I saw a dude scanning books for five minutes the other day at a rummage sale. Good luck to him I guess.

Originally Posted by TheHelix I saw a dude scanning books for five minutes the other day at a rummage sale. Good luck to him I guess.

I've been yard saleing for a few yrs and can tell you that those people come and go. Dude I use to see all the time haven't seen since mid last year.

These people probably come and go because they either move on to other area's or they realize that they can't be profitable alone on scanning books, not to mention the stigma that comes with using a scanner and that some places prohibit scanners. From what I understand these people use a special handheld scanner, these things have to cost money and in order to justify the purchase you would have to make the money back and then some over the price of what you paid for the scanner. My library used to have massive book sales but coincidentally I haven't seen them have a book sale in the last 3 years, not saying this is due to scanners but I can't imagine they would want to be taken by someone with a scanner.

Originally Posted by Zazoo I sell on ebay, mainly I sell childrens books and workbooks. Though I also pick up manga, scifi/fantasy & mystery books. You can do really well selling nonfiction as well but its a genre i don't know very well and in my area there are tons of resellers that look for nonfiction. I'd much rather be on the look out for things that aren't on the normal book sellers radar. It also helps that most of what I sell shows up on scanners as not being worth sold. I've noticed a huge influx of scan bots ( people who just scan everything and usually work for a 3rd party and buy what the scanner tells them to buy) I don't really mind them though, they usually aren't knowledgeable about what sells and are sloooow. So by the time they have scanned 5 books, i have 20+ in my bag to buy

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll just have to keep at it and hope that I eventually luck out. One of my hurdles is that I feel like a lot of things are worthless simply because I think they should be and they end up being worth a lot of money. I mean, I see a lot of people post the most hideous shoes in the world in the pick-up thread and I'll "I wonder how much they got paid to haul those abominations away", only to find out the damn things are worth over $100. But of course, if I go out and buy an ugly pair of shoes, I just know I'll get home and find out that I got gypped. And I simply don't have the room in my house (or money in my wallet) to make gambles like that. At least books are recyclable, though. Heh.

Originally Posted by SaraAB Well today I got an old PC game called Shivers 2 for 50 cents, it is in the big box in mint condition with manual and complete with tons of hand written cheats. Its always fun to see stuff like this, this person must have put a lot of work into beating this game.

Nice! That is one of my favorite games of all time! I know it hasn't aged particularly well, but the first time I played it was an amazing experience and it had a huge impact on me, so I still hold it in very high regard. A lot of those hints/cheats aren't going to be useful because some of the puzzles are random, but it can still be cool to see someone's notes. I think I probably filled every inch of the Notes section in my manual. That game was super deep for a little kid. Ha ha. It was also the first game I ever played online and I still sing some of the songs now and then. If only the monetary value was anywhere near the sentimental value...

Originally Posted by ZombieToast Thanks for the input. I guess I'll just have to keep at it and hope that I eventually luck out. One of my hurdles is that I feel like a lot of things are worthless simply because I think they should be and they end up being worth a lot of money. I mean, I see a lot of people post the most hideous shoes in the world in the pick-up thread and I'll "I wonder how much they got paid to haul those abominations away", only to find out the damn things are worth over $100. But of course, if I go out and buy an ugly pair of shoes, I just know I'll get home and find out that I got gypped. And I simply don't have the room in my house (or money in my wallet) to make gambles like that. At least books are recyclable, though. Heh. Nice! That is one of my favorite games of all time! I know it hasn't aged particularly well, but the first time I played it was an amazing experience and it had a huge impact on me, so I still hold it in very high regard. A lot of those hints/cheats aren't going to be useful because some of the puzzles are random, but it can still be cool to see someone's notes. I think I probably filled every inch of the Notes section in my manual. That game was super deep for a little kid. Ha ha. It was also the first game I ever played online and I still sing some of the songs now and then. If only the monetary value was anywhere near the sentimental value...

I will probably end up sending the game to my friend as I send him old PC stuff every Christmas and I only have access to Windows 7 PC's which likely would not run this game. Unfortunately I really don't have the space nor the wall outlets to collect old computers though I would love to. He will definitely find all the hand written cheats amusing.

