Has the NES competition really become this intense?
This weekend a friend of mine had a yard sale and asked if I wanted to bring a few things over to sell, and beef up the contents. Of course I obliged, bringing the usual assortment of yard sale knick knacks, a couple old bookcases, and yes, some NES stuff that I wanted to move along. My friend advertised the sale on Craigslist, and also posted various signs up in the neighborhood that morning. What happenned next, amazed me. She got no fewer than 10 emails inquiring about the "old video games", got several people arriving up to an hour before the sale started, and even had someone show up on her doorstep the night before!! Is this what hunting in the wild has become? I'm all for collectors getting special items and getting good deals, but at what point does it become an annoyance, or even harrassment to the sellers? Perhaps people need to stop and remember that not only is it about their interests as a collector, but they're also dealing with other good people as well?
Personally, I'm a very finicky collector and only deal with the same 3 or 4 people/stores, as my collection is not very big, but what I do have, I like to have really nice, and while I have been to a few yard sales, rarely even think to look for games at them. I never realized what a competitive market it is out there.
Personally, I'm a very finicky collector and only deal with the same 3 or 4 people/stores, as my collection is not very big, but what I do have, I like to have really nice, and while I have been to a few yard sales, rarely even think to look for games at them. I never realized what a competitive market it is out there.
Comments
I've half been wanting to advertise for a yard sale with old video games amount other things, and only have a repro NWC to mess with these guys XD. Maybe even play dumb and 'discover' how much it's worth right as they're about to buy it (now THAT'S how you make a prank video).
making a mistake. When I go, I take it as an opportunity to walk and listen to podcasts, especially since I'm not buying every possible thing.
If one is into $5-$12 Wii titles, now is the time for you because that's most of what gets missed, imo, and you can still pick 'em up around noon.
There aren't many deals out there with everyone having a smart phone and looking at Amazon's outrageous prices. I've also found that many people asking for games tends to deplete the supply faster than not asking. Better to have them sell their games to you over 3 summers than to get it all at once and have the seller tell everyone they know video games are valuable after 2 grown men fought it out in the driveway.
Yeah. I've considered just fuckin with the people like "oh yeah there's Mario, Pac man, stadium events, Galaga, just a bunch a crap. Whats your offer?
$50 for all and I'll pick up right now
Yeah. I've considered just fuckin with the people like "oh yeah there's Mario, Pac man, stadium events, Galaga, just a bunch a crap. Whats your offer?
$50 for all and I'll pick up right now
I'll do 100. Also I can't find stadium events anymore. No big deal right? Just a crappy sports game anyway
The weirdest part is that some people still insist garage sales are in any way a decent place to find games.
I can honestly say I find video games, at yard sales, all the time. just yesterday I picked up a smb/dh for $1. That was around noon just stopping on my way home from the post office. Last week I picked up a ps2 (fat), all wires, two controllers, mem card and spyro complete for $10.
Ds lite, ps1 mini (complete), two Xbox 360 controllers for $20. I could go on and on.
Its not what it use to be for retro but ps1, ps2, Xbox, wii, handhelds, even sega Genesis and GC stuff is out there.
2 weeks ago I showed up to an estate sale 10 min early (I just wait in my mini van until actual start time) that advertised some og game boy stuff. It was near by and there wasn't a lot of yard sales going on so I figured "what the hell". I notice a guy pull up around 3 min before start time and I knew he was there for the games too (the devil recognize his own).
The lady open the door and I see the game boy stuff laid out with "$100.00" tag on it. LMFAO. It was dk, sml, Kirby, link awake, maybe 5-10 more titles. As I'm looking the lady says "are you George?" I say "no" the other smiles so big and says "that's me". The lady had already sold it. WTF?!
Turns out the guy drove an hour out to pick them up.
We're overdue for a big garage sale next spring. I plan on fucking with a lot of people.
I've flirted with the idea of posting decoy yard sales.
Im almost positive people do this...well I have actually been a victim of them.
I once walked out of a yard and a guy says to me "I figured it was a fake one". I asked him if he was serious and he said "I see it all the time".
Or there's the fake sales...I've had it happen to me. And I've thought about doing it to other people.
A) I would rather spend that time with my wife and child
I'm happy to pay the premium to people who put in all the footwork finding all this stuff. It's worth it to me to not have to be out there at 4 or 5 am to maybe find something.