Finding methods!?
Just interested to see how other collectors go about finding deals, or even condition hunting? Super bored at home sick and drugged up from my X-mas tragedy, but it gives me tons of game hunting time!
I personally have to resort to the web 99% of the time, i post ads in CL occasionally the local paper and keep up to date with the 3 thrift stores and one pawn shop. I think in the 3 years i've lived here ive found a chrono trigger for 4 bucks, mario party for a buck, castlevania 1,2 and 3 for a buck each along with a super gameboy. Best that i kept for collection was a sealed sim city and resealed super gameboy small box, iv'e opened both of them as there not worth tons sealed and i planned on keeping them!
My web finds are too long to list, quite a few are local but the best have always been a drive away that i pickup on my bi-weekly out of town trip! from an SNES with 30 games for 50 bucks, genesis with 20 games for 20, to smaller things. already have a few items lined up for pick-up that i will hopefully have up for sale! if i ever update my sale thread
I personally have to resort to the web 99% of the time, i post ads in CL occasionally the local paper and keep up to date with the 3 thrift stores and one pawn shop. I think in the 3 years i've lived here ive found a chrono trigger for 4 bucks, mario party for a buck, castlevania 1,2 and 3 for a buck each along with a super gameboy. Best that i kept for collection was a sealed sim city and resealed super gameboy small box, iv'e opened both of them as there not worth tons sealed and i planned on keeping them!
My web finds are too long to list, quite a few are local but the best have always been a drive away that i pickup on my bi-weekly out of town trip! from an SNES with 30 games for 50 bucks, genesis with 20 games for 20, to smaller things. already have a few items lined up for pick-up that i will hopefully have up for sale! if i ever update my sale thread
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My mother also volunteers at an op shop and she checks for games, only real luck was a lot of games which included Zelda Links Awakening with box, FF Crystal Chronicles and Tales of Symphonia for $5.
I also go to my local Cash Converters and ask if they have anything good coming in.
I go to a game store which does some good deals on retro games and do a fair trade price for games. Traded 5 shitty gameboy games for Mario Party in excellent condition.
Driving a 240 tonne haul truck for a living really leaves me time to surf the web on my phone as well, definately spend alot of time on the look out
I post a bounty here and setup watch list for eBay. If I have the time though I'll go to my local retro game shop.
I find being out here again in KY it's seasonal and I forgot about that. Freezing temps and boiling heat periods tend to make things not pop up so much so it's a down time. Even in that though, did luck at retail into finding a DW4 cart in minty shape for $40 which really pleased me. Wish I could share a method on any of it but it's just going there, being there early, and keeping your eyes open and trying to bargain down the price you get unless it's already crazy low.
I find in Canada expecially stores and people either know just enough to overprice games by a mile, or know nothing and think getting a few bucks for old junk is a good deal! I mean looking at CL there are quite a few highely overpriced guys with 30 dollars for all-stars that never sell =/ i was going to buy a large SNES lot i looked at it and it was an old reseller that didn't have the time. i definately could have taken a profit if i put the time in to sell everything but in the end it had nothing i wanted, and the resale just wouldn't have been worth what i could flip it for
The thrill of the chase is what exites me the most, while i love to sit down and play retro once in awhile, just the hunt and exitement once i find something is just fun! And the best part is i use the profits on items i don't want for items i do!
Prices are obnoxiously high, because we're overflowed by private resellers who drive around all day hogging up all the deals whilst us good folks are stuck at work to make our bucks.
I've gotten my prices HERE or eBay bids
Originally posted by: YogurtStorm
Local finds are a no-no for me. Ask anybody from the Quebec area.
Prices are obnoxiously high, because we're overflowed by private resellers who drive around all day hogging up all the deals whilst us good folks are stuck at work to make our bucks.
I've gotten my prices HERE or eBay bids
Luckily for me im surrounded by Hicks haha! I'm sure my small town still has much more to offer, its just waiting for everything to become available =p
Goto retro game store #1 and pick up grand slam tennis for the wii for 8$. Worth 40-65$. 3 issues of Game Informer from the 90's, 50 cents each. And a mint wizards and warriors 3 cib for 15$, down from a 20$ asking price.
Goto cd/DVD/game store #2 and pick up medieval games for the wii with rare cardboard slipcase for 3.99$ and a c: the contra adventure cib for 10.99$.
All my finds were worth at least what I paid if not more. The big skill is knowing what you're looking for and what to pay for it, oh, and knowing how to haggle and where to shop at.
