VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => General => Topic started by: turf on April 10, 2014, 10:31:51 am
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I peruse a few forums and whatnot on the interwebs. I'm really only active on this one, but I do read others like reddit and NA.
Very, very rarely do I see someone admit to paying full price for games. I've never bought an expensive (>$50) game at full market value other than new stuff (that I can think of)*.
How are the prices of these things going up if folks are all buying stuff for $1 at thrift stores? Someone has to buying stuff off of eBay, or all these resellers would be out of business.
*Disclaimer: I didn't buy Earthbound, but I have a suspision that it was bought at full price by my wife.
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I don't buy most of my games at full market price. There are only a couple of reasons I'll pay full price for a video game.
1) If it's a multiplayer based game (like Battlefield) then I'll pre-order it and pay full price.
2) The game has a lot of content. I'll pay full price for a game like Persona 4 because I can easily sink 100 hours into it. It's absurd to charge $60 for a game that has only a 7 hour campaign and no other modes.
3) It's an amazing game and I want to support the industry.
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Most people do pay retail for games, us deal hunters are the minority (I don't buy all my games below retail/market value, but probably 85% of them I do). From what I've seen, most collectors are looking for a good deal, but most do not mind dropping full price on a specific game they want. This is why resellers are able to make a living off selling games.
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I guess I should have been a little more clear. I'm talking about older/collectable stuff. I fully expect to pay $60 for something on release day.
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Every single person who buys a game online or elsewhere doesn't go into a forum and boasts about how they just bought a 150 dollar Earthbound on eBay. People who actually care and spend their time on forums are in the small vocal minority. There isn't much pride at purchasing a game at full retail prices so why boast about it? The only kind of stories worth writing or even reading about are stories like how you searched through flea markets for a year before you found a five dollar Little Samson. I don't think anyone would care to read about how someone logged into eBay one day and clicked Buy it Now on a game just because they had to have it that moment. -Not very exciting or notable.
When it comes to newly released console games (which a this point for me is pretty much just Nintendo) I buy at full price all the time. Ain't no one stopping me from playing Mario Kart 8 on release day dammit! However for the majority of modern games I mainly stick with PC/Steam games. Just wait 3 months and the game is half the price. Than they have those quarterly blowout sales.
With retro games because of where I live I unfortunately don't have much of choice but go around sniping on eBay. I tend to get stuff just at or a little bit bellow "full" price.
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lol which is why I have been getting into imports. A lot of titles that are really expensive here is dirt cheap in Japan. I've never been there but I don't think they have nearly as many retro collectors over there. Why just a few months ago I picked up the Japanese release of Mario Kart 64 complete in box for FIVE dollars! Super Smash Bros. (JP) complete-in-box for 20 dollars. Yoshi's Island (JP) CIB @ 20 dollars. A Link to the Past (JP) CIB @ 10 dollars. You just can't get those kind of prices on their American counterparts. And that's not even me getting lucky that's just how cheap they are a lot of the time.
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Sometimes, sure.
I'll even buy some games that I know that I'll likely never end up playing to show my support for a niche and/or for NIS.
I'm talking "full market value" as = Release day prices on new releases; I'll never pay the outrageous "going rate" values that people on-line try to sell games like Suikoden 2 and /or Panzer Dragoon, etc for!
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It has to be something I've REALLY been looking forward to, like a new Elder Scrolls game. Pretty much otherwise, nope.
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What is rare and/or collectable?
Im my country i always see ads for lemmings for the game gear that people say is a rare game. I dont think so cause i seen alot of them going around.
Or do you follow a site like this http://www.rarityguide.com/gamegear_view.php?SortDirection=desc&SortField=5&recordsPerPage=20 (http://www.rarityguide.com/gamegear_view.php?SortDirection=desc&SortField=5&recordsPerPage=20)
That site only follows what is on ebay i think.
And for the modern games we have a site called budgetgaming. Its a forum of people who tell eachother were you can find the cheap games and consoles. in stores and online. So most of my vita games i only payed 5€ for new games.