Originally Posted by SaraAB they realize that they can't be profitable alone on scanning books

There is no money to be made this way . . . people shouldn't bother even trying . . . especially in my town.

Originally Posted by SaraAB not saying this is due to scanners but I can't imagine they would want to be taken by someone with a scanner.

How are they taken? People with scanners buy books and the organization makes money.

Originally Posted by SaraAB I will probably end up sending the game to my friend as I send him old PC stuff every Christmas and I only have access to Windows 7 PC's which likely would not run this game. Unfortunately I really don't have the space nor the wall outlets to collect old computers though I would love to. He will definitely find all the hand written cheats amusing.

There's no need for an old computer for most games. Most of them have some sort of workaround that will work for them. For Shivers II, this is the simplest one:
http://www.squirtthecat.com/games/shivers_2/index.html

You know...just in case you want to check it out for yourself before giving it away.

Originally Posted by slowdive21 I came home empty handed today (for everything), but I only used a half gallon of gas and and couple hours of time hitting the main areas.

I feel your pain Slow. It's been slow around here. Hasn't helped that it has been rainy most weekends.

I probably hit about 40 sales this weekend and picked up lots of books but very little gaming finds.

I will post some pics (in hopes of finding more this weekend).

This was 2 weeks ago:



Not the awesome bundle I hope for but still well worth the $10 I paid.

Again last week:



$2 for all

This was Friday . . . the only VG pickup worth mentioning, all complete with nice discs (Ratchet is sealed):



They were asking $8 each but I got the group for $25. Weakest link is the Wii Ski but I got it for my daughter.

This badboy was from a thrift (paid .20 last year) but since you guys are talking about classic titles.



I dropped this on ebay for some serious cash . . . probably should've held it until Wasteland II comes out . . . oh well.

^^^Hopefully you didn't buy that D&D game because of me! I bought it because it was sealed.

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I actually managed to find a C64 copy of Wasteland last year for $3. I sold it a few weeks later - really regret it as the value tripled after the Wasteland 2 kickstarter hit.

Not a video game find but I finally scored a cheap copy of Amazing Spider Man 300 (1st Venom - 8.5-9.2 condition). I bought it along with with Uncanny X-Men 141 and 142 (Days of Future Past both 9.0 to 9.6 condition) for $10 total. The story below.

I get to this advertised comic sale and the wife is running the sale. She tells me most comics are a $1 and I immediately pull out the Uncanny X men Days of Future Past Comics. I have copies of these and I have bought them for as little as $3 apiece. She calls her husband who says $10 apiece and I counter her both for $5. She hangs up on her husband and says sure as they havent sold. I then pull out the Amazing 300 and ask her how much. Instead of calling her husband she asks me how much would I offer and I give her $10 for all 3 which she promptly accepts (note-my budget for ASM 300 has always been $20). I then look through and find a few more good comics, including Amazing Spider Man 122 (Death of Gwen Stacy) which stood out from all the late 80s early 90s comics that were there. She said she'll take whatever and i tell her I would only give a few bucks but she should call her husband. She does and this time he comes over and tells me $400. He then knocks the others comics I'm holding to high prices. I say thank you and leave. I email him later asking how much for all his comics he has left outside of the ASM 122. He emails me back what comics I bought already. I havent responded yet as I think he's going to chew me out for what his wife sold me. I don't know if I swindled her or not as she was the one cutting down the value. I have also gotten amazing comic deals before (.50 cents silver age guy followed by 6 for a $1 silver / bronze age guy last year) so yard sale wise, this is what I've come to expect. Problem is, I dont think the guy wanted to part with his comics and I think he wants me to return what I bought and I'm considering doing it (for a my money back plus gas / time). I really wanted ASM 300 but I feel kind of bad even though I told the wife it was worth something. If I didn't tell her to call her husband the second time I would've walked away with ASM 122 (7.0 condition), ASM 298, 299, 315, 316, 317, Wolverine LS 1 (at least a 9.2 I already have 3 other high grade copies), Hulk 240 (5.0 condition) and others for $20 or so total as she was willing to take it.

