I'm just glad to see a new store open on Belmont that isn't another bank. It's a good idea to mix it up with games along with CDs and DVDs. The music inventory is small, but the quality is good. Their buyers seem knowledgeable enough not to buy too much crap. The used prices are good too, averaging at around $6-7. I'd go more often if they put their inventory online though. I've been in four times and they've never had anything on my wantlist. read more

I really want to give this place more stars. I just can't. Even though they have great choices, great prices. The trade in process here is brutal. Something that could take 10 minutes at most with 4 employees working. Turned into a 45 minute process. The persons generating the trades also had to help cash people out because the other person that was suppose to help. Kept walking back and forth from the back room to the cash wrap. Just be aware if you want to trade something in be ready to wait longer then you would anywhere else. (Gamestop, People Play Games, Disk Replay) read more

When I went to trade in some games and movies, they told me to go look around and some one will come and find me and give me my total. we walked around for 30 minutes and finally got tired of waiting and went to the desk and They tried to low ball us on the sale offering us 18.00 in cash but 25.00 in store credit. when I checked the price of the games on ebay and amazon and gamestop and other sites. they gave us a real low price. Then they bought only 5 games and 5 movies and return to me 20 iteams including snes games read more

Went in to see what the exchange rate was, was going to ask how much they could offer for a near mint condition CIB Conkur's Bad Fur Day. The guy at the counter immediately asked if I had a question, then cut me off before I even started asking, telling me "no I really can't help you, just bring the stuff in and we'll let you know." The whole point of me stopping in was to avoid wasting all my time hauling all my games down only to turn down their quote. So I tried again and said "I was just hoping to throw an example at you to get a sense" and he again cut me off with a smile and said "there's really nothing I can do to help you." I don't understand why he would need to have the item I'm describing in his hand to be able to throw some kind of percentage or estimate at me--presuming it was in the condition I described. So I nodded, having been flatly rejected before even finishing either of my sentences, and started to leave. Another employee I guess got agitated that I was walking away without saying "great thanks so much for your help" and aggressively demanded "is there a problem?!" I would have maybe attempted to explain the problem but didn't feel like being interrupted again. So bye. read more

This place is great. There are so many DVDs and video games to explore, and it's well-organized, unlike some resell shops. I bought a movie for $2.50! Screw Blockbuster, just buy a used movie for super cheap! Great options for game systems too (I was eying some Wii games and Nintendo DS games myself). read more

The Exchange is hit or miss. Nothing is tested. But the price is usually better than what you'll get at other stores, like People Play Games. So it's a risk vs. reward thing. Some items are filthy. Some are pristine. There is a return policy, but whenever I've tried to return defective games, I've had to argue with the store manager to get a product exchanged. In each case, they've taken the same product and put it back on the shelf. read more

Came in from out of town and randomly found this place. Nice selection, found a few gems

This place is like a blast from the past with a good dose of today for good measure. NES, N64, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, and more great gems. They also have the new stuff and have a decent amount of stock, so I've never had issues picking up what I wanted. Staff is friendly and the prices are very fair. read more

Terribly, terribly disappointed in the poor customer service at The Exchange. When I arrived home to watch my movie, I realized that the DVD was scratched and I was unable to watch 1/4 of the movie. Although disappointed, I thought 'no big deal' I can return it. To my further disappointment, when I returned to the shop I was treated so horribly, it was disgusting. The first employee's demeaning attitude was so upsetting that I was saddened that others may have to deal with him. The second was even worse. She was so incredibly rude and treated me as an inferior human. I am all about mom and pop smaller video stores, however the poor customer service I encountered will make me never enter The Exchange again and encourage everyone I encounter to never contribute to their profit. When looking for movies, never enter this video store. read more

very polite staff and overall clean place. the staff was more than willing to help and even promotes the company's reward system which can help you with future purchases. read more

The Exchange SAVED the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!!! We placed an online order from Amazon for a pre-owned Gamecube that our son was SO EXCITED to get and dreamed of spending all Christmas Day playing. But when he opened it, we found the AC adaptor didn't work, the box didn't even light up. A Boxing Day trip to The Exchange produced an adaptor in perfect working order. The EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL STAFF plugged in our Gamecube to make extra sure that was the problem and their adaptor fixed it, so we were guaranteed a HAPPY ENDING. Our son's in the basement now LIVING THE DREAM!!!! And I'm the happiest mom on the planet today! No more online, spin the roulette wheel Amazon shopping for games for us. No more Game Stop. From here on in, we make the delightful trip to The Exchange for EVERYTHING GAMING and have the added bonus of talking to real live people who know and love games and gaming and can give us guidance as well as working gear the first time around. THANK YOU, THE EXCHANGE!!!!! And Happy New Year!!!! read more

Much better than People play games. Prices are ok and the customer service is 20 times better. Come here and spend your honest earned dollars for a good retro game. People play games is out to steal your honest earned money. Selection of games was good. 4 stars because some games were more pricey than GameStop or Amazon. Good selection overall tho. read more

