i cant tell you at how many places i have left my number and cheque up on these places weekly ( more than twice a week ) ....
its like they tell me they have this listed on ebay for so much, and im like, its their asking price and they dont get sold ( more than half the time ) ...
Up here it seems like I'm the only one looking for games at garage sales. I've always been the first one to advertised game sales and have always gotten first dibs, even though I know there are some resellers and game stores up here. Guess they don't really go the yard sale route. CL is okay, you just gotta check it often, and thrift stores are hit and miss but you can still find good stuff. It helps that there are a lot less people up here than down in the Lower 48.
I've slowly come to the realization that I'm wasting my gas and time stopping in at all my local spots. It was a fun 5 years but the returns have not been worth it the past 2 years. Of course I still find stuff occasionally and of course there are still great deals to be had, but they are so infrequent it clearly isn't worth the effort. It's been a sad realization to come to as game hunting was always one of my favorite things to do. But I know my time can be better spent searching ebay for good auctions.
This.
The good finds are so few and far between nowadays "in the wild".
Like Retro said, you're better off trying to get stuff online.
It's getting harder because it's easier for everyone to access accurate prices that people will pay. It's too bad - more and more, game stores don't even price things, they just check eBay (or even Amazon!) before you check out, to make sure they squeese every penny out.
Personally I hit on 4 good finds this week. Ive found when it comes in waves and thus week I'm wet. Next week, maybe dry. What frustrates me is how little stuff I need for my collection. I come here to try and trade but that's hit or miss. I'm sure there's more loose collectors on tree than CIB collectors. I have so many loose games I would trade off a box or manual I don't have yet. If anyone's interested, feel free to pm me.
i cant tell you at how many places i have left my number and cheque up on these places weekly ( more than twice a week ) ....
its like they tell me they have this listed on ebay for so much, and im like, its their asking price and they dont get sold ( more than half the time ) ...
so its hard to find anything anymore .... =/
Problem is, you can go on ebay and look at SOLD/Completed listing, which tells you exactly what people are willing to pay. Or you know, video game price check.
Are the days of $1 NES and $5 SNES games done for you think?
Not completely gone, but yes, quickly going the way of the dinosaur. The good old days of the mid 2000s are long gone, and the NES/SNES have long since shot up in demand and price.
The days where you saw 100s of $5 SNES games in flea market bins have long passed. Hell, even Game Crazy back in early 2006 had some awesome SNES deals. Adios.
edit: here are my "flea market memoirs" from that golden year that was... 2006
I do work at people's homes occasionally, i've found old games in their basements, crawl spaces, attics, etc.
They are out there, it's just a matter of finding them before someone else.
I hope you're asking them for the games and not just pocketing them.
Hah, I ask but they don't wanna give them up. I found a pile of boxed SNES games at one house, all mint, but they were sort of pack rats and wouldn't part with them. Same house had a bunch of gen 1 Transformers too.
Yeah, that kind of stuff kills me. A friend of the family has a bunch of games (mostly CIB) in his basement. I know he's not a collector and he also doesn't even own the systems needed to play them, but he won't budge on giving them up.
I started collecting less than a year ago and it's been 100% internet purchasing for me. I live in northern Ontario and have literally no chance at finding NES / SNES stuff.
I wont bother making the search again like that. Now I know, 90% of thrift shops in my area? Ratty clothing and furniture. I know of 3 places that on occasion have games. 1 is a pawn shop with crazy prices. One is a thrift store with book prices, 1 is a guy who wont sell them.
I go to the thrift shop, guys name is mike. Problem is, he basically isnt getting much stock these days, it has dried up. What he has left, there are about 3 games I want.
He said he maybe sees a new NES or SNES game in his store twice a year. I will be trading a few to him for his copy of Dragon Warrior IV, but after that, he wont have anything for me sadly.
Honestly I feel this way sometimes and then I'll find something awesome at a Goodwill. The sad part is that I think it just depends on your area, but there are millions and millions of games out there that are just waiting to be found, so you just have to be dedicated and persistent, as well as very lucky.
It's half where you live, half luck, and half how you smell.
i agree with this. Out where I live I have NEVER seen an old game at a garage sale, pawnshop, thrift store or whatever... NONE......
Either some reseller cleans up in a 30 mile radius every day or there is nothing....
My only chance for games is ebay, facebook groups, or hitting up the local game store that is like an hour away (though they do have great prices)
I don't even bother looking in the wild anymore, no reason to and with my luck, I'd never find anything anyway or be the person who walks in while someone is taking the awesome find off the shelf.
Patience pays off. Keep at it. Unless you're in a rush to get a full NES set by the end of the year for some crazy reason, or you make your living selling games - don't worry about it. There is still plenty out there to be had.
If you're having trouble finding (good) games in the wild, there's always going to be some retro stores that sell things for reasonable prices. You won't get a bunch of crap for nothing like you sometimes can at a thrift store, but no matter what, there's always good deals to be found. But it's going to take awhile for games to dissapear from every basement and attic in the entire world. So always look at thrift stores, you never know what you might find.
