Messages

1

Classic Video Games / Re: Priced To Sit vs. Priced to Sell

« on: May 02, 2012, 10:40:21 pm »

The point of the story is that the vintage store needs to say that they have rare consoles and games...and the rare ones do not come in as often. If they price something rarer completely out of league, they can then keep that advertising going until something better comes in, then drop the price and make their profit. And if someone comes in willing to pay the exorbitant cost in the meantime, more profit for them.

This is what I'm talking about. :)

I'm whittling down the points now, but it seems to be three different scenarios for games priced to sit:

1. Deliberate marketing practice designed to increase visibility while also increasing sales of lesser priced games
2. A psychological issue(disorder) wherein the seller cannot part with the product
3. Brand convolution leading to inappropriately priced goods

So, sometimes games priced to sit are done so with a conscious or unconscious decision to do so based on misguided promotional value or inability to cope with loss (respectively).  Other times it is an inadvertent action based on derived emotional value rather than supply/demand.  And games priced to sit determine the value/prevalence of games priced to sell (subject to environmental variance within the establishment in which they are sold).

At some point I will whittle this down to a single line, "string theory" style equation.

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Classic Video Games / Re: Priced To Sit vs. Priced to Sell

« on: May 02, 2012, 07:15:50 am »

My leading theory is that some games are literally meant to never sell. I think some stores like having all those big name brand games on display.  Flea market guys are the worst.  I would almost swear that some of the priced to sit games at flea markets are priced that way so these guys don't have to part with the pieces.  It's a weird phenomenon.  Reminds me of the "yard sales" on Hoarders where picture frames are $10 each, etc.

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Classic Video Games / Priced To Sit vs. Priced to Sell

« on: May 01, 2012, 09:31:05 pm »

I have this ongoing mental rolodex of the various shops and pricing on retro games (primarily NES, since that's what I collect).  I have come to notice that some titles are priced to sit and others are priced to sell.  It's as if some titles aren't even meant to be sold, some for nefarious purposes, and others for reasons unbeknownst.

Vintage Stock hoards copies of SMB3, Marble Madness, TMNT Arcade, etc all for 5-10 over the going average.  I figure these are their show pieces.  It's like street cred under glass.

Game Xchange has Zelda, SMB 2 and 3, Final Fantasy, etc all for $35.  I figure this is because their pricing geeks have no clue what games are worth and price based on name alone.  Some games -- like the American Video version of Impossible Mission 2 -- sell for $3 or less.

A pawn shop near here has Nobunga's Ambition 2 for $75.  I haven't figured this one out yet.

Anyone else noticing this?  I hope I have explained it well enough. O_O

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Classic Video Games / Re: Retro Game Price Inflation

« on: April 24, 2012, 08:31:20 pm »

I have discussed this amongst friends lately and have come to the conclusion that we're in a vintage game bubble, sort of like what happened with sports cards a few years back.  In the next few years supply will start to outpace demand as collections get settled, people move on, trends shift, etc.  At that time all the rats will jump ship and flood the market with the copies of Action 52, Earthbound, etc. trying to recoup their losses. (With the positive being that true collectors will finally be able to nab the pieces they have long sought for decent prices.) Things will eventually settle out to reasonable prices, perhaps with another bubble on the horizon with the release of Big Bang Theory: The Movie*. This card was $26,000 a decade ago.  That's your gauge for NWC or Air Raid, my friends.



*untrue, though regretably possible

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Classic Video Games / Re: Could this be a Demo/Prototype?

« on: April 24, 2012, 08:09:06 pm »

Any explanation as to where the sticker came from?

It could be a sticker with a metal part under it. The stuff that makes alarms go off.

I have found these and other stickers on the inside of some of my NES games, that's what I assumed they are.  I have a bad habit of opening every game I get to see what's inside.  I have also been guilty of putting fortune cookie fortunes inside copies of Duck Hunt and donating them to thrift stores.