To answer the question... I keep me eye on Kijiji, eBay, and NA, as well as the one local thrift store we have, it's a church! As if you didn't know to check such avenues.... friends are also good resources (with parents around...)
Good luck in rural BC...
Originally posted by: IHaveAProblem
I usually kidnap family members, but if that doesn't work, I try to keep watch online with my Iphone/Apps. If you're paying attention, you'll be able to get games below value, and sometimes really good deals. It can be rare to get the latter, but it's still a pretty good method. I don't have time to travel around the country going to flea markets, but I would guess that's probably the best place to find some good deals. Look for the mother selling her kids old games.
Welcome to NA! alot of my greatest scores are totally parents selling there kids old games lol
E-bay is my last resort, or if I'm in a hurry. I setup some searches for rare stuff and check the saved searches everyday. When I'm bored with nothing much to do I'll turn on an auto refresher with a WIDE net for NES/N64 stuff and look for those AWESOME BIN's and try to snag them before they are sold.
Best tip I can give you.. If you don't see games at a sale.. ASK. Usually there is SOMETHING, especially if there are kids. I used to FREAK my friend out. I could go to a sale and look a table and just say.. "There are games here". And he'd laugh but I was RIGHT everytime. The best ones were when NO GAMES were on the tables and I'd ask and some guy Guy would pull some out of his TRUCK at the flea market because he was just waffleing on selling them. He was always astounded. Another one even I thought I was wrong, but at the last table I peeked under this box and WHAM sealed Bill and Ted for NES. Lady was like, OHHHH thats a Nineteeendough game? $4.. SOLD.
Craigslist- Don't haggle, just say you want it. If you want to haggle, haggle at the meetup, but don't say you'll buy it then DON'T.. thats a DOUCHE move. I wouldn't jump on anything you didn't intend on buying, but asking for a couple bucks off after seeing it isn't a bad idea, especially if there were no pics, or the stuff is questionable..
Talk to the game dealers at the flea markets. You may be suprised what they DON'T put out. I had one DRIVE 5 miles to track me down after I mentioned I had an extra set of the Mega Man titles and then went to another flea market. He wanted them BAD. He KNEW they would sell and was willing to make trades from his stash to get them. You'd be suprised what a NICHE market a lot of the "Rare" games fall into. I might die for it, but 90% of folks are like "Where is Zelda, Mario, Mega Man???!?" Panic Resturant? Eww... I'll take Donkey Kong for $20!
Hope this helps!!
Originally posted by: CaptainPiracy
Ask your family and friends to ask their friends for you. This has been a good source for me and usually nets you games for FREE or a FAVOR.. I'm a computer geek, so usually it's something silly to do with a PC. Other than that.. Yard Sales/Flea Markets when in season. When out of season. I search e-bay and game stores. Helps to have a friend or two in a games store, if you're a regular they'll keep an eye out for good stuff. I was alerted to a Sealed Super Metroid in 9.5 ish condition they took in and just wanted normal used price, since they don't pay a premium for extras on trade ins.
E-bay is my last resort, or if I'm in a hurry. I setup some searches for rare stuff and check the saved searches everyday. When I'm bored with nothing much to do I'll turn on an auto refresher with a WIDE net for NES/N64 stuff and look for those AWESOME BIN's and try to snag them before they are sold.
Best tip I can give you.. If you don't see games at a sale.. ASK. Usually there is SOMETHING, especially if there are kids. I used to FREAK my friend out. I could go to a sale and look a table and just say.. "There are games here". And he'd laugh but I was RIGHT everytime. The best ones were when NO GAMES were on the tables and I'd ask and some guy Guy would pull some out of his TRUCK at the flea market because he was just waffleing on selling them. He was always astounded. Another one even I thought I was wrong, but at the last table I peeked under this box and WHAM sealed Bill and Ted for NES. Lady was like, OHHHH thats a Nineteeendough game? $4.. SOLD.
Craigslist- Don't haggle, just say you want it. If you want to haggle, haggle at the meetup, but don't say you'll buy it then DON'T.. thats a DOUCHE move. I wouldn't jump on anything you didn't intend on buying, but asking for a couple bucks off after seeing it isn't a bad idea, especially if there were no pics, or the stuff is questionable..
