When you’re looking to buy a new PS3, sometimes one of the biggest issues will be the price. One thing you might want to consider to help you save is buying a used PS3 console instead of a brand new one. You can be talking about a savings of well over a hundred dollars, which can bring the PS3 into your price range whereas before you simply couldn’t afford it. It can also mean that you will be able to buy some games to play on it, if before you would only have been able to pay for the console itself.

There are some things that you should consider before buying a pre-owned PS3. The first and foremost is that you want to make sure that you are getting one that is of good quality and that won’t be defective. One way to ensure that you will be happy with your purchase is if you are buying it from ebay. Then you can look at who is selling it and see if they have a good seller feedback score. Many sellers on ebay will have sold a lot of similar items and you can tell by looking at people’s comments if they have been happy with their purchases. Buying from a seller with good feedback will also mean that if there is a problem they are more likely to be willing to work it out or give you your money back, as a seller who has 100% positive feedback will go to lengths to protect that score.

If you are buying a used model, know that you are likely to find that while it might work just as good as new, it won’t necessarily look new. Be prepared to see some scratches. If you are getting an older PS3 “Fat” as opposed to the newer PS3 “Slim”, you are more likely to notice these signs of wear and tear due to the glossy finish. But realize that it would probably get a few scratches after a month or so, so it is not the worst thing in the world.

Besides buying a used console, you can also find a wide selection of used PS3 games. Again with these, you want to make sure that you are buying them from someone who is trustworthy, as if the game is defective or slow in places, you are going to really regret having purchased it used.