I like the n64 game collection to choose from. 3 stars because they rip you off nasty if you try to sell them games. I would definitely come in more if they paid a little better in store credit. Make sure you ask about each item when you are selling multiple things, because they won't tell you one of two of your items are only worth 25cents store credit. You are better off keeping those items or selling on craigslist. read more

Great for Retro gamers Prices are better then People Play games, but Some games a filthy. Bought Kriby Dreamland 3 and other high priced games and half of them the pins were dust filthy or corroded. The games did work, but I had the tools to open the Carts and clean them. I would give the store five stars if you guys cleaned your games like People Play Games. read more

Immediately this place gets four stars for their organization, quality of resold equipment, and most importantly, LOCATION. It's right next door to the Belmont Brown Line stop. So that means when I absolutely need to replace equipment for my gaming hobby immediately, like when Lakeview is crowded today with thousands of people on Pride Weekend, was hardly a thing. Been here many times and never had poor service. I see a lot of people complain about prices (mostly reselling). Please compare this to any big box store. How about 'People Play Games' which is an independent store ALSO in the Lakeview neighborhood. Their asking price for retro stuff is disgusting, so I can assure you People Play Games aren't giving you high end resell on old games. read more

They won't give you shit for trade in value on games or records, but who will? What they will do is provide you with great customer service. These guys/gals are all familiar with the products they sell and are all very friendly people. Prices on games are consistent with other stores and I love that they sell toys and other nostalgic items related to entertainment. read more

Awesome selection of games, music, and movies; new and old. I found some DVD's that I couldn't even buy online and their prices blow GameStop out the water! read more

I used to go to The Exchange at least once a week to pick up cheap DVDs for my collection. The prices for older movies (at least 2 years old) or games are always very fair, even generous. It's a bummer that new movies and games are rarely marked down at all- in a world where Best Buy and Gamestop have exclusive content and bonus features, it would be nice to see smaller places like this try to compete somehow. I've never traded anything in here, but that's a gamble anywhere you go. The staff are very accommodating and knowledgeable. I've found myself lost in long conversations with them more than once about horror movies or N64 games. A great spot for some surprising deals. read more

I love this place! So much stuff to choose from and the prices are downright cheap! Being a game collector I come here quite often and never walk out disappointed. The staff are friendly and helpful too. A lifelong fan. read more

Most people go here for cd's and video games, but ever since I've seen their used DVD collection I've been back every couple weeks. The always play perfectly, no scratches, basically new! I've found all my odd foreign films and favorite older films and they are always under 10 dollars!! usually around five bucks for my favorite movies! The service is excellent, always up for a chat about certain genre's or some personal opinions. My dvd collection has doubled or even tripled in size ever since I found this treasure trove hidden right on busy belmont!! but without breaking my budget. read more

This place is always fun to look around in, the prices are fair, the selection is good, and the staff is ridiculously helpful. I was trading in some movies today so I was in there a while just killing time waiting for everything to be priced out. I saw them handle some pretty difficulty customers (upset customer returning something w/ no receipt, a bunch of kids running around and shouting out questions all at once) and they never once even seemed bothered. They were so nice to everyone! I got a fair trade in on my movies too. Walked out with some new ear buds and a pocket full of cash. read more

Most of my movie collection comes from The Exchange. They have an extensive movie collection with not only popular movies, but also weird and unusual movies (i.e. Brazil). The customer service is excellent, you can always find a worker or two to chat about which movies you're looking for and they give great suggestions. read more

Great place to shop for used /new music ,video games, (for any video game system) . The people are great

I am never coming to this store again!! I bought several anime collections at the exchange, since I couldnt find them anywhere else (Wolf's Rain, Big O, and Cowboy Bebop). I tried watching them today, and NOT A SINGLE DISC WOULD PLAY! I tried playing every single disc in each set, double checked that the disc was clean, tried again, and still nothing! Put in a disc I bought from amazon, worked fine. Tried a bootleg my roommate had, worked fine. Tried one of the disc from The Exchange again...nothing! I'm so pissed I wasted so much money at this stupid store to have nothing work what so ever. Avoid this store at all cost! Who creates a shitty return policy then doesn't check any of the product before selling it!? Scam artist at best! read more

Keep your receipt if you sell things to them. This is required for any future purchases using the credit, which was not disclosed to me. I didn't keep my receipt, and now I'm out $70 with no more than a "Sorry, nothing we can do." read more