Originally Posted by schultzed They were asking $8 each but I got the group for $25. Weakest link is the Wii Ski but I got it for my daughter.

We Ski is actually pretty fun. I'd definitely put it above Dawn of the Dragon. Granted, I probably never would've played it if it hadn't come with my Wii, but I liked it enough for it to still be in my collection.

Originally Posted by schultzed I feel your pain Slow. It's been slow around here. Hasn't helped that it has been rainy most weekends. I probably hit about 40 sales this weekend and picked up lots of books but very little gaming finds. I will post some pics (in hopes of finding more this weekend). This was 2 weeks ago: Not the awesome bundle I hope for but still well worth the $10 I paid.

oh wow that's exactly what I'm looking for and at the price point I'm looking for, going to have to try some yard sales this weekend

My work requires that I travel a lot, so whenever I am going to a new city I hit the online ads and let people know I am looking for games. Most of the reponses are laughable, but every once in a while I pick up an amazing lot. Here's my latest score:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155888966/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155891238/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155885864/

Too many gems to mention, and almost everything is in pristine condition. I probably won't make any money on the transaction (I'm keeping most of the collection), but there are enough doubles in the lot to ensure I should come close to breaking even.

Originally Posted by ChuckT My work requires that I travel a lot, so whenever I am going to a new city I hit the online ads and let people know I am looking for games. Most of the reponses are laughable, but every once in a while I pick up an amazing lot. Here's my latest score: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155888966/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155891238/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/75600394@N07/7155885864/ Too many gems to mention, and almost everything is in pristine condition. I probably won't make any money on the transaction (I'm keeping most of the collection), but there are enough doubles in the lot to ensure I should come close to breaking even.

Impressive. How much did you pay for that lot?

Originally Posted by alexkidd4 Impressive. How much did you pay for that lot?

I paid $100 for everything you see, plus a box full of accessories and instructions. They even gave me the huge Rubbermaid Tote it was stored in, which was a nice bonus.

Highlights of the lot for me:
- Atari 7800 Complete in box
- Sege Genesis Complete in box
- Final Fantasy Complete in box
- Double Dragon (Atari 2600) Complete in box

Has anyone here heard of the game Dragon Treasure? It was one of the Atari games I picked up, but there isn't a lot of information about it online. Looks like a Zellers game to me, but I am not sure.

Originally Posted by ChuckT Has anyone here heard of the game Dragon Treasure? It was one of the Atari games I picked up, but there isn't a lot of information about it online. Looks like a Zellers game to me, but I am not sure.

What you've got there is a bona fide knock-off (oxymoron intended). The game is actually called Dragonfire, developed by Imagic. Although often listed as a developer, Zellers is actually just a store in Canada. What they would do is slap new labels on American games, re-package them, and sell them for whatever price they deemed fit. Dragonfire was repackaged as Dragon Treasure, which is what you have. I'm assuming yours has the skull island and pirate ship cover (like this) that Zellers used for a few games. You can click HERE for the official cover. Regardless of the version, it was a surprisingly detailed game for its time and it had a pretty decent storyline laid out in the manual. You can watch a boring but informative review here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eui_ikjlYEk

The official Dragonfire is worth about as much as any other Atari 2600 game: right around $5. I'm not sure about your version, however. I've never actually seen a Zellers game sell because people price them so high, so I don't know what would be a reasonable asking price if you want to sell it. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably worth the same as the official. I personally wouldn't pay more than $5 for it and I like knock-offs.

Originally Posted by Doomstink I actually managed to find a C64 copy of Wasteland last year for $3. I sold it a few weeks later - really regret it as the value tripled after the Wasteland 2 kickstarter hit.

D'oh, I Goodwilled one of these a couple of years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Interplay-10th...dp/B000PA4G2I/

Could be a minor flip now since it has Wasteland on it.

I'm not planning on selling it - I was just curious because my initial search didn't yield any decent results. Started digging and found this video, which filled in most of the missing blanks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMb5iz0oh6o&feature=plcp

Missed the previous weekend's sales due to having to attend a wedding, so I was pretty anxious to get going on Saturday morning. I was in the area I planned on working by 6:30am for 7am start-time sales, and hit a number of sales just setting up. I probably hit 15 sales before I saw another customer besides myself. Unfortunatley, nearly everything in this particular community sale ended up being baby crap (fairly new community, probably should have known better but have gotten lucky a couple of times out here before). I did end up making a solid find at about 7:45 am, but it was mostly a bust before and after that.



Picked up everything in the picture above for $32 total. The NES stuff was marked at $50 for everything. I thought about just picking and choosing the gems of that lot, but ended up offering $20 for everything and took it for $25. A few seconds later, I added Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion, and Kingdom Hearts to the pile (marked $3 each), which went from $25 to $30. I paid $30, then decided to pickup Elder Scrolls for $2. The games/carts were minty (case games were complete). Everything was very well taken care of, I only wish they had put out more.

Got lucky here, it was an older family (parents in late 50s) in a community full of families with children under age 8. I passed up an Xbox with 2 controllers, cords, and 8 or 9 games (no gems). It was marked $50, but I probably could have taken it for $25 or $30. I considered it, then decided it wasn't worth the effort to make $20 or so on it.



A few sales later I pick up Kirby Air Ride for $1 (no manual). After that, it becomes sale after sale of baby. Nothing even remotely of interest to me.

I leave the neighborhood around 10am, and head a few miles away, where a late 20s guy gives me 2 xbox 360s free of charge, says he doesn't need them anymore (after testing, 1 had RROD, one works perfectly). He also sells me all the NES games for $2 total. They are grungy and have writing on some (thanks to "Martin") but $2 is nothing.

A few sales after that I pick up a GBA with nasty screen and exploded batteries for $3. It cleaned up just fine, though. New screen + battery cleanup = restored.



Last sale of the day (around 11:30am), I ask about games and a ~10 year old kid brings out 2 junk xbox 360 games and a DSi with charger + New Super Mario DS. He asks $70 for the DSi + charger + Mario DS, I tell him I was thinking $30 (If he was an adult, I'd have offered even less, but didn't want to completey screw him). He sheepishly asked me to do $35, and I obliged. Craigslisted the lot 4 hours later for $80 for an easy $45 profit.

Same day, a craigslist post advertises video game systems at a sale the next day (Sunday). I ask what all he has, and he tells me Super Nintendo, Turbo Grafx, Genesis, Sears Pong, some odds and ends. Also alludes to the fact that he is unsure of working condition. Below is what I ended up getting from this Sunday-only sale on my first stop there.





Anyways, I show up a little too early and have to sit there until they set up. I allow them to set up a few minutes, then get out of my car and make my approach. Look through the cardboard box containing all of the gaming stuff. Disappointed not to see any SNES stuff at all, but somewhat excited at the Turbo Grafx, even if it needs a clean up and a power supply. I end up getting it all for $20. Basically nothing but the genesis is complete; everything is missing one cord or another, or is just an accessory. I try to get him to find some games, but he looks for a bit and can't find any. I leave.

2 hours later he texts me "just found 24 super nintendo cartridges." I head back (20 minutes away) to find 24 NES cartridges, almost half sports titles. At this point, I realize that he has Nintendo and Super Nintendo mixed up. Unfortunately, a lot of 24 NES games is probably worth just 10 to 20% of a lot of 24 SNES games, on average.



He references looking up a few on ebay, and asks $1 each. I tell him at that price I'd only buy a few. I offer $10 for all, we settle at $12. 50 cents a cart is decent, though I wish they truly had been SNES carts. Oh well.

Overall, I can't complain too much (some would say I shouldn't complain at all, but I will a little anyway because I have high standards). Still waiting for a massive score (one where I haul $500+ in games/systems off a driveway for $50 or so); had 2 or 3 of those last year. I only hit up the neighborhood that I did on Saturday because it was a community sale, where I figured I could hit 50+ sales and make a few solid finds, even if a lot was baby. Well, I hit 55 sales in that neighborhood and made exactly 1 decent gaming find. I could have outfitted 10 daycares, however. Will likely avoid this area in the future.

Will get back to my normal areas starting next week. Hopefully I'll find some SNES/N64/PlayStation stuff, though I'll settle for a nice GameCube or Xbox lot or 2.