Determine exactly what you want to collect before you start buying. 2500 games from atari 2600-xbox one may not be as satisfying as a complete set of loose n64 that is only 296 carts. Though I am skeptical there is ever an actual satifaction in collecting. You always want more...
Though I am skeptical there is ever an actual satifaction in collecting. You always want more...
I think in that instance if you keep getting the itch to acquire for acquring's sake, then take breather, evaluate what you truly want, and make a plan of action.
Value almost always goes up after the price hits its bottom (roughly soon after the end of the life cycle of a system). If youre going to go for a full set, some heavy hitters, or are on the fence about expensive games, follow the system and buy them around that time. Waiting will only cost you more in the long run and, if you decide against keeping it, you could always trade it when the value increases.
This is sort of two things, but buy screwdrivers to open up carts and, if you collect NES, learn to use the bootgod site to authentic games before you buy!
To the point of patience, when I started collecting I bought quickly and often but made sure to limit purchases to only what would be considered a good deal. I can count on one hand the number of times when I overpaid for something. Not only did I build my collection fast, but I also knocked out a bunch of games before prices spiked. I got really lucky with some of the prices on some games and that wouldn't have happened had I not worked more quickly than average. I know some people knock buying games on eBay and I totally understand that, but eBay really helped me build my collection in bulk at prices that I am very happy with looking back. I realize that I am probably the exception to the rule and that I had a pretty solid plan that was enacted at more or less the right time. I suppose when you say exercise patience, it really means to stop long enough to think about what are doing and not go in over your head.
The only way I got my collection going was by giving myself a budget. Find out how much you earn, then save a small, small portion of it for collecting. (E.g. if you earn 100k, save maybe 5k a year for collecting.)
More importantly, pay bills, buy necessities, then think about buying games. I have heard of people that get into collecting that end up spending thousands of dollars in a few months, ignoring other factors of life, running into financial issues, then having to sell their stuff off.
Budgeting yourself also makes (at least me) give a greater appreciation towards every single game that I purchase. This is my favorite way to collect. It makes it fun to me, and if I don't have money for the rares even after budgeting myself, then that's fine. I also enjoy getting common games and appreciating them just as much.
Find a niche that you enjoy to collect for so you won't feel burned out when you see others always bragging about their Flintstones, Samson's, and Earthbounds on those Facebook groups...
For me, personally, I would have taken more time to play my games before buying more. I've sold plenty of games that I owned for years but hadn't played other than to fire them up to make sure they worked.
Go big or go home. Buy all the rare and expensive shit first, then worry about the cheap stuff. If you are going for a full NES set buy Stadium Events now before it costs $30K loose.
If anything learn to haggle. And sometimes this method gets discouraging but sometimes people are willing to cut the price if you buy a few games from them. Not everyone is going to do this but if you can save a few bucks on some cheap games every dollar helps.
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Though I am skeptical there is ever an actual satifaction in collecting. You always want more...
I think in that instance if you keep getting the itch to acquire for acquring's sake, then take breather, evaluate what you truly want, and make a plan of action.
To the point of patience, when I started collecting I bought quickly and often but made sure to limit purchases to only what would be considered a good deal. I can count on one hand the number of times when I overpaid for something. Not only did I build my collection fast, but I also knocked out a bunch of games before prices spiked. I got really lucky with some of the prices on some games and that wouldn't have happened had I not worked more quickly than average. I know some people knock buying games on eBay and I totally understand that, but eBay really helped me build my collection in bulk at prices that I am very happy with looking back. I realize that I am probably the exception to the rule and that I had a pretty solid plan that was enacted at more or less the right time. I suppose when you say exercise patience, it really means to stop long enough to think about what are doing and not go in over your head.
The only way I got my collection going was by giving myself a budget. Find out how much you earn, then save a small, small portion of it for collecting. (E.g. if you earn 100k, save maybe 5k a year for collecting.)
More importantly, pay bills, buy necessities, then think about buying games. I have heard of people that get into collecting that end up spending thousands of dollars in a few months, ignoring other factors of life, running into financial issues, then having to sell their stuff off.
Budgeting yourself also makes (at least me) give a greater appreciation towards every single game that I purchase. This is my favorite way to collect. It makes it fun to me, and if I don't have money for the rares even after budgeting myself, then that's fine. I also enjoy getting common games and appreciating them just as much.
Start slow, have patience, and try to keep things small (in the beginning) and orderly.
All those repros and fake boxes make your collection look lame not "complete"
but it's so much cheaper!
The #1 rule to being a collector is screwing other people over in whatever way possible.
Don't forget to preorder something you don't want just to make profit off people that actually want it as well.
The #1 rule to being a collector is screwing other people over in whatever way possible.
lol, don't forget "pretend to be friends with someone so they will give you a good deal only for it to end up on ebay within a week".
Use a gofundme to fund your collection.
I think you forgot to add Kickstarter and/or Patreon.
Don't forget to preorder something you don't want just to make profit off people that actually want it as well.
The #1 rule to being a collector is screwing other people over in whatever way possible.
I changed my mind about the Switch, I dont want it. I will offer it to you since you're my friend, for only $700.
Don't forget to preorder something you don't want just to make profit off people that actually want it as well.
The #1 rule to being a collector is screwing other people over in whatever way possible.
lol, don't forget "pretend to be friends with someone so they will give you a good deal only for it to end up on ebay within a week".
Awww of course, the golden rule.