The Exchange

This place has some of the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced I tried returning something that was less than one day old and they tried charging me a restocking fee on a 20-​year-​old used game then the snotbehind the counter got an attitude with me because I questioned their policy customer service is dead anymore

fantastic place to buy video games old and new. only complaint was the rude girl at the counter. any frequent customer will know exactly who im talking about.

One of the first places that began buying and selling music and movie media in the area. Fair pricing and very popular in Lakewood. A great place to barter your media! Always received quality stuff even knowing it was used. A good place to peruse if you want to trade or as to your media collection! Games, Music, dvd’s, cd’s and the like. Try it out if your looking for something different! Very reputable bussiness

Still loving The Exchange 5 years after my initial review!
Why? VIDEO GAMES!
This is one place I don’t mind looking for previously-​owned merchandise. They clean up what they sell and make sure it’s in working condition before they put it on their shelves. That’s huge. I really hate picking up a used game or system and having to spend hours cleaning it because it’s way too disgusting to touch until I do.
They also guarantee their previously-​owned games. I know this because I stopped in last week to buy their Crash Bandicoot PS1 game. It was $ 30 (yikes) but the guy explained why and also mentioned the guarantee. When I brought it home to play I noticed it kept freezing in the same spot. It must have been a flaw in the resurfacing process. Either way, they took it back and gave me a full refund, since it was something wrong with the game. They do have a restocking fee if you return something that isn’t faulty, just FYI.
Having had to return a dirty system (in better condition than when we bought it) to another local place down the street because it was faulty and only being offered store credit – I can tell you I really appreciate the refund.
I would definitely come back and buy more used games from The Exchange.
Oh, and the staff is really friendly and helpful.

This place is amazing. If you want some kind of media, from video games, movies, or music, this is the place to go. If you’re looking for something old or hard to find, your best bet is the exchange in lakewood. If they don’t have it, they’ll check their other stores or call you when they get it in. Good prices on vinyls and DVDs especially. Really knowledgable and helpful staff as well. They also buy your stuff at a decent price. I could spend hours there going through everything they have.

This place is great I stopped in for the wu~tang 36 chambers cd and they had it! Old school feel! Raw I’m gonna give it ya! Check this place out!

A few of the Cleveland area stores expanded in 2014 and I have to admit being surprised that a store that deals in old, dated technology is still thriving and not declining like the falling prices of everything digital. I don’t have a hard drive full of recently released movies, just a strong prey drive to find stuff I didn’t know about. No need to compare with Amazon unless you’re on the fence about a purchase. There aren’t many places in town that offer store credit that is 30% more bang for your buck than cash. Selling your stuff is best done on a day when your skin isn’t thin though it’s probably to your benefit to pre-​shop the store before you trade in your Game of Thrones blu-​rays… they may already have 3 copies of season one. An employee of one east side store bragged that they built a pyramid of Men in Black on VHS tapes that was 5 foot tall.

This was my worst experience of a trade in ever. I had to trade in Call of Duty Advanced warfare and decided to try this place out instead of my usual visit to Gamestop. Boy was that a mistake! First off, I was told I had to wait 15 minutes while they processed the trade in. Why the hell do you need to process a trade in??? Look at it, see if it’s good, take it, give money. Anyway, so I browsed the shelves of completely outdated CDs, DVDs, and even records. After 20 minutes I was called over. «20 dollars.» 20 dollars? Are you fucking kidding me? The game is brand new and just came out 2 months ago! Even GameStop would have offered 25.75 (I checked their website). So I say fuck it and accept my money. But I actually recieve 20.01. And when I say no keep the cent, he gives me an attitude «take the penny.» By that time I had become completely fed up with all of their shit, walked behind the counter, took my game back, threw the 20, and stormed out.
The place is cool if you like all out dated technology. Other than that, video games are over priced and you can buy all the movies online for much cheaper. STAY AWAY!

