Cheapest way to get a 3ds?

sorrowscall

sorrowscall

Great Hero Rosayln(Okage)
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This is of interest to me, due to how many various people have different ideas on what to do in order to attain a 3Ds that's under $100; some of them seem legitimate, others seem fascinating, and quite a few seem like scams. I myself believe the easiest way might be to buy a broken one and fix it, but I would like to hear the ideas of the general consensus.
 
I suppose it depends on if you absolutely want the 3D capability. 2DSes are pretty darn cheap... I picked one up as a gift for a friend last year for $100 on sale brand new, and it even came with a Pokemon game pre-installed. Other than that, if you live in a town with any shops that sell used game stuff, I'd check those out. There's also a site called Cowboom that specializes in selling used electronic goods including game consoles. I haven't purchased from them before but they seem pretty legit... they're owned by Best Buy so maybe that's where everything you trade into them goes.

There's also good old ebay and craigslist... but my local area kind of sucks for the latter, so I understand that's not always an option.
 
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I agree with Poring: getting a new or used 2DS is your best bet for a sub-$100 3DS (sans the 3D). If you check out the sales that online stores have every now and then, you can usually get a great deal on the 2DS. I saw a few not too long ago that bundled a free game or dropped the price to less than $100, so it's definitely doable. I bought my 3DS XL used from a friend for $80 myself.
 
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So the consensus so far is to buy it used from places like Craigslist, eBay, an other legitimate online store, or to get it through means of buying from a friend. Secondarily, it would appear that the 2DS would also be a doable solution; since the 3D of a 3DS is actually quite painful to the eyes in my opinion.
 
That's my two cents. I don't use the 3D on my device, and for your budget the 2DS is the best bang for your buck. If you use Craigslist, just be smart about it, since there are occasionally unsavory people that do business there. Some tips for that would be to meet in a public place, bring a friend with you, and check that the 3/2DS works properly before you hand over the money.
 
applemusician said:
That's my two cents. I don't use the 3D on my device, and for your budget the 2DS is the best bang for your buck. If you use Craigslist, just be smart about it, since there are occasionally unsavory people that do business there. Some tips for that would be to meet in a public place, bring a friend with you, and check that the 3/2DS works properly before you hand over the money.
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Yes. I've had quite a bit of bad luck with them in the past when it came to a friend trying to sell a computer. I told him not to hand over the computer first but did he listen? No. And they basically ripped off a free one from him. At any rate, this has been for research into how best to buy a 3DS or something akin to it like the 2DS at the lowest price so I don't have to worry myself at the moment.
 
I love my New 3DS. The 3DS on it works in a non-painful way. That is, of course, if you are willing to drop double the amount on it.

Either that or get a used one from a friend or Gamestop. Hell, I normally just give my old one away to friends for no reason when I get the new system. My old 3DS is just sitting on my shelf at the moment doing nothing, broken shoulder button and all.
 
Agreed with above. Either go used or buy a 2DS. I have a 2DS and I love the thing. I find it more comfortable to use for long periods of time than the 3DS, and I do not miss the 3D one teensy weensy bit. The few times I did play with 3D capability on the 3DS it hurt my eyes. Never wanted that function anyway.
 
Secondhand will generally net you the cheapest deal. Craigslist will get you the best deal due to a huge variety of reasons haha, just keep looking. But yeah I'd be careful with making the exchanges with all the stuff that's been happening. Personally I never had issues but that's just me. Meet public areas, test the unit and all the games, accessories. Be sure to shine a light in the slots cause they easily get corrosion damage in there and will render your unit useless. I'm not a fan of Gamestop but if you have credit built up or trade in lots of stuff for credit then you can probably get an exchange for cheap.
 
I think the best route to go would be to purchase one used from a video game store, such as Gamestop. Also, perhaps searching on ebay may turn up some deals. I have found the best deals in gaming by purchasing used items from video game stores and even thrift stores. You never know what you may find.
 
I wouldn't advise thrift stores as a primary place to go hunting. I've worked for third party companies who partnered with a large thrift store chain on other sales avenues. They don't test for anything and it's a shot in the dark honestly. Besides these days thrift stores sells their stuff through Ebay or teams up with a local company to sell said items to. Disc games are generally safe purchases from thrift stores, but not cartridges.
 
I would probably wait until cyber monday, and then pick up a sweet deal. Usually prices drop pretty low then, and some websites like amazon offer free shipping on orders over $35 or $50. Or you might have some luck picking up a used one.
 
I would go on Craigslist and look around. If there's nothing there, put your own post up that says you're looking for a deal on a 3DS and have a few bucks. Get all the offers you can and then start to weed out those that are not going to be worth your time. Also make sure you meet people in public to avoid weirdos.
 
You could look for used ones at Gamestop/your nearest video game store or maybe online sites like Craigslist. Used are cheapest. Also, an older 3DS would be cheaper than the New 3DS.
 
As others have mentioned, if you are looking to spend less than $100, used will be your best bet. A used 3DS with two games is $120 at Gamestop. Alternatively, you can buy just a used console from Amazon/Cowboom/eBay for around $95.

The asking prices on Craigslist here are pretty much the same price as Amazon/Cowboom/eBay, and personally, I would much rather deal with those sites than Craigslist, especially if there is no difference in price.
 
Gamestop's Black Friday ad has just been leaked. Perhaps its just me, but I was seriously underwhelmed, though that has been the growing trend with Gamestop in recent years. So I shouldn't be too surprised.

A pre-owned 3DS XL will be $99.99 on Black Friday - a $40 savings over the current price at Gamestop. A pre-owned 3DS will be $79.00.

http://www.bfads.net/Black-Friday/GameStop/Ad?page=12#viewer
 
My advice will generally be Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Prices are lower; go crazy! You can also try Craigslist, you can often find some really good deals there. Ebay works too for this.
 
I think trying to get any console or gaming system on a budget is usually best done after the hype dies down. You can definitely go for routes like online selling platforms such as eBay or Craigslist - my only concern with those is that you'd want to be sure that the system is functional. Thankfully eBay have seller protection if you pay with PayPal, so if for some reason you bought one on there and it wasn't working, you'd be able to dispute the transaction via PayPal and get the funds back. But usually I just prefer to buy in store when they have sales or special promotions.
 
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