Talk to the game dealers at the flea markets. You may be suprised what they DON'T put out. I had one DRIVE 5 miles to track me down after I mentioned I had an extra set of the Mega Man titles and then went to another flea market. He wanted them BAD. He KNEW they would sell and was willing to make trades from his stash to get them. You'd be suprised what a NICHE market a lot of the "Rare" games fall into. I might die for it, but 90% of folks are like "Where is Zelda, Mario, Mega Man???!?" Panic Resturant? Eww... I'll take Donkey Kong for $20!
Hope this helps!!
Most of my family keeps an eye out for me =p The amount of people who call zelda rare and want more than actual rares is too often =p eBay is usually where i go for uncomplete boxes or cheap auctions under the radar =p
Definately taking in what everyones saying so far! I know my methods aren't perfect and sometimes i lose deals by making a bad offer, but im sure its happened to everybody
Another big issue is that a lot of people want you to make the first offer. I always find that difficult to do, because I have no idea what seems fair to somebody. Craigslist isn't ebay, and you never know who will be willing to sell to you for less, what will insult somebody, etc.
What do you mean by don't haggle? It's a douche move to haggle, but not a douche move to commit to buying and then haggle/back down at the meetup? Not trying to be snarky, I just don't quite understand. If someone is not going to sell to me for cheaper than ebay, I'm not buying from them, especially since Craigslist doesn't have the same kinds of guarantees Ebay does. What's the best way to get people on Craigslist who don't list prices to engage in a conversation? I've been direct with some people who just don't respond, and with others I've asked a bunch of introductory questions and they've gotten back to me. Seems quite a bit random.
I think, overall, the best deals can be found in person. It's just tough to do when you're at a working age and not in a great market. I'm actually probably in a great one, so I'll start to look. Does anyone know any good places in the New York/Northern NJ area?
Sorry, more questions than advice in the post, but I'm just learning the waters now myself.
No doubt iv'e lost a couple, and maybe they would have gone lower in person. my biggest problem is most of my CL deals are over 100KM away, and im not willing to go that far to find out they won't haggle at all i guess. Even in a small town with a full time job i am able to find some great deals! maybe im lucky i dont know, or maybe i just sound like a sexy, awsome person on the phone
Originally posted by: IHaveAProblem
How trustworthy have you guys found Craigslist? The first major issue I have is that like 90% of the people don't respond. Maybe they sold their stuff and haven't taken it down, maybe they get a ton of emails and don't respond to most, or maybe they just suck.
Another big issue is that a lot of people want you to make the first offer. I always find that difficult to do, because I have no idea what seems fair to somebody. Craigslist isn't ebay, and you never know who will be willing to sell to you for less, what will insult somebody, etc.
What do you mean by don't haggle? It's a douche move to haggle, but not a douche move to commit to buying and then haggle/back down at the meetup? Not trying to be snarky, I just don't quite understand. If someone is not going to sell to me for cheaper than ebay, I'm not buying from them, especially since Craigslist doesn't have the same kinds of guarantees Ebay does. What's the best way to get people on Craigslist who don't list prices to engage in a conversation? I've been direct with some people who just don't respond, and with others I've asked a bunch of introductory questions and they've gotten back to me. Seems quite a bit random.
I think, overall, the best deals can be found in person. It's just tough to do when you're at a working age and not in a great market. I'm actually probably in a great one, so I'll start to look. Does anyone know any good places in the New York/Northern NJ area?
Sorry, more questions than advice in the post, but I'm just learning the waters now myself.
So... Ebay.. you have BUYER PROTECTION amongst other benefits. Craigslist.. not so much. Anyway, what I mean is just because something looks like it's in great shape in a PICTURE doesn't mean it is when you get the real thing, especially when it's a crappy Cell Phone pic. So if you negotiate to $40, and you show up and it's in shit condition, you renegotiate or walk. Its up to them to be straight forward and up to you to make sure YOU aren't getting screwed. Obviously if you're getting a Honey Pot, you'll buy it regardless, so no harm in asking for a couple bucks off or just buy.. either they'll do it or they won't, but typically they do since you're already there, but no loss to me if they say no, I'm buying anyway. If it's NOT a honey pot and I'm buying for my collection or expecting a certain level for the item you bet your ass I'm going to pay a fair price regardless or I'll walk. I've had several times people have described things in "AWESOME" condition only to meet them and it's coated in crud or is all in a box and scratched to crap. I just say I'm looking for stuff in better condition, I'll give you XX for it, but thats it.
