Microsoft really wants you to sell that Xbox you're not using

If your Xbox is sitting around unused, you might be getting an email from Microsoft.

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With the RAMpocalypse causing console stock to dwindle and prices to rise, it's not a great time to buy an Xbox. Moreover, if you already have the latest Xbox model, you won't be met with a deluge of exclusives. Microsoft's historic multi-platform strategy (despite its upsides) has the console lagging behind even Sony in this regard. However, Microsoft has seemingly devised a campaign to increase supply while offering an out to dissatisfied customers.

As a result of the continued demand for RAM from the AI sector (caused in no small part by Microsoft itself), another price hike was announced for Xbox Series X and S consoles in June — right off the back of a price increase last October. In that same announcement, Microsoft listed a number of measures it would be taking to soften the blow. One such item is just now starting to manifest, with Microsoft campaigning to get users to trade in their unused consoles.

Microsoft's console-selling campaign with Best Buy

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Earlier this month, as first covered by PowerUpGaming, Xbox has started emailing certain users about an opportunity to trade in their Series X and S console. These emails read, "Haven't played on your console in a while?" and go on to reference trading in to Best Buy for "up to $375 back." 

Best Buy's trade-in page does show that $375 is indeed the best offer you can receive for a good-condition Series X console (so long as you have a working controller, power cord, and docking station). It should be noted, though, that Best Buy only pays in store credit.

Trading in is far from the best way to get a good return on your unwanted Xbox, however. While trading in no doubt offers a great bit of convenience, that convenience will always deduct from your payout. Yes, selling on a site like eBay will require more effort, but it will also net higher results, especially with extras like controllers and docks.

Why Microsoft wants you to trade-in your Xbox

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The question remains as to why Microsoft is so desperate for you to sell your used and unwanted consoles. The answer is pretty simple. The current RAM shortages are expected to last into 2028, so further hardware shortages are more than likely. From that perspective, it's easy to see why Microsoft would prefer you to sell an unwanted console rather than allow it to gather dust; so long as someone's using that Xbox, Microsoft can potentially profit from Game Pass subscriptions and digital sales.

What's perhaps more interesting is why Microsoft wants you to resell via Best Buy in particular. Of course, having the console resold at all is good for the reasons stated above, but Microsoft does have its own program for trade-ins (as well as a way to buy refurbished consoles straight from its website). 

It's possible that encouraging this method specifically is a means for Microsoft to reach the widest possible consumer base, as opposed to more hardcore gamers. It helps, of course, that Best Buy has a huge number of physical stores within the US, allowing users to skimp on postage and run down to their local outlet for a quick trade.