| General and Gaming > Classic Video Games |
| Yard/Garage sales |
| (1/6) > >> |
| mastodon:
How luck are you guys at finding retro gear at yard sales? Ive hit a couple this year and i didnt find anything. Two pawn shops near me have some crappy nes games. Which I seem to be buying just because they are there. Maybe you guys have tips for a new yard sale goer. |
| bikingjahuty:
I'm not a big yard sale person, although a few of my biggest scores were at garage sales. My main problem with them is you have to hit up 50+ garage sales to find a good deal sometimes, and if the sale is advertised with games it then becomes a race of who gets there the earliest and can get pretty dicey from my experience. My best advise is to go to community garage sales where a lot of people in a relatively small area are having garage sales so you don't have to go far between sales. Obviously see what they have out, but even if they don't have anything always ask the seller and see if they have any video games for sale. I can't stress how important doing this is. A lot of time saying this will jog their memory or they'll decide to sell games they may have been unsure about selling, but since someone is asking they're more inclined to let go of them. Another advantage of asking even if you don't see anything is they are caught off guard and don't have time to research what the games are worth, meaning you have a much better chance of getting a good deal on whatever they're selling. Despite how effective doing this is when people actually have games, actually finding someone who has games for sale is tough. As I said, I've literally hit up dozens of sales in a day and came up completely empty handed. It became so barren that I eventually lost the motivation to even go out to sales anymore. One strategy that I've thought of is hitting up sales in older, more established neighborhoods since there's a greater chance that people have lived there a long time and possibly still have old games that belonged to their kids or grandkids. I've noticed in newer neighborhoods people typically got rid of this stuff before they moved because they didn't want to worry about moving it when they moved into their current home. Hopefully some of this helps. |
| kamikazekeeg:
I tried years ago to do garage sales in my area, but I was always missing out on stuff, despite being there practically at opening. Then one time I took a trip with some friends over a few towns, and we filled a car trunk with stuff. It's so hit and miss. I personally find more luck with the flea market and thrift shops, though there's only two thrift shops I go to anymore. |
| 98dgreen:
I buy things other than games so if I don't find as much it doesn't really matter because I am still making money and am not going home empty handed. It also helps to hunt for games that are old but not retro. |
| hoshichiri:
See if your town has a set yard sale weekend, and go out then. Use yard sale finder websites to get you started, but don't be afraid to just follow random arrows in the neighborhood- folks who have older games are likely to not be the internet type. Finally- don't expect much, and hit sales as often as possible. I usually get a good find- but only one for the season. This stuff's not as common as the internet can make it look. Also, don't narrow your focus too much- if you're after cartridge games, you're gonna be sorely disappointed. But if you're willing to take old PS2/Xbox games, you'll be fine. |
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