There are probably lots of people who have been through the familiar process and cycle of video game buying: You spend exorbitant amounts of money to be the first to get the newest gaming consoles and latest editions of popular video games on their release date, only to learn months later that the games have been mastered or are no longer wanted. The more expensive consoles might not have lived up to their expectation, and the desire exists to replace them with ones that will.

How can you make money off of these gaming devices and accouterments? Well, there are a number of ways to recoup a portion of your investment.

Sell your consoles or exchange games for store credit

Check out the trade-in value that stores like GameStop will give you, and compare them to what online retailers like Amazon provides in their video games trade-in section to see if it’s even worthwhile to go those routes in getting rid of old games. That same link on Amazon will give you values for trading in gaming consoles as well, so if you’ve got a PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U or Wii console taking up space, it could be a good deal to use that venue to de-clutter your space.

Even handheld devices that kids tend to grow out of, like PS Vita or 3DS devices could bring you nominal amounts of cash, based on their age and condition.

Alternately, search for additional, lesser-known local brick and mortar stores like BuyBacks Entertainment, if you’re more akin to visiting stores in your city or town that will tell you face-to-face how much your games and consoles are worth. And of course, the fall back solutions of selling to an interested gaming friend or a gamer on eBay might end up bringing you more money than all the other above solutions.

Clean your consoles and video games of scratches to help get more money

Before you cart those games and consoles into stores or pile them into shipping boxes, make sure they are cleaned and free from scratches. It’s the same hot tip that has been helpful when seeking to sell any kind of used item, be it an older car or a dining room table: A cleaner, sparkling item tends to garner a lot more income than the same product that’s been left dusty and dirty.

Sure, some games or consoles might be too outdated to get a ton of money for them anyway, but when you’re talking about a game that’s on the fence, one that’s been spiffed spic and span by a trusted cleaner will definitely win out on over whose case is ratty and torn – or a console that’s still stained by grape juice. So employ tips for fixing your scratched video games and get some money for them that you can use to buy more!