Question to the Married or Long-Term Relationship People

[BurningDoom]

Does your significant other get mad at you when you trade stuff? My wife has gotten me a number of games through the years. Truthfully, if I asked her, I'm sure she couldn't tell the ones she got me from the ones I got myself. But nonetheless when she hears I'm trading a game online for another or I'm trading in something I don't like for store credit it really bugs her.

In particular, I went to trade in Metroid: Other M towards Skyrim recently. She DID remember getting me that one, because I was a huge Metroid fan and kept talking about it for months before it's release. But then when I played it, it was very dialogue-heavy, and story-driven. Quite different from your normal Metroid experience. So much so, that when I got stuck I didn't really have the drive to go back to it and give it the old college try. So it seemed like a perfect trade-in choice, until I saw the look she was giving the game.

Just wondering if this is common with anyone else.

[ZenErik]

I'm just beginning a new relationship, but i know what you mean. It doesnt apply to just games.

[CRTGAMER]

My wife gets mad at me for not selling any games.

Okay raise those hands I'm not alone here!

[s1mplehumar]

My wife gets mad at me for not selling any games.

Okay raise those hands I'm not alone here!

This.

[sheath]

My wife generally tries to get me stuff that I want by checking my lists first. She has no idea what I keep and what I don't, and she's accustomed to my methods for saving money through trades and sales.

[mjmjr25]

Have a 10-minute sit-down with her and explain the process. We don't know your wife, so you'll have to determine what would be logically analogous for her.

In my case - my wife was concerned about the financial aspect involved in buying / selling / trading. Her point was, even if you do a straight trade, games you don't want for games you do - assuming value is the same for both parties, your still paying $5-10 in shipping costs and that adds up. I explained that postage is a cost of the hobby. Her hobby requires thread / needles / books, etc and those are justified costs. Those are physical things so they are understood as a hobby cost - it takes some thought to wrap your head around "postage" as being a necessary cost of a hobby.

In your situation, reading into the, "She bought this, now i'm selling / trading it in..." - She is "perhaps" thinking this. She bought the game for what, say $50 - and you had asked for it...so we have (2) components in play. The cost and the sentimentality factor.

You'll need to explain the piece about new software losing value quickly - any time you buy brand new releases, they are like new cars - they drop as soon as you drive them, and then in time they drop more before leveling out. Just like when you want that new car, the sheen, its new and you saw an ad, you really want it now...but then you put some miles on it and you'd rather trade it in for a new car, and its better to get 60% in trade today than 40% next month, etc.

The emotional piece is trickier. She bought this because you wanted it - you'll just need to explain why you wanted it...it looked great...but it wasn't. Or, it looked great, it was, but you've beaten it. Just have the conversation, see if you can relate it to something in her life - and you'll be good.

[Croooow!]

My wife gets mad at me for not selling any games.

Okay raise those hands I'm not alone here!

Me too. I have to tell her that certain games were gifts so she quits asking me to trade them in.

[hashiriya1]

My fiance doesn't really care. The only time she says anything is if she knows I am in the middle of another game and I buy a new one. She just says "Did you even clear the other one yet??" She doesn't want me to get rid of Little Big Planet. I did get rid of it after getting a free digital copy from the PSN Welcome Back package. She'll never know, heh heh. I would never trade in or sell anything she has given me because if she does get me a game I feel it has sentimental value. I am just that kinda guy.

She used to get upset when I would buy a bunch of games whenever we go to Japan to visit her parents. Now she has gotten used to it, and now she even does a little research to see if there are used game shops within a 50 kilometer radius of her parents' house. It is sweet of her but I usually beat her to the punch.

Anyway, perhaps your wife just got mad because you traded something she gave you. If you bought it yourself or somebody else gave it to you she probably wouldn't care too much. Just my guess.

[Luke]

Nope. Never.

What's hers is mine and what's mine is hers, but her asking me to trade a game is like me asking her to trade in a pair of shoes.

[BoneSnapDeez]

My wife gets mad at me for the opposite reason, she wants me to trade and sell games as she thinks I'm "hoarding" them (for the record, I've never gotten rid of a game).

Some people just don't understand.