One of my favorite places to spend a free half hour to browse through what’s new. The staff is attentive and helpful. I never leave the store without an armful of goodies! This store can be of special interest to shoppers who like music, movies, TV shows in recorded form. A big part of the inventory is made up of video game equipment and soft ware. Also available are a variety of DVD, CD and record players, i-​phones and other currently popular gadgets. If you’re looking for something specific, chances are it is available, but sometimes items can be rather pricy. Considering that most of the entertainment media and merchandise has been gently used (most items are not new or factory sealed), finding a particular CD or DVD at or above list price can be a bit shocking. Any stiffly priced individual items are more than «made up for» by a steady and generous offering of very reasonably priced items. As the name says, The Exchange is always happy to take your related items on for resale, offering very generous trade amount, or will make a slightly less favorable cash offer. It all depends on what people bring in, not everything will be accepted, but what they do accept, they will offer a fair price for. I love their vinyl department with the classic rock LPs and those golden oldies. The selection of memorabilia and novelty items is enormous. You can get your Elvis T-​shirt, Beatles mugs and Madonna dolls along with Star Trek character boggle-​heads and SNL DVD trivia game, right from the line-​up on the upper shelves. I shop at The Exchange at last 3 or 4 times a month, and I can highly recommend the experience to any entertainment media enthusiast.

Revised Review: A fair three star rating
Okay, I may have judged this place way too harshly. They are all generally friendly and great people. They have a large collection of everything under the sun and its a pretty cool place to pick up a cool game from your past, or maybe some skull candy headphones. I just wish the games and devices were all tested before selling them is all. Hopefully this review is recommended.
:ORIGINAL REVIEW: A fair two star rating
(I don’t know how to feel about this place, for the few times I actually had bought something, I got one working game (Soul Calibur III) and one game that didn’t work (Champions of Norrath). I eventually return Champions of Norrath and exchange it for Guilty Gear Isuka. One of the employees that works with exchanges and returns constantly gives dirty looks to everyone. I can’t say that about the rest of the staff but just one person giving a demoralizing stare to you while working with you can make you think ya know… Read some of the lower starred reviews (Especially the filtered ones). Have any of those things happened to you? Despite having an insane collection of things, do we really know what works and what doesn’t? Do they test anything, or just take the word of who’s selling? They keep records open to everyone, but don’t trust people who want games, or videos with those locked glass cases, thus making employees do more. The only people who steal games are jerks anyway. I get locking M-​Rated games up, and S/​NES, Genesis, Dreamcast, and much older games up, but PS2/​3, XBOX/​360, and Wii games? Maybe an OPEN glass case, and a new alarm system, but not a locked case, to make sure the employees «how you guys doin’ do ya need anything» is as friendly as possible.)
(how could anyone find this to be «funny»)

This place smells loads better than the Parma Heights location, and they have a better selection. Go browse while you’re waiting for a table at Melt.

I like to spend a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon at The Exchange for a few hours so I can dig through their enormous amount of $ 2.00 and below vinyl records. The employees try to put them in some semblance of order, but I think that since they are the el-​cheapo vinyl, they don’t focus so much on them.
I liken my adventures at The Exchange to treasure hunts! I have found so many fantastic albums in the $ 1.00 bin! Styx, DeBarge, Bread, Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins, Barry Manilow, Nazareth, Linda Rondstadt and so many 70’s/80’s compilations it makes my head spin like a record! Last time I was there, I splurged and got Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall on vinyl. $ 5 was a little rich for my blood, but I decided what the heck. I will treat myself! I had been looking for that LP for years.
I guess I should also mention that, along with their great supply of cheap vinyl, they have loads of used video games, movies, CD’s and those off the wall toys that are always a hoot. KISS bobble head set! Hello!
If you are a 70’s/80’s light, yacht rock super fan who enjoys digging through piles of old vinyl, like myself, The Exchange is the place for you!

I won’t say what I went in to get, because it’s kind of embarrassing. But they HAD IT. It was almost too easy!
The people behind the counter, and walking throughout the store, were like nicer versions of the people at the Root Café. Take that as you will.