Comments
i cant tell you at how many places i have left my number and cheque up on these places weekly ( more than twice a week ) ....
its like they tell me they have this listed on ebay for so much, and im like, its their asking price and they dont get sold ( more than half the time ) ...
so its hard to find anything anymore .... =/
Originally posted by: RetroSauce
I've slowly come to the realization that I'm wasting my gas and time stopping in at all my local spots. It was a fun 5 years but the returns have not been worth it the past 2 years. Of course I still find stuff occasionally and of course there are still great deals to be had, but they are so infrequent it clearly isn't worth the effort. It's been a sad realization to come to as game hunting was always one of my favorite things to do. But I know my time can be better spent searching ebay for good auctions.
This.
The good finds are so few and far between nowadays "in the wild".
Like Retro said, you're better off trying to get stuff online.
Originally posted by: jfreakofkorn
its scare out this way ....
i cant tell you at how many places i have left my number and cheque up on these places weekly ( more than twice a week ) ....
its like they tell me they have this listed on ebay for so much, and im like, its their asking price and they dont get sold ( more than half the time ) ...
so its hard to find anything anymore .... =/
Problem is, you can go on ebay and look at SOLD/Completed listing, which tells you exactly what people are willing to pay. Or you know, video game price check.
except there are the few ( the really hard to locate at what i have been seeing on the board )
like for instance, a common ( i would say and seen my share out there ) blades of steel they wanted for 20 bucks ...
i was like what you can keep that ... because its may be 25 plus years, its not no 25 bucks ...
so its hard to find anything anymore everyone excepting a arm n a leg for a game that isnt worth the price ...
something like that i dont pay more than a buck for it ...
Originally posted by: Oddzball
Are the days of $1 NES and $5 SNES games done for you think?
Not completely gone, but yes, quickly going the way of the dinosaur. The good old days of the mid 2000s are long gone, and the NES/SNES have long since shot up in demand and price.
The days where you saw 100s of $5 SNES games in flea market bins have long passed. Hell, even Game Crazy back in early 2006 had some awesome SNES deals. Adios.
edit: here are my "flea market memoirs" from that golden year that was... 2006
http://www.rvgfanatic.com/7443/1018115.html
-Peppy
They are out there, it's just a matter of finding them before someone else.
Originally posted by: empire
I do work at people's homes occasionally, i've found old games in their basements, crawl spaces, attics, etc.
They are out there, it's just a matter of finding them before someone else.
I hope you're asking them for the games and not just pocketing them.
Originally posted by: Vandy
Originally posted by: empire
I do work at people's homes occasionally, i've found old games in their basements, crawl spaces, attics, etc.
They are out there, it's just a matter of finding them before someone else.
I hope you're asking them for the games and not just pocketing them.
Hah, I ask but they don't wanna give them up. I found a pile of boxed SNES games at one house, all mint, but they were sort of pack rats and wouldn't part with them. Same house had a bunch of gen 1 Transformers too.
100 miles round trip to every known thrift store/goodwill in the area.
I found ONE place that had NES games, but, they were behind the counter.
I went up and asked the guy, "Hey, how much are the NES games?"
He says "Not for sale, I keep them"
Then I notice he has an NES hooked up to this little CRT TV behind the counter, and what he does is play while he minds the shop.
Kind of cool because he was an old guy (60s at least) but, sad at the same time, because it was a big pile of games.
I started collecting less than a year ago and it's been 100% internet purchasing for me. I live in northern Ontario and have literally no chance at finding NES / SNES stuff.
I go to the thrift shop, guys name is mike. Problem is, he basically isnt getting much stock these days, it has dried up. What he has left, there are about 3 games I want.
He said he maybe sees a new NES or SNES game in his store twice a year. I will be trading a few to him for his copy of Dragon Warrior IV, but after that, he wont have anything for me sadly.
Originally posted by: coffeewithmrsaturn
It's half where you live, half luck, and half how you smell.
i agree with this. Out where I live I have NEVER seen an old game at a garage sale, pawnshop, thrift store or whatever... NONE......
Either some reseller cleans up in a 30 mile radius every day or there is nothing....
My only chance for games is ebay, facebook groups, or hitting up the local game store that is like an hour away (though they do have great prices)
I don't even bother looking in the wild anymore, no reason to and with my luck, I'd never find anything anyway or be the person who walks in while someone is taking the awesome find off the shelf.
Originally posted by: 0xero0
A bunch of fuckin Debbie Downers in this thread
Your dreams of finding NES/SNES in the wild been shattered?
Originally posted by: rickrollcollector
Originally posted by: 0xero0
A bunch of fuckin Debbie Downers in this thread
Your dreams of finding NES/SNES in the wild been shattered?
No, not at all. I find good stuff all the time. I don't feel like it's the end of the world when I come up empty though.