does not make an ordinary disc the special edition. A "complete" listing should mean the case, the matching medium and the original paper components are all present; say exactly which pieces you have.

Listing terms vary between buyers and marketplaces, so always spell out the contents instead of relying on shorthand.

Step 2: Keep digital entitlements out of the guesswork

A bonus-code insert is a piece of paper, not proof of a usable code. Codes are often redeemed by the first owner, can expire and may be tied to an account or region. Unless you can establish that a code is valid, unredeemed and transferable, either describe it as "code insert present, status unknown, not included in the offer" or leave it out entirely.

The same applies to accounts and downloads. Do not sell someone else's account, and do not imply that downloaded content comes with a physical copy. Check the marketplace's counterfeit and intellectual-property rules too. eBay's counterfeit policy prohibits unauthorized replicas, and an unauthorized copied game is not made acceptable by calling it a "backup" or a free extra.

Step 3: Inspect the medium like the buyer will

For discs, look at the data side under a bright light at an angle. Note scratches you can feel with a fingernail separately from light surface marks, and check for cracks near the center hole. For cartridges, look at the label, the shell and the contacts; do not use abrasive tools or liquids you are unsure about.

Then run a test that you can describe in one sentence. For example: "Launched on compatible hardware, reached the main menu and played the first ten minutes; saved and reloaded a file." That sentence tells a buyer exactly what you know. "Tested, works" does not.

Worked example: a launch test has a narrow meaning

In the chosen example, you do three useful checks: you verify the case edition, inspect the actual medium and launch it on compatible hardware for ten minutes. That supports a sentence about those three checks. It does not prove every level loads, that online features are still available or that the disc will read reliably for years.

If the game reads intermittently or freezes, stop treating it as a working item. Do not average two good launches against one failure and call it "works."

Step 4: Compare and price the exact contents

Search sold listings filtered for the same platform, edition, region and contents. Loose, case-and-disc and complete copies are different comparison sets. The sold comparisons guide explains how to remove outliers and mismatches, and the console testing guide covers hardware you might sell alongside the games.

Step 5: Pack against pressure and movement

Cases crack at the hinges and corners. Wrap the case, prevent it from sliding in the parcel and weigh the finished package. Do not automatically choose a media-specific postage service: the USPS Domestic Mail Manual section 173 lists the content types eligible for Media Mail, so read that list and confirm your complete contents qualify before choosing it.

Common mistakes:

• Selling a case without opening it.
• Promising a bonus code that was redeemed years ago.
• Calling a game "complete" without listing the manual and inserts.
• Choosing a postage service without checking eligibility.

Sell the actual medium and supported functionality, not the cover's implied promise. Finish the contents and entitlement checks before you choose a comparable sale price.