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I did recently buy Mega Man Legends 2. But I paid about $30 less than most disc-only copies. I bought a scratched-up one, and just got it resurfaced for $3.
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And for the modern games we have a site called budgetgaming. Its a forum of people who tell eachother were you can find the cheap games and consoles. in stores and online.
We have the equivalent (here in the US); it's called: "C.A.G."
"C.A.G." =
Cheap Ass Gamers :P
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For me it depends on the price. I generally won't buy an old game if its over $20 used. While I love flea markets and Goodwill I'm very careful of what I buy and I generally won't spend over a couple of dollars per game. I once bought a copy of advance wars for GBA for $4, and I had no idea if it would work because it was at a flea market but since it was $4 it was worth the risk.
Goodwill actually has an auction website and you will occasionally see a bunch of rare games sell for over $100 but people don't bother reading the description which says that the product is sold as is and they have not been tested. I don't understand how people are willing to take such a risk. I mean I don't mind dropping $20 on 10 untested games or maybe $5 on one untested games but $100 is absurd.
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I've generally bought the full price on a couple things I know I'm never likely to find at a thrift or flea market. Bought a boxed Legend of Zelda NES from a retro game shop along with a Japanese Link to the Past, both probably around the regular market prices. Buying a Japanese Ocarina of Time for about the going rate on Ebay there this weekend. It's really about very specific things which I think is totally fine if you are wanting specific titles that are hard to find. Never bought higher than like 50 bucks though for an old game though and mostly not likely to due to the prices, but luckily, not much I REALLY want right now is over 100 bucks lol
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I did recently buy Mega Man Legends 2. But I paid about $30 less than most disc-only copies. I bought a scratched-up one, and just got it resurfaced for $3.
Where did you get it resurfaced? I have a Persona 1 disk that my wife had - she doesn't even know where it came from. :P Anyway, it's scratched up & "skips" in the intro movie so I thought I'd try getting it resurfaced - either it will fix it or destroy it. It's no good to me as-is regardless.
And I've been a CAG for around 10 years now - I've gotten some fantastic deals thanks to the guys there. :)
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While I get 90 percent off my collection thrift shopping, I do not have any shame in admitting, (not sure what the big deal about admitting it is) I have bought items at so called full Ebay retail price. Only a few times but I've done it. One was recently when I bought my Neo Geo Pocket Color in the box with Metal Slug in the box. I spent full retail Ebay price on both. I have no shame in that. I had the money to spend, so I bought it cause I know there are several games I eventually will get to play and will love playing for the Geo. *I did end up finding another Geo Color pocket with Sonic for only 30 bucks thrift shopping after I bought one on Ebay, but I got 2 now so that's cool :)*
I think the question I have always pondered is why people are scared to admit it. When I watch a Youtube video of some one showing off their collection, I know very well they did not find the top 5 rarest games for the NES thrift shopping for 2 bucks even tho they claim so.
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*Disclaimer: I didn't buy Earthbound, but I have a suspision that it was bought at full price by my wife.
Turf, if she bought Earthbound full price, it's all good. There is nothing wrong with that. That's one reason I enjoy your youtube videos because they seem very real. I can tell you don't lie about how you get your stuff. It's more enjoyable in my personal opinion because of that.
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I think the question I have always pondered is why people are scared to admit it. When I watch a Youtube video of some one showing off their collection, I know very well they did not find the top 5 rarest games for the NES thrift shopping for 2 bucks even tho they claim so.
Where's bikingjahuty? That guy is the KING of having patience and waiting it out for a killer deal on good games. He's a better, and more patient collector than I. I could see him doing something like that, no problem.
Especially since there are still mom-n-pop thrift shops out there that really don't have a clue when it comes to video games (although they're getting rarer everyday).
I did recently buy Mega Man Legends 2. But I paid about $30 less than most disc-only copies. I bought a scratched-up one, and just got it resurfaced for $3.
Where did you get it resurfaced? I have a Persona 1 disk that my wife had - she doesn't even know where it came from. :P Anyway, it's scratched up & "skips" in the intro movie so I thought I'd try getting it resurfaced - either it will fix it or destroy it. It's no good to me as-is regardless.
