Target begins buying used iPhone, iPod Touch, video games

If you’re interested in a used iPhone or iPod Touch for e-reading, you’ll soon have another option to buy it. Target is rolling out a trade-in program for mobile electronics such as iPhones, iPod Touchs, or other cell phones—or used video games. (As Engadget notes, its timing is remarkable considering the current controversy over used game sales.) In return, customers get Target gift cards that range from "a few dollars up to more than $200 per item depending on the product and its condition."

Target already has an online service through its website where customers can trade in DVDs or used electronics. As for the store trade-in centers, it has opened them at stores in northern California but plans to expand to 850 stores by the end of the year.

Between single-use codes and DLC, it’s hard to imagine that the used video game market has more than a few years left. I suppose Target and other big-box retailers starting to offer similar programs think they should get in on it while they still can.