Poll: Cheap Commons or Expensive Rares First?

aguy

If someone was just getting into the collecting game and they asked you where to start, would you tell them to get all the cheap commons first and get some momentum, or get the top tier expensive games out of the way first since they'll only get more expensive?

theirontoupee

I regret not getting the rares out of the way when I first started when they were cheaper, but all the cheap commons I amassed certainly gave me the drive and sense of accomplishment in collecting. I think the best route would be to start with what you'd play or what you have nostalgia for and then go from there.

jonebone

Buy lots and you'll get the most value. Id start with commons and populars so you can enjoy gaming while building the set. If you start with rares you probably won't know enough to avoid repros and lose tons of money.

SilvertongueBullet

Originally posted by: jonebone

Buy lots and you'll get the most value. Id start with commons and populars so you can enjoy gaming while building the set. If you start with rares you probably won't know enough to avoid repros and lose tons of money.

Agreed

GoldeneyeGamer

I'd tell them to go for the commons, mainly in case they go crazy the first few months and then get over it a few months later.

Gloves

I'd suggest starting with smaller goals. Don't jump into it thinking you'll complete a set, because you'll wear yourself out fast, and end up with a ton of shit games you'll never play. I'd prioritize fun games first, and like has been said, see if you even enjoy them at all before diving into the heavy hitters.



Can you imagine if you just started collecting, decided to pick up Stadium Events cuz it's the most expensive, and then turning it on to play and... Well it kinda sucks eh? That'd put a huge damper on things.

mydogsrule

The first thing I would tell someone is to do some research and learn about fakes. People are making fakes of $30-$50 games, so its best they study up. While they are learning about the hobby start with the cheaper stuff. With all of this said, I bet most new collectors will still unfortunately buy a fake at some point and never know.

fox

Agree with toupee



Go for the games you want to play or are nostalgic for. More likely these are commons.



You would get more out of a $100 collection with a lot of fun games you have a fondness for than a $1000 collection you have no connection to that you only got because they were "rare"

SwiftFrost

For beginning collectors, both are good ways to flame out quickly. Commons are games people generally don't have a care about and expensive titles are a good way to drain your funds quickly, with little to show for it (in turns of shelf real estate). I would recommend they start with games that actually interest them. SMB, Punch Out, Contra and any relevant games that likely bring the feels.

NESking80

get commons first and then go for expensive games.

skinnygrinny

i personally dont like the idea of paying over $100 for one game. ive done it once but im trying to avoid it. im at 496 loose ntsc nes, with some rare/$ titles like : sword master, fire n ice, swamp thing bucky, contra force, gun nac...



i try to buy quantity. whether it be heavy hitters or commons.



i would recomend 1st games you enjoyed as a child. 2nd cheap filler. last i would recomend going for top $ stuff becuase i would wait for a nice deal, yard sale, flea market, and/or wait for the market to cool.



you may end up paying more for the top $ stuff if the market doesnt cool. but for me, i wasnt going to pay $500+ any way, so if it only goes up....oh well.

aguy

Or just tell people to start collecting for the Xbox where even the most expensive games are <$50.

yukfou

I say just get what you can. If you find a rare/expensive game for cheap, then go for it. If you can't afford it, go for the cheaper games. But get what you want to play. And get what you think might increase in price sooner rather than later.

empire

Get the good games first. That way you build a passion for the system, and a collection.

attakid101

Depends.



Are you collecting because you love the console and its history?



Or are you collecting because you love the attention you'll get on your Instagram page?









 

SDoren

It depends how much $ you have to play around with. If money isn't a problem for you and you're not priced out of anything, go to town and just buy whatever you want. Making a prioritized list definitely helps.



If you're on a budget, keep a few heavy hitters in mind, and until you find them at a price you're happy with, just buy the lower value fun stuff and even some purely filler titles just to keep you motivated and interested. Im a diehard at this point and look at nes collecting like being a shark, if you're not constantly moving forward, you will die. Im guessing you're at least a little nostalgic for the nes, I don't see many people just jumping into this hobby today without at least having a little experience with it as a youth. Always a good idea to start with the nostalgic stuff.



You could also take a look at some top 100 lists and start there. They're usually chock full of awesome games, and most were heavily produced and not uber rare meaning you can acquire a good majority of them for a good price. It's when you get into the lower production and late release or more obscure things, that's when the price tags start to jump drastically.



It also shouldn't be too bad initially if you don't care about condition, I personally started out buying stuff missing half a label etc just to get it on the cheap. But be warned, if you stick with it, your standards will definitely rise as you progress, and you can avoid having to re-buy carts if you have standards for condition from the get go.



Good luck and happy hunting!

WATA GRADED WEBSITE

Buy the games you'll play first, whether expensive or cheap. Try and find some deals, then if you want more get the shelf filler.

