VIDEO GAME X-CHANGE

Reviews 5

JO

Joe M

In recent weeks, this store has gotten a lot of bad flack and attention and in my opinion, its totally undeservedly. Ive been coming to this store, and the other Video Game X-changes in Madison when they were still here, for over 20 years. Ive been buying NES games from this guy since 1999. Way before they were popular or the "cool" thing to collect. The owner, Lance, is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, to the point where Ive stood there talking to him about old games at the counter for over an hour when theres no other customers... Ive done this numerous times. He treats you great, without judgment and is just all around an awesome guy. Beyond that, his prices are basically the best in town- dont listen to the other reviews- they are below Ebay or Amazon prices. They are much cheaper than Preplayed or Pawn America. He will also give you more in trade-in or even cash than any other business in the area. I traded him an N64 and 3 games and like 2 Master System games I didnt want and he gave me over $100 in trade in. Enough to get a Game Boy Color (what I wanted) and like 5 good games. He advertises a 10% cash discount if you pay with cash in his store, but Ive always usually paid with debit and he gives me the discount anyway. Hes even gone out of his way to help me out with things I wanted. I collect old SEGA stuff and I had one of the late model Genesis 1s with poor sound quality (VA7 motherboard). I brought it in and told him and he traded me his BEHIND THE COUNTER test system for Genesis games, a "High Definition Graphics" model 1 Genesis with a VA2 motherboard with superior sound... he just asked I pay him $5 too, but man, thats going above and beyond. Now if I could just get the SEGA brand power strip he has back there too... (ask to see it sometime! these things are like $200 on Ebay...) Now for the bad flack... whos fault is it? Is it really his fault? The first time he went to the St. Vinnys sale he got nothing because guess what, resellers were there with bins and bought everything up... this time he was first in line and as such, got the privilege of taking his pick. Further, isnt more like St. Vinnys fault for holding this event to begin with and saving all the games up instead of putting them out as they get them like every other thrift store in the country? St. Vinnys is a business and they dont care how the sale goes, obviously. Further, Video Game X-change is a business and they have to make money too. Times are hard and retro games are in style now, theres a lot of competition and its cutthroat. Go to any Flea Market (which we dont have here) and youll find the same thing, resellers going around early and buying all the good stuff and then marking it up and selling it. Apparently Madison is too backwards to understand this stuff. Use your head people. St. Vinnys is at fault, not Lance. He saw an opportunity to capitalize on the sale and took it. Because he runs a business. I will continue to support Video Game X-change just like I have for the last 20 years because they have the best prices in town and the owner is friendly. :)

---

AN

Andrew Bade

Video Game X-Change is by far the best video game store I have ever been to. Lance(the owner) is a really stand up guy who is very reasonable with his prices, and he treats his customers well. I have bought merchandise and sold merchendise from him and he always is honest with me on what its worth and what he can afford to buy/sell it for. If youre looking for a great resale store for video games, I cannot recommend this place enough! I understand why people are upset with how the St. Vincent De Paul video game sale was handled(please check out Pat and Ians Completely Unecessary Podcast episode featuring the Video Game Exchange/St. Vinnies incident for context), but I know for a fact that many people do the same thing and he was targeted because he owns a store. Im not saying that I wouldnt be upset if I were in line behind him or anyone with a large container to drop a ton of games into and sort at their leisure while Im left with nothing, but I dont belive Lance or his store should be judged by this one event alone. And thats what the internet has done, and does in many circumstances like this one. I also know him to be the sort of person who would never willfully or intentionally do anything underhanded or malicious. The fact remains that Lance has owned and operated Video Game X-Change in the Madison area for over 20 years delivering excellent products and customer service. I will continue to shop/sell there for my video game and media needs.

---

GA

Gabriel Watkins

Ive been going to this place since high school, maybe even middle school. My younger brother and I have very fond memories of not just the place, but the owner as well. Mortal Monday, the releases of Final Fantasy 7, all the snes Street Fighters, etc. This store has always been there for us. I recently was able to visit after several years living in Minnesota, and Im happy to say nothing has changed. You never could and still cant beat the prices. And while the selection varies depending on what is traded in and sold, I was able to find several games I wanted, one for my 15th month old daughter who is learning how to play the nes. I was able to put her down and she ran around, occasionally taking a game or ten off the shelves, being a child and playing. The same friendliness that I always knew was still there, as it was laughed off. My girlfriend was also with me, who is a huge fan of cds and music. She was able to find a bunch of them there, some she has been looking for and not able to find anywhere else. In the end, everything cost us less than $20, and thats amazing when buying "retro games" and such during this retro craze. This place is a gem, and there is a reason it has been open for so long, because this is how a store such as this is done. The owner, Lance, is and has been an awesome guy since I first met him. He knows his stuff, and his store is more than fair when it comes to prices. I cannot recommend this place enough.

---

JI

Jim Maaske

We went to a few different places. The cash discount here is nice, but there were also a few cons. A lot of their stock wasnt sorted alphabetically, and so was hard to search through. Selection was good but not great comparatively to other stores in the area for what we were looking for originally. Prices, especially if not paying cash, were a decent bit higher than I was led to imagine based on other reviews, and compared to other stores. The staff was a little too happy to leave us be. Seemed helpful when needed, but werent forthright with it. Good sometimes, but can seem aloof too. The building was HOT. No a.c., probably quite a chore to cool the big building, but still. Wasnt an inviting atmosphere overall.

---

MA

Matthew Harper

Ive been a customer of Lances (and crew) since the release of Super Mario RPG on SNES (1996). Nobody else in town had the game. Since then, Ive relied on his store to supplement my collection of classics-- I can recall visiting his store(s) weekly until I finally found a copy of Michael Jacksons Moonwalk on Genesis. Without a doubt I could always rely on his knowing games and his pricing those games fairly. Ive since encountered so many vendors who have made apparent that theyre only looking for the profit instead of exercising their passion. Video Game X-Change has always been run by game serious enthusiasts who will give you a square deal and answer any questions you may have on the product. -Harvey

---

---