At a local used movie/video game shop here called Video Exchange. Generally follows eBay prices, so I don't go in too often anymore.
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I think the question I have always pondered is why people are scared to admit it. When I watch a Youtube video of some one showing off their collection, I know very well they did not find the top 5 rarest games for the NES thrift shopping for 2 bucks even tho they claim so.
I certainly agree with this. Is there really an issue with admitting it? You simply can't find certain games unless your ridiculously lucky, so you sorta have to, it's why there are retro game stores out there and vendors on Ebay, because they found the things others haven't. I don't think being a collector means having to spend 10 years looking for a quality inbox Earthbound for 5 bucks at some random garage sale lol
I bought at least a dozen games at the retro store I've been frequenting where I got my Zelda stuff and bought some other games there for whatever they are probably worth because I was looking for those specifically. Whatever I find at other places outside of stores is just what I get lucky to find, hopefully real cheap especially for common games to fill out my shelf and if I happen to find something I already bought, I can trade it in at the retro game store and get proper money for it towards something else I really want...Like those boxed Rare Nintendo 64 games I want at the store...man I want them bad lol
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Personally, I don't need to feel I got the greatest deal ever when buying an older game, if I can get a deal or a steal that's awesome, but if it's something I want and I have the money for it I'll get it. Now generally I try to keep my older gen games under the 20 dollar line but I've broken that on more than a few occasions (Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, FF III among others). Also where I live there aren't a lot of flea markets/swap meets etc, so it's not really worth the extra time or gas money for me to go out hunting like that. I have a local store that I frequent that is fairly reasonable on prices and will negotiate (especially with regular customers) and ebay that are my 2 main sources of my games. Have I over-payed for some games? probably, but who really cares in the end?
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I will Buy games at "full Market" if I think the game is worth it. that being said the most for a used game I've payed I believe was for Conker's Bad Fur day and that was $45
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I realized I told a bit of a story. I did pay full retail for Chip 'n Dale 2. It was the reward for Save Your Change Folks 1. I paid a little over $100 for it. I don't remember the exact amount.
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I buy games at retail value all the time. Granted, I collect Sega. So, retail value is not that high for most things. But I tend to pay what I consider "good deals". It's just a tad below the average or has a great deal on shipping.
You can deal hunt and pay well below market value depending on where you are at in your collection. For instance I have around 120 genesis games. If I went for a complete set in a hurry, I could get the next 100-200 games dirt cheap. But then ebay kind of becomes a necessity.
If I'm going for a complete original XBox collection, I could probably complete it all for pretty cheap right now (minus a few games).
Honestly, my collection is almost too far along and too specialized to find too many deals at flea markets and such. But flea market deals is what the XBox collection is for. ;D
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I realized I told a bit of a story. I did pay full retail for Chip 'n Dale 2. It was the reward for Save Your Change Folks 1. I paid a little over $100 for it. I don't remember the exact amount.
I can't wait to get that game! :) Did you get cart only or boxed?
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I think the question I have always pondered is why people are scared to admit it. When I watch a Youtube video of some one showing off their collection, I know very well they did not find the top 5 rarest games for the NES thrift shopping for 2 bucks even tho they claim so.
Where's bikingjahuty? That guy is the KING of having patience and waiting it out for a killer deal on good games. He's a better, and more patient collector than I. I could see him doing something like that, no problem.
Especially since there are still mom-n-pop thrift shops out there that really don't have a clue when it comes to video games (although they're getting rarer everyday).
That's because bikingjahuty is one of the rare freaks of nature lol. There is a limited amount of humans who are extremely lucky that they find something Ebay valuable for very cheap everytime they go thrifting . Other than my 5 dollar Virtual Boy CIB back in December, I haven't been too lucky.
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My trick on ebay is to always look at new releases buy it nows. This is how I got Alex Kidd in Shinobi World cheap. I'd have to look at my ebay history but I think it was between 10-15.
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Yeah. I do all the time, really...
