On new games, yes I reserve Collector's Editions all the time, But I know you're talking about classic games.
On average, no. Now I'll pay Full going value on say an odd rare game that sells for under $10 and I find it for under $10 I can live with that.
Will I pay a $100 for a game? yes. But only if it's cheaper then the average price then you can buy it for online.
I one time found a guy selling Rescue Rangers 2 and Bubble Bobble 2 and he wanted $300 for the pair.
Both carts where in perfect shape, and I talked him down to about $280 for the pair and Bubble Bobble 2 sold for about $250 alone. I knew I'd never find them cheaper (unless I get dumb luck at a garage sale) so I bought them.
If I see a rare game I want but the seller wants full ebay price and tells me "That's what its going for and I can't take less" I tell him, "Then maybe I'll go buy it online then" I also love when they say "But you'll save on shipping" and I say "And many offer free shipping" Unless your Buying a Foreign game console that's costs a lot of money to ship, saving me on shipping is not an incentive to buy from you. ALWAYS be willing to walk away from a sale no matter how much you want it. You'd be surprised how often someone will come down in price when you start to turn away.
I also find many used game stores will price boxes games at the going price a loose game goes for, So if I find a game CIB at the going price of it loose ya I pick it up. lol
Part of the fun of game collecting is the hunt. You can even do it online on Ebay and Amazon just watch for the good deals and pass on the overpriced Buy It Now's. Don't ever get caught up in an auction and over pay, so many times I see an item go for over what an auction right next to it has a Buy it now cheaper. Know your limit and back off if you get out bid.
I picked up Action 52 on NES for $60, I placed a Bid for $100, went to work and when I got home I won it for $60 i was shocked.
The other way I get great deals is trades, I'll pick up a game like Earthbound at a garage sale for $5, It took a while but I got two rare Turbo Grafx CD games (valued at well over $150) so I paid $5 for those two games.
I also had a Tengen Tetris that I traded for Shadowrun (SNES), a stack of Game Gear Games and he game me $10, I Paid $15 for that cart so in the end I paid $5 for all that. This is why I love trades over selling and why I pick up extras. Also anytime I do sell any game for money, that money is used to buy something I want and I look at it as a trade.
If you have tons of money and just want to go nuts buying everything at Buy It Now prices, Go ahead, but your missing out on the fun of the hunt.
I didn't intend to start this thread as a confessional. I was just wondering since a lot of sites are crawling with people getting Earthbound for $5. I was just trying to figure out how prices were going up if everyone was getting crazy deals. No admits to dropping $300 on Bonk's Adventure. (I didn't by the way. I was well below that but north of my usual cutoff of $20. 
)
I've found several great deals in my 10+ years of collecting. I've paid waaaay under the going rate for 95% of my stuff. I'm just lucky enough to live in a place that it took so long for game collecting to catch on.
Wow I didn't know Bonks Adventure shot up that much, I bought this game maybe three years ago for $40.
Why are people paying stupid prices? Because not everyone lives in an area that they can find rare games at garage sales, flea markets or Thrift Stores. And even then there's no guarantee you'll find that rare game you want. Trust me I'm shocked every time I stumble across a "Valuable game" for cheap. And there is one thing most people don't understand about these great finds. There's a lot of time, money spent on gas and lost sleep to find these games. out of a 100 sales/stores I hit I go to I might find one Good find. So many people don't have time or the patience to find an Earthbound for $5. I know a Collector who found Panic Restaurant (NES) at a garage sale for $10 and he lives in a small town. Its just luck of the draw. Garage Sales are starting up in my area soon, and who knows what I'll find. Maybe the best find in my collecting history or maybe nothing. It's all part of the fun (and sometimes frustration) of the hunt.