I seriously love this place. The staff is amazing and incredibly patient - when I was looking for a 2-player co-op game that wasn't a war game for my Xbox 360, they spent 30 minutes helping me pick out a game which ended up being perfect (Borderlands). They really spent the time learning what I wanted and trying to find it. When I brought the adolescent boys I work with (who can be very trying and lacking in social skills) the staff was patient, friendly, and incredibly helpful, making my guys feel comfortable and accepted. They have the BEST prices on used games, and they will give you much more than GameStop for your trades. I always find myself wanting to pick up TV series DVDs here because they are dirt cheap. The only place similar in DVD prices is Reckless Records, and I think The Exchange actually has a better selection. Everything I have bought from them worked like it was new. Great staff, great prices, great location. Couldn't ask for more. :) read more

Cool store, decent games, some employees that were really nice. The manager has been a total dick to me every time I have been in, so that is the reason for the review. Not only was he rude but he also refused to give me a receipt for my trade ins and refused to walk me through how much they were offering to pay me for each game/ movie. Felt like I got really ripped off and had no choice about it. The guy took the games away from me before I even agreed to the trade-in. Also the dick told me that I could not use their trashcan. What an asshole read more

This place is AMAZING! i went here today, and i was also in people play games. Man this place has it MADE! from the red line, it's just right around the corner. Very convenient. The game selection is good, I bought Sonic 3d blast, mappyland for the nes, and the nes grey zapper for $5! Went over to people play games, and the zapper there was $14. I have a "retro entertainment system" from retro bit that just plays nes games. I asked the owner at people play games if the zapper works on that system. Didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Which I understand, he didn't know if the zapper would work on the clone system. So I go over here to the exchange, the owner knew exactly what I was talking about. AND he had the system in the store, so he knew what I was talking about. He said yea it works fine, you just need a old tv that's compatible with it (which I do), whatever. Great finds! Good prices, and wonderful service. Ill be here more often! read more

This is one of the few nostalgic places that I've been to in this fair city of Chicago that sells quality movies, tv shows, music, old style video games and gaming systems. I've visited this place at least six times now, including two visits in one night and I always end up finding some good movies that I've been looking for. Maybe someday when I'm there, I'll peruse through their music section. My point is, they offer good quality nostalgic stuff at good prices. If you're looking for hard to find movies, music, and games, this is definitely one of the places to go to. It's right off of the Belmont train station. You can get lost in this spot for hours looking around. I myself always go for the best looking quality DVDs. If I notice something wrong with the packaging or too many scratches on the disc, I'd just soon let it sit. Overall, I give this place a perfect 10 on its style, inventory and customer satisfaction. Give the place a chance and you'll be hooked into it. Other nostalgic places I can recommend are Half Price Books, Disc Replay and Reckless Records. Check 'em out one time, won't you? read more

after reading the reviews, I had high expectations for this store. they had a pretty big selection but their prices were either equal to or more expensive than Gamestop's. Gears of War at Exchange: $15 Gears of War at Gamestop: $5 it looked nice though. they didn't have much for their NES and SNES collection either read more

Stopped in to stock up on some used kids DVDs for along road trip. The staff was very helpful, with two of them proactively taking time to help me on a busy Sunday, and I found a few gems. read more

Decent to great prices on videogames, oddly well-priced and well-stocked DVD and bluray selection (I found the Coppola restoration blurays of the Godfather trilogy for $34,) and a solid selection of old games, systems, and random gear. I went in looking for a cheap copy of Uncharted 3, and I came out with Uncharted 3 and the Godfather trilogy on bluray for a grand total of $57. Cool people behind the counter, too. No complaints. read more

In terms of music, this place has a seriously good collection. Everything you could imagine and at prices that range from the normal $10 -$13 to $6 to as low as $2.50, and it's not like the $2.50 section is junk either, (except Creed because, well, it's Creed). I'm going back just so I can raid the $2.50 section. read more

I'm was so happy to find this establishment. It has been one of the greatest experiences for me. I had so much media in storage and thanks to these wonderful people (I love the staff) they have not only helped me with relieving me of my obsessions, but I have obtained the best, best prices for my collections. I had everything, and it was too much for someone retiring. Thanks to my new found friends at The Exchange, I have depleted 4 storage bins down to one. I can't thank them enough for ALL their help!! Now other customers can enjoy my memories. read more

Friendly and helpful staff! Always playing great music! Great place for music, movies, and games. A gem in a sea of pop-up condos in the area. read more

The Exchange is one of my favorite places in Chicago and an absolute treat to visit. It reminds me a lot of stores I used to go to in the nineties, back before everyone just bought stuff on the net. The stores well lit and clean, inviting, and the movies and games and all that are organized in a way that one can find what they need right away; you don't have to bend over backwards to find the wrestling dvds or whatever. The selection is really awesome and sometimes they have some pretty obscure titles that one wouldn't expect to see at a brick and mortar store, The prices are beyond reasonable, and it's nice to be able to go to a store and browse a bit. The staff are nice, and are usually pretty good at making small talk about whatever I'm picking up. read more

So many selections to choose from. Ive been going to this place for a few months. The workers are so friendly. They go out of there way to look something up or help me locate an item. Great atmosphere. I would suggest selling items for store credit. Always a bargain! read more