What I still want is VERY unlikely to be found in the wild having been going out every week for 6 or so years. Honestly, anyone who says otherwise when it comes to collecting targeted rare things is a liar. It doesn't even bother me now. A lesson I've had to learn by repeatedly being dumb about it is that today's market value is gonna be laughably cheap compared to the market value 6 months from now with almost no exception.
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If I'm going for a complete original XBox collection, I could probably complete it all for pretty cheap right now (minus a few games).
Very true.
I finished my entire XBOX collection in a little over a year, and didn't spend more than $5 on any title. That includes some of the more expensive ones like JP Operation Genesis and Digimon Rumble Arena 2. Definitely the time to collect for the XBOX if you have any intention to do it ever.
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I have moments where I get lucky on finds but for the most part, I have to pay normal market value for something. My area of the world is over saturated with collectors and the finds are just really not there anymore. Plus Im at the point in my collection where there really isnt that much left I want or need. And my patience level for almost anything is pretty low when it comes to gaming.
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I do a lot, although there are a few things to clarify here:
If I'm going to pay so-called "ebay prices" as people tend to call it (really just the average the game is selling for at the time) then I will look around to see if I can find it cheaper elsewhere first. I'll check online websites and local places before doing so.
If I'm paying this price then it's because I actually want the game and to play it. It's not often that I'll just pick it up when it costs more than what it's worth if I'm not sure I'll even like it.
If I'm paying this price for a "rare" game then it's because I'm just not going to find it at a decent price. I'm sorry, but it simply just isn't easy to go and find a CIB Albert Odyssey for Saturn under $80. In fact at this point, $80 would almost be considered a deal. It happens, yes. It isn't as common as some people make it out to be though.
I really don't see what the big deal about this is, honestly. Most used games stores and places like that, at least around here anyway, have nothing more than sports games and a few dozen copies of really common games like Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt and F-Zero. It's difficult, for me at least, to find the good stuff just out in the wild. It's gotten to the point - I think for game collectors in general now - that even going to garage sales is pretty competitive because there are so many resellers now just everywhere. Yes, I agree that, for example, $20 for a loose cart of Castlevania III costs too much. Yes, I agree that resellers are screwing collectors over. But I'm not going to sit around and wait for months in the hopes that I can find it for $5 or less. I'm going to buy it if I want it. And I'm okay with that. There are a lot more people that do that than will admit, for some reason. I'm pretty sure it's the same as people who were shown in a study to own a Mac but were afraid to openly admit that they had computer issues with it because "Macs aren't supposed to have computer issues" and because they paid so much more for it than they would a PC. For some reason, people think that paying more for something than someone else may have paid for it is somehow embarrassing. Yeah, I'd love to go out and pick up Earthbound for $10 like I know some people have (or at least claimed to). That sort of thing just doesn't happen that often and it doesn't happen to everyone.
I'm not accusing any of you of lying about how much you've paid for anything, by the way. I know a lot of collectors do, but unless I knew for sure I would never explicitly accuse anyone of that. Because why lie about it? It's silly.
In my sig below you'll see I bought Mario Party recently. I paid $30 for it. That's way more than what it should actually be sold for, but after searching for a month, that was the best price I could find. I'm not ashamed of it because I'll play it with my friends and have a good time. The game is not less fun just because I didn't find it at Goodwill for $1.
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I do a lot, although there are a few things to clarify here:
If I'm going to pay so-called "ebay prices" as people tend to call it (really just the average the game is selling for at the time) then I will look around to see if I can find it cheaper elsewhere first. I'll check online websites and local places before doing so.
If I'm paying this price then it's because I actually want the game and to play it. It's not often that I'll just pick it up when it costs more than what it's worth if I'm not sure I'll even like it.
If I'm paying this price for a "rare" game then it's because I'm just not going to find it at a decent price. I'm sorry, but it simply just isn't easy to go and find a CIB Albert Odyssey for Saturn under $80. In fact at this point, $80 would almost be considered a deal. It happens, yes. It isn't as common as some people make it out to be though.
