Sure, that Xbox Series X you bought back at launch in 2020 may be gathering too much dust. However, if Microsoft emails you with a desperate-sounding offer to give up your old Series console for a fistful of cash back, you should know you have every reason to ignore this “deal” and hold onto your current Xbox hardware for the time being.
Some Xbox owners have started receiving emails from the console maker itself about how they may make a little dough off their gaming gear. Gaming deals hound Nintendeal posted on X that they’d received an email that read, “Haven’t played on your console in a while? If you’ve moved on to Xbox on PC or another way to play Xbox games, it may be time to trade in your console to Best Buy for up to $375 back.” Xbox confirmed with Gizmodo that the email was real. As you may be able to guess, it all ties back to the brand’s big push to make its consoles slightly more affordable by selling refurbished devices.
don't think I've ever seen anything like this before…
XBOX sent me an email encouraging me to sell my console because I haven't used it in awhile
"Haven't played on your console in a while? If you've moved on to XBOX on PC or another way to play XBOX games, it may be time to… pic.twitter.com/Ejvs2FEjIa
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) October 19, 2026
Back in June, after Xbox hiked console prices to astronomical sums, the company announced “new programs to provide previously played consoles at lower prices.” The idea was for players to trade in consoles for the sake of new buyers who want to spend less than the now-$800 base Series X with an optical drive. Here’s the problem: a refurbished Series X still demands $650. That’s $150 more than the console cost back at launch close to six years ago.
The actual link that’s in the email simply takes users to Best Buy’s trade-in site. If you want to sell a “good” condition Series X console with the power cable, controller, and stand all included, you can expect to make the full $375 back. If you list that the console is in “poor” condition, you can expect to make back only $150. If you lack cables or a controller, you may be looking at a paltry return for your console.
Few gadget trade-in programs are economical, but the price difference that Best Buy is offering for your Xbox hardware seems especially egregious. While Xbox has to pay to test and fix each console that comes its way through its retail partners, that doesn’t help the economics make any more sense for the average consumer. Looking at eBay’s recently sold listings for Xbox Series X, folk are pawning off their gaming hardware for more than $500, though still less than the $650 an official refurbished console may cost.
Buying any resold product carries risks, so a $650 refurbished Series X may make some sense if you’re hesitant to trust the eBay crowd. In reality, all Best Buy’s model offers is a modicum of convenience. For Xbox, this refurbished console push may be one of the few remaining lifelines it has left for its current gaming hardware. A report from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan detailed that console shipments were set to decline overall by 33% in 2026 compared to last year. Console availability will likely get even more desperate in 2027, and Xbox will see its footprint shrinking more than either Sony or Nintendo.
So hold onto your Series consoles, at least for now. AMD announced on Tuesday it was bringing FSR 4.1 upscaling to the Series S and Series X. The performance and visuals enhancing software may put the devices more in line with the capabilities of a PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro, so long as developers can force compatibility back into existing Xbox titles. Sure, the promised next-gen Xbox Project Helix is supposed to have even better “FSR Diamond” upscaling. If you want to afford what may end up being a $1,000+ console, you’ll need to sell a few of your other consoles—plus a kidney or two—when the time comes.