Bort License Plate

Get the rare games that are still cheap

16BitBricks

I would say to start with what you want to play and have nostalgia for. After that just be patient, make connections, and hunt for deals. Patience is key. Buy in lots and try to trade up if you want the expensive and rare stuff.

dragonwarrior83

I would definitely say pick up what you are lost interested in playing first.

Baddieboy Holden

It would all come down to your income. How much are you willing to put into collecting in comparison to how much disposable income you have?

If you don't have a whole lot of money, then going for commons would be good, but if you do have money and you're willing to, then getting rares would be good.

Me personally, I don't have much money to throw around, so I just get commons, since I'm able to get some games I would otherwise never get.

teh lurv

Newbies should never start the collecting hobby chasing after rares, they're almost guaranteed to flame out and leave the hobby pissed off within a year. Anyone starting out should pick up those common staple games everyone loves to play and go from there.

ne$_pimp

Get the cheap games first. If that doesn't float your boat, then you'll be glad you didn't dump thousands on rares.

Somery

Originally posted by: Bert



Get the rare games that are still cheap

I agree. I just picked up Ghoul School, Clash at Demonhead, Totally Rad, Lemmings, Qix and Journey to Silius. They're great games. I wish I started out collecting these kinds of titles because right now I'm not in a position to buy as much as I was when I began collecting. I started out with all the classics: Marios, Castlevanias, Ninja Gaidens, Contra, etc. and a bunch of games I played as a kid like Adventure Island and Bart vs. the Space Mutants. But you can find those games whenever you want. It's not easy to find a mint copy of Ghoul School so I think it's good to snatch stuff like that up when you come across it and before the prices go up. 

 

supercoupe91

I'm against buying expensive rares period so it was an easy choice for me.

LutherDestroysTheGond

I'd say go for cheaper common/popular games first and recommend buying lots as the best way doing so. Won't break the bank and lots of fun games. If you decide you don't want to keep going, you won't be out too much cash. Also, less risk of buying fakes/repros that way

final fight cd

Cheap stuff first. Buy some stuff before it get to invested in the hobby.



I bet the number of collectors who actually stick it out are much fewer than what one would think.

Scerena4

If your actually going to take whatever set your planning on collecting to the end, start with expensive first. I cant even count the amount of people who I see who are going for a full NES set and are around 550 and the last 127 are all the expensive games. Basically those people will never finish that set. They have 3x as much value left in the 127 as what they have in the 550 games they have already. If nothing else you have to mix expensive games in as your picking everything else or your going to come to an impossible task at the end. Honestly id think you'd be better off to burn out in the begging trying to get expensive games first. At least you can sell off what you have and recoup your investment pretty easy with expensive stuff rather then getting 500 commons in the first two years and then realize there's no way you can afford all the expensive stuff and try and unload all those commons. Your going to loose your ass in bulk rates on common stuff.

Loxx O)))

I'd say avoid both options because you're just padding. Have fun with it and get titles you actually want to play. Whether those titles fall under rare or common, eh. I'm late to the thread and I assume this has probably been said already.

Silent Hill

Originally posted by: Scerena4



If your actually going to take whatever set your planning on collecting to the end, start with expensive first. I cant even count the amount of people who I see who are going for a full NES set and are around 550 and the last 127 are all the expensive games. Basically those people will never finish that set. They have 3x as much value left in the 127 as what they have in the 550 games they have already. If nothing else you have to mix expensive games in as your picking everything else or your going to come to an impossible task at the end. Honestly id think you'd be better off to burn out in the begging trying to get expensive games first. At least you can sell off what you have and recoup your investment pretty easy with expensive stuff rather then getting 500 commons in the first two years and then realize there's no way you can afford all the expensive stuff and try and unload all those commons. Your going to loose your ass in bulk rates on common stuff.

Pretty good point here. 



I'd agree to get the expensive stuff first if you're planning on a full set. Easiest to resell and get most, if not all or more of your money back if you fizzle out. 

GPX

Buying cheap stuff that you enjoyed as nostalgia would probably be the best way to start things. Or cheap games you know are good fun, from forum talk or Youtube etc.

The answer to the topic thread is never an easy one to just say A or B. You need to take into account your understanding of "common" vs "rare"; market value rates to know what price is "cheap", "expensive" or "moronic". Also you need to take a long hard look at yourself first and ask how seriously are you wanting to collect, and how much you're willing to spend (and still be able to keep your partner and kids)?

I would say at least have a few purchases on the cheap stuff to get familiarity on real vs fake, for the fact Repros are getting ridiculously common these days. You don't want to go bust spending big on some "rares", then later finding out they're a bunch of homemade repros. Premature burnout, yo!