We visited this store while waiting for a table at Melt Bar and Grilled. Our wait was an hour, so we walked down. I am definitely glad we went! I really only looked at cds, but there was a huge selection of dvds (box sets as well as single dvds for $ 1), video games, and records. I was able to find Frances the Mute by Mars Volta and Nirvana Unplugged for $ 2.50 each (for cds). Definitely check the bargain tables.
In my opinion, the cds in the cases seemed kind of steep for used cds. Considering that the technology is becoming dated, but not to the point where it’s trendy again, I expected all of the standard cds (i.e. not deluxe/​special edition, etc) to be $ 5 or under. Unfortunately a lot of the cds within the cases/​not on the bargain tables were $ 12 – 15. i can buy cds brand new at Best Buy for that.
Overall, a cool place to check out if you’re in the area.

All kinds of SEGA GAMES… $ 5 CDS,
This place brings me back to my childhood and I love it!
Friendly Staff.

— good selection of video games, dvds, records, CDs…
— this place gets 5 stars because i was able to buy season 3 of the cosby show for less than 20 bucks!
— keep going strong, guys!

I come to this store all the time, mostly because it’s in my neighborhood but also because I’m always finding little gems here and I’m a little bit addicted at this point. I come here strictly for the DVD’s and CD’s and let me tell you, they have an awesome selection of both. I slowly built up the entire collection of Sex and the City DVDs until I had every season and I think they were probably about $ 15 – 20 a piece. Not too shabby considering if you got them elsewhere they’d be double that. I’ve also gotten plenty of CD’s for $ 2 or less including one of my personal favorites, No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdon… I remember listened to that one as a kid/​preteen and loving it (still do). Anyways I absolutely love the Exchange… the employees here are always super nice and there’s plenty of people to open the cases for you without having to wait.
I’ve never had any problems with any of the discs I’ve purchased from this place either, everything has been in perfect condition and is dirt cheap. You really don’t lose. The only gripe I have is in the summer it’s SO hot in there. What’s up with that?

Well run store located in the heart of Lakewood. I swear they have one staff member for each customer, but hey that is a good thing right?
Great selection of anything used. I’m not much of a «Gamer», but I stop in once every couple months to check out their SNES options. The majority of the games I buy for Super Nintendo are 1 – 4 dollars. Believe it or not they have a huge selection. The return policy is 30 days for those games that don’t work.
They also carry CD’s, DVD’s, PS3, XBox, Vinyl, and every other collectible you could think of. If you are bored in the area just stop by and check it out. I always feel like a kid again seeing all the old video games I used to play. Only problem is finding a parking spot!

I go to The Exchange regularly for CD shopping, and occasionally for PS3 games and movies. Their DVDs are incredibly cheap and good condition, so big points for that. Their CDs are usually reasonably priced, too, and for me that means under $ 15. I’ve found some real gems for only about $ 6. Their CD selection is impressive, too.
Something I am still not comfortable with this franchise is that almost everything is in a locked case. I agree it’s good for security purposes but there have been too many times when employees are whizzing by to go restock something or they need to go back to the register… and I’m just standing there waiting and staring at a glass case of CDs or DVDs. Every other CD/​Movie/​Game store I go to has open rows of merchandise and it’s so convenient for me to browse, get a better look at everything, and purchase at my convenience. That being said the staff here is very nice, just sometimes a little too busy, because this place is often packed.
The Parma store has more attentive employees but I find this Lakewood store to have better stock.

The place was packed on my only visit on a Saturday afternoon. a few boxes of $ 1 bargain bin was average, a couple local cds, very few items from ⁰⁹⁄₁₀ in the boxes, most of it was mainstream or no-​name acts from major labels from last 90s early 2000s [better than Parma’s, not as good as N. Olmsted’s, at least for what I’m looking for], nothing caught my fancy. Also had a couple boxes of B-​list used ‘classics’ tori amos, oasis, 90s stuff for $ 2 or $ 3.
They do buy back CDs, dvds, and video games but they didn’t buy back some CDs that I bought at the north olmsted location a few months ago, oh well.