I really don't see what the big deal about this is, honestly. Most used games stores and places like that, at least around here anyway, have nothing more than sports games and a few dozen copies of really common games like Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt and F-Zero. It's difficult, for me at least, to find the good stuff just out in the wild. It's gotten to the point - I think for game collectors in general now - that even going to garage sales is pretty competitive because there are so many resellers now just everywhere. Yes, I agree that, for example, $20 for a loose cart of Castlevania III costs too much. Yes, I agree that resellers are screwing collectors over. But I'm not going to sit around and wait for months in the hopes that I can find it for $5 or less. I'm going to buy it if I want it. And I'm okay with that. There are a lot more people that do that than will admit, for some reason. I'm pretty sure it's the same as people who were shown in a study to own a Mac but were afraid to openly admit that they had computer issues with it because "Macs aren't supposed to have computer issues" and because they paid so much more for it than they would a PC. For some reason, people think that paying more for something than someone else may have paid for it is somehow embarrassing. Yeah, I'd love to go out and pick up Earthbound for $10 like I know some people have (or at least claimed to). That sort of thing just doesn't happen that often and it doesn't happen to everyone.
I'm not accusing any of you of lying about how much you've paid for anything, by the way. I know a lot of collectors do, but unless I knew for sure I would never explicitly accuse anyone of that. Because why lie about it? It's silly.
In my sig below you'll see I bought Mario Party recently. I paid $30 for it. That's way more than what it should actually be sold for, but after searching for a month, that was the best price I could find. I'm not ashamed of it because I'll play it with my friends and have a good time. The game is not less fun just because I didn't find it at Goodwill for $1.
Well said. You hit the nail on the head. Out of 6 plus years of game hunting, the only "rare expensive" item I have found is my virtual boy cib. It is so awesome finding video games in the wild for cheap; however, I'm with Soera. I dont have the patience to wait 10 plus years to find the Flintstones for the Nintendo or Earthbound or whatever is rare.
*For the record, I personally believe the Game Chasers video where they found the flintstones was orchestrated to increase viewers. Just my opinion.*
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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.
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I got my chrono trigger and earthbound together in a lot on ebay. Neither had the boxes but they had the manual/maps from chrono trigger and the giant strategy guide from earthbound. I probably paid way too much for them but I had just gotten some unexpected money and I'd been wanting both of those games for so long that I just pulled the trigger. I'd do it again in the same situation (although I may have been more adamant now about finding them both in box.)
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On new games, yes I reserve Collector's Editions all the time, But I know you're talking about classic games. :P
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. 8)
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. ;)
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I can find Bonk's Adventure on eBay for under $20 (and that includes shipping), on a "Buy It Now" no less, and I didn't look past my first search.
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I can find Bonk's Adventure on eBay for under $20 (and that includes shipping), on a "Buy It Now" no less, and I didn't look past my first search.
That's TurboGrafix. Look at the NES one.
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I can find Bonk's Adventure on eBay for under $20 (and that includes shipping), on a "Buy It Now" no less, and I didn't look past my first search.
That's TurboGrafix. Look at the NES one.
Oh, then that makes sense.
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I live in Delaware and the retro market here is kinda non existent. I'll pay FMV for game if I really want it and know I'm going to have a hard time finding in the wild. Which for me is a lot of games since I'm a JRPG fanatic... at the same time though I refuse to pay more the $30 for a retro game so it looks like theres a long list of games I will never own...
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Maybe I have... The market does fluctuate on each piece so nowadays, I may probably even went past full-market value. Though the fact that I enjoyed the games when I either rented/borrowed them in the past and will sometimes have some spending money to grow my collection, does give me a bit of a justification.
Still, most of the time, I do try to buy games in lots and sell or give away unwanted ones. So I guess, in a way, the spending will tend to even out.
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*raises hand*
I've got to the point where the more obscure games I want I'd pay about any market value. The chance of finding for cheap is just too slim and I'm tired of holding out. As for newschool if I want to support the game or think it might slip away from easy grasp, I buy at or around launch. So, Im both market value and thrifty when I can be.
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I have before, but I almost ALWAYS pay for a substantial percentage with trade ins.... I only pay full value cash on a title that I can't let slide by.... If there is a rare game I have been wanting a lot and I find it in absolute mint condition I may end up dropping money on the spot for it....