GameLock goes live — startup guarantees a trade-in price when you buy a game

If you buy games only to trade ’em in a few weeks later, this new company wants your business.

The Israeli startup GameLock went live today, and it’s the first game retailer to offer you the chance to lock in a trade-in price when you buy a new game. After operating in beta for a few weeks, GameLock is now open to everybody. The site enables you to buy new and used games with the trade-in price built into the upfront cost. It’s trying to position itself as an easier and more open alternative to GameStop, which is the world’s largest game-specific retailer. GameStop has a billion-dollar trade-in business, but the money it gives consumers for used games can fluctuate greatly from one day to the next. GameLock believes that customers want to know what their games are worth 30, 60, and 90 days from the purchase date.