I would NEVER meet someone for something I wasn't interested in buying. But ads, talk, and pictures can all be deceptive. If they aren't honorable enough to tell me the real condition, or aren't educated on the item enough to know after I speak with them, then I'll say if it's like you said, $20 bucks. But your perception of "Good, great, new, like new" are all different. Best line ever.. Well its in good shape FOR ITS AGE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!!!!?!?!?!!! It's either in good shape or it's NOT.
Anyone who compares Craigslist to Ebay is WAY off the mark. There are risks with Craigslist that ebay you pay a premium NOT to have. If you're asking ebay prices on craislist or comparing to e-bay you need to come down a bit to bring it within a reasonable price range when I can't return an item, recieve feedback or give feedback for the purchase, have a history of the seller's dealings, and a guarantee that the item is as described or I launch a complaint.. That is a WHOLE slew of stuff that the extra bucks are tacked on to ANY item sold through there. It's a MARKUP.
Craigslist- Barebones bulletin board. I contact you based on your random ad THROUGH ANONYMOUS E-MAILs, have to meet you IN PERSON, usually have to DRIVE to get the item, CAN'T return it if it's broken, NO Guarantee on anything, and I might just be getting MUGGED when I show up. All those things each are CONS to Craigslist.. Which is why if you want e-bay prices... sell it on e-bay.. MINUS your listing fee, MINUS seller fee, MINUS paypal fees, and LACK of bidders since you are a one time seller with 0 feedback.
$15 on e-bay DOES NOT MEAN I WILL PAY $15 on Craigslist. Why would I leave my house for that when it could show up on my doorstep for the same price?
**END RANT**
Another one is games on CL and stuff are generally dirty, damaged and covered in stickers. Nothing that catches top dollar on eBay but sells quickly marked down for people that want play value, ive become decent at removing some stickers but have had accidents. Although if i buy consoles and the seller claims they work without proof and there a reasonable distance away, speaking of which im going to return a system that doesn't work that i still got cheap but the seller claimed it worked and has some gameboys i can swap for =p
Okay, Kijiji (like Craigslist) is a great place to find garage sales. Also, if you ever go for walks or bike rides, go on the smaller roads just to find some. There are tons of them that aren't even advertised, and there's a ton of them about 3-4 km north of me during June/July. Also check Video Games/Older Generation or Video Games/Other on Kijiji. Both tend to have some good stuff.
But I'm not sure if Princeton does have its own Kijiji.
I swear I was finding way more stuff even just a year ago. I come from a city that's 90% dirt bags and criminals, so we have a ton of people that think they can make a living (aka money for meth) buying and reselling games. The problem is, they're not smart or ambitious enough to even use eBay, so they list everything on Kijiji for eBay prices and no one buys it. It's like there's 15 or so guys around here all messaging each other offering half of each others asking values so nothing gets sold.
I just realized my best deals were probably finding something at a yard sale and trading it for games. I paid $15 for a bunch of old boxed C64 games last year and traded them for about $450 worth of R4-R7 SNES games.
I've spent much of the last year learning where I can find games locally. I have a couple routes planned out depending on how long or where I want to look. Today I hit 5 thrift stores and 4 pawn shops in three hours toting around a grumpy toddler.
Always be looking out for some new, out of the way thrift store or pawn shop. Become a frequent friendly face and reap some rewards. Just today I went to my best pawn shop and they allowed me to go behind the counter and start rooting through their boxes of games, cords, and other gaming junk.
I find with garage sales, if you look through the ads and it specifically says they have video games, you get dickhead resellers who show up early and buy them, or get first dibs on em and wait around. I do better just going to every sale and asking the owner if they have anything.
Flea markets I dont go to often, but I go as soon as they open. Same with thrift stores, if you're there right as they open, you're gonna get whatever they're selling.
Summer: Yard sales, outfoor flea markets
Year Round: ebay and amazon.
Never(but used to alot): Craigslist, retro game stores..
Out of the above 90% of my collecting now adays is online, it used to be the other way around. But now that we live in a world of 20 different television shows about picking and reselling, how can you expect to make your time worth while?!?! This past summer was very slow for me in terms of yard sales... A couple of good hits, but nothing compared to previous years.. However, to be fair, I get alot less excited about a stock nes with mario or junk genesis laying in a dirty old box, I only go for the nice stuff anymore, the crap builds up fast otherwise.. (meaning yes a three dollar game for 50 cents is a good deal, but at some point you have to ask, why bother?)
thats my two cents..