Someone played Walmart and GameStop deals to turn $97 in $500 for a new console

An enterprising redditor has posted how they've managed to play Walmart and GameStop deals to turn a profit, and make enough cash to buy a new console.

Bkfraiders7 posted their account of what happened, which involved buying clearance games from Walmart and using a GameStop 'buy two get one preowned' deal and an extra trade credit offer.

Chances are your ship has sailed if you wanted to try the same thing as the two for one deal ends today (July 4) but it's interesting to see how the deals were played to turn a quick buck.

The key to making it all work was buying the right games in a recent Walmart clearout sale. That mean specific titles and formats to maximise their resale value, so games like Plants vs Zombies 2 and Need for Speed Rivals. In total they bought these 6 games for $97.87 (emphasis theirs):

Plants vs Zombies 2 on both Xbox One and PS4 for $19.93
Need For Speed PS4 $15.84 (ONLY buy the PS4 version. The Xbox One Version does not have the same trade value)
Need For Speed Rivals PS4 $15.84 (ONLY buy the PS4 version. The Xbox One Version does not have the same trade value)
Amazing Spiderman 2 Xbox One and PS4 $19.93

From there Bkfraiders7 bought a $15 Pro membership at GameStop to take advantage of an offer that allowed them to claim an addition 60% on the trade in value.

Using the $142.43 that earned them they then took advantage of a 'Buy 2 get 1 Preowned promotion' to get these games:

Mario Party 10 ($49) + Zelda Breath of Wild ($49) + Pokémon Heart Gold (Free)

Zelda Link Between Worlds ($39) + Zelda Majora's Mask ($39) + Pokémon Sun (Free)

Then, to another GameStop ("I did not want to raise any red flags") to trade in those under the same 60% on the trade in value deal, netting $289. By repeating the step they were able to eventually end up with $482.98 on store credit which, they point, along with trade in credit means they can afford a new console.

Take a look at their final receipt:

It might sound too good to be true but a there's also a Facebook post where someone manages to turn $14 into 10 games, to which GameStop replied "this happens multiple times a year. It's not a surprise to anyone at GameStop".

With one of the deals more or less done it's unlikely you'll manage to turn this sort of profit using the same technique, but at least you know it's possible.

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.