Nintendo just held their Nintendo Direct conferences for Japan, North America, and Europe. They announced a new 3DS model, the 3DS XL, and you may be wondering, "Coffee, I already own one of the original 3DS systems. What should I do?"
Well, if you perhaps really, really, REALLY want the new 3DS XL system, you have a few options.
Option 1: Keep your old 3DS model, AND buy the new XL model. Not a bad option to have the older 3DS system around for when the inevitable day comes (maybe in another 20 years) that the new 3DS XL system stops working. Or, perhaps when its larger screen will crack, or you drop it because its larger size in general. In any case, you will be prepared with the original 3DS model in standby.
Option 2: Sell your original 3DS model yourself, perhaps on sites like Ebay, Craigslist, or even Amazon.com. Just make sure the site and your method of selling it on your own is safe.
Option 3: Trade-in your old 3DS model, and use the trade-in credit to purchase the new 3DS XL model.
The key is how much can you currently get for the original 3DS model though, and how much trouble do you want to go through. Brew some coffee, and take a look at the current trade-in values for the original 3DS system!
The Brew
Upon checking Amazon.com's "used" 3DS selection, it appears used 3DS systems are selling for around $125 right now. I don't know what percentage Amazon gets of that, but getting over $100 for the original system seems like a pretty good deal.
What about the easiest, and most likely way, that most 3DS owners would get rid of the original system though? What is the original 3DS system's current trade-in value? Let's take a look at the internet's largest online retailer's, Amazon.com, trade-in value, and let's take a look at what Game Stop is currently offering for the 3DS' trade-in credit.
So, as the image above shows you, Amazon.com offers different 3DS trade-in values, depending not just on the condition of the system, but also on the color of the 3DS. The Aqua Blue 3DS system currently has the highest trade-in value for average, or "Good", condition, being $85.00. The Cosmo Black and Flame Red systems will both net you a $74.00 Amazon.com credit.
Game Stop is offering $55 as trade-in credit for the original 3DS systems, according to my local store today, but that's not all! Game Stop is currently running a special trade-in offer, a 25% hardware trade bonus on 3DS systems until July 15th. With the extra 25% trade bonus, Game Stop's trade-in credit goes from $55 up to $68.75 on original 3DS systems. Make sure to check with your local Game Stop though, to make sure the trade-in credit doesn't drastically change before July 15th.
Questions
If you own the original 3DS system, does the new 3DS XL system have you interested, angry, or indifferent?
If you are interested in the new 3DS XL, and own the original 3DS, do you think you will keep the original system and purchase the XL, or will you trade-in the original 3DS to help pay for the newer model?
You can see a few popular Mario 3DS games linked below:
