Follow That Sign! (What yard sales can do for your videogame collection)

evilmax17

evilmax17

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Follow That Sign!
yardsalesign.jpg

(What yard sales can do for your videogame collection)​


Spring is here, and you may start to notice something familiar around your town. As the weekends draw near, neon-colored signs appear on telephone polls that read "Yard Sale" or "Garage Sale", maybe with an arrow pointing somewhere. Sure, we've all seen them, and most of us will just drive right by without even thinking about it. For many, the thought of a “Yard Sale” conjures up images of old ladies examining chipped tea sets. But those willing to look beyond this stereotype will find a videogame treasure trove just waiting to be raided. Read on to discover one of the best hidden jewels for videogame collectors, and why you just might find yourself taking a turn at that next handmade sign.

We have visited nearly 2000 yard sales in the last 2 years, purchasing hundreds of games and dozens of consoles along the way. We have found items for nearly every videogame system that has ever been released, including many rare gems and sought-after collectibles. The best part is that we get this stuff for rock bottom prices, and some are so low that they must be seen to be believed. After checking out some of these price comparisons, you may never be able to look at a dollar bill the same way again.

How would you rather spend $8?
nesgames.jpg
vs.
vcwii.gif

Nintendo has been making a lot of money by charging $5, $8, and even $10 for single games on its Virtual Console service, and you don't even technically own them once you purchase! We found 10 mint and complete NES games (along with 5 unpictured NES carts) for only $8 at a yard sale.


How would rather spend $5?
ps1.jpg
vs.
blockbuster.gif

Blockbuster will charge you $5 for a 2-day rental on a New Release movie. For that same price, we found the four Playstation games that you see above at a yard sale, all complete and in great condition.


How would you rather spend a buck?
cube.jpg
vs.
gum.jpg

I'm sure Orbit's new Raspberry Mint gum is delicious, but nothing tastes sweeter than finding a fully functioning Nintendo Gamecube at a yard sale for a dollar.


These finds and prices aren't uncommon, and we routinely find more just like them on a weekly basis. After doing the math, it turns out that we’ve purchased something videogame related at 1 out of every 9 yard sales we visit, and every purchase is always made at a bargain price. We’re here to tell you that we don't do anything special, and that you can just as easily find great deals in your local neighborhood! Along with the help of some fellow yard saling CAGs, we have compiled a guide which details everything you might need to know in order to score great videogame deals at yard sales, which can be found on the CAGWiki. But please, don't just take our word for it. See what some other CAGs have found at yard sales by using these helpful tips:


Atari 5200 with All Connections, 3 Controllers, and 15 Games
Paid: $4
"This was at a yard sale just down the street from my house. I saw an Atari System in a bag with a bunch of random cables and games. I asked how much for the bag, and he looks over and says... "Oh that old thing, well it's broken but I'll let it go for 5 Dollars since there are a bunch of games and everything still." I examined the games, and thought about it for a minute or two, and asked him since it was broken if he could let me get a better deal. He really didn't want to budge too much, but let me go down to 4 Dollars. As I got home, I connected everything, stuck in Pac-Man and was surprised to see it power up perfectly."
- FFMooglestar

Huge lot of Nintendo systems, accessories, and games, including many SNES RPGs
Paid: $10
"I got the NES/SNES stuff at an unadvertised sale at about 10. ...She said that they had a Nintendo in the attic that they never use and asked if I'd be interested in to which I said yes, while waiting I was thinking to myself that it's probably going to be a NES and a couple of commons of which I would most likely already have all or most of and was metally preparing myself to leave the stuff behind if I couldn't get it cheap enough (asuming it was nothing I didn't already have). I was surprised when she brought down the games becuase of what all it consisted of then she said that she had a SNES in her room and broght out the SNES with SMW & Zelda. I looked over the stuff and was thinking about if I should offer $10 or $20 and offered $10 to which she accepted happily."
- FOnewearl

Panzer Dragoon Saga (complete)
Paid: $2
"I guess the single one item that really pushed me to habitually go to yardsales every Saturday morning, often times hung over, was the one sale where I found a (good-- not mint) copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Saturn for $2. The gentleman brought out a box and I recongnized the sleek Saturn contents immediately. ...Hindsight, and experience, is always 20/20 and I should have offered $10 for the box, but instead, I flipped through the games until I found PGS. PGS was in very good condition, with the book having some slight bends, but no rips. Offered $2, which was accepted. To this day, it was that find that pushed me to go to garage sales. I found over 5 NES, SNES, and many complete games from a former video store owner for $10, and a Saturn for $5. Theres many more."
- IKilledLassic

Various Finds
"...completely complete Earthbound (big box and all) for 10 dollars.
NES Toploader with Lolo 1, 2, 3 and Double Dragon II for 25 Dollars.
60 Boxed NES games for 40 dollars...
54 Random NES Games + Random Controllers for 20 Dollars
Complete Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64 for 8 dollars all together."
- ThePlatinumStag

For those of you without cars, don't give up hope! Some CAGs have found great success while walking or riding a bike around their neighborhood. As jakescape53 puts it, “...it's an entirely different experience when your thinking ‘shit’ whenever a minivan passes you, because you know whats up and where they are going, and you just have to pedal all the faster.” His hard work and determination was rewarded with an awesome NES bundle, featuring boxed NES with 10 complete games, all for only $5. No matter what your transportation situation may be, you can still find unbelievable videogame deals at a yard sale near you.

Whether you've never thought of it before, or have been putting it off for another year, now is the time to start. There's an unlimited treasure trove of cheap retro gaming out there, and all you need to do is go out and find it. Read the Yard Sale Guide, introduce yourself in the Yard Sale Thread, and start exploring your town. You'll be joining a great community of helpful people that love videogames, and love getting amazing deals on them even more. So the next time you're driving and you see that bright neon sign, follow it. It could just be worth your while.

Dom and Liz
(evilmax17 and moiety)


 
I was going to follow a sign I saw today but I was on the way to my soccer game and already late. Hopefully I can get out early and see if anything is out there tomorrow. Snagged MGS VR Missions, Battle Stations, and Blitz 2000 at Gamestop for $2.75 though earlier.
 
LOL I've only ever found yard/garage sales run by elderly people with the aforementioned chipped dinnerware and other various junk. Although, I have read the yard sale/garage sale page that the evilmax17 pointed out in the OP before and was shocked by some of the things they've found.

Ever since then, I've been checking my local papers section for yard/garage sales, but the closest any have come to the keywords to look for was one offering up CDs this weekend.
 
I used to find some good stuff at garage sales, but I have run into a very long dry spell. I think the popularization of ebay has really hurt garage sale hunters like me. The only people who can find this kinda loot are the ones that go to garage sales like it's some sort of wacky religon, wake up at like 6 'o clock, spend all day Saturday looking, and waste tons of money on gas. Most people will not find stuff like this.


....Nice article though.
 
Living in the geek-heavy Northwest means no one wants to sell their good videogames, most of the time. Plus, I work nigh every weekend, so my chances to go looking are limited.

I've gotten decent deals in the past tho', most notably my Top-loader NES (no hookups) with 2 standard controllers, lightgun (didn't work), an Ultimate Basketball game and 2 old Nintendo strategy books, for $5. I had an extra RF unit from upgrading my SNES connection, so I just needed to buy the power cable.

'Course, that yard sale made itself quite obvious as a good stop- the front half of the yard/metal fence was coated with action figures, most still in the packaging. Anime dudes, game characters, Star Wars, Transformers- you name it. :D
 
I mean no offense when I say this, I hate you. You have gotten so many good deals, like that game cube for $1. All I saw today was that Asphalt something game for DS for $2.
 
You mention planning routes and heading out early, which is sound advice. When planning, one thing I'd recommend is plotting a route that lets you hit as many of them as you can early. So, if there are eight within a two-mile radius, hit all of them at or around their starting times and then branch out. The way my area is, I pretty much have to do it this way to have any shot; usually, after 9 or 10 am, all I get is a chorus of "Oh, we had video games, but they're gone now." In many of these cases they go on to say that they were made an offer for their game stuff before the sale even started. Unless the sale ad specifically states "No sales before x a.m." try going before the stated start time.

As far as the "my area never has video games" point, I'd say there's validity in that, but I also argue that there are probably games at sales that you're just not finding for a multitude of reasons (one of which is plain bad luck) My area is kinda bad for it because there's an established base of collectors with a lot of money to burn that clean out pretty much every sale. (I first heard about them during one of the first Gamecrazy Classic Plastics-when I read the list of games they'd already bought, I felt like crying) It's often disheartening to find something cool at a sale and think that I'm only getting it by their grace, but that just means I have to go earlier so I can get ahead of them :)
 
Great topic Evilmax, i hope all of your luck continues. I love seeing everything you find!

Tip for everyone, something i do to help cover costs/make every sale worth it is to also check for a second type of items in the back of your head even when youre thinking gaming. For me it is puzzles for my parents. Eventually, after my parents finish all of the open puzzles many will be resold. Hallmark has the brand "Springbok". It is suprising how many people at least around here.have complete or sealed old puzzles they never got around to doing. There are usually prices of 50 cents to one dollar. Here is a quick example of what a simple puzzle can go for.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Vintage-Spr...5QQihZ014QQcategoryZ19190QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The other thing i can tell you, if you see something old, at a value price, take a shot on it. Follow your gut and you may just have the find for the ages after a little research on the item.

Good luck this year everyone, just remember to find a second type of item you are intrested in and keep your eyes open.
 
I hate this article. Finding deals like that are extremely rare. As a kid I'd go through tons of yard sales with my father and the only game deal I can think of was a box of some 40 odd Atari games for a buck. As much of a great deal it was, I'd of rather watched Saturday morning cartoons.
 
Junk always ends up at yard sales here...it doesn't help that the demographical area of the nearby zip codes consist of elderly citizens whose children probably moved out during the Reagen Administration. :oldman:

However, I did find a yard sale with Saturn games a year ago. A disc-only, scratched up, ghetto copy of NBA Jam T.E. for Saturn had a stickered firm price of $10. Riiiiiight, not even worth 0.10. Most yard sale games are sports titles, too.

You lucky scavengers make me envious.
 
Dont garage/yard sales require getting up obscenely early? I always figured there were vultures that went around with a general resell knowledge and raped these things before you'd even get there.
 
Those are some awesome finds. Around here, eBay has killed the Flea Market and Tag Sales. Everyone thinks their shit is gold, and always prices it as such, no matter how unreasonable it may be.
 
Ebay has long killed the opportunity to find "deals" in my area. We just had our community garage sale this past weekend, and the only games to be had are old sports games priced at $10 or higher. You don't even see collectibles such as baseball cards or comics that you used to see in the past. The only items left are general household goods and thorughly used furniture. Bleh! :)
 
dammit now ive got yard sale fever!!!! i havent been to one in years but when i woudl go id mostly look for old toys and the like but with the new systems out now whose to say if you cant find good ps2 and gc deals at these things. hell my own sister was going to sell her nes back years ago mint freakin condition with mario 3 and tetris and the orange zapper for about 5 or 10 bucks at her yard sale and she wouldnt sell it to me but finally since she saw that i was serious about buying it from her she gave it to me for free. flea markets are good places to get games too.
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']Dont garage/yard sales require getting up obscenely early? I always figured there were vultures that went around with a general resell knowledge and raped these things before you'd even get there.[/quote]

Yes, you have to get up early, very early in most locations. If you don't and the sale is advertised in the classifieds or online, don't even bother. I've been able to take my time and still find some good items around my hometown, but if you live in a big city you basically have to pick a few sales that sound good and try to get there before they've been looted.

To make things worse, people around here routinely call ahead and often are able to buy things before the weekend. I've been to sales where video games/electronics were advertised and been told that someone already bought much of what they had earlier in the week. I've basically given up trying in the city.
 
Why do you guys want to advertise garage sale finds so agressively? Doesn't that just create more competition? I spent all last summer going to garage sales almost every weekend and didn't find much to brag about, although I spent hundreds on gas driving around the Indianapois area. I justify it as a cheap hobby that gets you outdoors and gets you some exercise (if you get out and walk around neighborhood sales), but the video game deals around here are pretty much non-existent thanks to the hundreds of other guys that are out every weekend looking for video games in this city. I have better luck when I go to garage sales with my dad in the smaller city I grew up in, as there are less video game collectors outside the Indianapolis area.
 
A few years ago I snagged a complete set of Nintendo Power from the first issue to 1993 for $10. That added to my collection of 1992-2003. I hope to find some good stuff this summer.
 
[quote name='Rictor']Why do you guys want to advertise garage sale finds so agressively? Doesn't that just create more competition? I spent all last summer going to garage sales almost every weekend and didn't find much to brag about, although I spent hundreds on gas driving around the Indianapois area. I justify it as a cheap hobby that gets you outdoors and gets you some exercise (if you get out and walk around neighborhood sales), but the video game deals around here are pretty much non-existent thanks to the hundreds of other guys that are out every weekend looking for video games in this city. I have better luck when I go to garage sales with my dad in the smaller city I grew up in, as there are less video game collectors outside the Indianapolis area.[/quote]
Good question!

Basically, there are tons of games out there every weekend at yard sales, all across the country, and they're going to be sold no matter what. That's a fact. Videogames are a hot ticket item, and you don't have to be a videogame collector to buy them. We've seen old people buy them, soccer moms buy them, and flea market dealers buy them. The bottom line is, these games are going to go quickly, regardless of how much advertising we do.

We'd much rather fellow CAGs get this stuff than random people. Also, as you said, it's a great fun way to spend a warm Saturday morning!
 
We have local hoarders. Every time I go to a garage sale and ask about video games stuff, they all say somebody was there very early and bought everything up. Almost every time, unless I hit the sales out in the country, which usually have nothing anyways.

And the ones I do find stuff at are way overpriced (more than GS would charge)
 
I used to get up and hit the yard sales and flea markets around here pretty religiously, and scored some good deals. However, about 3 years ago Ebay started becoming very well known, and most people either sell the items there themselves, or "looters" who arrive at the crack of dawn will buy everything that might sell online before you even see it. The only VG things left, if anything, are items that the seller has no reasonable sense of value on, i.e. charging way too much for it.

Seller - "Well I paid $50 for it so I want $25!!"
Me - "But lady, that was over 10 years ago!!"


For me it's just not worth it anymore. No way am I waking up at 5AM for the slim chance to get some old VG stuff. I'll stop at garage sales now only if I'm already out and they're on my way.

Thrift stores used to be good places to check, but now every time I go in one I see and hear several people there who are obviously looking for Ebay stuff. I haven't seen anything good in one of those in quite some time either.
 
There is never anything worth finding at the garage sales I've been to... I just end up sleeping in and not wasting my time. I did some garage sailing a bit last year, maybe a solid month of Saturday's, and all I did was waste time and gas every Saturday morning.

If I found something, which I didn't, I'd have to add the $30 - $40 and 15 or so hours I wasted looking for it over that course of that month, and it isn't a deal to me anymore.

Props to those who can keep at it, but I don't even bother... pawn shops have been much much better to me and I can hit those at leisure.

And yea, as mentioned above, Ebay has killed a lot of the good deals that are out there.

We used to have 3 or 4 video game vendors at a flea market a few years ago... lots and lots of awesome deals. But when Ebay starting getting huge, and they realized what they could get for this stuff, all those cheap deals starting becoming Ebay prices with a buck or two marked off. I don't even bother with the flea market here anymore, either.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']We used to have 3 or 4 video game vendors at a flea market a few years ago... lots and lots of awesome deals. But when Ebay starting getting huge, and they realized what they could get for this stuff, all those cheap deals starting becoming Ebay prices with a buck or two marked off. I don't even bother with the flea market here anymore, either.[/quote]

The one shop I go to ALL the time around here that has great prices on used games sells to the one flea market vendor(who the flea market owner told me I 'couldn't compete against by selling games' just a year ago, yet now allows people selling 1-3 games to undercut him). And well, this guy charges $25 for Greatest Hits titles with deplorable looking cases/manuals and isn't much cheaper on PS1/N64 stuff.

If not for his other items in his stand(movies,music,etc), I think he'd have been out of the flea market by now. His shop was MUCH better AND cheaper when he was in his own little shop and not part of the flea market. Now, he pays his $125ish a month and is content on whatever he makes and gouges like crazy.

As for yard/garage sales, I've never seen ANYTHING good at the local ones, so I stopped trying a while ago. But, I DO check Craigslist locally for possible 'deals' sometimes.
 
Nice article, OP's.

I've also been a fan of yardsales. Every summer usually brings in at least a couple good gaming hauls.

I've picked up systems, games, and loads of accessories.

Never seen a $1.00 Gamecube before though! :lol:

EDIT: I don't know if it was mentioned anywhere, but if you do see some good gaming goodies at a garage sale, don't hesitate to haggle. I've got even better deals on that stuff that sellers desperately want to get rid of. This holds especially true as the day progresses. Usually, sellers want to get rid of the "junk" and will take a lower offer if the day is nearly done.
 
What kind of idiot would sell those classic games -- FF7, FF8, MGS, Ehrgeiz -- for just $1.25 each?! I refuse to believe this -- you need to post pictures of that actual yard sale with the person who sold it and not just the games. Uncommon? I'd say those chances are 1/50. $1 gamecube? Yeah, right. Waste of time and gas unless you know ahead of time that they're going to be selling it.
 
[quote name='Larc']What kind of idiot would sell those classic games -- FF7, FF8, MGS, Ehrgeiz -- for just $1.25 each?! I refuse to believe this -- you need to post pictures of that actual yard sale with the person who sold it and not just the games. Uncommon? I'd say those chances are 1/50. $1 gamecube? Yeah, right. Waste of time and gas unless you know ahead of time that they're going to be selling it.[/quote]


:roll: i've found plenty of great deals at sales in the past 15 years...too many to actually remember them all;)
 
If only yard sales werent so damn early!

After getting up so early every weekday if I tried to on Saturday I would be like "Damn, I'm going back to bed. Screw this shit". But maybe I'll attempt to try to check 'em out.

It doesent help that most of the yard sales I've checked out in the past sucked ass.
 
[quote name='Larc']What kind of idiot would sell those classic games -- FF7, FF8, MGS, Ehrgeiz -- for just $1.25 each?! I refuse to believe this -- you need to post pictures of that actual yard sale with the person who sold it and not just the games. Uncommon? I'd say those chances are 1/50. $1 gamecube? Yeah, right. Waste of time and gas unless you know ahead of time that they're going to be selling it.[/quote]
Not everyone is an educated gamer. I've had many, many customers come in with older rare games and traded them in. I had one guy trade in Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, FF2, FF3, Lufia, Lufia 2, Mario RPG, Breath of Fire and Secret of Mana. He got something to the tune of $20. I told him that he could sell these on ebay and net at least $300. His response? "Eh, takes too much time".

I had a guy give me his PS2 Hard Drive when it didn't trade in. I've received a Game Boy Player for free. A guy traded in FireFighter FD 18 for $2.25.. but I offered $4 in cash and he took it. I had someone give me Intelligent Qube when it literally traded in for $0.00.

That, and seriously, people run Yard Sales to make money. If you offer money for games they don't play, whether they're rare or not, these people want money quick. They'll take what you offer.

Plus, the whole "call ahead and see what they have" completely takes the fun out of the hunt.
 
[quote name='Scorch']Not everyone is an educated gamer. I've had many, many customers come in with older rare games and traded them in. I had one guy trade in Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, FF2, FF3, Lufia, Lufia 2, Mario RPG, Breath of Fire and Secret of Mana. He got something to the tune of $20. I told him that he could sell these on ebay and net at least $300. His response? "Eh, takes too much time".

I had a guy give me his PS2 Hard Drive when it didn't trade in. I've received a Game Boy Player for free. A guy traded in FireFighter FD 18 for $2.25.. but I offered $4 in cash and he took it. I had someone give me Intelligent Qube when it literally traded in for $0.00.

That, and seriously, people run Yard Sales to make money. If you offer money for games they don't play, whether they're rare or not, these people want money quick. They'll take what you offer.

Plus, the whole "call ahead and see what they have" completely takes the fun out of the hunt.[/quote]

I dunno man, sometimes I question the motives of people at Flea Markets and Tag Sales. Some people, especially older folks, could give a hoot whether or not they make money. They just enjoy sitting outside in the sun and talking to the people that pass through. If someone is dumb enough to pay 25 dollars for that copy of Madden 96, then it's a bonus. If people were really intereested in making money quick, then I wouldn't see the same people that have had the same stands at the same flea markets selling the same crap year after year.
 
[quote name='spmahn']I dunno man, sometimes I question the motives of people at Flea Markets and Tag Sales. Some people, especially older folks, could give a hoot whether or not they make money. They just enjoy sitting outside in the sun and talking to the people that pass through. If someone is dumb enough to pay 25 dollars for that copy of Madden 96, then it's a bonus. If people were really intereested in making money quick, then I wouldn't see the same people that have had the same stands at the same flea markets selling the same crap year after year.[/quote]

That's a valid point as I did see the same garage sales week after week last summer. There's actually one house that has a garage sale every week for 4 months. I'm pretty sure they're just trying to bypass taxes by doing so, and I'm surprised a bylaw officer hasn't come by and shut them down because I read somewhere that in my city you can only have 3 sales per year.

To the person who said they can't believe someone would sell those NES games so cheap, you obviously haven't met people who sell off their kid's games because they've been sitting in a closet for 20 years gathering dust. If it's collecting dust it's worth nothing, so why not sell it to someone who wants it for a couple bucks instead. For the seller he/she sees old video games, for us we see nostalgia and collectibles. It all depends on your perception.
 
Good article. If I wasn't into collecting right now, I'd be fascinated by those prices. Of course, I have had my share of cheapass deals. They only come once every few years, But when they do, I'm screaming "Hell yeah" Inside.

Like in August 2004.. I found 71 games (68 NES and 3 SNES) For like $18! And every one works! There were some good ones there, Like Megaman 2, 3 And 4, Lolo 1, 2 And 3, Adventure island 3, And more.

I shouldn't brag, But those of you who don't believe me, Start going to yard sales, And don't be discouraged by the criminally insane prices that some people have, Like $150 for a N64. (Yes I've seen that)
 
Finding a full functional (with accessories) GameCube for $1 is extremely rare but not impossible. The seller perhaps didn't understand what the item was or it was a last-minute sale with no other buyers around. Two years ago, I bought a PSOne with a few games for $3, but it was at an outdoor church rummage sale and the original asking price was $20. It was late, they were packing up and they were selling anything and everything they could. So it CAN be a matter of timing.

I often find that sellers at g-sales overprice their video games to the tune of $5 to $10 each---in which most titles are 1 to 2 year old sports titles that you'll only get $1 on in trade. The best thing thing to do is to know what you're looking for, be knowledgable about the product, and offer to pay $7 for two games at $5 each. Bargaining is the key word at a garage sale.

A month ago, I found a PlayStation 2 with 3 controllers (1 wireless), a controller hub, memory card and 8 games, ranging from FSPs to Devil May Cry for $90. That's a lot of me to spend at a garage sale. The day before I was looking at a new slim PS2 system for $130--but figured that this was the better bargain, given the extras. And after a few searchs on Craigslist, I'm rocking to Guitar Hero I & II for under $100.
 
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